Extinction: The Last Christian?

 

Extinction is a sad thing anyway you look at it. In the last few hundred years we have seen the last Dodo, the last Tasmanian tiger, and the last Passenger Pigeon. And let’s not forget the dinosaurs. Am I glad there are no T-Rex dinosaurs roaming the California countryside? Yes. It would really change our camping plans! But I still wish there was a place, a continent or island, where they could frolic and terrorize the creatures there. I mean, we have Komodo Island don’t we? How about T-Rexia? Hmm, I guess it’s a good thing I’m not in charge.  

Lately I have been revisiting books that I have read that have left a lasting impression. One of these is The Last Christian by David Gregory. It speaks of a day where Christianity is considered “hate speech” and basically outlawed. 20 years ago I would have laughed at the idea. Today is a different story.

But how could we get to such a dilemma? Sue Bohlin, a writer for Probe Ministries  (https://probe.org/the-last-christian) summarized it so very well, so I will use her words. She stated, “One reason the book was compelling is its explanation of how Christianity died out. One of the main characters is a history professor at a Dallas university who gives a five-point lecture about what rendered Christianity so irrelevant and obsolete as to have no presence in the culture at all. The biggest point was the lack of distinctiveness between believers and unbelievers. Since professing Christians had the same beliefs and the same behaviors of those with no allegiance to Christ, there was no reason for anyone to become a Christian”.

It all comes down to the changed life. I have mentioned it before. (See March 9, 2024, What Do You Have That I Would Want?) In this day and age, people want to see results, often instantly. When there is no change, it sets up a big red flag.

Interestingly enough, It is said to be one of the main reasons Anton LaVey founded the Church of Satan.  LaVey claimed to have seen that many of the same men attended both the bawdy Saturday night shows and the tent revival meetings on Sunday mornings, which reinforced his increasingly cynical view of religion. In the foreword to the German language edition of The Satanic Bible, he cites this as the impetus to defy Christian religion as he knew it. In it he explains why he thinks churchgoers employ moral double standards. (LaVey, Anton Szandor (1999). Die Satanische Bible (Satanic Bible). Berlin: Second Sight Books.) 

Since I have not, nor do I plan to read his works, I will take Wiki’s word for it. But I do think he was on to something. How will Christianity stay relevant if it doesn’t really do any good? If Christians can live like the world Monday through Saturday and then go to Church on Sunday to sing and pray - pretending they are religious, what’s the point? Christianity is either all or nothing. Either we are all in, or we’re just faking. Are Christian’s perfect? Of course not. But the people around you should notice a difference (and not in a weird way).

Jesus said in John 13:35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

The Apostle Peter said, Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. 1 Peter 2:11-12.

If we are going make an impact on this generation, we have to be able to show them that Christ is just as meaningful to the world as He was in the 1^st century. We have to live it – Daily. It’s either Involvement or Extinction. What will it be?

Amazon link for book: https://www.amazon.com/Last-Christian-Novel-David-Gregory/dp/1400074975