The Clash Between Two Worldviews
We live in the battlefield where the Christian worldview and Anti-Christian worldview clash against each other. We fight a spiritual battle, a battle between worldviews.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Ephesians 6:12)
How can we win this battle? Where do we start? Can we see the antithesis between these two clashing worldviews?
Satan always tries to blur this antithesis, so that Christians would forget the fact that they lead their lives in the battlefield. Uninformed of this fact, Christians even slumber there. They become careless about epistemology and ethics. Covenant children have fun watching "Superman" or "Star Wars." But do parents know that those movies propagate evolutionism, dualism, eastern mysticism, and New Ageism? Those anti-Christian ideas lay their eggs into the mind and heart of covenant children who are not well-prepared epistemologically and apologetically. When the eggs hatch in the course of time, we would see tragic results. However, we cannot seclude our children either. Rather, we should give them a Biblical worldview so that they can treat "Superman" or "Star Wars" in the right manner.
The battle exists in every aspect of our life.
Unless we realize the antithesis, we even fail to recognize the battle. This would lead to our defeat.
NO NEUTRAL ZONE
How can we win the battle? To this question, Rev. Kevin Swanson once replied, "Make this antithesis (between two worldviews. Christian and Anti-Christian) clear."
No neutral zone exists between these two worldviews.
Robert L. Thoburn says,
"Neutrality is a myth. Jesus said that we are either for Him or against Him. We cannot serve God and mammon. There is no middle ground or neutral zone. No area of life is outside God's interest or control. To believe in neutrality is to believe God is confined to only part of universe." Robert L. Thoburn, The Children Trap (Thomas Nelson Inc., 1986), p 82.
Cornelius Van Til says,
"If the theistic position be defensible it is impossibility for any human being to be neutral." Cornelius Van Til, A Survey of Christian Epistemology (Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co.), p.19
So far, so many Christian institutions including churches, schools, companies, etc have collapsed because they failed to perceive the antithesis between two worldviews in light of the word of our Lord.
"He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad."(Matthew 12: 30)
While claiming Christian they have allowed the humanism into their institutions. When we look into the history of Christianity in Japan, we see a tremendous amount of resources that has disappeared in vain. Many of the educational institutions such as colleges (so-called "mission schools") have already become secular and humanistic.
Now we see sporadic movements such as home education or Christian schooling even in Japan. But many Christians lack a solid epistemological foundation based on the Bible. We also need to take the ethical and epistemological armor.
"Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."
(Ephesians 6:13)
OUR GOAL--RAISING FUTURE GENERATIONS
The Westminster Shorter Catechism gives us a good definition of the goal we seek.
Q. 1. What is the chief end of man?
A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.
We try to glorify God by raising our future generations, so that they will bear fruit for the Kingdom of God. To achieve this goal, here we focus on Christian education.
As we strive to raise future generations. the attack from enemies ever intensifies against us. We face many problems. We can afford only a limited amount of resources, talents, capabilities, etc. At the same time we have many war fronts. So far we have lost several major battles in the field of Christian education. The devil successfully takes covenant children from Christian churches, especially in Japan. Some Christians become pessimistic and lose hope. The devil attacks Christians to make them miserable so that he can attain his goals.
As we fight our spiritual battle we realize the desperate situation we face. But we must not lose hope, even on this earth. Our Commander in Chief, The Lord Jesus Christ has already established His Kingdom and guaranteed us victory over our enemies.
"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."(John 16:33)
His Kingdom comes in the course of history as stipulated in the Lord's Prayer, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."(Matthew 6:10)
Thus we can stand on optimism. The almighty God has already procured the victory for us. We have the same kind of optimism as our forefathers had in the great awakening era, or in the great era of the Protestant missionary movement in the 19 century. Gradually, Christians will win the whole world. It might take another 500 years or maybe even longer. But we know that the kingdom of God will surely come as it is in heaven.
"That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:10-11)
While we are optimistic, in order to achieve our goal we should at the same time be realistic. How can we reach the goal?
INTEGRATION AND NETWORKING
First we must get together to win the battle.
Then we have to attain integration, integration of all we have received from our forefathers in faith, all we have in our Christian life, so that we will pass on what we have to our next generation and the generations after the next.
Providentially, God has given us the Internet, a great tool of communication. The situation now resembles that of the pre-reformation era when people got the printing technology that enabled them to afford thousands of copies of the Bible. We anticipate the 21st century Reformation era. We Christians have a bright future.
Thanks to the Internet, the task of networking people has become unimaginably easier than before.
We humbly pray that the Lord will use even this website for His purpose.
“I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
Thou shalt have none other gods before me.
Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth:
Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me,
And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments. E
(Deuteronomy 5:6-10)
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18.02.2006.