In 1951 a theologian named Paul Tillich provided the church with this blasphemous guidance: ‘A theological system is supposed to satisfy two basic needs: the statement of the truth of the Christian message, and the interpretation of this truth for every new generation.’ Read that second part again. ‘The interpretation of this truth for every new generation’! Wow.
This statement suggests that God’s Word is malleable, able to be interpreted, tweaked, or updated as needed for every new generation. This is the inherent flaw in modern thought. Our spiritual leaders are under the impression that in order for Christians (and our faith) to remain relevant to the times, we must modernize scripture. This new thought idea is of course absurd. God used the Apostles to shape their times, not the other way around. God used Billy Graham mightily to influence the hearts and minds of believers and unbelievers alike during the second half of the twentieth century. He did not revise scripture in an attempt to please people and retain an appearance of importance in his days’ culture. These servants of God were obedient to their Creator, and it cannot be denied that they were relevant.
This man, Paul Tillich, made it his life’s ambition to bind together traditional Christianity with modern culture, and I cannot help but wonder if his work initiated the church’s drive to alter its very nature in order to compete with secular industries, a movement that is alive and thriving in American churches today, especially in the megachurch.
I don’t know. The point is to make you aware of what is going on in today’s church, to open your eyes to see the truth of the changes taking place, lest we be like the blind fools of Jeremiah 5:21 and be ‘Without understanding, who have eyes and see not, and who have ears, and hear not.’ I’d suggest a quick reading of the rest of that chapter; it is eye-opening indeed—and absolutely relevant today.
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