I have a friend who lives in Europe, who is a sharp critic of what he has labeled as the “Christian far right.” I confess, I am a part of that tribe, not because I have moved to the right, but because my country has moved radically to the left. It seems that his main criticism of me and my clan is that we, in his words, think we “have been given some sort of God ordained right, to monopolize the Christian Faith, dictating to all Churches, and all Christians, how God would have us live our lives.”
Assuming that he believes that there is such a thing as truth, that which is real and does not change with the passing of time, the vote of the majority or where and when somebody lives, that it is not just a “perspective,” but a reality that transcends me and him and the earth, I have this response.
I do believe that I possess the Truth. Not truth about everything, like shipbuilding and snowboarding, but Truth that is found in Jesus Christ and revealed in His Word, the Holy Scriptures. I do not believe that I have a right to tell others what to believe or how they should live. But, I do have an obligation to proclaim the truth that I have been entrusted with, to my neighborhood, to my nation and to the ends of the earth.
Whether that is arrogance or intolerance I do not concern myself. What I do concern myself with and what I have a passion for, is, knowing and understanding what God has written in the Bible and then, with all the strength I possess, to make it known to family, friends and enemies. It is that Truth, held fast to, found only in Jesus Christ and His Word that truly sets men free. If I were to be silent in the face of opposition or shaken because the Gospel isn’t popular, I would cease to be the soldier I was called to be.
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Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: By Dr. Gary Rieben. © Give Me That Book. Email: Grieben@aol.com. Website: www.GiveMeThatBook.org. Postal: GMTB | P.O. Box 1045 | La Quinta, CA 92253 USA | 619.8292390
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