The Real Reason Christianity is Rejected
Unwrapping a Newly Packaged Old Lie
A refurbished accusation has surfaced sometimes connected to Progressive Christianity. It is defamation cloaked in false humility, suggesting the world would come to Christ if only Christians were better. However, this is not the reason Christianity is rejected. Even so, as an indictment it is predictable, cycling through the lives and disappointments of the disillusioned. A brief survey of Jesus’ words is enough to dispel this often repeated, but unwarranted criticism.
The Real Reason They Are Embarrassed
There is a kind of Christian, some call them ‘Progressive’, that considers themselves greater than their fellow believers. They bemoan the collective failings of the church, determined to right wrongs. If it were not for the sinister origins of the accusation, it appears to be a noble goal. As it is, they mistakenly believe the obvious human imperfections of Christians are the most significant reason Christianity is not celebrated.
The real transgression is in their opinion of their brethren. Embarrassed to be one of us, progressives set about distinguishing themselves as a superior class of Christian, convinced the world will be won by their fresh demeanour. In reality, they are immature believers disillusioned by their own unrealized ambitions. It would appear they are better than their fathers!
Like most failed movements, this one is built on faulty assumptions. The errors of progressive Christianity, if Christianity can ever be revised into a ‘progressive’ model, are many. Too many to itemize in one brief article. Yet one significant assumption stands apart — which is their erroneous notion around WHY the world rejects Christianity.
At the core of this issue is the question of our love. It is rightly assumed by this new generation of critics that the key to winning the world is LOVE. While they are correct in this belief, they are wrong is in believing the world rails at the church for a lack of love.
The Real Reason Behind the Critics
Critics mistakenly parrot the accusation that it is the shortcomings of the church which prevent the world from embracing Christianity. It is of course a partial truth, as we are an incomplete work in progress. But what they should wonder is, ‘why they are so irked at the rest of us.’.
The divisiveness this notion breeds speaks loudly. Remember, Jesus taught us to recognize a tree by its fruit. This is why we can state plainly and clearly, that those who embrace this accusation are themselves infected by the world. The first apostles were not hesitant to call them out and shine the light on their true motives.
“Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
James 4:4
In a sense, the wanna-be reformers are victims of their own lusts. At the heart of their willingness to separate from God’s people is selfish ambition and a need to be accepted by the world. Their efforts are empty gestures; not really a sincere effort to love the world but rather an expression of self-indulgent cowardice. Behind it all, is a need to be esteemed.
This affection for praise snares them and brings them into servitude. They are enslaved to the spirit of this world, eventually leading them to join the ranks of those, who down through the generations, have deemed themselves ‘conscientious objectors’ of organized religion. These critics are abstainers, adding nothing but contempt as they heap judgment upon themselves.
Without Spot or Wrinkle
Now if we were asking the question ‘Can the church be better?’, we would be foolish not to confirm that it can, it should and it WILL be. In fact, leaning into more of God and improving our quality of love is the highest of priorities. We know there will be a bride without spot or wrinkle (Eph 5:27). But these critics are oddly less concerned with their own lack of love. Furthermore, their pride has made them accomplices to an agenda soaked in malice.
Progressive Christians and those who join them in their bitterness and self-righteousness are unwittingly complicit in a diabolical scheme. While they commit to embodying the kinder safer version of what they think we ought to be, their truly critical flaws remain. Which is of course an unwillingness to bless God’s people. In so doing they have embraced an agenda sired by an antichrist spirit. The likes of which will never be satisfied by our concerted efforts toward self-improvement.
At stake here is a question of superiority. Which expression of faith is purer? At this point I would urge you to cry out to God for divine insight as surrounding this issue is a host of demonic activity. Our ability to see clearly can only be opened by significant humility. It is for us to realize that separating us from each other is the end game. When we find ourselves isolated from fellow believers, we can safely assume there is something sinister behind it.
Even so, the primary question remains. What is the real reason the world rejects Christianity? Let’s ask Jesus!
The Root of Offense
The real reason the world rejects Christianity is because it is better, not because it is flawed. The fundamental mistake made by Progressive Christians who imagine themselves a better version of us, is believing offense is largely driven by deficiencies in others. This is diametrically opposite to the truth as Jesus put it.
He set out a pillar of truth with these words.
