Fundamentalist Christians demonstrate a fascination with \u201cthe end times.\u201d\u00a0This observation is helped in\u00a0that the claims made about when the \u201crapture\u201d or the end of the world takes place are broadcast in the TV, tabloid and internet media.\u00a0The picture a non-fundamentalist receives is that\u00a0of a people who want destruction\u00a0and evil to abound so that God\u2019s judgement\u00a0of unbelievers and reward of believers may arrive. And so fundamentalism is characterized by anti-intellectualism (only the Bible tells the true origins of man), anti-civilization (destruction, mayhem, and anarchy), and anti-life (this world is evil). Why? Because this is the picture some fundamentalist leaders give.<\/p>\n
Christianity suffers from this caricature\u00a0of our beliefs. Who wants to be a part of such a movement unless he or she is some kind of flake, nut, or terrorist in training? The situation is even made worse when the people who hold such beliefs\u00a0and want to enforce them on everyone else (dominionist doctrine) have the chutzpah to claim when they are opposed that\u00a0\u201cchristians\u201d are being persecuted. These are the reasons 90% of the US population believes in God while only 20%\u00a0regularly attend church.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This writer is fed up with these stats and arguments. Like Madeline L\u2019Engle, I believe\u00a0\u201cthe fundamentals\u201d should be redefined\u00a0as the virtues of God \u2013 faith, hope, and love. Compassion, empathy, altruism, grace and other fruit of the Spirit are the\u00a0values by\u00a0which the church should live. I often argue that the Ten Commandments \u2013 a very well thought out list of how a community can live together before God \u2013 is merely the beginning of christian living. The beatitudes are goals that embody the values of Jesus. These eight (some say nine) statements in Matthew 5-7 and the parallel statements in Luke 6 must become the new fundamentals if the faith continues to grow.<\/p>\n
Acts 3 gives us a truer statement of vision of \u201cthe end times\u201d for the Jesus\u2019 believers and followers. We repent and turn so that a true restoration of all things may come about in this world. Heaven and Earth meet and each is renewed by the interconnection of the two. Christians should not seek the death of our world so a glorious new one may come. We should be working as hard as we can for the renewal of this one. This renewal was why Jesus died. It is the work that God the Spirit is doing now. Let\u2019s join in it\u00a0where ever\u00a0we can.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Fundamentalist Christians demonstrate a fascination with \u201cthe end times.\u201d\u00a0This observation is helped in\u00a0that the claims made about when the \u201crapture\u201d or the end of the world takes place are broadcast in the TV, tabloid and internet media.\u00a0The picture a non-fundamentalist receives is that\u00a0of a people who want destruction\u00a0and evil to abound so that God\u2019s judgement\u00a0of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4332,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n