Why The World Hates Christianity I
Nobody needs to be shown that the world hates Christianity, and that it likes and tolerates anything and everything except the true Christian faith.
The twenty first century is full of reactions against the Christian faith. There are communists, gays, abortionists, theological radicals, moral relativists, pluralists, universalists, and even some Christians who hate the Christian faith. It should also be noted that the very same people love Christ as a teacher or as a revolutionary. Even people of religions that are hostile to the Christian faith love it when Christ is described as an enlightened incarnation (one among many). Even those who reject the claim of Christ to be the only Saviour of the world accept as good the moral teachings of the Sermon on the Mount. Christian social service is warmly welcomed even by those who are aggressively hostile to the preaching of the Christian faith. From these it is obvious that the opposition is not to Christianity as a whole, but is only to some portions of it.
In fact the bulk of what is seen today in the name of Christianity is liked, endorse, and even chased by people. Non Christians vie with each other to get their children admitted in Christian schools, and the sick around the world prefer hospitals run by Christian missions. Even atheists are at times willing to join hands with Christians in many endeavours if the Christian community would abandon just a few things thy consider improper. Fortunately those who do oppose Christianity in this manner have not kept the Christian community in suspense. They have made adequately clear the things they hate.
The first thing many of these people dislike are the ’solas’ of reformation. These are the Sola Scriptura (Bible Alone), Solus Christus (Christ Alone), Sola Fide (Faith Alone), Sola Gratia (Grace Alone). People love to hear that the Bible is God’s word, and they would respond that yes there are numerous religious books which are God’s word, including the Bible. But as soon as the sola is added and Bible is set forth as the ONLY book that is God’s word people dislike the idea. A number of reasons are there, the chief among which is the unwillingness to accept the concept of special revelation — that a particular book says exactly what God wants it to say. This places strict boundaries around a person who wishes to see all kinds of things prescribed in ‘the word of God’ our of which he can choose what he likes. They reckon that as long as a large number of books that contradict each others are accepted as God’s word, they can pick and choose what they wish to follow. Narrow it down to a single book, and there goes the freedom. Thus the dislike. The same is the problem with the other solas also.
Today the world wants an inclusive approach — where everyone irrespective of his beliefs, creeds, and activities is ‘included’ in whatever group one thinks of. Excluding people even for the most serious reasons is seen as a crime. Consequently, if Christ alone is the Saviour, then all those who are not believers in Christ are condemned. If faith is the only way for justification, then all those who wish to present their works to God come back empty handed. If grace is the only way of salvation then all the labors which people love to do for salvation are rendered futile. What is more, all the religious holy places that mint money by the minute would lose this loot. Finally, if Christ is the only Saviour, then every person needs to make a profession of faith in Christ. A good number of people do not like to make such a profession because they clearly know the implications of doing so on their future life and human liberty — they will have to order these things according to the words of Christ, which is the Bible.
In other words, it is only the gospel-proclaiming Bible-based stream of the Christian faith which people hate. That is because this stream restricts them from indulging in lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and pride of life. What is more, this stream of Christianity maintains that morality and moral values are absolute, and that they do not change with times, seasons, and human fads. What is more, the moral values are not flexible. In a lecherous society where serial marriage, pornography, and ‘living-together’ is a way of life for many, people would hate such an inflexible moral code. The flexible (read, non-existent) moral code ensures that divorce, sexual infidelity, and even financial corruption is not seen as bad. But the Biblical moral code adhered to by the Bible-believing variety of Christians does not allow this. Since the Bible-believing Christians proclaim this strict moral code, ethical code, and other principles that decide what is right and what is wrong, the present generation hates the way Bible-believing Christians respect and interpret the Bible.
It should be pointed here in this connection that two cardinal doctrines that any Bible-believing Christian adheres to are hated even more by those who dislike the true Christian faith. These are the doctrines of infallibility and inerrancy of the Bible. Infallible means that Bible is the sole and infallible guide to the Christian in every matter related to faith and practice. If it says something on a subject that is authoritative, and nobody is authorized to question it. This closes all possibilities of stretching Bible to suite what one wishes to do. It also closes the door to the possibility of explaining away what the Bible says. Added to it the doctrine of the inerrancy of the Bible. According to it, if the Bible makes a pronouncement on a subject, that will always be right and it will never have any error whether the subject is doctrinal, practical, historical, or scientific. Since these two doctrines define the boundaries clearly, even most non-conservative Christians hate them. They are ready to give assent to the Bible as long as they do not have to accept the Bible as any kind of final authority. Their human wisdom is the ultimate authority in that kind of a system. However, once infallibility and inerrancy are accepted, the boundaries are drawn and the human wisdom no longer has a place. Thus the dislike for these doctrines (and those who propound these doctrines) even by many Christians.
Powered by FireStats