Intolerance of Deceipt

America has been traditionally ‘Christian’ throughout its lifetime. Some recent surveys seem to indicate the number of persons claiming to be Christian is on the decline. Multitudes of practitioners participate in the various ceremonies every Sunday, Saturday or whichever day of the week their leadership have deemed holy. Countless peoples follow the same faith as their parent’s, whether or not they have made the effort to validate those beliefs with Scriptural proofs. Most are dogmatic about attendance and observance of various times and rituals. Some congregations have ‘watered down’ the ceremony, opting for a more casual approach to worship, but still ritualistic nonetheless. However, when a person calling themselves Christian truly considers what it means to be a believer in Jesus Christ they must consider whether or not Jesus’ worldview as portrayed and documented in the Bible, is truth or something different.
The majority of Christians enjoy Christmas and Easter, celebrating those stories rich in symbolism. A smaller percentage of us Christians are labeled ‘fundamentalists’ by the media and others for our recognition that the Christmas and Easter stories are more than myth or parable. In fact we believe they were seminal moments in the Salvation of mankind. We believed Jesus when he said, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father BUT BY ME.’ We believe Jesus was born of a virgin, Son of God, given by God as a Holy Sacrifice, punishment for our sin, paid for by His suffering on the Cross, because he loved the world and that the world through Him might not be condemned, but Saved unto everlasting life. Those who unfortunately reject that Gospel are condemned to a literal Hell, apart from the love of God, suffering everlasting torment in a place made, not for man, but for Satan and his angels.
Many in society today reject the notion of a Hell. They believe a loving God would be more forbearing than to condemn the victims of humanity to a Devil’s hell. The pervasive ideal today is that there are many paths to God, the light, goodness, etc. It is not a new argument (as old as the serpent and Eve), but has gained momentum in the modern world, born out of tolerance and the diversity of views in our intermingled cultures. The world isn’t such a big place anymore. In fact you can visit any culture or paradigm at the click of the mouse. Tolerance has also been preached for a generation in our schools: from kindergarten to college. Tolerance of another’s beliefs is no longer just avant garde, it is the norm. It would be comical if it weren’t so sad that tolerance is extended to everyone except ‘fundamental’ Christianity. More than anything, tolerance is used as a tool to suppress the truth that Jesus is the ‘only way’.
Recently on her television show, Oprah pushed the boundaries of tolerance over the cliff ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf5heuUEUE0 )towards acceptance of ALL religious and belief systems. She declared that Jesus “Couldn’t be the only way” and that there are many ways to the same good goals of heaven, God, etc. The problem with her argument is Jesus’ claim to be the ‘way’ and that no one comes to the God (Father) but by Him. If belief in Jesus’ claim is but one of the many ways to God as portended by Oprah, than His claim to be the only way would be a lie. If His claim were a lie, how then could He be one of the many good ways to the same good end? Her broad-belief argument commonly held by millions as truth (including those in the church), is thus invalid. If, on the other hand, Jesus spoke the narrow truth and is the ONLY way: that means that countless billions are deceived and doomed to spend an eternity apart from God, in the torments of hell. We who believe that Jesus is the only way should be more intolerant of the deceipt being sold to the world. It is another sign of the times.
In Matthew 24:15 Jesus said, "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)", and that it would be an indication of the end times. Many have said this refers to a physical idol being erected in the rebuilt temple at Jerusalem. However, consider this: on the day Jesus was crucified, the temple veil was rent; and the temple built with hands was no longer the dwelling place of the Lord, rather the hearts of men and women. Could it be that this false idol of tolerance of everyone's beliefs(universal truth), so prevalent in the church and society at large is the abomination of desolation? The hearts of all who come to believe as Oprah does will surely be desolate! As Christians, we should never compromise the truth or water it down to suit those it offends. Let us be intolerant of deceipt!