Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths

In order to demonstrate the validity of Christianity as a religion for all of life, it is necessary to demythologize the misrepresentations that have been nurtured by a bewildering number of unorthodox theologies. These “cherished myths” have had the effect of neutralizing the Word of God as it relates to this world.

Christianity has often been accused of being too “otherworldly” in that it has failed to offer viable political, economic, judicial, and social programs for the world order. The teaching of Jesus that his kingdom “is not of this world” has been interpreted to mean that earthly life must merely be endured and that Christians cannot expect to accomplish lasting reform before the return of Christ.

Jesus said the following to the Scribes and Pharisees: “Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men... You nicely set aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition” (Mark 7:8–9).

Like the Bereans of Paul’s day (Acts 17:11), Christians should check the veracity of all opinions against the only reliable standard of authority that God has placed in our hands: the Bible. This may mean a change in belief systems for some. There is no novelty in this. God confronted Peter directly about the inclusion of Gentiles into the household of faith (10:9–16). Paul confronted Peter “to his face” on a similar matter (Gal. 2:11–14). There are times when we all need to be knocked off our horse of mistaken opinions (Acts 9:4). “Testing” is a biblical mandate (2 Cor. 13:5; 1 John 4:1).

Myths, Lies and Half-Truths adopts Jesus’ methodology of taking a closer look at God’s Word and applies it to erroneous misinterpretations that have resulted in a virtual shut-down of the church’s full-orbed mission in the world (Acts 20:27). These traditional but mistaken interpretations and applications of popular Bible texts to contemporary issues have resulted in the Christian faith being “thrown out and trampled under foot by men” (Matt. 5:13).

Christians, who make up about 35 percent of the population, seem to have voluntarily abandoned culture and hidden the gospel under a bushel waiting for a rescue from heaven that is always said to be coming “soon.” This is the first time in the history of the church that such a minimalized worldview has become so pervasive in the church.

There was a time when the gospel of Jesus Christ touched every area of a person’s life and the world in which he lived. This is no longer the case. Our nation is in a crisis. The world is crying out for answers in the face of bewildering and seemingly unsolvable problems. Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths demonstrates that the Bible has real answers and shows that the church has been instrumental throughout history in the development of what is uniformly described as a comprehensive Christian worldview.

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PART I: Christians and the World