What is the World's Creed?

I heard this creed quoted in a talk by Christian philosopher and apologist Ravi Zacharias.  With obvious sarcasm, English journalist Steve Turner wrote this "Creed" of Postmodernism.  It is, I hate to say, a true reflection of the prevailing thoughts and actions of the world's citizens.  It really could be our creed.

We believe in Marxfreudanddarwin
We believe everything is OK
As long as you don't hurt anyone
To the best of your definition of hurt,
And to the best of your knowledge.


We believe in sex before, during, and after marriage.
We believe in the therapy of sin.
We believe that adultery is fun.
We believe that sodomy’s OK.


We believe that taboos are taboo.
We believe that everything's getting better
Despite evidence to the contrary.
The evidence must be investigated
And you can prove anything with evidence.


We believe there's something in horoscopes, UFO's and bent spoons.
Jesus was a good man just like Buddha, Mohammed, and ourselves.
He was a good moral teacher though we think His good morals were bad.


We believe that all religions are basically the same-
At least the one that we read was.
They all believe in love and goodness.
They only differ on matters of creation, sin, heaven, hell, God, and salvation.


We believe that after death comes the Nothing
Because when you ask the dead what happens they say nothing.
If death is not the end, if the dead have lied, then its compulsory heaven for all
Excepting perhaps Hitler, Stalin, and Genghis Kahn

We believe in Masters and Johnson
What's selected is average.
What's average is normal.
What's normal is good.

We believe in total disarmament.
We believe there are direct links between warfare and bloodshed.
Americans should beat their guns into tractors.
And the Russians would be sure to follow.

We believe that man is essentially good.
It's only his behavior that lets him down.
This is the fault of society.
Society is the fault of conditions.
Conditions are the fault of society.


We believe that each man must find the truth that is right for him.
Reality will adapt accordingly.
The universe will readjust.
History will alter.
We believe that there is no absolute truth excepting the truth that there is no absolute truth.


We believe in the rejection of creeds,
And the flowering of individual thought.
If chance be the Father of all flesh, disaster is his rainbow in the sky

And when you hear
State of Emergency!
Sniper Kills Ten!
Troops on Rampage!
Whites go Looting!
Bomb Blasts School!
It is but the sound of man worshipping his maker.

Christian Terms in a Post-Christian Culture

There is a not-so-obvious disconnect between those who have grown up in the Church and the culture at-large.  That disconnect revolves around our language - the terms we use and the meaning behind those terms.  Most Christians, as part of our everyday vocabulary, use words that we assume are universally understood.  But, I have found that most everyone else has no idea what we're talking about.  

That has not always been so.  It used to be that when a "Christian word" was used, even lost people would have a sense of what the word means.  But, it was also true that the larger culture was radically influenced by Christianity.  So, "Christian words" were the culture's words.  No more.  

Now, I'm not talking about words like sanctification or propitiation.  True, the lost world doesn't have clue what these words mean.  But, neither do many Christians.  I'm talking about the little, common words that are the most basic and essential words in the Christian's vocabulary.  

I'm talking about words like sin and grace and faith.  We use these words all the time without ever wondering if the lost world has a clue what the words mean.  Even worse, the lost world can often have a false understanding about what their meaning.

So, if we really want lost people to know the truth, we have to explain what we mean when we use words like sin, grace, faith, hell, repent, etc.  We must remain extraordinarily careful not to remove these words from our vocabulary.  For, they are the very words of life to the dying. However, they are useless and even harmful if we don't ensure that their meaning is clear.

Make sense?