The time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather about them a great many teachers who will say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.  – 2 Timothy 4:3-4

Christianity without Christ is an aberration. The church devoid of the gospel—devoid of Christ—is an oxymoron. In 1987, the National Football League went on strike. Team owners decided to continue the season by hiring replacement players. At first, people tuned in for the novelty of watching men play for their favorite teams who, under normal circumstances, would not have made a professional roster. It was…interesting. But after a few weeks the laughs were over and the ratings plummeted. Why? Because sports fans were not getting what they expected. The term “professional football player” meant something distinct in the public’s mind, and the replacement players were not the real deal. The same would be true if a confectioner were to open a shop and begin to advertise candies and cakes without sugar or sweeteners; you can be sure the foot traffic entering and exiting the establishment would soon become negligible.

What happens in churches where Christ is not present? In almost all instances the church fails for lack of support. I thank God for that. I am heartily glad that, generally speaking, misguided ministries and false ministers cannot prosper. A Christian church that exists without Christ as its cornerstone is, gladly, doomed.

The ancient Greeks envisioned evil spirits and gods as humans formed like animals with conflated body parts. Half man and half beast, land animals with wings or squatty gargoyles with pointed ears and noses. They did so partly because humans have in their minds a stable notion that some things go together and some things do not. Those that do not are usually conceived of as being evil. Most people have a prejudice in their minds (and taste buds) that favor candy made with sugar and professional athletes as the very best in the business. Even in a society that is now thoroughly secular, most also assume that a Christian church that claims to present the gospel must also have Christ at its center. A minority may rejoice that the “work of God” is accomplished without a claim of obedience to Christ, but the great majority of thinking people will not countenance it.  

A church without Christ at its center may seem like a fine idea, but over time non-believers find other things to do with their time and money. This is plainly seen in the rapidly declining membership among progressive denominations. There is a good reason why there are no Unitarian Universalist mega-churches, and we can thank God for it. Smart people do not throw away their time and money to worship a God who is their equal, or to be challenged to live faithfully by men and women who clearly do not practice what they preach. Why waste time gathering for worship and equipping when the golf courses are open and beds are warm? Lazy Sunday mornings almost always trump the worship of God and sharing our resources when the god we worship is a dressed up uber-man.

Jesus is often complimented these days but rarely submitted to. Men and women who reject the truth of the gospel may say many pretty things about him, but in the end it amounts to nothing more than so much chaff in the wind. They speak of Jesus like a man speaks of distant stars while viewing them through a telescope. They talk much about what God is saying to them personally or about how old truths have been replaced by new truths, but they back up neither claim accurately with the scriptures, and their lives demonstrate their lack of love for its truths. This folly has created a great emptiness in our world. When a pulpit is devoid of Jesus Christ, nothing of lasting importance is accomplished.

Genuine believers disagree on some things. This is natural. As Mark Twain told us, “We should not all think alike. It is a difference of opinion that makes horses race.” Differing opinions on secondary and tertiary matters are one thing, Christianity without Christ is a monstrosity that will not last. Like a scientist in a lab attempting to form a centaur by combining human and equine DNA, the poor offspring is bound to perish.

Brothers and sisters, let’s redouble our commitment to live, teach, and proclaim Christ crucified and risen—and only Christ crucified and risen­. This is the only model that will last. This is the only model that makes a lasting difference in human lives.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Jym