Is It Biblical or American? (Part 1)

In an article I read recently by Joseph Mattera, the overseeing bishop of Resurrection Church, Christ Covenant Coalition, in Brooklyn, N.Y.,  a provoking thought and much needed word concerning Biblical Christianity was presented. Unfortunately, his assessments are all too accurate! However, we can make choices in our lives, in our ministries, and in our communities to be more “Biblical” and less “American” in our view of Christianity. Our view of Christianity will definitely impact the way we live our lives, conduct our ministry, and carry out the mission of Christ on the Earth.

For the next few weeks in this Blog, I will be sharing from Bishop Mattera’s article with the hope that it will stir our thinking and change our way of life and ministry. Please read and let’s talk about it…

It has been evident to numerous biblical scholars that, often (if not most of the time), believers (including preachers) interpret the Bible through the lens of their culture. This has resulted in many beliefs, doctrines, and practices prevalent in the church that are not in accord with the clear teaching of Scripture. Sadly, this is often the case with the evangelical church in the United States.

Since the U.S. is so influential, American evangelicals have also exported a Gospel replete with an American cultural paradigm that is not in line with the Hebraic paradigm of Scripture. Consequently, sometimes in the U.S. pulpit, preaching can sound more like the "American Dream" than a sound, biblical teaching.

The following are some of Bishop Mattera thoughts which bring to light the real contrasts between American Christianity and biblical Christianity:

1. American Christianity focuses on individual destiny. The Bible focuses on corporate vision and destiny.

Most of the preaching in today's pulpits in America focuses on individual destiny, purpose, and vision. However, a quick look at the Bible shows us that, in the Old Testament, the emphasis was always on the nation of Israel, and in the New Testament, the emphasis was always on the church. Every promise of God in Scripture was given to the community of faith as a whole. Hence, if a person was not flowing in the context of the church, or the nation of Israel, they would have never even known Scripture since the average person did not own a Bible and only heard the Word when they assembled with the saints on the Sabbath. Of course, believers had to apply the word of God as individuals, but they could not conceive of doing this if they were not part of the corporate body of faith. In the Old and New Testaments, there was no such thing as "individual prophecy" since every prophetic word given to an individual had to be walked out in the context of their faith community and/or had to do with the life of their community.

Want to talk about it??? Comment below!

Check back next week for part 2...

Pastor Mitch