The journey from there to here
Published on May 21, 2005 By Gideon MacLeish In Religion

OK. So one of the news shows did a story on Jesus' resurrection last night. Another has an upcoming show about end times. The miniseries "Revelations" follows the Arnie Schwarzennegger "End of Days" and the schmaltzy pair of Tim Lahaye movies (who, in a related vein, has detailed the tribulation period down to the AntiChrist's every drink of water for those of us who would rather rely on fiction than an insightful study of scripture for our beliefs), and every two bit televengelist is coming out of the woodwork with offering plates outstretched so that we can purchase salvation from the comfort of our own living room.

Sad to say, this isn't new! In fact, it isn't even a new phenomenon to any of us over 30 who remember "The Omega Code", "The Late Great Planet Earth", "The Cross and the Switchblade", and the "born again" experience that put a man in the White House in 1976. And to those old enough to remember the theatrical run of Cecil B. DeMille's bible epics, this is old hat.

A look back even further into history will show that periods of spiritual commercialism seem to come and go about every three decades. Dog and pony shows have people lined up around the block, their life savings in hand, for deliverance from hemmorrhoids and all things temporal into a world of eternity. Sure, in the midst of the throng, there are some sincere preachers and sincere believers, but the majority flood the marketplace to sell their wares to an all too anxious public looking for answers.

And with every "revival" has come a subsequent slump. When the faith doesn't live up to the promise of the hucksters and when people realize that the walk is harder than they originally believed. It's when the rubber meets the road and one's faith is truly tempted by adversity. And it defines the true believer vs. the bandwagon jumpers.

If you believe as a Christian, fine. I do, and I know others who do as well. But I challenge you to test your beliefs: are they grounded on sincere faith, or are they grounded on the emotional appeals of people whose respect and love you long for? If they're grounded on emotion rather than faith, I would challenge you to examine your beliefs, and test them. Don't let the new breed of "God Squadders" lead you away from faith rather than towards it with their laser light shows and parlour tricks. There's so much more to a real, living faith.


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