Reviving the Gospel: Confronting Christless Christianity

 

Summary

In our gathering today, we explored the pressing issue of "Christless Christianity" in America, a phenomenon where spirituality thrives, yet genuine Christian doctrine seems to be on the decline. This paradox is evident in the statistics: while a significant majority of Americans profess belief in God and even in the resurrection of Christ, a deeper examination reveals a troubling lack of understanding and commitment to core Christian doctrines. This trend reflects a broader cultural shift towards a subjective, individualistic spirituality that often sidelines the transformative power of the gospel.

Historically, America has been a fertile ground for religious experimentation, leading to a form of spirituality that is deeply personal and often detached from traditional church structures and doctrines. This has resulted in a version of Christianity that is more about personal empowerment and less about the redemptive work of Christ. The danger here is not outright heresy but a theological vacuity where the gospel is trivialized, and God is reduced to a supporting role in our personal narratives.

We examined how secularism, often perceived as an external threat, is actually a heresy that has infiltrated the church itself. This secularization manifests in three significant ways: enthusiasm, pragmatism, and consumerism. Enthusiasm prioritizes personal experience over the external Word of God, pragmatism values human strategies over divine means, and consumerism turns the gospel into a product to be marketed rather than a covenant of grace to be received.

The call to action is clear: we must return to the foundational truths of the gospel, recognizing that salvation is a work of God, not a product of human effort. The church must resist the temptation to conform to cultural trends and instead embrace its role as the herald of God's unchanging truth. In doing so, we will find that the gospel not only transforms individuals but also creates a community bound by the covenant of grace, not by consumer preferences.

Key Takeaways:

1. The Illusion of Spirituality: Despite high levels of professed belief in God, many Americans hold a superficial understanding of Christian doctrine, reflecting a broader cultural trend towards a subjective spirituality that lacks depth and commitment. This calls for a return to the foundational truths of the gospel. [04:47]

2. Secularism as a Heresy: Secularism is not merely an external threat but a heresy that has infiltrated the church, leading to a form of Christianity that is more about personal empowerment than the redemptive work of Christ. This requires a re-emphasis on the transformative power of the gospel. [11:45]

3. The Trivialization of God: The danger today is not outright heresy but a theological vacuity where God is trivialized and reduced to a supporting role in our personal narratives. We must recognize that the Bible is God's story, not ours, and that true fulfillment comes from aligning our lives with His purposes. [17:04]

4. The Perils of Pragmatism: Pragmatism prioritizes human strategies over divine means, leading to a church that is more focused on methods than on the message of the gospel. We must return to the biblical mandate of preaching, baptizing, and teaching as the primary means of grace. [31:16]

5. Consumerism in the Church: The church must resist the consumerist mindset that treats the gospel as a product and the church as a service provider. Instead, we should embrace the covenant of grace, which places God at the center and calls us into a community of faith. [39:03]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:27] - Introduction to Christless Christianity
- [01:48] - American Spirituality and Religion
- [03:12] - Belief in God and the Bible
- [04:47] - The Illusion of Spirituality
- [06:11] - Subjective Religion
- [08:42] - Cultural Icons and Spirituality
- [11:45] - Secularism as a Christian Heresy
- [12:30] - Theological Vacuity in Evangelicalism
- [14:41] - Trivialization of God
- [17:04] - Christianity and Cultural Trends
- [20:58] - Enthusiasm and Inner Experience
- [23:44] - Enlightenment and Inner Religion
- [30:23] - Pragmatism and Church Methods
- [39:03] - Consumerism and the Church
- [54:11] - Conclusion and Call to Worship

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
1. Romans 10:17 - "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ."
2. Exodus 32:6 - "And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play."
3. Hebrews 12:28-29 - "Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire."

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Observation Questions:

1. What are some statistics mentioned in the sermon that highlight the paradox of high belief in God but low understanding of Christian doctrine in America? [03:12]

2. How does the sermon describe the influence of secularism within the church, and what are the three ways it manifests? [12:30]

3. What examples from the sermon illustrate the trivialization of God in contemporary culture? [14:41]

4. According to the sermon, how does consumerism affect the way the church is perceived and operates? [39:03]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. How does the sermon suggest that the American cultural emphasis on individualism and personal empowerment has affected the understanding of the gospel? [06:11]

2. In what ways does the sermon argue that pragmatism has shifted the focus of the church from divine means to human strategies? [31:16]

3. How does the sermon interpret the role of the church in resisting cultural trends and maintaining the integrity of the gospel message? [54:11]

4. What does the sermon imply about the relationship between secularism and Christianity, and how does it suggest this relationship should be addressed? [11:45]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on your own understanding of core Christian doctrines. Are there areas where you feel your understanding is superficial? How can you deepen your knowledge and commitment to these doctrines? [04:47]

