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Opinion|Thu, Aug. 27 2009 10:53 AM EDT

Are We a Nation of Hindus?

By R. Albert Mohler, Jr.|Christian Post Guest Columnist

The exclusivity of the Gospel is not merely a facet of the church's message. Indeed, a Gospel that does not affirm that salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ alone is not the Gospel of Christ, but a false gospel. As Lisa Miller correctly recites, Jesus did say, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me." [John 14:6]

Another aspect of the story is this: Many Americans have such a doctrineless understanding of Christianity that they do not even know what the Gospel is -- not even remotely. A greater tragedy is that so many who consider themselves Christians seem to share in this confusion.

Many observers who trace these trends see this doctrinal shift among Christians as a good development. After all, if you hold to nothing more than a functional view of religion, this might seem to promise less conflict among religious believers. But, if you believe that truth is essential to Christian faith, there is every reason to see these trends as nothing less than catastrophic. Nothing less than our witness to the Gospel of Christ is at stake.

Are we becoming a nation of Hindus? Well, in this sense it appears perhaps we are. The really urgent question is whether the Church will regain its theological sanity and evangelistic courage to resist this trend. If not, being described as a nation of Hindus will be the least of our problems.

Adapted from R. Albert Mohler Jr.'s weblog at www.albertmohler.com.
___________________________________________________

R. Albert Mohler, Jr. is president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. For more articles and resources by Dr. Mohler, and for information on The Albert Mohler Program, a daily national radio program broadcast on the Salem Radio Network, go to www.albertmohler.com. For information on The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, go to www.sbts.edu. Send feedback to mail@albertmohler.com. Original Source: www.albertmohler.com.
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  • believer »
    Fri Sep 04, 2009 3:25 pm Agree: 0   Disagree: 0

    bujo, but once again you put the cart before the horse, for a person to be a backsliden Christian there had to be a point in their life where they admitted they were a sinner and their sins separated them from God and that they desired to turn from their sin and turn to God by putting their complete faith/trust in the person and finished work of Jesus Christ alone. For a person to say they are a Christian and yet they never repented of their sin and show no desire to turn from their sin is a very good indicator they are not and never were truly a Christian.

  • Bujo »
    Fri Sep 04, 2009 9:39 am Agree: 0   Disagree: 1

    Flagged as inappropriate. show believer, I'll agree with the fact that many backsliden Christians are miserable over their state. However, my understanding of salvation leads me to this: no matter how far we far we wander from a close walk with Christ the grace provided us at that moment of belief covers all our sins, past present and future. hide

  • believer »
    Fri Sep 04, 2009 8:59 am Agree: 0   Disagree: 0

    bujo, no argument there, but a backsliden Christian at one point in their life repented of their sin and most backsliden Christians I know, to include myself when I was in that condition are some of the most miserable people in the world because they are feeling regret and remorse and not experiencing the peace and contentment of God in their life, but rather experiencing His discipline in their life. But if someone who claims to be a Christian is willfully living in sin and has no regret or remorse and is not experiencing God's discipline in their life, then there is a high probability if not certainty that they are not genuinely saved.

  • Bujo »
    Fri Sep 04, 2009 8:25 am Agree: 0   Disagree: 1

    Flagged as inappropriate. show believer, A backsliden Christian is a Christian nonetheless. hide

  • believer »
    Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:17 pm Agree: 0   Disagree: 0

    bujo, and while I do believe once saved always saved, in the case of the unrepentant sinner there is no once saved!

  • believer »
    Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:16 pm Agree: 0   Disagree: 0

    bujo, but without repentance there is no salvation, without a change of mind and heart there is no salvation. As I stated if a person claims to be saved and yet has no desire to stop sinning and continues to live in sin there has been no repentance and therefore that person is not saved.

