I was listening to one of the excellent "Table Talk" podcasts from Theology Network this evening. (Yes, this is one of the things I do for fun, and it helps pass time while I'm cleaning the basement.) The subject was "Christianity and World Religions" with Dr. Dan Strange. In the course of the study, Dr. Strange talked about his view that world religions devolved from the high monotheism of Judaism and its antecedents. I am also a partisan of that viewpoint, so I found his discussion quite intriguing. (Perhaps someday I'll devote a post to some of the arguments for that position. Until then, I recommend going to the Theology Network and listening to "Table Talk 18." There's a link to TN on my list.)
Dr. Strange has coined a term for the elements of truth that remain in a devolved religion: "remnantal revelation." This term states that remnants of God's truth through His revelation remain in those religions. Thus, there are elements of truth in any religion, or any philosophy for that matter, but as time passes the portion of truth will become less and less as other teachings are added to it. This doesn't only affect non-Christian religions; Christians can also watch their beliefs devolve as they move away from God's revelation.
While this may have its main application in theology, I think we also see a devolution in the popular theology or philosophy of Western society. Most people still claim some faith in God, but the God they worship is generally far removed from the God revealed in the Bible, or even the God revealed in nature and conscience (what theologians call "natural revelation"). There is some understanding of God as a loving being who helps us, but an almost total loss of a majestic God to whom our devotion is due. People talk about good and evil, but most in our society (including many in our churches) define good and evil by their own standards. Our culture rejects any notion of an absolute truth that applies to all people.
The positive side of this view is that all people have some knowledge of the truth, no matter how small. This enables us to speak to anyone with at least a little bit of common ground. God does not leave Himself without a witness; everyone has the opportunity to know God in some way. Truth isn't always comfortable. (In fact, I'd argue that if your belief system is comfortable, there's probably something wrong with it!) Even more, in our culture truth isn't popular. If you claim to have truth you'll be called intolerant, narrow-minded, bigoted, and arrogant. The problem isn't with personal belief, but with stating that there is a truth that applies to everyone.
Our goal as Christians should be first of all to ensure that our beliefs haven't become "remnantal." We don't just go to church or recite creeds because it's a habit, but because we believe we are in touch with the God of all truth. Then we should stand for the truth, and help others find the truth of God and His revelation in their own lives, building from what they already have.
Ever since the earliest days of the church, those who oppose Christianity have understood that if they could prevent Christians from reading, studying, and meditating of the Bible they could wipe out the Christian faith. Even today, anti-Christian governments and organizations try to keep the Bible away from their people. The truth is powerful, however, and standing for God's truth and for God's revelation enables us to shine His light into our society.
No comments:
Post a Comment