2. Consider the ways in which secularism might have influenced your personal faith or your church community. What steps can you take to counteract this influence and re-emphasize the transformative power of the gospel? [11:45]

3. In what ways might you have trivialized God in your personal narrative? How can you realign your life to recognize the Bible as God's story rather than your own? [17:04]

4. How can you resist the consumerist mindset in your approach to church and faith? What practical steps can you take to embrace the covenant of grace and prioritize community over personal preferences? [39:03]

5. Identify a specific area in your life where you have prioritized human strategies over divine means. How can you shift your focus back to the biblical mandate of preaching, baptizing, and teaching? [31:16]

6. Think about a recent decision or action you took based on personal empowerment rather than the redemptive work of Christ. How can you ensure future decisions are more aligned with the gospel? [15:23]

7. How can you contribute to creating a church community that is bound by the covenant of grace rather than consumer preferences? What role can you play in fostering this kind of environment? [42:19]

Devotional

Day 1: The Illusion of Spirituality
Many Americans profess a belief in God and even in the resurrection of Christ, yet there is a concerning lack of understanding and commitment to core Christian doctrines. This reflects a broader cultural trend towards a subjective spirituality that lacks depth and commitment. The danger lies in a form of spirituality that is deeply personal and often detached from traditional church structures and doctrines. This has resulted in a version of Christianity that is more about personal empowerment and less about the redemptive work of Christ. To counter this, there is a call to return to the foundational truths of the gospel, recognizing that salvation is a work of God, not a product of human effort. [04:47]

"For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths." (2 Timothy 4:3-4, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways have you allowed your personal preferences to shape your understanding of Christianity? How can you seek a deeper understanding of core Christian doctrines this week?


Day 2: Secularism as a Heresy
Secularism is often perceived as an external threat, but it has infiltrated the church itself, leading to a form of Christianity that is more about personal empowerment than the redemptive work of Christ. This secularization manifests in enthusiasm, pragmatism, and consumerism. Enthusiasm prioritizes personal experience over the external Word of God, pragmatism values human strategies over divine means, and consumerism turns the gospel into a product to be marketed. The church must re-emphasize the transformative power of the gospel, recognizing that it is not about conforming to cultural trends but about embracing its role as the herald of God's unchanging truth. [11:45]

"For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened." (Romans 1:21, ESV)

Reflection: How have secular values influenced your faith journey? What steps can you take to ensure that your faith is rooted in the transformative power of the gospel rather than cultural trends?


Day 3: The Trivialization of God
The danger today is not outright heresy but a theological vacuity where God is trivialized and reduced to a supporting role in our personal narratives. Many have come to see the Bible as a story about themselves rather than God's story. True fulfillment comes from aligning our lives with His purposes, recognizing that the Bible is God's story, not ours. This requires a shift in perspective, where we see ourselves as part of God's narrative rather than the other way around. [17:04]

"Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame." (1 Peter 2:6, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways have you made God a supporting character in your life story? How can you begin to align your life with His purposes today?


Day 4: The Perils of Pragmatism
Pragmatism prioritizes human strategies over divine means, leading to a church that is more focused on methods than on the message of the gospel. This approach can lead to a dilution of the gospel message, where the focus is on what works rather than what is true. The biblical mandate of preaching, baptizing, and teaching as the primary means of grace must be re-emphasized. The church must resist the temptation to conform to cultural trends and instead embrace its role as the herald of God's unchanging truth. [31:16]

"For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, 'He catches the wise in their craftiness.'" (1 Corinthians 3:19, ESV)

Reflection: How have you relied on human strategies rather than divine means in your spiritual life? What changes can you make to prioritize the message of the gospel over methods?


Day 5: Consumerism in the Church
The church must resist the consumerist mindset that treats the gospel as a product and the church as a service provider. Instead, it should embrace the covenant of grace, which places God at the center and calls us into a community of faith. This requires a shift from seeing church as a place to consume spiritual goods to a community where believers are bound by the covenant of grace. The gospel is not a product to be marketed but a covenant of grace to be received. [39:03]

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." (1 John 2:15, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways have you approached church with a consumerist mindset? How can you begin to see your church as a community bound by the covenant of grace rather than a service provider?