  • Bujo »
    Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:27 pm Agree: 0   Disagree: 0

    Flagged as inappropriate. show believer, What I'm saying is that Christ doesn't require anything for salvation except belief. He doesn't WANT us to sin, I agree. But if we continue to sin, which we all will, it is not a deal breaker. You're a baptist. Once saved, always saved right? hide

  • believer »
    Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:38 pm Agree: 0   Disagree: 0

    bujo, salvation is about a relationship with God and not about simply not going to hell and it requires us to turn from our sin. So if a person verbally makes a profession of faith and continues to live in sin and shows no remorse or regret for their sin or sinful lifestyle then that is a serious indicator that no genuine profession of faith was made and the person simply wanted a get out of hell free card.

  • Bujo »
    Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:46 am Agree: 0   Disagree: 0

    Flagged as inappropriate. show Prophet, I don't remember Jesus putting any sort of those stipulations on salvation. Please, tell me when Jesus said, "For me to forgive you of your sins and live with me, first you have to stop sinning and be just like I am." hide

  • Prophet »
    Wed Sep 02, 2009 2:33 pm Agree: 1   Disagree: 0

    There are people who get saved simply to avoid eternal death. There is no relationship with our Father. The are not Christians. "Christian" means "Little Christ" or "Christ-like". Now, all of us fall short of His glory and His image. But there are those who are actively pursuing His image, and striving to walk in the Spirit. Those are true Christians. Those who sit on their duff and willfully continue to live in sin, those are the people who's relationship with God I question.

  • Bujo »
    Tue Sep 01, 2009 2:54 pm Agree: 1   Disagree: 1

    Flagged as inappropriate. show Yavoh, I find it funny that you talk about some Christians not "knowing" God, and you claim to "know" that Jesus is coming back soon! Shoot, even Christ himself didn't know that! You must really have it figured out bud. hide

  • Yavoh »
    Mon Aug 31, 2009 10:19 pm Agree: 2   Disagree: 0

    Yes!! Prophet!!

    There are many people who THINK they are saved because they went to the alter and got dunked in order to avoid hell. But they are not really saved. When we are truly a child of God, we are CHANGED!! We do not continue in our sin just as if nothing happened! The Holy Spirit begins a good work in us. He convicts us when we say a profane word, or watch something less than wholesome on TV, or pick up something at work that does not belong to us. If we do not have conviction for oru sin, we need to get right with the Lord; make our salvation sure. If we are not being corrected and directed, there is something wrong with our salvation. God chastizes those that he loves.

  • Yavoh »
    Mon Aug 31, 2009 10:14 pm Agree: 3   Disagree: 0

    Bujo said: " think the using of words like "REAL Christians" is what is making many Christians want to turn away. It's the arrogance of the vernacular of people like tpique1 that make other cringe. While yes, Christ did speak very bluntly at times, he did so in humility and love. I see dangerously little of that on here."

    It is NOT making Truly saved Christians turn away! The only ones who would be turning away are "lip service Christians", those who are only after getting their ears tickled. They do not KNOW God in their hearts. Sure, they know WHO God is, but do they really KNOW God? Not if they can be turned away!! Sadly, there are many in the pews who are there in name only, there for the social activities of the "church" they attend, many of which are nothing more than social clubs. many pastors today will not preach against sin. They will not preach against hell because they dont' want to "offend" the pew sitters and loose their tithe money. This today, folks is the church of Laodicea spoken of in Revelation!!! Neither warm nor cold, and God will spew them out of His mouth. Get a fire kindled!! Get on fire for the Lord!! GET EXCITED about His Word!!! Jesus is coming soon!!! Get ready people!

  • Yavoh »
    Mon Aug 31, 2009 10:04 pm Agree: 1   Disagree: 0

    Yep, love & goodness trumps Islam's kill, kill, kill any day of the week.

    But, alas, unless they accept Jesus as their one and only Savior, they are still lost.

