Dear John and Doves:

This may be a "sign of the times" often overlooked.  I'm not sure whether it's the abandonment of authentic faith by genuine believers, or the discovered futility and subsequent abandonment of the "Christian god" created by American corporate churches.  Maybe some of both.

When someone claims to reject God, it's helpful to determine just who or what is being rejected.  Some discernment is obviously required. 

Nancy O'Brien Simpson grew up believing in Jesus, became the women's columnist for Jerry Falwell's Moral Majority, and was a co-founder of the Jericho Project, a pro-life group in Cincinnati.  Nancy was a fervent evangelical Christian until the idea of a loving god eternally tormenting his children began to invade her faith and trouble her worldview, and she eventually deconverted.  Apparently, she's now concluded that "the Christian god is a sadistic psychopath."

In this case, the "god" being rejected is a sadistic psychopath.  And let's be honest: NO rational person would read the accounts of Jesus in the new testament and ever conclude that Jesus was either sadistic or psychopathic.  And yet, apparently Nancy O'Brien Simpson has met, followed and ultimately rejected just such a "god."  (By the way, scripture does NOT teach that God eternally torments His children.  Apparently, the "god" proclaimed by Nancy's former church would.)

At this point it becomes troubling.  What sort of "god" is being presented to the unbelieving world, and what sort of "god" do those in the churches follow?  Is it the God of scripture, or a manufactured idol?  Is the "god" of American's Sunday mornings the one true God?  Or not??

I suspect "not."  As Tom Wadsworth pointed out, the early church did NOT have "worship services."  They gathered in homes in small groups to edify and encourage one another.  They certainly worshiped, but Paul outlines their worship in Romans 12:1-2.  Our lives are worship; we are "living sacrifices," and we worship Him by living the totality of our lives underneath the Lordship of King Jesus.

However, the "god" of much of evangelical American Christianity sees worship and life quite differently.  For them, God wants a rock concert, a sing-along, a big building, a paid staff of professional Christian leaders, and a good sermon on Sunday mornings.  This "god" can be placated on Sunday, and safely ignored during the rest of the week as his followers go out into the world and become indistinguishable from it.  After all, how do American Christians compare with the world in TV and movie-watching habits, in honesty in the workplace, in divorce or sex outside of marriage?  And I'm just asking, not accusing - but from my vantage point "American Christians" blend in more than they stand out.  For many, "Lordship" is optional.  "You can obey Jesus or not, as you choose.  Your salvation is secure - grace through faith plus nothing."  REALLY??

In short, American evangelical Christianity seems to have produced an idol.  Tim Mills is showcasing a lot of American Christians who are abandoning the whole mess.  In some cases, the baby is being thrown out with the bath water, some might think.

The strange part, to me, is that they apparently wind up in the "atheist" camp.  I don't know if they're atheists - that is, they conclude that God doesn't exist - or if they conclude that scripture is unreliable and that God, if He exists, is simply not worth knowing, believing in, or serving.  Again, probably no "one size fits all" on this.  And don't misunderstand - I'm not broad-brushing all American Christians.  But there is deception out there and we need to be aware of it.  We also need to avoid becoming a part of it.  And if we're in it, we need to escape.  For many, house-churches provide a safe haven.

2 Cor. 13:5 contains an admonition.  Matthew 7:21 contains a warning.

I think it behooves us all to examine the God (or "god") we believe in and profess to follow, and see if He is the true God revealed in scripture, or a false "god" proclaimed by church leaders who may not even be saved.  Tim Mills has probably unwittingly done us a favor.  Most people aren't saved, but the opportunity to get into the "church business," make a living, be respected, be comfortable, and exert power over others is very appealing to a lot of people.  Some of them may have started out well, with a zeal for God and all the rest.  But we know from scripture that they can fall away.  Many have.

For the rest of us, we need to once again see God as He has revealed Himself, and we must live under His Lordship every day.  This statement is offensive to a lot of "American Christians" who think believing in Jesus is the essence, and the Lordship of Christ is "optional" or "works salvation" or somehow in opposition to salvation by grace through faith.  There is not contradiction between confessing Jesus as Lord (Romans 1:9) and then living like it.  But if we view scripture through the lens of American Evangelical Christianity, there's a very good chance we can get it wrong.

Bill Bright and his Campus Crusaders got it WRONG!  You do not "invite Jesus into your heart" to get saved, and then optionally offer Him the "throne" of your life.  You can't "accept" Jesus as Savior and reject Him as Lord.  And you can't confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and then NOT submit to His Lordship, believing that Romans 10:9 is nothing more than a secret password to get you into heaven.

We may each know a few "harmonic atheists."  These are folks who may have left a 501(c)3 church but also leave God, or more accurately, leave "god" and ignore God.  Believing God doesn't exist, or living as if He doesn't really matter - probably not much difference practically speaking. 

My intention is to shine the light on the "idol" that American Christianity has created and presented as God.  This may be related to the "falling away" (2 Thess. 2:3) or to the love of many growing cold (Matthew 24:12). I don't know, but John's final word to us in 1 John 5:21 was "keep yourself from idols" and it sure looks like this could be what he was warning us about.

Best,

Steve