Thursday, June 19, 2008

More from Jerusalem - Orthodoxy and Secularism

The Way, the Truth and the Life, pp. 30 & 53

In its basic sense, orthodoxy means "holding correct doctrine" or, to use a phrase from the East African Revival, "walking in the light," as opposed to "walking in darkness" (I John 1:6-7), which is "heresy." This concern for Christian orthodoxy goes back to the time of the apostles...

...secularism is the world-view that seeks to exclude the Lordship of Christ from this world; by denying there is any reality but the reality of this world, it denies any Lordship to Jesus. A Christian response is not to repudiate this world, for the world continues to be God's creation, containing signs of his goodness to us. Since Christians are in the world, though they do not belong to it, their lives should be a demonstration to the world of God's goodness and love, and the Church should offer ministries that, uniquely, bring the touch of heaven to earth. There is not question of compromising the faith in this. Our light must shine in the world, so that non-Christians see the good deeds of Christians and glorify the name of God (Matthew 5:16).

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