  • believer »
    Mon Aug 31, 2009 8:24 pm Agree: 1   Disagree: 0

    Flagged as inappropriate. show bujo, you have a point if indeed someone uses the term "Real Christian" in a prideful way, what I see as a "Real Christian" is someone who has made a genuine profession of faith as opposed to as prophet said just was after a get out of hell free card. And I honestly wonder if the latter has truly been saved and is indeed a "Real Christian". hide

  • Prophet »
    Mon Aug 31, 2009 8:10 pm Agree: 1   Disagree: 1

    There are people who get saved simply to avoid eternal death. There is no relationship with our Father. The are not Christians. "Christian" means "Little Christ" or "Christ-like". Now, all of us fall short of His glory and His image. But there are those who are actively pursuing His image, and striving to walk in the Spirit. Those are true Christians. Those who sit on their duff and willfully continue to live in sin, those are the people who's relationship with God I question.

  • Prophet »
    Mon Aug 31, 2009 3:25 pm Agree: 1   Disagree: 0

    Flagged as inappropriate. show There are people who get saved simply to avoid eternal death. There is no relationship with our Father. The are not Christians. "Christian" means "Little Christ" or "Christ-like". Now, all of us fall short of His glory and His image. But there are those who are actively pursuing His image, and striving to walk in the Spirit. Those are true Christians. Those who sit on their duff and willfully continue to live in sin, those are the people who's relationship with God I question. hide

  • Bujo »
    Fri Aug 28, 2009 2:23 pm Agree: 4   Disagree: 4

    Flagged as inappropriate. show I think the using of words like "REAL Christians" is what is making many Christians want to turn away. It's the arrogance of the vernacular of people like tpique1 that make other cringe. While yes, Christ did speak very bluntly at times, he did so in humility and love. I see dangerously little of that on here. hide

  • Blacksho89 »
    Fri Aug 28, 2009 1:52 pm Agree: 2   Disagree: 0

    I think the number of people who are saved is greater than the number who really know what Christian doctrine is. I would put the number of Biblically literate, orthodox believers at about 10 percent of the US population, but the number of saved at a substantially higher number. The Good Shepherd knows his sheep.

  • tpique1 »
    Fri Aug 28, 2009 11:29 am Agree: 1   Disagree: 0

    u4eeeahhh,

    I agree with you totally.

    1) That culture is shifting more towards religious pluralism - the belief that all faiths are equal.
    2) That many who call themselves "Christian" simply are not - they possess more of an "intellectual ascent" to Christianity rather than a living faith.

    By the way, those aren't my stats, but they are accurate as far as I know. I absolutely agree with you though that those numbers are probably wrong, of course, based on the reasons you rightly outlined in your post.

    However, I think what the Newsweek author was trying to suggest was that "all paths" somehow lead to God and that you can "smorgasbord" your religious beliefs together any way you like and you'll still find heaven. This is patently ridiculous.

    Religions are so different in their beliefs and doctrines, to suggest they all lead to the same place, or at the very least can be mixed and matched, shows ignorance on her part.

    By the way, I think your number of true American Christians (20%) is probably a bit high too. :)+)

    I'm thinking more like 10%. What do you think?

  • u4eeeahhh »
    Fri Aug 28, 2009 12:02 am Agree: 1   Disagree: 1

    Flagged as inappropriate. show Tpique1, you miss the point. Americans are not becoming Buddhists but rather they are becoming LIKE them in the acceptance of the MANY PATHS. When you quote the Christians are #1 stats at 2.1 billion you need to correct those numbers based on this survey and many like it that demonstrate that most who SAY they are Christian are in fact NOT really truly! It's become more a social convention, the safe thing to say in Western cultures. But if one does not agree that the Bible is the True Word of God, that Jesus is the only path to salvation and most of the basic tenets of the Faith can be take with a grain of salt then are they REAL Christians? NO, those folks just using it because they are too intellectually chicken to admit they are mostly agnostic, vague Deity followers and other permutations that equal Faux Xians and inflate the numbers. How many REAL Christians are there? More like less than 20% of American Citizens at the most. Some surveys put Fundamentalists at 8-10%. How do I get there? 16% declare themselves NON-Believers in some degree. 65% are cafeteria Xians of the pick and choose type. Xians that believe in evolution, gay rights, accept 6 or 7 of the Ten Commandments, recognize multiple paths to Truth, then take out the Muslims, real Buddhists, Wiccans, Raelians, other non-Jesus beliefs who account for a few points and there you have left a MINORITY religion at sub-20% that are the TRUE INERRANT WORD OF GOD Christians. And that percentage is sliding down hill daily. hide

