Our readings in this series are from the book, The Church Captive. Here is a brief excerpt from pages 52 and 53:
“Dr. Machen insisted that ‘the Christian life is not a life of idleness, but a battle.’ It means dying to self, taking up one’s cross, preparing for sacrifice and suffering, and not merely asking ‘What would Jesus do?’ and hoping for the best. The Kingdom of Jesus demands all of life, every moment, every situation, every relationship, role and responsibility: ‘…the evangelical Christian is not true to his profession if he leaves his Christianity behind him on Monday morning. On the contrary, the whole of life, including business and all of social relations, must be made obedient to the law of love. The Christian man certainly should display no lack of interest in “applied Christianity.”’
“The near Christianity of twentieth-century liberalism undermined the Scriptures by focusing on what people wanted; denied the Kingdom of heaven by preaching social reform on earth; coddled people in their sins and thus locked them out of God’s redemption; emphasized emotional wellbeing rather than truth; and made the churches which taught this drivel into relics of faith and betrayers of their heritage.”
Now, and for a limited time, you can order The Church Captive together with the next book in our Read Moore series, Revived!, at no cost. Order copies for yourself and for a study group or companion. A free discussion guide is available as well.
T. M. Moore.
