First sentence: The basic problem of the Christians in this country in the last eighty years or so, in regard to society and in regard to government, is that they have seen things in bits and pieces instead of totals.
Worldview. Every single person has one, whether or not they know the scholarly name for their particular worldview or not. What is your worldview? Can you distinguish between the Christian worldview and the other worldviews that are battling it out for dominance? Can you distinguish between the genuine and the counterfeit? (This book, in particular, is all about the HUMANIST world view.) When you watch the news, read a book, read an article, listen to the radio, talk with friends, can you discern ideas, principles, agendas? Do you recognize bias? Do you blend worldviews? Are you standing on solid ground or sinking sand? Are you good at seeing the big picture, the total picture? Are you able to see where ideas lead? All ideas have consequences--some good, some bad.
Was A Christian Manifesto needed in 1981? I'm going to guess that yes, yes it was. Is it needed in 2019? A qualified yes. Yes, the thematic messages--the central points--are still very much relevant. In fact, I don't think you'd be out of line if you argued that today more than any other, the heart of this message needs to be proclaimed everywhere--time and time and time and time again. Because believers can be slow to hear, slow to understand, slow to respond.
It's like this: react too strongly and you're accused of being a Chicken Little. You watch the news, read an article, hear a snippet of video...rush out and proclaim THIS IS IT! CHRISTIANITY IS IN DANGER! THESE ARE THE LAST DAYS! I'M NOT FOOLING AROUND, LIFE AS WE KNOW IT IS GOING TO BE OVER! The other extreme is to be so slow to react, so slow to respond, that the so-called battle is in the history books before you've even gotten out of your easy chair to look for your spiritual armor.
To live the Christian life is to be awake, be aware, to see that there aren't two realms--the secular one and the spiritual one--but one realm. The gospel should impact, inform, effect ALL of one's life. Living for Christ means living all of life for Christ--in Christ. We are not called to sleep, to slumber our way through the days--last days or not.
Some sections are quite timeless, others are very much dated to a specific time and place. The focus in specifics is on politics and law.
Quotes:
- True spirituality covers all of reality...The Lordship of Christ covers all of life and all of life equally... There is nothing concerning reality that is not spiritual. (19)
- Christianity is not just a series of truths but Truth--Truth about all of reality. (20)
© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible
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