Introduction to Christian Subjectivism
“The only attitude I would absolutely condemn is one which, directly or indirectly, cuts off the possibility of an essentially interminable questioning.”
Jacques Derrida
“See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.”
Jeremiah 1:10
Show 31 406 Introduction to Christian Subjectivism
July 29th 2014
Live from the Mecca of Mormonism, this is HEART OF THE MATTER where . . . Christian Fruits Meet Religious Nuts Face to Face. And I’m your host Shawn McCraney. Our program tonight is a preface to all we are going to continue to do until the Lord says stop. Let me try and explain.
When we started in television ministry back in 2006 we were hitting on Mormonism. We have since watched thousands who have come out as a result – praise God. But now we are on the receiving end of a new wave – people who have left Mormonism and have joined up with quote/unquote Christian churches and have now discovered that all is not well in their new found religious home. I was reminded recently by a friend that the message we have always maintained through the ministry (and especially to the LDS) is that there is a direct relationship available to them with the Lord Jesus Christ. This relationship thrives and exists OUTSIDE the walls of material church and is available without the interventions of any man or woman. We maintained this stance from day one but even moreso today.
Deconstruction of Christian Institutions
In fact, where we used to encourage people to find a local bible believing church to attend we have now stepped back even further and are presently suggesting a rather unorthodox way to view Christianity today. Instead of seeing church or looking for a church to be an Objective Religious Models (you know, where the Church is the power and authority and director of its congregates) we strongly suggest that those days are long gone – completed in the Apostolic church and sealed with the return of the Lord for that church in 70 AD.
Instead of playing church today – with its governing boards, senior pastors, tithes and offerings, building budgets, and disciplinary counsels – we take seriously what the Bible says (God says) that He would do with people after the Law which is in this day He writes His laws upon the hearts and minds of believers. If this is the case, there is a need presently for the wholesale deconstruction of all Christian institutions and certainly not the construction or reconstruction of any more.
The Return of Jesus
One of the key factors that needs to be present to supporting this approach is to decide (from what the Bible says) if Jesus has returned to earth since ascending or not. If we are still waiting for Jesus to return I can see the need for church on the institutional level and all that has been attempted in the name of church since the apostolic church. If He has not returned then we are still waiting for Him, and we are waiting to be raptured, and for Him to come and save us, etc. However, if He has already returned for His church, and He is truly not going to be coming back again for believers, there is a whole new light that needs to be cast on the Christian world, a light that, like the sun over ice, will serve to melt the institutions down to what they should have been from the beginning – water to refresh the thirsty human souls longing for truth.
Now, I know I said that we were going to get into the second coming of Jesus this week but I need another thirty or forty minutes before we launch into this four part presentation. So after the prayer, I think I need to issue a warning to all who is are willing to consider this deconstruction and all that it entails. So hang on.
We’ve told you about the Conference we are trying to host in February of next year. And that we are calling it, “Sunday’s Best.” Well, take another look –
We are still looking to bring in a speaker who will represent Calvinsim and Arminianism, and Open Theism and the like. Please have them contact me at the following numbers to
The Decline of Traditional Churches
I had a recent conversation with a local pastor whose reaction to the news of the Conference was: “That’s really not my thing. I’m more into kingdom building.” Again, this is not a debate but is a chance for all sides to openly and unobstructedly present their stance on faith for all to hear. I personally can’t think of many things that would serve to build the kingdom . . . but maybe that’s just me.
More and more people are hooking up with our In His Word’s CD’S. One reason is they are a wholly innocuous gift that you can give to people who have yet to know the living God. For example, if you have LDS family or friends who have not been born again you can give them these CD’S and they are not only subject to hearing the Word played into their heart but we know that the Word of God does NOT return void! Take a look and imagine your non-Christian friends listening to the Word through this outstanding medium.
Go to www.hotm.tv or type in ____________________________ at iTunes to get In His Words.
