The Passion of the Followers of Christ

by Dr. Ted Baehr, Publisher of MOVIEGUIDE
April 12, 2007

HOLLYWOOD, CA (ANS) -- The collapse of Western Civilization has been bemoaned and intoned by scholars as diverse as Arnold Toynbee, Francis Schaeffer, and Vishal Mangalwadi. The reason for the collapse is boldly stated by Rosenstock-Huessy, Schaeffer and many of the other scholars. That is Descartes' "Cogito ergo sum," which made the individual the center and the god of his solipsistic universe and turned man from God to self. True Western Civilization developed when broken and contrite people realized they existed because of God, not because of themselves, and so they were freed from the blinders of solipsism to fulfill their God-given gifts and talents in accordance with the Good News of His word, the Bible. Today, even the very elect have been confused by the seductive words of Descartes, which echo the Adversary's promise that you "will be like God." (Genesis 3:4) Schaeffer calls this the great evangelical disaster.

Of course, Christendom is not dead. We know the end of the story from the Bible, and there are those who have boldly proclaimed the truth, including people like Chuck Colson and news services like Dan Wooding's Assist.

That said, shouting the truth from the housetops as we are told to do in Matthew 10:27 will always bring trials and tribulations. The Passion of Jesus Christ is a perfect example of how the majority welcomed him into Jerusalem as the triumphant king while the adversarial minority accused him of the most outlandishly ridiculous things, such as, "We found this man. . . forbidding us to pay taxes to the Emperor," (Luke 23:2) when Jesus when asked about paying taxes said, "give back to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." (Matthew 22:21)

Anyone who has stood for the truth has suffered the same lies of the accusers of the brethren, who are on the side of the Adversary. In our age, when life has become so easy, it is all too easy to say, why should I be accused or mocked or reviled when I can go along to get along. Thus, most of the Church has lost its passion for God and for our neighbors and so are willing to accept blasphemy, perversion and heresy as long as these Christians don't have to take up their cross. As Schaeffer said, it is the lukewarm Christian who is the problem not the pagan.

Thus, this holy week is an opportunity to consider the words of the Bible that we should, "Let the same mind be in us as was in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 2:5) We must stand for the truth, therefore, including the truth about politics and ideology, and refuse to be cowed into feign, false confessions by the derision and the accusations of the small rabble that has always fought to destroy Christendom and civilization. In doing so, the Church needs to stand against sin, such as adultery, homosexuality, blasphemy, and stand against heresy. And, we must not abandon those who are doing so.

Instead of reading the words of their accusers, who spout lies and self-contradictions, we should look at the words that the elect utter in light of the word of God. If these men and women speak the truth, as confirmed by God's Word, we need to stand with them. And, we need to pray for them as they're subjected to the mocking insults of the Adversary.

Of course, unlike Jesus, no man is righteous. We have all fallen short. But, those who acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and proclaim His truth, no matter how flawed, need our love, prayers and support.

In this season of the Passion and the Resurrection, let us stand on the side of the ultimate triumph. Let us stand on the side of Jesus and love God with all our heart, mind and soul. Let us stand on the side of our brothers and sisters who are standing for the truth, such as, and you can fill in the blank, but some of my favorites are Phyllis Schlafly, Joseph Farah, Pat Boone, Richard Land, and our whole Board of Reference at the Christian Film & Television Commission®.

We pray to God to put a hedge of protection around them. We rejoice that no weapon formed against them will prosper. We pray that many more will be sent to the harvest. And, we proclaim the Good News that He is risen indeed!

(c) baehr, 2007, © 2007 ASSIST News Service, used with permission.