Posted by
peripheral on Saturday, September 06, 2008 6:38:21 AM
From My Perspective - - -
Inasmuch as this nation declares “In God We Trust”
and pledges that we are “One Nation, Under God”, one would have the impression
that foundational to our heritage would be a strong belief system that embraces
a power greater than ourselves Who controls the affairs of mankind in the
world. In a Presidential contest, we want to know the “church” a candidate
attends and what an individual believes.
It’s no secret that “religion” has been in the
spotlight of the current Presidential contest. Of the four nominated
candidates, we know that one is from a Roman Catholic background; another
attended a church for more than 20 years where Liberation Theology was
championed; another chooses to be vague but for a brief moment accepted
endorsement by some “evangelicals” before disagreeing with some of their
stances; and we have one who is from an Assembly of God background. Earlier on,
there was one candidate who was marginalized by the media because his primary
support was from the “evangelical (right) base” of which he was a part.
The Pastor’s Weekly Briefing references some recent
research done by the Ellison Group regarding the question: “What Is an
Evangelical?” America's
Definition…reveals that 36 percent of all Americans say they have no idea at
all what the definition is of an evangelical Christian. The most common
perception is that "evangelical" has to do with spreading ones faith
or trying to convince someone else to become a Christian. The
research also revealed thatLa) Nine
percent believe that evangelicals are just a specific type of Christian such as
born-again or non-denominational; (b) Nine percent believe that evangelicals
are Christians who are particularly zealous or devoted to their faith; (c) Eight
percent feel evangelicals are defined largely by their focus on the Bible:
their reliance on it and their belief in it; (d) Six percent define
evangelicals by their world-view or politics.
When the media reports
something about evangelical leaders like Rick Warren or James Dobson, or
describes a political candidate as meeting with an evangelical group, or polls
likely voters and reports that evangelicals are backing a particular candidate,
many Americans honestly don't have the faintest notion of just who belongs to
that group that is being described, while others are completely off-base in
their assumptions of who the report is describing…Yet Americans usually don't
define 'evangelicals' by their voting habits or politics. There's at least some
basic understanding among the American population that evangelicals are defined
by religion rather than by politics, even if many people don't really know just
what that religious definition is…
Evangelicals used to be characterized or defined by certain
foundational beliefs. These were known as: The Five Fundamentals of the Faith
which are essential for Christianity, and upon which there is unwavering
agreement: (1) The
Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:1; John 20:28; Hebrews 1:8-9); (2) The
Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:27); (3) The
Blood Atonement of Jesus Christ (Acts 20:28; Romans 3:25, 5:9; Ephesians 1:7;
Hebrews 9:12-14); The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ (Luke 24:36-46; 1
Corinthians 15:1-4, 15:14-15); and (5) The inerrancy of the Scriptures
themselves (Psalms 12:6-7; Romans 15:4; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20). This
is a clear set of core values in a defined belief system. Does it define you?
Is it a foundation upon which your life and values are based?
Consider these things with me - - -
we should know What we believe and Why we believe it. We should know that True Liberty and Freedom comes
from a relationship with The One Who stated: “If the Son shall set you free,
you will be free indeed.” And He also said: “You shall know the Truth and the
Truth will make you free.” Do you know, and do you have an on-going
relationship with The One Who stated: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life…” Be certain today!