A God in Our Image

One story appearing in evangelical literature attacking postmodern religion tells of a man who says, “I firmly believe in reformed theology and in reincarnation.” Our religious culture is now one of make-believe. There are no rules. Contradiction does not matter. We now live in an age with little regard for truth and great admiration for relativism (whatever is true for me). Religiously, we create our own spirituality where we believe whatever we wish, forming our faith and ethic on the basis of choice, not truth. “Spirituality becomes more of a consumer item than a matter of facts, arguments and truth” (Douglas Groothuis, Truth Decay, 28).
The renewed interest in spirituality is a hopeful trend and perhaps evangelicals can take advantage of it. But, it also creates a whole new challenge as gods come in differing shapes, sizes and blends. Whereas the modernist theologian had to argue for the existence of God, the postmodern culture believes in every god. Who can be sure where this is going? “The next major new religion . . . , will probably not be one of the old forms of overt paganism, but rather a syncretic hybrid. In a postmodernist and increasingly consumer-centered world in which truth is relative, people will pick and choose various aspects of the different faiths according to what they ‘like’ ” (Gene Veith, Postmodern Times, 200). This combination of religions is seen most recently in Hallmark’s television movie, Reluctant Saint: Francis of Assisi. Francis is made “into a religious pluralist who is shocked out of his parochial Christianity into a new respect for the goodness of Islam” (Mark Galli, Christianity Today, April 2003, 107-110).
We see this new spirituality all around us and in many forms. Consider, for instance, Hollywood’s spiritual perspective. We have seen the “Force” of "Star Wars", the ballplayers of "Field of Dreams", the spirits of "Ghost," and the magic of Harry Potter. Or, consider our renewed interest in angels (in our curio cabinets, on women’s lapels and TV’s "Touched by an Angel"). This trend is not without a postmodern context. We choose angels because they are our guardians and messengers—a safe spirituality. Unlike God, they demand nothing from us and help to create our own warm and fuzzy spirituality. We want a god created in our image and to our liking.
We see this new spirituality on college campuses every Arbor Day as feminists use the occasion to worship Gaia, mother earth. And, along with the worship of Gaia is the worship of the goddess Sophia, which is more prevalent than we might think. “In this ultimate struggle for mastery, the pagan goddess Sophia seeks to usurp the place of God the Creator and Redeemer. This is not colorful hyperbole. The conflict is real, the protagonists irreconcilable” (Peter Jones, Pagans in the Pews, 234—Jones compares many of the modern spiritualities with ancient Gnosticism). In addition, feminist interpretation of the Bible (always questioning biblical authority) is very extensive and has made its way into the church. Once again, we create a god in our image.
Recently, all this became very real as I made the acquaintance of a man whom professes to be “born again.” In further conversation, I discovered he has an altar in the basement of his home, complete with a statue of Buddha and various colored candles (New Age).
Many questions come to mind. Although this man claims a “born again experience,” is he really saved if he practices syncretism? Could he be a member of your church? How much right theology must one believe to be saved? How inclusive can we be? How can we connect with him and others like him? What kind of apologetic do we bring to a postmodern world?
Where should we begin? For starters, a few sermons, Sunday School lessons or Bible studies on the exclusivity of biblical Christianity would help. Lay people under the daily attack from “the world” can lose this perspective. Also, for info on newer religions (and even older ones) try this web address: dir.yahoo.com/Society_and_Culture/Religion_and_Spirituality/. Be sure to click on Angels, Organizations and Women. At the same site, click on Faiths and Practices and do not miss Native American Religions and New Age. For a more scholarly approach, the University of Virginia has this site: religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/ (this site also has many resources). Each pastor should view these materials before recommending them to his congregation, as most are not pro-Christian (but helpful).
For issues regarding salvation in a spiritually pluralistic culture, see Dennis L. Okholm and Timothy R. Phillips (eds.), More Than One Way? Four Views on Salvation in a Pluralistic World.
For lay people, try the video series by Ravi Zacharias based on his book, Jesus Among Other Gods. Although this video is “safe,” it may still need some explanation for the lay person not educated in these areas.
Robert (2004, archive)