Observations on the State of the Church
I am convinced, in the face of all my intellectual and emotional and spiritual limitations, that the Church, as we know it here in the United States of America, is on the way out. I maintain this opinion in the face of a number of factors. First, I think that what popular Churches have become, in large part, cannot be sustained. I think the shows are too big, the Word too lacking, and the demands the pastorate puts on congregates who are seeking liberty in Christ are becoming too burdensome.
I also believe that the Churches involvement with politics, and some of their stances against social ills like homosexuality, and abortion, and the like, will ultimately either lead to them caving in as a means to sustain themselves financially or refusing to cave and winding up becoming a bastion for very unstable souls and/or crumbling all together. Finally, I do believe that what is written in Amos applies to us today where it says: Amos 8:11 “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: 12 And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.”
Future Generations and the Church
Finally, I think that the generations that are coming up are pretty smart. They are seeing through a lot of the mularky that comes from over the pulpit and are not gonna put up with cheap rhetoric from their pastors nor cave into their demands for both allegiance and financial support. In the face of these things (and more) I (again) believe that the churches days, as we know them in America, are numbered.
In preparation and anticipation for this to roll out across the land I sincerely believe a better way must be offered as a means to keep people spiritually fed and connected to other believers who too, someday, will tire of religion and really want a subjective relationship with God (and all that it entails) and not just billboards that claim a church isn’t church (when it really is).
Biblical Principles for Change
The Bible provides us with some principles that will help facilitate this ultimate demise of religious institutions in America today. In Jeremiah chapter 1 verse 10 we read: “See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.” Jeremiah 1:10
Intrinsic to this passage we have an order – • Root out. • Pull down. • Destroy. • Throw down. • Build • Plant. That’s a two to one ratio of deconstruction.
The Principle of Spiritual Warfare
In the Old Testament, these steps were physically applied and served to overcome aggressive nations, false doctrines, and false prophets. I would strongly suggest that such physical offensives have no place whatsoever in believers' lives today. Instead, Second Corinthians 10:3-5 gives us a better insight on how to tear down and build up as believers, saying:
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” 2nd Corinthians 10:3-5
1st Corinthians 2:5 adds:
“That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.”
Tearing Down Strongholds
But even though our warfare is not fleshly but approached by and through spiritual means, the principle of FIRST tearing or pulling down “strongholds and imaginations (of men)” before bringing all things into obedience to Christ is manifest. And this is what we are going to talk about tonight. But before we launch into it, let’s have a word of prayer.
Let’s begin with a word of warning. I am of the opinion that God can, does, and will use everything (that man attempts) to bring about His sovereign will. Even in the case of Mormonism, while it is rare that the institutional doctrines bring people into His liberty and truth, it has happened. I also personally know people whom Joel Osteen’s methods have helped bring them out of this world and into a relationship with the Lord. So while I fundamentally disagree with Osteen and Mormon and Catholic and Calvinist doctrine, I am well aware that God can (and will) reach past what men have done and touch people for the good.
I say this because I want to tell anyone within the sound of my voice that if you are comfortable where you are in your walk, if you are happy in your church, and everything that it demands or represents, and if you don’t believe God wants you to have your world rocked with the truth, turn the channel now. Go on . . . we’ll wait.
I am not here to undermine what is good in your life and I am especially not trying to undermine ANYTHING God wants for you at this time. He is in charge and your relationship with Him is strictly between you and Him – I will not judge.
Seeking Truth at All Costs
This show – more so now than at any other time in history – is for seekers of truth – no matter who they are or where they originate religiously. It is for those who want the truth at all costs and are willing to constantly have their stable Christian lives uprooted, cast down, and then built back up by Him and His Holy Spirit and your relation and reaction to it.
I say this for a few reasons. First of all, people who have left Mormonism FOR Christianity are almost always to some extent or another seekers of truth. And they are often willing to lose everything in the pursuit of it. This price is typically too much for the traditional LDS person and that is why they stay. Generally speaking, family, marriage, children, occupation, and social standing take precedence over possessing the truth and so they turn away from the light.