“And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”
John 3:19
What drives men and their refusal of the truth is not the imperfect packaging of the truth, but the very essence of truth itself. Yes, the church is deficient in many ways, but that is not the reason the world hates us. The spirit which indwells and drives the unredeemed literally hates the light. The light, no matter how dim or bright, is antithetical to the darkness. This is the real reason it is resisted.
The idea of darkness being repelled by the dimness of the Church’s light is laughable. The logic which suggests the haters of light would suddenly embrace a brighter version is absurd. Greater amounts of what we fundamentally dislike can never stimulate our appetite for it.
Think in terms of food flavours. Does more of what you despise make it more appealing? Is it reasonable to dislike curry spices, but love them in heaping amounts? “Yes! Throw in double the amount of what I hate and then I will love it.”
Lovers of Light
Lovers of truth are distinguished by their response to its faintest touch. They are quick to embrace the least amount of light. Drawn to the light, they rejoice as they revel in its power to create clarity. On the contrary, those repelled by light might pretend to abhor its dimness, but they are liars. As Jesus made abundantly clear with the following.
“For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”
John 3:20-21
( For more on this see the article “Not a Tame Gospel”)
In this, the children of God are distinguished from all others. The plain truth is this: there are two kinds of people on the earth — those that love the light and those that hate it.
The Apostle John amplifies these very same words. His explanation mirrors that of Jesus, as he clearly outlines the heart of the matter. For this, he cites Cain and Abel’s dispute. Using the very first murder as an illustration, he exposes the root of the murderous spirit released on the church and embraced by progressives. As one might expect, he does not fault the righteous, however imperfect he may have been.
“For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.”
— 1 John 3:11-12
Let’s get this clear! Cain murdered his brother, not because Abel was worse, but because he was better.
A Divine Paradigm
This is the divine kingdom paradigm we all need to embrace. The justification of accusation against God’s family is intolerable, no matter how it is framed. Yet it is all too common. Christians of all persuasions need to question their impulse to accuse and divide. How is it the righteous can carry so much antipathy for the righteous?
Faulting the guilty should be easy, yet the sympathies of many so-called Christians lean the other way. There seems to be a residual remnant in us that cannot but wince and recoil at faulting the guilty. It may be time to carefully examine the source of this reluctant impulse concealed deep within our own hearts. But for that to happen we must become fully convinced of this central tenet of the Kingdom of God.
The world does not reject Jesus because of imperfect light, but because it hates the light.
Abel was not murdered because he was evil. His life was not taken because he was insensitive, proud or selfish. He was killed because he was better. This is what the darkness does! It hates the light and cannot but engage in a mindless assault against it.
There is something in the mind and heart of man that enables him to rationalize his depravity with outlandish lies. No matter how vile his sin is, a twisted rationale emerges wishing to fault others for our condition. The evil heart of man has an innate ability to side with darkness and resist the light. Consider what kind of path the mind of Cain had to take to justify murdering his brother.
Ignoring the Real Reason
Cain was no doubt irritated by Abel and found much fault in him. Humiliated at God’s approval of his brother, he was convinced Abel was lording this victory over him; rubbing his face in the dirt with false piety, giving him cause for anger. Today is no different. Nothing has changed and the voices of an angry ‘Cain generation’ continue to justify themselves at the expense of the rest of us.
We face a perverse kind of ignorance which takes exception to our tone, our choice of words and our way of life, as a matter of contrived theatrics. Despite how deeply felt, the real reason men reject the truth is because they simply love darkness. Those who believe otherwise err greatly and are also choosing a lie.
This is why we can boldly refute the claims of progressives. Those who are won over by the logic of darkness are collaborators with the guilty. At some level, they share common ground with a perverse rationale which turns them against their brothers.
Therefore do not be intimidated by those professing to love God who cannot love His flawed bride. When they point out our incompleteness, realize there is nothing but contempt and hatred for righteousness at the root of their rationale.
So what then do we do when we find ourselves nuzzling the heart of the accuser? The answer is simple and yet profound. Meditate, rehearse and love the truth until it converts your soul. This alone can change our condition and disposition to love the darkness.
It is time for an uncompromising church to absorb the apostolic gospel. What is at the heart of that message? John said it well when he summarized the issue with these apostolic words.
“He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now.”
1 John 2:9
