PPT. 1 O U T L I N E
Our Christian Response to the New Spirituality
Jay Wegter and Peter Jones
Regarding our sermon title, cosmology is that branch of philosophy which deals with the origin and structure of the universe. The absolute truth of cosmology is essential in interpreting the universe.
PPT. 2 Consequently biblical cosmology is the foundation of the gospel—for the gospel only makes sense in a world in which our omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God is Creator, Owner, Upholder, Lawmaker, Ruler, Redeemer, and Judge.
The Western world is undergoing a process of ‘paganization’ (the abandonment of biblical theism).
PPT. 3 Like an immense wrecking ball, secular humanism has been moving through society for the better part of a century leaving destruction in its wake.
PPT. 4 Secular humanism’s assault has torn down God’s creation structures and it has left society craving a replacement. Paganism offers itself as that new ordering principle.
Paganism is growing and thriving in the ‘seedbed’ left by secular humanism. Paganism is rushing into the spiritual void left by secularism—we are seeing this in the new spirituality.
PPT. 5 This worldview ‘lens’ of paganism proposes a sweeping monistic vision—stressing the oneness of all things; the divinity of man and nature; and the goal of global harmony.
PPT. 6 Biblical cosmology is expressed in the distinctions which God has made in creation. In other words, there is a moral order built into the creation (there behaviors that are ‘against nature’). “Human beings are only correctly understood in relationship to their Creator [and His moral government].”
PPT. 7 Paul begins the largest epistle on salvation (Romans) with an analysis of pagan thinking in a world that has lost biblical cosmology. We need Paul’s analysis of the world because it is into this world that we must speak the Gospel.
PPT. 8 Paul tells us in Romans one that man’s rebellion (the same universal rebellion) is expressed in a three-fold way. This rebellion is manifested in three areas:
CONCEPTUALLY (theology and the nature of God—man suppresses the knowledge of God)
SPIRITUALLY (spirituality and the human response of worship—man worships the creation)
BEHAVIOURLY (sexuality and the human response in corporeal behavior—man gives himself to impurity)
PPT. 9 SUPPRESS THE TRUTH>>> WORSHIP AND SERVE THE CREATION>>> COMMIT SEXUAL IMMORALITY
The first of these three expressions of rebellion leads to the next and so on. In the realm of thought, suppression of the knowledge of God leads to sinful expression in the next area which is spirituality. Spirituality then becomes the worship of the creation and the creature (nature) which leads to rebellion in the third area which is in behavior. Wickedness is expressed in sexual immorality.
PPT. 10 God’s response to man’s rebellion is wrath revealed. God’s wrath revealed takes a very specific form. God’s wrath is His righteous response to man’s wicked three “exchanges.” God’s wrath is expressed in three “givings over.” Man exchanges in vv. 23, 25, 26. God declares that He judges the three pagan exchanges by giving over in vv. 24, 26, 28. They are given over in their minds, their spirits, and their bodies.
Paul’s use of definiteness (articular nouns) means that he has specificity in mind when he refers to the truth, the creature, the lie, the Creator.
PPT. 11 Paul’s focused language (with definite articles) narrows the religious options in the world to two possibilities: one either serves the truth or the lie.
The wrath of God is revealed against those who suppress the truth of God in unrighteousness (v. 18).
PPT. 12 What our postmodern world celebrates—namely its rejection of all absolutes, and its assumed right to define all reality privately—is actually a sign of God’s wrath revealed now (1:22).
PPT. 13 The revelation of God’s wrath spoken of in this context is not speaking primarily of future wrath; but the present reality of wrath.
God holds men responsible for how they treat general revelation. How a man treats general revelation (God’s testimony in creation) will show up in how he treats special revelation (God’s testimony in Scripture).
PPT. 14 The theological content of THE LIE is as follows: eliminate the truth that God deserves to be worshipped in thankfulness; overturn God’s order in the cosmos (the order which reveals God’s nature); replace God with another divinity—worship and serve the creature and the creation.
The nature of true worship is inseparable from the Creator-creature distinction.
Our innate glory is due to the fact that we are made in God’s image (Gen 1:26).
PPT. 15 This loss of dignity and creation identity is typified in Israel’s apostasy in the matter of the golden calf (Ps 106:12-20).
Paganism’s stance on sexuality is certainly an expose of its system of thought.
PPT. 16 The lie (v. 25) will work itself out in sexual immorality—and in particular homosexuality. Homosexuality is an overturning of God’s created order. Neo-pagans talk about their homosexuality as ‘spiritual’.
