The Courage to Be Protestant

I started reading a book a few months ago called The Courage to Be Protestant by David Wells. I haven't finished it yet because of a particular little newborn that has occupied my time but I am left still digesting the few chapters I got to read when I had a little more "free" time. I would recommend this book to every Christian out there. It is such a good and eye-opening book....at times a lot to digest but so challenging. I know the importance of a Biblical worldview/framework and how easily we as the church are looking through a secular/non-Christian worldview without even realizing it. The reason is lack of doctrine (lack of knowledge of Scripture).

"The erosion in biblical ways of thinking at first passed almost unnoticed...no doubt there were many specific causes...as serious biblical preaching in the churches diminished, ignorance of biblical truth became commonplace...Christianity became increasingly reduced simply to private, internal, therapeutic experience." (p.8)

The result of this is Christians (including myself) who justify their actions based on the cultural norms and not Scripture. We then end up with Christians who leave a church because they don't enjoy the music not because of false teaching...Christians who complain that the sermons aren't entertaining enough and are too deep, rather than rejoicing that the Truth of Scripture is preached...Christians who skip church quite regularly because any event that arises trumps attending church, including sleep...Christians who don't want to be told that they are a sinner but want to feel good about themselves when they leave...Christians who voted for a president who fights for the rights to kill babies (Freedom of Choice Act) and those voters saying that there are other issues to vote on besides abortion...Christian fathers/husbands who live in sin and don't see the need to repent or change...Christian teenagers who live lives no different than the culture and don't see what they're doing as sin...Christian parents that give into cultural norms or legalism for their children rather than seeing what Scripture says about raising children...Christians who show up at church - consume - and leave...Christians that demand they are put first above anyone or anything else - even God...Christians who sacrifice everything for material possessions and believing that it will fulfill them.........

"...in Scripture alone is God's authoritative truth found, in Christ alone is salvation found, it is by grace alone that we are saved, and this salvation is received through faith alone...This is what gives us a place to stand in the world from which to understand who we are, what the purposes of God are, and what future lies before us." p.21

I do see a danger in the direction the church as a whole is going and it pushes me to seek after God and Scripture as I raise my children in this culture. It also makes me thankful that we attend a church that isn't afraid to preach the truth...even when it causes people to leave. Romans 12:2 "Do not conform any longer to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will."