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In Praise of Dogmatism

IT IS VITAL TO ANY UNDERSTANDING of ourselves and our fellowmen that we believe what is written in the Scriptures about human society, that it is fallen, alienated from God and in rebellion against His laws.

In these days of togetherness when all men would brothers be for a' that, even the true Christian is hard put to it to believe what God has spoken about men and their relation to each other and to God; for what He has spoken is never complimentary to men.

There is plenty of good news in the Bible, but there is never any flattery or back scratching. Seen one way, the Bible is a book of doom. It condemns all men as sinners and declares that the soul that sinneth shall die. Always it pronounces sentence against society before it offers mercy; and if we will not own the validity of the sentence we cannot admit the need for mercy.

The coming of Jesus Christ to the world has been so sentimentalized that it means now something utterly alien to the Biblical teaching concerning it. Soft human pity has been substituted for God's mercy in the minds of millions, a pity that has long ago degenerated into self-pity. The blame for man's condition has been shifted to God, and Christ's dying for the world has been twisted into an act of penance on God's part. In the drama of redemption man is viewed as Miss Cinderella who has long been oppressed and mistreated, but now through the heroic deeds of earth's noblest Son is about to don her radiant apparel and step forth a queen.

This is humanism romantically tinted with Christianity, a humanism that takes sides with rebels and excuses those who by word, thought and deed would glorify fallen men and if possible overthrow the glorious high Throne in the heavens.

According to this philosophy men are never really to blame for anything, the exception being the man who insists that men are indeed to blame for something. In this dim world of pious sentiment all religions are equal and any man who insists that salvation is by Jesus Christ alone is a bigot and a boor.

So we pool our religious light, which if the truth is told is little more than darkness visible; we discuss religion on television and in the press as a kind of game, much as we discuss art and philosophy, accepting as one of the ground rules of the game that there is no final test of truth and that the best religion is a composite of the best in all religions. So we have truth by majority vote and thus saith the Lord by common consent.

One characteristic of this sort of thing is its timidity. That religion may be very precious to some persons is admitted, but never important enough to cause division or risk hurting anyone's feelings. In all our discussions there must never be any trace of intolerance; but we obviously forget that the most fervent devotees of tolerance are invariably intolerant of everyone who speaks about God with certainty. And there must be no bigotry, which is the name given to spiritual assurance by those who do not enjoy it.

The desire to please may be commendable enough under certain circumstances, but when pleasing men means displeasing God it is an unqualified evil and should have no place in the Christian's heart. To be right with God has often meant to be in trouble with men. This is such a common truth that one hesitates to mention it, yet it appears to have been overlooked by the majority of Christians today.

There is a notion abroad that to win a man we must agree with him. Actually the exact opposite is true. G. K. Chesterton remarked that each generation has had to be converted by the man who contradicted it most. The man who is going in a wrong direction will never be set right by the affable religionist who falls into step beside him and goes the same way. Someone must place himself across the path and insist that the straying man turn around and go in the right direction.

There is of course a sense in which we are all in this terrible human mess together, and for this reason there are certain areas of normal activity where we can all agree. The Christian will not disagree merely to be different, but wherever the moral standards and religious views of society differ from the teachings of Christ he will disagree flatly. He will not admit the validity of human opinion when the Word of God is clear. Some things are not debatable; there is no other side to them. There is only God's side.

When men believe God they speak boldly. When they doubt they confer. Much current religious talk is but uncertainty rationalizing itself; and this they call "engaging in the contemporary dialogue." It is impossible to imagine Moses or Elijah so occupied.

All great Christian leaders have been dogmatic. To such men two plus two made four. Anyone who insisted upon denying it or suspending judgment upon it was summarily dismissed as frivolous. They were only interested in a meeting of minds if the minds agreed to meet on holy ground. We could use some gentle dogmatists these days.

http://www.worldinvisible.com/library/tozer/5j00.0010/5j00.0010.27.htm

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Comment by thewatchman on June 10, 2014 at 6:44pm

Here is the link:  http://e-christian.info/sites/default/files/books_to_read/TheRootof...

It doesn't have any ads on it that I am aware of and it's so good.  

I should probably have my eyes checked too, I wear what I call cheaters and they aren't working awfully well.  Everything is so blurry when I try to read without them and it gets frustrating...thus trying to memorize everything.  

I know that I would have loved your mother, after all she has raised a kind and beautiful daughter.

Comment by ribbon on June 10, 2014 at 1:43pm

I think the name of the book is Pursuit of God. I think I seen the title somewhere on this site but I am unsure. Sure I would like the link. I think its ok to do that as long as the link isn't connected to ads. I buy books sometimes and try to read them but get so frustrated from lack of understanding but I need to start trying again anyway. I have 3 Paul Washer books. The Gospels Power & Message, The Gospel Call & True Conversion, One true God and The truth about Man. I haven't read any of them. Well a long while back my oldest grand kids and I read some from the book One True God. Its like a study book. I had preordered both the The Gospel Power & Message and the Gospel Call and true Conversion . I was glad to get them but then they just sit along with my bible untouched. I need to get them out. I need to go get my eyes checked so to get new glasses. Reading a book I cant make the font larger like I can computer screen. :-)

My mom loved to read... she didn't read books like these though. It is hard to picture her without a book in her hand. She would have been 82 this month. She passed away at 77 and she never had gray hair. Never dyed it either. I think you would have liked my mom. 

Comment by thewatchman on June 10, 2014 at 4:44am

Hey Ribbon :)

Yeah, there are some great stuff by A.W. Tozer.

I've been reading the "Root of Righteousness" by him, I have the link if you'd like it.  You can find a lot of stuff for free on line to read, unless you're like me and just like to have the book in your hands to read.

If you do get the name of it, let me know, I'm sure I would like it too.

Comment by ribbon on June 10, 2014 at 12:12am

I listened to this video.. I had never heard of Paris Reidhead before. I will look him up. I admit that the first part was over my head because I don't know what some words mean. But I do understand the last part of it. I know I am guilty because my reason of wanting to be saved is because of "self" instead of the rightful reason of wanting HIM . I am afraid of hell fire and think about heaven and hell often when I think about my soul or my families. My desire should be because I want to serve Him and love Him and want my children too also. I think when I first said the sinners prayer a long time ago it was only because I didn't want to go to hell. But later I do remember that I started falling for the Lord. Not just because what He could or would do for me but just because I guess.  Seems like now when I try getting closer I shoot for the other direction. Anyway thank you for posting. I clicked on your post and seen other links of AW Tozer's writings. That's cool... I am thinking about purchascing a book by him . I cant remember the name but I have it in my cart. I may go look there to see. Thanks again for posting.

Comment by thewatchman on June 9, 2014 at 7:46pm

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