Most Christians have a limited view of what constitutes a biblical worldview. I suspect that many believe that the Christian’s earthly life is a holding pattern for heaven. Earth serves as a way station for true living after death. Is this why God created us? We’re born, we live out our lives the best we can, and then we prepare for heaven. In the interim, the Christian’s goal is to evangelize the lost for the world to come.
As I was making my way through the channels to watch an episode of King of the Hill, I stopped on a channel that was showing the film I, Robot (2004). One of my favorite scenes was about to come on—Dr. Calvin’s exchange with V.I.K.I., the supercomputer that runs every other computer and all the robots in this futuristic dystopian world. V.I.K.I. is an acronym for Virtual Interactive Kinetic Intelligence. I, Robot is based very loosely on Isaac Asimov’s book of robot stories of the same name.
I came across the following post on Facebook: “Prof. D. J. Engelsma gives a devastating rebuke to the Postmil notion of ‘Christianizing the world.’” The poster asked for comments. Here was my first comment: “David Engelsma is fixated on the common grace argument. That’s a Christian Reformed Church amillennial problem. Engelsma uses almost no Scripture. His eschatology is closer to dispensationalism.” I later added this comment: “The Common Grace amils that Engelsma condemns share his prophetic position: ‘These common grace Dutch scholars and their North American academic disciples have all been amillennialists.
God tells Israel that He will not bring another calamity on Jerusalem like the one He brought in Ezekiel’s day: “And because of all your abominations, I will do among you what I have not done, and the like of which I will never do again” (Ezek. 5:9). One commentator who believes that there is yet to be a future Great Tribulation to surpass all the tribulations brought upon Israel writes the following:
One of the stumbling blocks to a preterist interpretation of the Olivet Discourse is Jesus’ statement about the Great Tribulation “such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall” (Matt. 24:21). Critics of a preterist interpretation of the Olivet Discourse maintain that such a tribulation has never occurred even though Jesus made it clear that all the events He said would take place were to take place before their generation passed away (24:34).
The reactions to the events since the November 3rd election have been mind boggling. Who could have thought that so much venom could be spewed by a major political party hell-bent on total destruction of its ideological rivals, a one-time competing political party that has lost what little courage it had to fight for ideals it claimed to have, and communication companies (one of the first areas to attack in any revolution) that wants to keep competing ideas and pushback from reaching the masses?
One of the arguments used against preterism is that it was developed by Spanish Jesuit Luis De Alcazar (1554–1613) who wrote a commentary titled Vestigio Arcani Sensus in Apocaplysi or Investigation of the Hidden Sense of the Apocalypse in which “he proposed that all of Revelation applied to the era of pagan Rome and the first six centuries of Christianity.” Here’s a typical example: “The Praeterist School, founded by the Jesuit Alcasar in 1614, explains the Revelation by the Fall of Jerusalem, or by the fall of Pagan Rome in 410 A.
What was Adam and Eve’s original task? Was it to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth with people who would deny God and His ownership of and authority over everything? Not at all. Of course, the fall disturbed the original plan, but the plan has not changed. The world does not belong to God’s highest creation or the devil. In Matthew 28:18–20 Christ, after stating that He (not the church) has all authority in heaven and on earth (v.
Where many Christians are today in their worldview thinking can be traced back to some adverse theologizing. We did not get here overnight. Seemingly divergent theologies have created a downstream effect of cultural indifference in the name of biblical Christianity. The late Andrew Breitbart observed that “politics is downstream from culture.” Change the culture, change everything. Ignore a comprehensive biblical worldview, you will get an anti-Christian worldview imposed upon you. There is no neutrality.
This article is a follow up to my article “The Cult of Never-Trump” which was an initial response to Michael Horton’s article “The Cult of Christian Trumpism.” Every movement, especially one that has 74 million people who voted for Trump, has some cultic elements. Leftists are nearly a full-fledged cult. I would include “Pro-Life Evangelicals for Biden” cult. I don’t know if Horton is as critical of this group as he is of the Jericho March people.