  • steveh20 »
    Thu Aug 27, 2009 4:21 pm Agree: 0   Disagree: 4

    Thats a good point philo, also there could be a lot more quickie marts opening up.

  • tpique1 »
    Thu Aug 27, 2009 2:30 pm Agree: 3   Disagree: 2

    "She suggests that contemporary Americans, including many who consider themselves Christians, are abandoning the exclusive truth claims of Christianity for a form of theological pluralism or relativism."

    "Americans are no longer buying it," she insists, and by this she means many American Christians. She cites a 2008 Pew Forum survey that indicated major slippage in terms of Christian conviction."

    Hmmm...well, only one faith seems to keep getting it consistently right:

    1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils..."

    People will depart from the faith because they never had any to begin with. They will be lured away; seduced by the shiny trinkets of satan's promises. But he is nothing but a roaring lion seeking who he may devour. And he is devouring many today.

    But do all paths lead to God? HARDLY!

    In a survey of the world's religions, Christianity is still the dominant one, with 2.1 billion believers (33% of the world's population). Islam is next with 1.3 billion (21%), followed by Hinduism (900 million, 14%), Sikhism (23 million, 0.36%), Judaism, Bahaism, Buddhism, etc. Interestingly, atheists number about 1.1 billion (16%). However, the numbers for Islam are inflated a bit, considering that it's essentially forced upon people in countries like Iran or Malaysia.

    • Pantheists believe that all life is unity. In particular, they believe that the spirit (atman) is the nonmaterial, intangible self connecting with the concrete world. The concept of reincarnation is also different between Hinduism and Buddhism. Hindus believe in moksha, where you reappear in a new form. Buddhists believe in nirvana, where your moral effect is carried over in a karmic cycle. Each birth is a rebirth, and each birth is a result of karma. The human condition can thus be summarized as misery and opportunity. And, the way to obtain bliss (atman siddhi) is through knowledge, works, and devotion.

    Can you get to heaven, according to Christian Orthodoxy, by works? Ephesians 2:9-10 is a hint.

    • Hinduism started around 2500 BC. Buddhism started around 500 BC as a response to Hinduism. In general, lower caste Hindus fled to Buddhism because the latter had no vegas and no caste system, thus they felt more valued.

    • The goal of Hinduism is unity with an impersonal absolute. The goal of Christianity is communion with the divine, or a relationship with God, a personal being.

    As you can see, all paths DO NOT lead to God, nor do they hope to. Add to this scenario the other 21 or so major religions and you can see how ridiculous an idea it is to suggest that all paths lead to God.

  • schumacr »
    Thu Aug 27, 2009 1:47 pm Agree: 3   Disagree: 0

    Part of Steve Turner's poem "Creed" speaks to Mohler's point pretty well:

    We believe that all religions are basically the same
    At least the one we read was
    They all believe in love and goodness
    They only differ on matters of creation, sin, heaven, hell, God, and salvation.

  • philomath777 »
    Thu Aug 27, 2009 12:55 pm Agree: 5   Disagree: 1

    If the Hindu influence is becoming that strong, we can expect beef farmers to become quite supportive of Christian evangelism...

  • steveh20 »
    Thu Aug 27, 2009 11:41 am Agree: 4   Disagree: 6

    If you are becoming a nation of Hindus, at least that means you will be in line for some good curry,mmmmm....

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