FROM THE SERVANT GENERAL
OUR THEME FOR 2020
(Part 66)
THE MODERNIST GOSPEL
August 30, 2020
Today’s readings:
Romans 12:1-2
Matthew 16:21-27
We are built on the Rock that is Christ. The Rock stands forever. It withstands the buffeting of winds and floods. It is immovable. On the other hand, sand shifts all the time. It changes shape and form and is unstable. Build on sand, a house collapses. In like manner, the authentic Christian life is founded on Rock. The words of God in the Bible stand forever. The age-old teachings of the Church do not change to conform to the modern views of the culture. The gospel of salvation in Jesus remains the same. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.
Unfortunately, what has emerged today within our Church is what I would call the Modernist gospel. This is a distortion of the authentic gospel of Jesus Christ. It is more conformed to the spirit of the age. It still speaks of Christ, but its focus is much more on man than on God. It looks more to the well-being of man rather than the righteousness of God.1 Its elements are relativism,2 secular humanism,3 political correctness, bowing to the zeitgeist.4 It conforms God to man rather than man to God.
Paul warned us about this. “Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Rom 12:2). The spirit of the age changes from time to time, while the word and will of God stand forever. To conform ourselves to the age moves us away from the will of God, and thus away from what is authentically good, pleasing and perfect. But unfortunately, the world or the culture will insist that such worldly views are what are good and pleasing.
For example (just a few out of many):
* Instead of looking on homosexuality as intrinsically disordered and on homosexual sex as evil, it is now considered normal.
* Instead of looking on abortion as an abomination, it is now accepted, legal and even celebrated.
* Instead of speaking out against sin and correcting the sinner, it is now politically incorrect to do so, as it is considered offensive.
* Instead of proclaiming the gospel with the intent of making disciples, there is now a call to just respect all religions and avoid proselytism.5
Now we can expect the fallen world to try to justify sin in order to continue to embrace it. But now such conformity to the age has seeped into the Church. It is being accepted, and even promoted, by clerics and those in authority in the Church.
It happened before, and it was in relation to the first Pope. Jesus had just told Peter that he would be the rock upon which he would build his church, but now, he was rebuking Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” (Mt 16:23a). What? Calling his appointed Pope Satan? What occasioned that? Jesus said, “You are an obstacle to me.” (Mt 16:23b). This was about Peter rebuking Jesus for saying he would undergo his passion. Peter was being loving and caring, and would not accept that such would happen to Jesus. What was wrong with that? Well, Peter was in effect trying to prevent the will of God from happening. He was thinking of the well-being of Jesus, but in effect was standing in the way of God.
Sound familiar? That is the modernist gospel at work. It caters to man but not to God. It sees only what is on the surface and misses the deeper and more profound realities. As Jesus says, “You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” (Mt 16:23c). It is a rejection of the cross.
Then Jesus propounded on the authentic gospel. “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” (Mt 16:24). Such is the authentic gospel. It is not focused on the well-being of man, as he is to deny himself. It is not about just having the pleasures and good things in life, as he is to take up his cross. It is not about following the dictates and ideologies of the world, as he is to follow only Jesus.
The modernist world today looks only to its own good, to the pleasures being offered, which are largely contrary to the ways of God. The modernist man looks to himself and to his fellow man, but often ignoring the tenets of God. This is the way not of life but of death. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Mt 16:25).
The modernist gospel has resulted in man turning away from God, while on the surface seemingly still relating to God. This is what makes it dangerous, particularly to those who have no strong grounding on authentic faith and the word of God. Thus we must continue to be founded on the Rock that is Christ, to listen to and act on his words, not the words of modernist teachers.
1 Thus we see much emphasis on social justice issues while downplaying aspects of morality and righteous conduct.
2 The doctrine that knowledge, truth and morality exist in relation to culture, society or historical context, and are not absolute.
3 The belief that humanity is capable of morality and self-fulfillment without belief in God.
4This is the general set of ideas, beliefs and feelings of the current age, and the general intellectual, moral and cultural climate of an era.
5Proselytism is the act of making converts to a particular religion. To proselytize is to try to persuade someone to change their religious beliefs. Others have imputed bad acts to proselytism such as forced conversion, offering money, coercion, etc. But these are not inherent in the word. In fact, to proselytize is precisely what the Great Commission of Jesus is about. It is making disciples of the nations.
The modernist world offers our bodies to unholy acts and our minds to values not pleasing to God. It cannot be that way with us. “I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship.” (Rom 12:1).
