A.W. Pink said: “False prophets are to be found in the circles of the most orthodox, and they pretend to have a fervent love for souls, yet they fatally delude multitudes concerning the way of salvation. The pulpit, platform, and pamphlet hucksters have wantonly lowered the standard of divine holiness and so adulterated the Gospel in order to make it palatable to the carnal mind.” This is the largest and most dangerous cult in America today. It is an appearance without substance, a cloud without rain. See Proverbs 25:14: “Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift is like clouds and wind without rain.”
Matthew 7:22-23: “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
Cultural “Christianity” is a culture; an idea of being “Christian” leading to a kind of group identification. That identification is meant to provide benefits to those in the group.
Cultural Christianity According to the Bible
There was a time when being nominally a “Chrisitan” was politically, socially, and therefore economically expedient in this land; but those days are gone. Even in slow-moving disconnected communities of the rural regions within the once mighty Bible belt, the social capital of “Christianity” is fading. The events of twenty-twenty accelerated the process of de-Christianization; but it was bound to happen regardless.
The reason for all this is simple, cultural “Christianity” is not the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Decades of accommodating the worldly and carnal who happened to arrive at church with wallets in hand eroded the gospel contents right out of the message of a vast swash of American churches. Without the gospel of Jesus Christ there is nothing in a church that is not available outside of it. Churches filled with people who were only there because their parents had been, or their friend were, or it was the place to be seen in town turned to means and methods outside of the gospel to keep such attendees attending.
Thus, you can find within cultural “Christianity” all of the perversions of Christianity we have discussed already, and various mixtures thereof. Indeed, you may find further false teachings because cultural “Christianity” has no dogma or doctrine worth speaking of, it is only a label signifying nothing. You can see this in the ever-changing positions of mainline churches moving year by year to hold positions with the mainstream culture.
There is within this movement a particularly harmful notion that a person can be exposed to Christianity simply by being in a “Chrisitan” culture. People think that whatever they may have seen or heard of Christianity is all they need to see or hear of it for it to be tried and found wanting.
For most, the reality is that Christianity was found wanting and so never tried: I am not the first to make this observation and shall not be the last. Christianity is only truly encountered through a personal encounter with the God-Man Jesus Christ. This comes through the preaching of the pure Gospel, by those sent out for that singular purpose.
See Romans 10:10-15: “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!”
The only cure for this counterfeit is to come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The counterfeit soon loses its appeal when one comes to see the value of the genuine article. It is simply said, but actually administering the cure can be complicated.
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