A Catholic Culture

Throughout Scripture, the development of a personal relationship with God is not only recommended, but even commanded.  We read of great relationships such as Enoch's, where walking with God was a daily reality. And while men like David did not physically commune with the Father,  the Scriptures allowed for a spiritual experience just as real.  The words of God were so integral to David's life that he hid them in his heart.  Jesus spoke that man should not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.  Paul wrote to Timothy, "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth."  Scripture suggests that communing with God is equivocated to a relationship with His Word.

Cults of all sorts distort this Christian principle,  and I see it bleeding over even into our most fundamental circles today.  The Catholic church, to name one,  highly emphasizes mass attendance, frequency of sacraments, and reading through the missals produced by the church.  Scripture's authority is degraded by the pope's ability to infallibly speak "ex cathedra" overruling the written Word.  Members of the Catholic church are not encouraged to search out the Scriptures, but rather to trust the word of their priest for doctrine and instruction.  

Those claiming the banner of independent or fundamental christianity would hold to the ideology that they should personally commune with God through His Word,  but is that truly believed?  As I sit in churches across the United States I see members with closed Bibles.  I listen as pastors, both tenured and inexperienced, recite their sermons often misconstruing details and facts.  Their interpretations of Scripture are often filtered through the lenses of their indoctrinating school, ministerial idolatry, and adherence to the traditions of men.  They subliminally promote the continued legacy of ignorance within the laypeople.  The people are not being taught to search out the Word for themselves, subsequently most are content to adopt the views of their pastor as their own with no personal affirmation.  When Scripture is not primary, the church begins to worship the stained glass, pews, former pastor's pictures, memorial plaques, and church rituals.  It's no longer genuine worship that is spiritually compelling,  its idol worship under the guise of a pursuit of old paths.

Is fundamentalism all that different from Catholicism?  As pastors of different fellowships hold to the "views" of their respective "ministerial giants" on the platform of "old paths"  do we not then make these men as gods?  When our doctrine is affirmed by the sayings, sermons, and memoirs of men of faith rather than the Author of our Faith,  do we not override the authority of the I AM?  When we are more concerned with the names on the wall, the way the piano is played, and the structure of our service do we not resemble the iconic worship of a cult?  The blame lays not solely on the shoulders of the present day ministerial hierarchy,  but also on those who do not present themselves as workmen.  I see a generation that stands before God unapproved, ashamed, and ill equipped to rightly divide truth.  Is it any wonder our culture continues to rapidly drift?  The denominational lines are greatly blurred in this respect, where even the most conservative baptist is no different than the catholic.  What are you?