Satan’s World

Written by Gary DeMar

Abraham Kuyper (1837–1920), homeschooled by his father, minister in the Dutch Reformed Church, prime minister of the Netherlands, editor of the newspaper The Standard, president of the Free University of Amsterdam, founder of the Anti-Revolutionary Party, and prolific author, said, “there is not one inch of creation of which Christ doesn’t say ‘Mine,’” Too many Christians, by default, ignorance, or choice often choose “there is not one inch of creation of which Satan doesn’t say ‘Mine’” with the result that the church of Jesus Christ has ceded territory to the devil in the name of biblical Christianity.

There are many Christians who see no direct relationship between their Christian faith and business and politics and everything else. It’s not that they are hypocrites . . . It’s more likely they were taught that the Bible does not apply to their larger world, certainly not when it comes to law, economics, business, and politics because there is a fixed sacred-secular divide. The pastor does not address politics from the pulpit since Jesus didn’t get mixed up in politics, there’s a separation between church and state, our citizenship is in heaven, politics is dirty, you can’t impose your morality on other people, we don’t want to offend people, we’re told not to judge, we are to render to Caesar, etc. As a result, Christians often adopt the broader culture’s version of the role the State plays in our lives, and it’s a dangerous and ever expanding role.

The State is neither demonic nor messianic. Believing in either one can have the same result. By believing the State can save us with its programs and laws, we give up more power to the State in hope of seeing extended positive results. By claiming the State is demonic, we withdraw from civil government with the result that the State becomes a law unto itself with ever increasing authority and power.

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The Pragmatic Church

Quoting Eric Rauch:

Pragmatism, or “going along to get along,” can reveal itself in many different ways. Three areas where pragmatism commonly rears its ugly head in the modern Church are: theistic evolution (name your flavor), church-growth, and liberal theology. While something of a catch-all, liberal theology can be defined as any movement or set of beliefs that seeks to redefine or ignore certain parts of the Bible. Liberals, in reality, seek harmony between God’s revealed Word and the so-called wisdom of those who suppress His truth in unrighteousness (Rom. 1:18-20). Their pragmatism causes them to believe that light and darkness can fellowship, that fire and water can mix, that both P and not-P can be true in the same relationship. Forgetting that the “foolishness of God is wiser than men,” proponents of theological pragmatism embrace foolishness in a futile attempt to not look foolish in the eyes of covenant-breakers.

Tax And Spend

Quoting President Ronald Reagan:

“[T]hose who have never broken free from the mentality of tax-and-tax and spend-and-spend still think increasing taxes is the best way to solve America’s problems. … We need a tax policy that offers incentives for people to work, save, and invest — all the things that will keep our economy growing and improve our well being. We need a basic tax reform that will permit us to bring everybody’s tax rates down. … Our country needs leadership that can see beyond the demands of the special interest groups and prepare America for a better tomorrow.”

Do You See God At Work In The Details Of Your Life?

In the words of Pastor Allen M Baker:

“I wonder — do you see God at work in the details of your life? Are you resisting him in those details? People have always resisted the doctrine of God’s sovereignty and the corresponding teaching on his providence. We like to think we are in control, that we can ‘fix it.’ This manifests itself today in neo-deism and neo-spirituality. Deism — the religion of preference in the mid to late eighteenth century in Colonial America, best known by Benjamin Franklin and his adage, ‘God helps those who help themselves’ — taught that while God did in fact create the world, he is no longer engaged in the affairs of this world. We must make things happen ourselves. This fits well with today’s psyche of rugged individualism, of pulling one’s self up by one’s boot straps. You are a neo-deist, even if you claim to be a Christian, if you fail to realize that God is in the details of your life, even the hard things happening to you right now. And neo-spirituality is seen today in the religiously intolerant, those who call themselves religious or spiritual, who claim to be open and affirming of all religions, yet despise the ‘narrowness’ and exclusivity in the claims of Christ. The neo-spiritual person is syncretistic – so called ‘Zen Christians’ or ‘Presbyterian Buddhists.’ The problem with neo-deism and neo-spirituality is that these weak, powerless forms of religion tend to inoculate people against vibrant, Biblical faith. These give people the false impression that a little religion is all one needs.”