Quotes

What a wonderful opportunity it is to be with brothers and sisters who are concerned about similar things and who have a common hope in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I’m a little disappointed with the theme of this conference: Christless Christianity. I’m disappointed with the title of my book. Frankly, it’s… it’s not at all the book I wanted to write, and I think if you ask the speakers at this conference and the staff at Ligonier, they would probably tell you it’s not the conference that we would like. [00:00:03]

Americans are very religious, are very spiritual, are very interested in spirituality. Of all American adults, 92% say they believe in God, 92%. And 63% say that the Bible is the Word of God. God, apple pie, and Mom just go together when you say the word America. But is that the way it really is once you scratch the surface of this phenomenon. It gets a little murkier. Take belief in God, for example. According to a Pew study – that’s not pew as in churches, the organization is called Pew – 92% of American adults give a nod to belief in God, but only 60% say they believe in a personal God. [00:03:12]

So despite the public nod to the Bible, most Americans rely on their own inner light to determine what they believe and why they believe it. They have their own spiritual playlist. According to the same Pew study I referred to, most Americans, including most American evangelicals, say that there are many paths to salvation. What does it even mean to say we believe in God? What does it even mean to say that we believe the Bible is the Word of God? [00:04:47]

Spirituality is booming, and Christianity is on the decline. Religion is seen as an entirely subjective affair between you and God. How many of you have heard that in this last week even? It’s a personal affair between you and God, no external authorities. Don’t fence me in. As John Wayne said, “I like God until He gets under a roof.” That’s the rugged American individual spirit. And so it’s a completely subjective affair between the individual and God, or the individual and his or her inner Oprah. [00:06:04]

All of this leads me to think that in many respects secularism is a Christian heresy. Secularism isn’t something alien. Secularism… Secularism isn’t something out to get us out there. Secularism is happening in the church and has for a very long time. What I’d like to do in the remaining time that I have is to take a look at three of the things that I think are killing us softly. Three things that are having a tremendous effect on turning us away from the creed of the Scriptures to the new creed that seems to be the majority profession in the United States today. [00:11:45]

My greatest concern today is not that evangelicalism is becoming theologically liberal. I think that’s happening too, but my broader concern is that evangelicalism is theologically vacuous. You don’t need to actually preach heresy from the pulpit. You just don’t preach truth. And it ends up amounting to the same. And now we’re seeing a generation of people who have grown up in this milieu of not knowing what they believe or why they believe it, but they have a bunch of rules. [00:12:30]

God isn’t denied as much as trivialized, used for our life programs. Let’s find a supporting role for God in my life movie. You know, this is the show about me, the show about nothing. This is the show about me. It is about all my friends. This is about…, and there’s a part for God too. No, there is. There’s a part for…, and it is… it doesn’t look like much, but it’s an important role. He can be a great therapist. He can be a good life coach. [00:14:41]

In other words, the Bible is God’s story, not your story. It’s not about you. It’s about God. And once we realize that it’s about God, and He’s the hero of the story, all sorts of things begin to make sense, and oddly enough, irony of ironies, we actually find more in the Bible for us than we ever found before. I think that’s a big part of the problem today, trivialization – the trivialization of God that comes as a result of trying to find a place for God in my life. [00:17:04]

The second point, pragmatism. Now this one you hardly even need to mention as an American contribution to our captivity today – our strategies versus God’s means. The gospel’s message is that salvation is from the Lord. God is the One who saves sinners. We don’t find God by looking within, and we don’t find God or ascend to God by clever techniques. In Romans 10, the Apostle Paul contrasts the righteousness which is by faith with a righteousness which is by works. [00:30:23]

So that leads to the third one, and that is consumerism. It’s our methods rather than God’s means of grace. It’s our contract versus God’s covenant. And this one is really related very closely to the other two. Many Christians think of salvation, not in covenantal terms but in contractual terms. It’s like a contract. Remember. When I was a kid, I signed a contract. On the back of a tract – you could actually send it in, but you didn’t have to – you could just sign the contract, and there really was a contract quite literally. [00:39:03]

In sharp contrast is the covenant of grace. In this paradigm, the Triune God is front and center. I am not the sovereign chooser. Jesus says, “You did not choose me. I chose you and appointed you to go out and bear fruit that would last.” The Father has chosen me in His Son, and has united me to Jesus Christ by His Spirit and to all of these brothers and sisters around me. You see, that’s what it means. I’m not only, not the sovereign chooser with respect to God, I’m not the sovereign chooser with respect to all of these people. [00:42:25]

The writer to the Hebrews reminds us that the voice we hear today is not the thunder of Mount Sinai but the tender mercy and grace of Mount Zion, but for that very reason he says, do not miss this one. Do not be talking when God is talking. Listen and hear this good news and embrace it because this is a kingdom that cannot be shaken. “Therefore, let us be grateful,” he says, “for a kingdom that cannot be shaken and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship with reverence and awe for our God is a consuming fire.” [00:54:11]

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Transcript
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