Beware
Paul’s words tot he Colossians in Col. 2:8 resonate with much truth and wisdom for the church in our day. “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ”. In analyzing this Apostolic warning we must first recognize what Paul is not doing. Paul is not castigating philosophy in and of itself. According to Webster’s New World Dictionary (2nd edition) philosphy is: love of or the search for wisdom or knowledge; theory or logical analysis of the principles underlying conduct, thought, knowledge and the nature of the universe. Seen in this light philosophy is not necessarily a bad thing. Christians and non-Christians have contributed to all the fields of philosophy, which include ethics, logic and epistemology. Our use of the word “worldview” suggests a philosophical basis for one’s outlook on life and the world. Philosophy is a way of understanding God’s world, our place in it and our relationship with others. Whether consciously or unconsciously we all adhere to some philosophical principals as we live out our lives. So I repeat; Paul’s warning about not being cheated by philosophy is not a call for Christians to avoid all philosophical influences. Paul’s concern is found in the last part of Col. 2:8 “…according to tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world.” Paul is very much concerned about the philpsophical influences that undermine a Christian worldview. The irony is that contemporary Christians are loudly condemning “humanism” and “secularism” while at the same time they have rushed to adopt those very principles and techniques they have condemned, and are therefore more often associated with that which they condemn than they are teh Word of God. Much evangelism and church growth theory are merely “Christianized” forms of pragmatic humanistic philosophies, and have done much damage to biblical truth. The idea that the end justifies the means is often couched in this seemingly well-intentioned query “What does it matter what techniques are employed if souls are being won for Christ? Certainly when you observe the vast numbers being drawn to churches that have bought into these methodologies borne of humanism and pragmatism, one has to wonder whether filling pews for the sake of numbers rather than for the sake of sin-sick souls has really furthered the cause of Christ. And in the final analysis, are we actually making disciples or are we simply broadening our concumer base? Given the general disdain for doctrinal precision among evangelicals, I think we have seen an increase in the number of consumers of the commodity of “Contemporary Christianity” and a diminishing number of disciples to the faith once delivered.
Let me point out a few ways in which vain philosophies of men have cheated the church in our day. The contemporary market-driven church draws a great deal from the genius of the advertising industry; the same industry, which looks to pop psychology for methods of influencing and manipulating the mind. Modern advertisers are adept at convincing consumers of their need for various products to secure a sense of well-being and accomplishment. Consumers are made to feel that they are not complete without whatever product or service that is being offered. In many respects this is the same method Christianity is being marketed. David Wells clearly sees the problem of marketing God in teh way advertisers market products in his probing and sobering book written in 1994 entitled “God in The Wasteland”. In his book David Wells states, “We have turned to a God that we can use rather than to a God we must obey; we have turned to a God who will fulfill our needs rather than to a God before whom we must surrender our rights to ourselves. He is a God for us, for our satisfaction, not because we have learned to think of Him in this way through Christ but because we have learned to think of Him this way through the marketplace. in the marketplace, everything is for us, for our pleasure, for our satisfaction. And we have come to assume that it must be so in the church as well. And so we transform the God of mercy into a God who is at our mercy.” This is a sad but accurate analysis of evangelicalisms’ accomodation to the vain philosophy and traditions of men. We approach unbelievers as if they were consumers, the gospel as if it were another product and call it evangelism.
When you look at the numerical success of this approach, you might ask, “how are we cheated as the Apostle Paul declares? First of all, by marketing God for personal pleasure and satisfaction, we cheat Him of His sovereignty, justice and providence. It is quite difficult to reconcile the trials of life with a God who is there to make us happy. David Wells puts it this way, “And if the sunshine of His benign grace fails to warm us as we expect, if He fails to shower prosperity and success on us, we will find ourselves unable to believe in Him anymore.” Secondly, we cheat those that “buy our product” with the expectations of a happy fulfilled life, because thye are simply not prepared for the “crosses and losses” that surely come with being a disciple of Christ. More often than not they will not experience teh kind of “happiness” that they bargained for. They will not be ready to deal with the struggles of remaining sin. Furthermore a gospel or so-called good news that rests on the philosophy of man-centered modernism does not equip it adherents for biblical kingdom living. But we also cheat the church of Christ, because once we altered our message and methodology to accommodate the appetites of self centered “consumers”, we must continue to engage those appetites or run the risk of losing them. If we advertise to, market to and lure them by offering an atmosphere of mundane familiarity, they will have no patience for transcendence and reverence. Modern evangelicals would do well to hear and heed Apostle Paul’s warning about the danger of being infatuated and infected with the philosophies of the world and the traditions of men. The seemingly successful harvest that is yielded by self-serving man-centered means to serve pragmatic ends is woefully shortsighted and short term. Because ultimately it cheats an eternal God and His church of His glory! BEWARE lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ”.
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