Retain the Bible's Authority in Church

by Archbishop Peter Jensen

Modern spirituality invents its own standards and rituals, but the Bible stands as an authority over all traditions.

Throughout history human beings have been incurably religious. Religion has continued and even flourished under atheistic regimes such as those imposed by Marxism. Despite the secular mood of our day, religion has not disappeared, it has surfaced again often under the guise of ‘spirituality’.

Contemporary spirituality retains its popularity and it is so often undemanding. It is more interested in whether spirituality meets a felt need rather than the truth. We can invent our own rituals and standards of behaviour. In particular, it does not require corporate disciplines such as going to church.

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I was really pleased to find this little article. I have been looking for some more material to rebut the seemingly endless approvals of what I see as a very self-indulgent spirituality that i observe coming through in certain church movements - known as the "emerging church".

They have the following qualities (if they may be called such):

1. They are pragmatic - it it works, do it, if it doesn't, junk it. This is the same kind of basis for making decisions about how to do church as the specious US -style super evangelism that they decry loudly and longly.

2. They are eclectic - (almost) anything goes - with lip-service to the "cultural condition" of the church-goer but really more a hunger for embracing whatever takes their fancy without restraint - all mudled together in a melange of post-nothingness.

3. They are innovative - which I mean to describe beliving what they do is good because it is new, not creating the new beacuse it is good. This also takes into account an unfettered embrace of technology. Hear, o Alternative Worshippers, the words of Rick Deckard,

"Replicants are like any other machine. They're either a benefit or a hazard. If they're a benefit, it's not my problem."

Technology is not a neutral medium - it is the message. Flashy light, flashy values. They have created the Las Vegas of worship - all style, no substance - except for the initiated few.