Apparently fewer Americans are reading the Bible daily. A Barna study on behalf of the American Bible Society came out a few months ago (during the time of COVID-19) that showed a drop in the number of Americans who claim to read the Bible every day—from 14 percent to 9 percent. That seems strange since you would think that during the pandemic, when we have been forced to spend more time indoors, more of us would have found time to read the Scriptures.
Many Christians approach life as if it is made of bits and pieces of unrelated reality. They struggle to see the relationship between seemingly contrasting categories. In fact, Christians often have been taught that the Bible addresses exclusively spiritual issues while some other standard should be used to govern how we should think about secular matters such as law, economics, politics, education, and business. This type of thinking might lead a businessman or scientist into believing that he is involved in “secular work” while a minister or missionary is engaged in “full-time Christian service.
All of what American Vision has said would happen if enough Christians abandoned the culture and adopted a two-kingdom approach to the Christian faith has happened. From what I see on Facebook from Christians, we are in deep trouble. Many believe we are in the precipice of an inevitable prophetic end. This type of claim has a very long failed history. We’ll either make the necessary changes to fix what’s wrong or God will let our inaction lead to a forced reset.
2020 has been a rough year. Politics, as usual, has played a big part. The country is divided but in a good way. People are realizing that there are differences and implications to worldview thinking. Paul said as much: “For there must also be factions among you, so that those who are approved may become evident among you” (1 Cor. 11:19). It’s good to know who the wolves are. They’ve been hiding among the sheep for a long time.
It all started with comments that Grace Community Church Pastor John MacArthur made where he “warned that today’s world is ‘perfectly suited for the Antichrist to come’ amid the chaos and ‘lawlessness’ stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.” MacArthur went on to say: Now we are a global world. And that is a setup that we’ve been waiting for through redemptive history since the Lord promised that there would come, in the future, an Antichrist who would have a global government.
There is no doubt that Francis A. Schaeffer (1912–1984) broadened the appeal for biblical world‑and‑life view Christianity with his popular writing style and activist philosophy. Schaeffer’s popularity was extensive enough that he was recognized by the secular media as the “Guru of Fundamentalism.” (Kenneth L. Woodward, “The Guru of Fundamentalism,” Newsweek (Nov. 1, 1982), 88.) Schaeffer filled the intellectual gap that resided in much of fundamentalism. In a sense, he carried on the tradition of his early mentor, J.
Attacks against Trump supporters continue to phone in from the Left and Right. The latest is from Michael Horton who is the J. Gresham Machen professor of systematic theology and apologetics at Westminster Seminary California. He has been joined by Never-Trumpers Beth Moore, David French, and Rod Dreher, author of The Benedict Option. Horton’s article is a reaction to the “Jericho March” that was held in Washington, DC. Horton called it “a wakeup call for Christ’s body” in his article “The Cult of Christian Trumpism”:
Every Christmas there is the inevitable talk about a “war on Christmas.” Not all opposition comes from secularists, atheists, and Muslims. Some Christians believe the Bible does not set aside the birth of Jesus as a special calendar day to honor His birth because such a celebration violates the “regulative principle of worship.” Others believe Christmas has a pagan origin and that the Roman Catholic Church turned a pagan celebration into a Christian holy day (holiday).
You can’t be woke enough these days. Basketball player turned cultural commentator Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said social media companies should do more to silence “irrational and harmful” posts from conservative and left-wing celebrities who aren’t woke enough. In most cases, “irrational and harmful” are defined as not agreeing with a Leftist agenda. Someone like the former Lew Alcindor is not affected by an implemented Leftist agenda. He’s made his millions and is protected behind the gates and walls of his multi-million-dollar mansion.
Frequently, around Christmas time, we are treated to yet another (often just a repeat of previous “findings”) naturalistic explanation of the biblical “Star of Bethlehem.” Natural explanations of biblical phenomena can sometimes have their place, but they can also be diversions—for unbelievers and believers alike. A far better approach for believers is to know and receive the deep, rich biblical meaning to the star. Let’s look at it. It seems to be a foregone conclusion of some of the more naturalistic approaches that if an astronomical explanation for the star was to be found, the entire birth narrative—and ultimately the Gospel itself—could be finally dismissed as a myth.
