Atheism Becoming the New Religion, Evangelicals Warned

Oct. 18 2010
By Maria Mackay | Christian Today Reporter

CAPE TOWN, South Africa

South African Evangelicals on Monday to be guardians of the truth in the face of widespread indifference to religion and the “denial” of Scripture within parts of the [Evangelical] Church today

Carver Yu, president of the China Graduate School of Theology in Hong Kong, said that “confusing ideologies” (False doctrine and false teaching) were creating emptiness and alienation among people, while indifference to religion was “tightening its grip.”

He said the recent advertising campaign by Richard Dawkins and other atheists on London buses was a perfect example of the “enthusiastic zeal” with which atheists were campaigning against Christianity and religion. (The truth is that the emptiness and alienation of Evangelical Christians is solely due over a century of empty and alienating Evangelical preaching and teaching of a far away God, an impersonal Jesus Christ, and a stagnant powerless Gospel. The “Evangelical Greats” like Dr. Schuler have long replaced Christianity with the teaching of secular humanism – the triumph of the human spirit. How astonishing is it then that the true heirs of secular humanism atheists have now stepped into the batters box and are enthusiastically claiming what has always been theirs? So being stripped of the gospel of greatness of men, medicine and science the whole of Evangelicalism now stumbles as they have nothing to answer atheists armed with secular humanism and the triumph of the Godless human spirit.

Of a truth this rise of atheism has been coming for a long time. We might well say that the leading edge of this new empowering tone and doctrine of atheism was carefully crafted in Hollywood for the last three decades. Science fiction over the last 150 years has been their vanguard and the decades of the Star Trek franchise has been their most successful teaching method of piercing the traditional Christian consciousness of Westernized Society with a message of the great godless golden age of Star Trek that is to come.

Over this same 150 years Evangelicalism has notch by notch departed from its once firm foundation in the word of God, and the great hunger and spirituality that once marked its adherents. Gone are the Shouting Singing and Dancing Methodists born in the fires of the Cainridge Revival. Gone are the consortium of Evangelical Churches that once knew and understood to power of God in the conversion of the foulest and most reviled of men into those who were once hailed as saints. Gone are the Evangelical’s great men of faith and prayer. All that is left is a substanceless vapor, a thin vapor that is being disbursed now with the slightest movement of the dead air of atheism.

When the Atheists have enthusiastic zeal and fearful and cowering Evangelicals are being driven back on their heels day after day – we are witnessing the spiritual implosion of hollow Evangelical Christianity, the implosion of CINO Christianity [Christians In Name Only] The implosion of a form of Christianity without the substance thereof in which all that is left to bind it together is the substanceless vapor and wisps of a generational Evangelicalism. An Evangelicalism that have cut themselves off at the roots, as they have cast away and utterly rejected their forbearers and with them the word of God, and the words and commandments of God, Jesus Christ, and the Apostles.

Tell me what could be more empty meaningless and worthless to its adherents and to the word than such a consortium of churches and denominations.

Jude 1:12-13 -- They are clouds without water, (Aimlessly) carried about of winds; trees whose fruit (Of times past, long) withereth, Without Fruit, (Rendered fruitless) Twice Dead, Plucked Up By The Roots; -- wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.

“Atheism is about to become the new religion,” he said. “Christians must preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ fearlessly because he is the way, the truth and the life. Only he can lead us away from the present state of godlessness.”

Yu was addressing more than 4,000 evangelical leaders from around the world at Cape Town 2010, the Third Lausanne Congress on world evangelization taking place this week in the South African city.

Also taking to the podium was Michael Herbst, researcher in evangelism and church development. He warned that the decline of faith among parents was leading to a whole generation of children in Germany growing up with an “atheist mindset” and the belief that “faith doesn’t matter.”

He noted that the idea of a “singular truth” and monotheism had become unpopular and were widely regarded as dangerous, arrogant and potentially violent.

“Everything is relative now except for this one new and ultimate truth – that there is no singular truth,” he said. "All those professing a singular truth should be silent in a tolerant world.”

Os Guinness, co-founder of The Trinity Forum, echoed his sentiments. He said that the biblical view of truth had become “obscene to modern minds” and was being taken by many to be exclusive, intolerant and divisive.

“But on a deeper look the biblical view is profound, timely and urgent for the day, even for those who reject it,” he said.

Guinness was especially critical of liberal Protestants who he said had been “careless” with the truth. He contended that they were just as “dangerous” as those outside of the church and contributing to a weakening of the faith.

Guinness said Christians had a responsibility to confront false ideas and beliefs and uphold the truth of the Gospel.

“Our stand for truth must start in the church itself. We must resist the powerful seductions of those who downplay truth for methodology, or truth in the name of activism, or truth for entertainment, or truth for seeker sensitivity, (This line is very good) and above all those who put a modern and revisionist view to the truth in the place of a biblical view.”

He continued: “Shame on those Western Christians who casually neglect or scornfully deny what the scriptures defend and what many brothers and sisters would rather die [for] than deny – that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.”

Christians were urged to not stay silent about their faith or be content with personal truth only. Herbst encouraged Christians to share their faith “from below” by serving and living out truth in their own lives.

“It is not the prevalence of Christendom that empowers the Gospel but the power of the Holy Spirit that brings the truth into the heart of those who listen,” he said.

Truth is the first of six main themes to be discussed at the Congress over the next seven days. Other issues on the agenda include evangelism in a multi-faith context and the integrity of the church.

More than 4,000 Christians are in Cape Town for the Congress, with hundreds of thousands more expected to take part online and at smaller congresses being held at 650 “Global Link” sites around the world.