Confronting Neopaganism in the Culture and the Church

Contrary to the expectations of sociologists, secularism has been in decline for forty years. What created this unexpected situation? Philosopher David Harvey believes he knows: "The moral crisis of our time is a crisis of Enlightenment thought." And the "assumptions of secular humanism” have been undermined by Postmodernism as it deconstructs every reasonable, objective grounds on which reason used to stand. Such deconstruction raises a serious question: where does Postmodernism lead our culture? Many now believe that grounds for existence can only be found in the irrational, in the age-old metanarrative of pantheistic One-ism. Christians initially treated the NEw Age as the latest, more or less harmless religious sect, which would go the way of the hula hoop. Instead, these changin' times have, in one generation, radically transformed how popular culture thinks about sexuality, the family, gender roles, marriage, abortion, pornography, American history, the dating of history, the names of national holidays, the use of the Constitution, free speech, globalism, education, environmentalism, psychology and religious unity. How did we get to this moment of One-ist triumph?

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Book Review by Peter Barnes of “One or Two”

Peter Jones, the director of truthXchange, has written a most incisive treatment and application of Romans 1. He considers, with good reason, that the two hottest issues today are Christian uniqueness and homosexuality. When we reject the revelation that God has given to all mankind, our theology is distorted (Rom.1:18-21), then our spirituality or worship (Rom.1:22-23), and finally our behaviour, especially our sexuality (Rom.1:24, 26-32). This does not make for pleasant reading, but it is no time for Christians to make-believe that all is well.

Review of Peter Jones, One or Two: Seeing a World of Difference (Escondido: Main Entry Editions, 2010). Published with permission.

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IO 75: Verbal Warming

We are not surprised to hear that political freedom in the world has declined for a fifth straight year, especially in the Middle East and in North Africa. But loss of freedom in the West does surprise us. Freedom has shrunk partly because of silencing "hate speech." Is the "climate of hate" warming or cooling here at home? No matter what the world says and no matter what consequences await us, we must speak the name and truth of Jesus for all to hear.

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IO 74: Don’t Ask (Awkward Questions), Don’t Tell (The Long-Term Consequences)

The recently disenfranchised lame duck Left pulled off its most extreme legislative coup thus far, by homosexualizing the United States military—using their own version of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. They did not ask, in a Pentagon poll, if repeal was morally appropriate. They asked whether, in practice, the implementation plan would work. By including those with “mixed feelings,” they manufactured a 70% majority By not really asking, the ideological politicians prevailed.

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