Thoughts on Ecumenicism and Bumper Stickers.
I was riding down the street the other day and I noticed a bumper sticker reading "One nation many faiths".It is a true statement.The grocery store I go tofeatures an employee's vehicle with all sorts of stickers. Two in particular stood out for me. One of the stickers features a crescent moon, a Star of David, a pentagram and various other symbols along with the Cross.. This person I am sure believes they are tolerant and open to other things and of course practices random kindness.
Except for one thingthat is obvious.She believes that if men got pregnant abortion would be a sacrament. Well I am a man and I have never endorsed murder of the unborn. I would not endorse it if I could become pregnant. Let me return to the prior issue of religious unity . It is true we are a nation of many faiths, as a matter of fact, so is almost every other country with a few exceptions. Each of these religiously tolerant countries allows their citzens to worship freely. As a Christian it is my desire to spread the Gospel of the Lord as often as possible. But since I am compelled by love and the Gospel I must speak the truth! These faiths are not allequally valid and cannot be in agreement. They are not equally valid because Jesus is the way the truth and the life and there can be no agreement when we do not believe in the same things or doctrinally agree with one another.I must also say that even the demons believe in God and they shudder and they have no problem with interfaith and ecunemical movements that distort the Gospel some even reject the Gospel. It is the rejection of the Gospel that damns one to hell.
Our love for Christ and others is what propels us to confess Christ and his Gospel. We have this zeal to tell those whoare not enthusiastic about Jesus or who are enthusiastic for Mohammed , Charles T.Russel, Joeseph Smith and a host of other heresies we should not and cannot have fellowship with that are in fellowship with Satan and the demons.
What is shameful is that many of these people who claim to love life and approve of slaughtering the innocent ;but we must be tolerant of abbhorent lifestyles and false beliefs or we are biggoted. These same people who claim they are so tolerant also want tobutcher life in the womb and kill the old and infirm. Is this humane?They also feel that the death penalty is murder. Tell that to the surviving family of Charles Manson's murders.It is the right of the state to administer execution of murderers accordinding to the epistle of Romans. These so called "intellectual humanitarians in the election year of 2,000 were on MTV trumpeting Al Gore's campaign that thank the Lord, failed. One particular rock star who has children said he was voting for Gore because of his support of a woman's right to choose(infanticide). I wonder how he would feel knowing the joys of his children as he knows them now if he would want them aborted? Probably not!
This view is not prevalent in Liberal circles alone. It is even prevalent in the so called Christian Church some synods allow funding for abortions,homosexuality,cohabitation, and every other sin. This Gospel reductionism and outright disacknowledgement is sending souls throught the wide door. The best thing that those of us who hold to Christ can do is to hold to the Word and Sacrament and Cling to Christ.
