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Do you have convictions about whether the church can be or should be equated with a so-called Christian civilization? What positive and negative outcomes do you see for the church as a result of the changes in Western Christianity described in this lesson?
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I do believe that the modern church is equated with Christian civilisation. However, much of today’s society does not honour the values of Christianity. Also, the societies of the world differ. On one hand there is secularism which believes that religion should not mingle with politics or with social norms. Some societies, intertwine religion with various degrees of social and political views. Additionally, some societies encourage freedom of religion where others forbid such tolerance. The result of the changes in Western Christianity has not been positive. I believe Christianity is becoming compromised and losing its voice. We must know that we Christians are the Church. We must hold firmly to who we are, what we believe and who we belong to. We are not of this world and do not fit into the societies of today.
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Even in the world we live in today, a Christian civilization would bring us one step closer to God’s master plan. The only problem is, we actually live in a world where freedom and independence are valued more than anything else. Man is free to worship how he pleases and normally that would consist of over hundreds and 1000’s of different faiths, religions, and beliefs. God has given the Wicked one and the Antichrist the time they needed to prove that the world would be better off without the Universal Father backing us up. Today the world is in havoc and the only remedy Man has come up with is to wage war and kill many in the process. Christianity is just evolving, but the ultimate outcome will be that of the Father in Heaven. We are too steadfast in the faith and continue following the Holy Spirit.
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As Christian’s, we are to be holy, separate from the culture of our society. Yet Jesus came that sinners could be set free, so we must also be in the world, but not of the world. If we are not known for our love. That the church has been on the wrong side of the issues of slavery and many atrocities (like Hitler), shows the western church has fallen short in many ways. The church has been assimilated into the society in far too many instances, yet in each you find true hope with examples like Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
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The modern church in this country is already equated with Christian civilization. However, we (God’s saved people) are actually the church and not the institution or the buildings. Increasingly our society has moved away from traditional Christian values and embraced much more secular beliefs. The changes in Western Christianity do not bode well for the actual church. The government is increasingly involved in the functioning of the institutional church. Even though there is supposed to be a clear separation of church and state here. This is why it is increasingly important to know beyond a shadow of a doubt who we truly are as believers and that we are in fact the church. The statutes of the Bible are slowly being disregarded sadly. The church is losing its power because of this compromise. It is time to revive ourselves as the body of Christ so as we do not become watered down and powerless in these perilous times.