This is not unusual. We have a story in the New Testament that reflects this very premise in the rich young ruler who had too many possessions to receive the Lord’s demands to sell all and follow Him.
Now, having said this, there are some people who were at one time truth seekers (like when they were LDS or Catholic or whatever) but having walked from the faith of their youth (and into a church they feel comfortable with) they often cease seeking truth and become extremely content where they have landed. I liken them to people who have gone through a divorce then remarry. Often, due to the pain and difficulty that they experienced in their first divorce (which they see as a personal failure) they…
Pursuing Personal Freedom in Christ
We will go to great lengths to make the second marriage work. This can be the case with some people who have left Mormonism but are now faithfully confirmed to their new religious tradition. The program and this ministry are not going to be for you either. We are catering to people who relentlessly seek to walk in the light and truth of all God has for those who are willing to pursue it. We are NOT talking about extra-biblical truths nor are we talking about establishing a new religion. We’re talking about a completely subjective approach to knowing and understanding God with personal freedom in Christ the highest priority.
I cannot tell you how many people have walked from supporting this ministry and/or who refuse to watch or talk about it anymore simply because they have had their foundations (doctrines long held) rocked. The intention has never been to hurt you but to keep you free. Apologies if we offered too much freedom in the face of your levels of comfort. But the main reason for this warning is that I have had some conversations with some of the most open-minded believers out there who have loved the ministry but are so challenged by the things I’ve shared with them they will say things like: “I’ve lost hope!” OR “I wish I could go back to everything as it was before.”
The Challenge of New Perspectives
Comments like these plague me – they literally keep me from falling asleep at night. It’s not because the content shared is incorrect but because I am a natural encourager, a proponent of Jesus and the hope that we have in Him, and I feel for people who feel unmoored by things I share. I wonder if I ought to follow Luther who said: “Peace if possible but truth at all costs,” Or if I ought to just ignore the truth and focus my efforts on keeping people feeling good (but comfortably numb). Sleep or not, I am driven to choose Luther’s way.
So there’s the warning: If you like where you are and you don’t want to change, and you especially think God wants you to remain where you are, turn the channel and leave this program and ministry behind. But if you are willing to test all things, and to hold fast to what is good, to allow all you have believed as a Christian to be uprooted, pulled down and destroyed before being built back up through a contextual and reasonable view of the Bible, you have come to the right place.
Examining Religious Institutions
Let’s begin by suggesting that we view all attempts at establishing the “Christian church” (since the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD) . . . this means all traditions, all revolutions, all reformations, and all supposed restorations as being represented by a Gorgeously Ornate Church Building. This singular building represents all religious institutions today – great, good, bad and downright ugly. The problem is that from what I can see the majority of the people who attend this religious institution continue to walk out sick.
What I mean by this is their perspective of what it means to be a Christian, their view of church today, their understanding of Jesus return, and their belief in the afterlife condition of the unsaved are diseased. Now there have been all sorts of theories on why this is AND there have been all sorts of remedy’s proposed to fix the building. I want to liken this to applying new coats of paint to the rooms in this church. Of late we’ve had something called the Emergent Church solution. Before that we had 24/7 prayer movements, charismatic and hyper-charismatic movements (or neo-Pentecostalism). There’s been the latter rain, Christian ecumenism, Family Values, Christian Torah submission and Zionism.
Of course we’ve had Evangelicalism (and all of its right-winged conservative fads), Focus on Creation, Focus on the Family, the Free grace movement is popular today and growing (along with extreme hyper-gracism). We’ve had the holiness movement, House Church (and small group) movement, Neo-orthodoxy, New thought, Prosperity, Postmodernism, Christian anarchy, Christian communalism, Kingdom now and Dominionist movements, the Christian right, Christian left, Christian green, and Christian socialism. There has even been a coat of paint called Christian Atheism. We’ve had the Social Gospel, Millennialism, and a truckload of eschatological views to boot! But in the end, none of this stuff has cogently and sufficiently made.
