Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an image resembling mortal human beings or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles. (Romans 1:22-23)
It’s a backwards theology. Instead of men praying “Lord, make me more like You,” their heart-cry is “Lord, I’m going to make You more like me.”
It’s a source of confusion, to Christians and to non-Christian onlookers, when denominations rescind or re-write their code in order to accommodate practices which God has expressly spoken against.
One of the more obvious examples of this occurs in churches and seminaries which ordain practicing lesbians and gays. In the effort to promote civil rights, these institutions have been brought to a point where they must choose to ignore canon in favor of political correctness. This becomes a tricky thing during the transition: ask the Episcopals, whose Book of Common Prayer still indicates that marriage is an office expressed by the union of one man and one woman, but whose current poster child is Gene Robinson, a man who has chosen union with another man.
A less obvious example, though, is the practice of worship itself. In many churches, the service of worship has deteriorated into a sort of concert designed to attract crowds and boost emotions. There is this pattern of spending sixty or ninety minutes on “blessing” the crowd with music and drama. Where is the word of God? Where is the altar call? Where are the prayers? Hasn't God told us to serve Him, and not ourselves?
This may sound like a harsh commentary. However, it is not. It’s simply a small drop of saltwater in a very big ocean. In recalling previous blogs on the subject of Jesus as the only way, the only truth, and the only life, we would be remiss if we didn’t consider His opinion on the subject. And in John 3:16, we are shown that everlasting life is gained through our believing in this Only One. The believing is expressed through our love, and through our service. Put another way, the way we behave is an indication of what we really believe in our hearts.
Pastor Sam used the word dilution to describe the plight of the church, and it’s a great word to use. We have tossed out the biblical revelation of who God is and what God wants, and have replaced it with our own estimation of what we want God to be. Hence the self-serving nature of “worship” services. Hence the radical restructuring of denominational guidelines and by-laws. This has become our golden calf, fashioned by our own hand, to which we sing the songs of Zion as if that calf were God.
Is there a solution for dilution? Well, the Lord knows those who are His. And the Lord knows the intents of our hearts. And the Lord continues to love and woo and warn us… to a point. The solution is to heed the warning, while there is time, and return wholeheartedly to God.
That’s not a difficult formula to follow.
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