PPT. 17 The two systems (or cosmologies) are mutually exclusive. Homo-theology emphasizes that everything has the same substance—it brings all to sameness. Let’s look again at the three categories Paul addresses—truth (theology), worship (spirituality), and behavior (sexuality).
HOMO-THEOLOGY stresses that nature and the divine are identified with each other (no distinction).
HOMO-SPIRITUALITY worships nature and the self (narcissistic praise of self). It seeks a ‘spiritual’ goal of removing differences.
HOMOSEXUALITY is the most ‘natural’ thing if the above is true—it is the preferred sexual expression of pagan worldview.
Homosexuality follows paganism everywhere (note its advocacy on university campuses where paganism is taught). The homosexual agenda affirms that we all benefit from the breakdown of gender binary (the breakdown ‘liberates’ from stereotypes, patriarchy, oppression of women, and discrimination,). The homosexual agenda seeks to change our culture by destroying the notion of the image of God as male and female.
PPT. 18 By contrast (antithesis) the “Two-ness” of theism explains so much in the Christian faith. Two-ism protects the Creator-creature distinction; dignity; personhood; hierarchy; stewardship; rationality; ethics; meaningful history; revelation; mediation; resurrection; God’s love; prayer; praise; Christian experience. Two-ness upholds the immutability of the creation structures: God and man, male and female, man and animal, animal and plant, good and evil.
PPT. 19 The created distinctions intrinsic in biblical cosmology may be expressed as follows: HETERO-COSMOLOGY celebrates the Creator-creature distinction.
HETERO-SPIRITUALITY celebrates the otherness and transcendence of God which makes possible true worship and intimacy. Nature and the creation give praise; and do not receive praise.
HETERO-SEXUALITY is union with difference. It symbolizes the relation of God and the world and a love relationship with another person different from us.
PPT. 20 “The goal of paganism is the conjunction of opposites” (Peter Jones). Paganism is built upon the fundamental oneness of all things (monism). Under the pagan worldview, all is divine, all shares the same substance. Under paganism the ‘two-ness’ of biblical worldview is overturned. It is viewed as false to make distinctions if all is the same. Paganism seeks to achieve spirituality by removing the distinctions which God has made. Global spirituality seeks to obliterate the antithesis which exists between the truths of theism and pagan worldview.
Pagan spirituality seeks to erase the distinctions between God and man; between man and animal; and between man and woman. Perversion is the inevitable result—the Apostle Paul tells us in Romans chapter one that the overturning of created order will result in unnatural ways of living (Rom 1:24-27).
PPT. 21 The breaking down of the gender binary (male-female) is central to the whole new vision for society—a vision which intends to usher in a new moral order with new laws and ethics.
In pagan spirituality, the male-female distinction is erased making homosexuality appear ‘natural’ within that worldview.
Paganism’s ‘free ride’ into our generation is proof that post-Christian Westerners have released their grip upon the transcendence of God (cosmology).
PPT. 22 Christian college students are often ‘mute’ when it comes to engaging our culture. Our Christian students are in trouble because they cannot make the truth they believe ‘speak’ to this culture.
PPT. 23 Liberal educators (having embraced the pagan cosmology) have ‘framed the issues’ of the day within the categories of their pagan worldview—academic ‘bullying’ is common.
PPT. 24
Biblical cosmology plays a central role in equip our apologetic strategy.
PPT. 25 Romans one is the key—for in that chapter Paul tells us how the pagan world ‘puts itself together’ (or views reality). Biblical cosmology offers and preaches antithesis in a world of synthesis.
PPT. 26 Our task as Christian leaders is to provide students with the cosmological and theological categories necessary to enable them to stand against the prevailing errors of our day.
PPT. 27 Central to our strategy is to not only set up the contrast between pagan and biblical cosmology, but we must also show the consequences of each worldview. Our strategy in exposing and answering neo-paganism involves contextualizing our message—by this we mean that our proclamation of God’s truth is joined to a critical reflection upon our culture.
PPT. 28 Christo-centric biblical theism operates by antithesis. It sets truth against error and is thereby able to penetrate the syncretistic world of inconsistent ideas and false spiritualities.
PPT. 29 We preach the glorious gospel against the black backdrop of the human condition and our culture’s predominant errors. Our culture sits under the settled anger of God’s wrath—wrath that can only be assuaged by the propitiation wrought by our Lord Jesus Christ.