Understanding and Addressing Modern Christianity's Issues
A dent at healing the diseased views of the people walking out of the church. It has only served as white-wash over the problems. What would we do with a building, before trying to fix it, that has been infected with dry rot, black mold, termites, and leprosy? We would deconstruct first, right? In the case of modern Christianity, I would propose six diseases that need to be addressed and removed before believers today will walk out of church healthy and equipped to face the challenges of the world today and the world that is coming.
The Diseases of Modern Christianity
The first is an improper view of the Bible as a whole and how believers are to relate to it. We touched on this last week and intimated strongly that the Bible is to be understood subjectively and spiritually and not objectively and physically. Until this happens, the thirty-three thousand Christian denoms will only grow and continue to cause division.
Secondly, I would suggest that we have been operating on a partial (and thus faulty) definition of what it means to be a Christian. Some say it means to be saved, or forgiven, and others say it means to behave like Jesus, but in the end, I would suggest the best biblical definition of what it means to be a Christian is: “Christians are saved by Grace through Faith to love by suffering as Christ.”
Third, (and this will be the tough one) I would suggest that we have allowed for an unhealthy view of the purpose of Church to exist in our lives. So remove what we have allowed Church to become. Fourth, I would suggest that Christians have a misguided – even a diseased view of God’s sovereignty and purposes. And finally, we need to understand BY AND THROUGH THE BIBLE that Jesus has returned, that He came back in 70 AD, and that all of the church's emphasis since has been nothing but misappropriated angst and attention which has been used by religionists to keep the fires burning.
Deconstructing and Rebuilding Christianity
Bold as this is will sound it is my humble opinion that if we could just deconstruct – pull down, uproot, and destroy – these illegitimate notions and then rebuild them truthfully, the Body of Christ will be blessed beyond measure and will be fortified against the destruction of the church system in the decades to come.
What we are proposing tonight will go a million times farther in the Mormon/Christian debate than anything that has happened in the past – anything. So from my perspective this whole approach is a triple win for all involved. First, in the event institutional Christianity begins to crumble (as I anticipate it will in the coming years for the reasons already cited) all who adjust to these points will continue to walk with Jesus in Spirit and truth no matter what happens to institutionalized church. Second, for the churches that do adapt to these points they will be in a position to shift into a mode that will ensure longevity those that don’t will continue to head for the rocks. And finally, by Christianity's willingness to admit to error and to make the painful changes relative to these areas the debate with Mormonism is done. Completely.
This is not to say Mormonism is over, but the distinction between Mormonism and Christianity will be so large there would not be any room for discussion – Christians would then be truly seen as Christians and Mormons would be seen as Mormons. Think about this as we prepare to go to the phones.
Mormonism and Christianity have long battled over the physical application of the Bible. When Christians see it for what it is – a spiritual guide – the LDS defense of being the restored physical church is laughable. Then, with a more fully fleshed out definition of what it biblically means to be a Christian we can even further articulate why we are contextually applying all the Bible says about being a Christian rather than just focusing on salvation or works.
Subjective Spiritual Growth in Mormonism
When we remove what we have allowed church to become and approach it from a deconstructed place of power to a place for subjective spiritual growth, Mormonism remains this monolithic monster of institutionalized religion. Then, when we destroy the faulty notions regarding God and His will, we beat the LDS game of universalism by and through biblical truths, not the imaginations of their founder.
Biblical Truths vs. LDS Teachings
Since the LDS do NOT teach that Jesus has returned, we can use the Bible to show their members how far afield they are on the topic, and trump them on their archaic notions. It’s a lot, I know, but next week I promise we will address this last point first—when did Jesus and His apostles say He was going to return? And if they said it, has He?
Open Discussion
Let’s open up the phone lines:
And while you are watching a little reminder . . .
