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| Inner-city cultural Christianity |
Nearly 2,000 years ago, the apostle Paul, a former Pharisee that was the ancient equivalent of a modern Orthodox Jew, proclaimed this: "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew and then for the Gentile." (Romans 1:16)
The gospel that Paul preached came from God. It guaranteed eternal life for everyone who truly put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ's death on the cross for their sins and His resurrection from the dead. (John 3:16, Romans 10:9-11)
But the gospel promised even more than just salvation. It also promised a life-changing experience through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. How so? By the Spirit's regeneration of dead, selfish human hearts into new hearts dedicated to serving God in purity and holiness. (Romans 8)
Paul also recognized that there were counterfeit gospels that were preached in Christ's name. Those "gospels" used Christ as a cover for man-made paths to eternal life. Of those phony gospels, Paul said this: "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!" (Galatians 1:8)
Counterfeit gospels have plagued the church since its inception 2,000 years ago. The biggest counterfeit is preached by the Roman Catholic Church that promotes an unbiblical gospel of works.
In fact, the Catholic Church condemns anyone who dares to believe in the biblical gospel: "But if any one receive not, as sacred and canonical, the said books entire with all their parts, as they have been used to be read in the Catholic Church, and as they are contained in the old Latin vulgate edition; and knowingly and deliberately condemn the traditions aforesaid; let him be anathema." (Council of Trent, Fourth Session Decree)
Another popular false gospel is the decrepit Social Gospel that emphasizes social activism and social justice as the church's highest calling.
This gospel flows out of godless humanism by blaming man's social problems on external circumstances such as poverty, economic inequality and racism rather than upon sin. This gospel has been popularly preached in many black churches for decades, especially since the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968.
Many African-American pastors claim that King preached the Social Gospel. But he didn't. Dr. King preached a biblical gospel that challenged blacks to follow Christ's example by working hard, respecting authority, becoming self-sufficient and living godly lives.
He never promoted government programs as a panacea for social problems because he understood that all social problems were rooted in human sin. And human sin knows no color. It affects everyone.
However, the biblical gospel isn't good enough for those who are addicted to attention as a drunk is addicted to alcohol. The social gospel has become a multi-million dollar racket for attention-seeking reverends and pastors who are attracted to cameras like bugs are attracted to streetlights.
Those who have profited handsomely from the social gospel include the contemptible Rev. Al Sharpton, Rev. Jesse Jackson and the Rev. Michael Pfleger, a big-time blowhard Catholic priest from Chicago's South Side. And we can even include Pope Francis who promotes Marxism as his solution to eradicate poverty.
Those who promote the social gospel use the poor as human pawns to line their own pockets. They don't want these people to succeed in life. Because if they do, the social gospel charlatans would be out of business.
There's no substitute for the genuine biblical gospel. Those who embrace it will not only gain eternal life through Christ, but they'll also gain social, intellectual and economic independence from the wolves in sheep's clothing who prey on them like predatory animals.
Another popular false gospel is the decrepit Social Gospel that emphasizes social activism and social justice as the church's highest calling.
This gospel flows out of godless humanism by blaming man's social problems on external circumstances such as poverty, economic inequality and racism rather than upon sin. This gospel has been popularly preached in many black churches for decades, especially since the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968.
Many African-American pastors claim that King preached the Social Gospel. But he didn't. Dr. King preached a biblical gospel that challenged blacks to follow Christ's example by working hard, respecting authority, becoming self-sufficient and living godly lives.
He never promoted government programs as a panacea for social problems because he understood that all social problems were rooted in human sin. And human sin knows no color. It affects everyone.
However, the biblical gospel isn't good enough for those who are addicted to attention as a drunk is addicted to alcohol. The social gospel has become a multi-million dollar racket for attention-seeking reverends and pastors who are attracted to cameras like bugs are attracted to streetlights.
Those who have profited handsomely from the social gospel include the contemptible Rev. Al Sharpton, Rev. Jesse Jackson and the Rev. Michael Pfleger, a big-time blowhard Catholic priest from Chicago's South Side. And we can even include Pope Francis who promotes Marxism as his solution to eradicate poverty.
Those who promote the social gospel use the poor as human pawns to line their own pockets. They don't want these people to succeed in life. Because if they do, the social gospel charlatans would be out of business.
There's no substitute for the genuine biblical gospel. Those who embrace it will not only gain eternal life through Christ, but they'll also gain social, intellectual and economic independence from the wolves in sheep's clothing who prey on them like predatory animals.
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