In this third session of Dr. Godfrey’s Sunday school class at the Escondido URC, he develops how Christianity fared under Christendom. He explains the trajectory of challenges Christianity faced as it became wealthy and influential and, sadly, moved away from the gospel. He also noted how we could have stopped the collapse of Christendom had we given up the Reformation and the gospel. This exposes the great conflict throughout history: are we to save the culture or souls, the culture or the gospel? This is a must listen.
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- What If What The Church Needs Is Not A New Christendom?
- Office Hours: With David VanDrunen On Politics After Christendom: Political Theology In A Fractured World
- What If Everyone Does Not Want To Live In New Christendom?
- Does Christianity Need Christendom To Thrive?
- Polycarp: A Model For Ministry In The Post-Christian West
- Post-Christian Americans Are Not Less Religious, Just More Pagan
- Prozac Nation Was A Warning About The Emptiness of Post-Christian America
- The Vulnerability Of Pastors In The Post-Christian World
- Resources On Christ And Culture
- Resources On The Twofold Kingdom
- Bob Godfrey On “What’s Going on Right Now: Sex, Race, Politics & Power”
- Bob Godfrey On “What’s Going on Right Now: Sex, Race, Politics & Power” (2)
- Resources On Theonomy And Reconstructionism
- Suicide By Theocracy
- The Strange Persistence Of Theocracy In America
- The Real Danger Of Theocracy In America
- More on Theocracy (Updated)
Outstanding, even without the cowbell.
As the Westminster Standards – echoing I Corinthians 10:31 – rightly and beautifully points out, the purpose or goal of every person’s life is this: To glorify God. And many Christian ministers and missionaries need to deeply understand and realize that God calls every person to do different things for His glory in this life. God does not call every Christian to become a pastor, missionary, seminary professor, church staff, etc. In fact, as you know, God calls most Christians to do something in the “secular” realm – for example, as doctors, lawyers, politicians, teachers, nurses, janitors, garbage collectors, police officers, businesspeople, homemakers, etc.
Therefore, every Christian is called to benefit and help our society and neighbors through their callings/occupations/jobs. For example, if you are a police officer, God wants you to work tirelessly during the week to catch criminals and make our society safe. God does not want him to diminish his duty as a police officer by promulgating and promoting the Gospel during the week. This is also true for politicians. God wants Christian politicians (such as the Republican Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska) to benefit and help our society and neighbors by trying to, for example, pass the right kind of legislations. Senator Ben Sasse’s duty throughout the week is different than the duty of a Christian missionary or senior pastor of a church.
Every Christian living in a free and democratic country has an obligation to vote for candidates who will best benefit and help our society and neighbors. (For example, pro-life politicians benefit and help our unborn neighbors. But, pro-choice politicians hurt our unborn neighbors.)
Finally, every Christian should try his/her best to promote freedom and democracy all over the world – rather than dictatorship or tyranny. If we live in a tyrannical nation – such as North Korea, China, etc. – we, humanly speaking, will not be able to spread the Gospel and Christianity profusely. But, thankfully, people living in a democracy (that is, free nation) – such as the U.S., South Korea, Japan, etc. – are, human speaking, able to spread the Gospel and Christianity profusely all over their nation and the world. (For example, because U.S. is a free nation, Westminster Seminary California can operate freely for the Gospel and our neighbors. But, if you lived in, for example, North Korea or China, a seminary like the Westminster Seminary California absolutely cannot exist.)
John Yuhan
John,
Amen.