The New Christian Morality

In one of the most stunning polls I think I have ever seen, the Barna Group has documented just how unbiblical the so called “Christian community” in America has become. Barna has long confirmed the fact that, in a big picture sense, the opinions of a large percentage of American Christians differ relatively little from those of the general population on many things. But that has now leaked over into the very notion of morality itself.

To gauge beliefs about morality, Barna asked self-identified Christians whether or not they agreed with six statements designed to evaluate their understanding of this topic. They asked people to respond to six beliefs which were based on a naturalistic worldview (the belief that the material universe is all that exists). These beliefs all assume that morality is based on a relative foundation, and is determined by the personal opinion of the individual. Here are the six statements and the percentage of American Christians that agree with each one.
1. The best way to find yourself is by looking within yourself. 76% agree
2. People should not criticize someone else’s life choices. 76% agree
3. To be fulfilled in life, you should pursue the things you desire most. 72% agree
4. The highest goal of life is to enjoy it as much as possible. 67% agree
5. People can believe whatever they want, as long as those beliefs don’t affect society. 61% agree
6. Any kind of sexual expression between two consenting adults is acceptable. 40% agree

Shockingly, a huge majority of self identified Christians agree with all but the last one. And even with that, 40% agree. The truth is, no Christian should ever agree with any of these statements, as they are all anti-biblical concepts. Let’s evaluate each one in order to come to an understanding of why a biblical worldview cannot accept these statements.

1. The best way to find yourself is by looking within yourself.
First, let’s be clear. There is something to be said for doing personal self evaluation. There are things about ourselves that we do need to understand, and grasping those things can go a long way in helping us move forward in life.

That said, the origin of our personhood is not in ourselves, it is in God. We were created in his image. We cannot understand the core elements of our own personhood without understanding him. So, the best way to find our “self” is to look at God. With that, we have the ability to understand our own personhood, along with the capability of doing the kind of personal evaluation that helps us truly find ourselves.

2. People should not criticize someone else’s life choices.
Based on a Christian worldview, a person’s life choices do have moral implications. Of course, it is not our place to judge a person’s salvation, and anyone who attempts to do that is totally out of line. However, God has clearly revealed that there are things that are right and wrong based on his very character. Beyond that, he has revealed what those things are. It is not judgment of an individual’s salvation for Christians to clearly point out what God has revealed to be morally right and wrong.

What must be kept in mind is the purpose for sounding that clear alarm. It is not so that we can become a person’s judge. Rather, it is to point them to the one who is the judge. Those who make deliberate lifestyle choices that are contrary to what God has shared to be “moral,” have chosen to put themselves in opposition to God. It is not an act of human judgment to try and point a person in the right direction.

3. To be fulfilled in life, you should pursue the things you desire most.
This can be true for a Christian, but only under one condition. An individual must come to a place in his or her spiritual growth where the most desired thing is what God wants. The truth is, God created us for a purpose, and it is only when we live in that purpose that it becomes possible for true personal fulfillment to occur.

A naturalistic worldview does not acknowledge the existence of God. As such, for those who live by naturalistic values, the highest fulfillment a person can attain is what they desire for themselves. There is a certain kind of satisfaction individuals can achieve by living that way, but they will never find ultimate fulfillment looking inward to self fulfillment. To be fulfilled in life, we must pursue the things God desires most for us.

4. The highest goal of life is to enjoy it as much as possible.
For a Naturalist, personal enjoyment is the highest goal in life. For them, there actually is nothing else, as they understand this world to be all that exists.

But in truth, God created humanity for a purpose – his purpose. Personal enjoyment is a good thing, but it is a byproduct of the highest goal, not the goal itself. The highest goal is to accomplish God’s purpose for our life. When we do that, we will find a level of joy that cannot even be comprehended outside of it.

5. People can believe whatever they want, as long as those beliefs don’t affect society.
An affirmation of this statement is about as strange as they come. The fact is, a person’s beliefs are the very foundation of their lifestyle, and it does have an effect on society no matter what kind of lifestyle it is. There is no such thing as a set of beliefs which don’t have some kind of effect on society.

This statement also assumes that there is no such thing as objectively real moral beliefs – which is simply not true. God exists and has created the material universe, and mankind, to operate in a particular way. If a person’s beliefs fall outside of that reality, that individual is, by default, outside of a personal relationship with God. We cannot believe just anything we want. We must believe what is true and real.

6. Any kind of sexual expression between two consenting adults is acceptable.
This, once again, begins with the naturalistic assumption that there is no such thing as an objectively real morality. If that is true, then statement number six is also true.

But it is not true! God created the universe, including mankind, to exist in a particular way, and right morality is a part of that created order. Beyond that, God has clearly revealed what right morality looks like – and it includes sexual expression. Just any kind of sexual expression between two consenting adults is not acceptable. Human sexual relations are only to be expressed between a married man and woman. Anything else is contrary to God’s revealed will.

What This Really Means
What this poll demonstrates is that Christians, as a whole, simply do not understand their own biblical faith. A large percentage get their understanding of morality more from pop culture than from the Bible.

There is another, even more stunning, conclusion that must also be drawn from this poll. It is an indication that many people who believe they are Christians are not really. The Christian faith is not merely adherence to the beliefs revealed in the Bible – it is a personal relationship with God. When a person becomes a believer, God himself, in the form of the Holy Spirit, enters the individual’s body and interacts in a personal relationship. One of the works of the Holy Spirit is to convict believers of wrongdoing, and to teach what is right. The fact that so many self identified Christians have no sense that the kind of thinking represented by these statements is wrong, is an indication that many of them do not have the Holy Spirit indwelling their lives.

Of course, that is not true of everyone. There are many people who are legitimately Christians, who have fallen into the trap of allowing pop culture beliefs to shape their understanding of morality. These are people who have received Christ, but have never made any effort to understand the foundational beliefs of their faith, and have not embarked on a deliberate effort to grow in their faith. They are simply ignorant – many deliberately so.

I know this evaluation seems rather harsh. But the truth is the truth, and sometimes someone simply needs to say it. The Christian faith is not merely an intellectual acceptance of Jesus as “Lord and Savior.” It begins there, but the result of that acceptance is a changed life. If the life change does not occur, the acceptance simply didn’t happen in reality. Jesus is a real person, and when he enters one’s life, objectively real change occurs. Old thoughts and immoral life choices are set aside for new ones – deliberately and joyfully.

What You Need to Do
The Christian life is not something that “just happens.” It is initiated by a choice, and it is maintained by other choices that are made day by day. The first choice is to receive Christ into one’s life with the understanding that it involves a life change. The choices following that initial one involve matters which promote the strengthening of that new relationship with God – learning what it means to live in relationship with God, developing a vibrant and living devotional life, learning how to hear and follow God’s calling on one’s life, and learning how to partner with God in sharing the good news of the gospel with others.

All of these things are personal disciplines and skills. They don’t just happen, they have to be cultivated. They must become the core around which all of the rest of life revolves – not just a list of moral rules to follow.

So, what do you need to do? You need to develop a deliberate plan for your personal spiritual growth, then live, based on that plan, in a personal relationship with the God who is there.

© 2016 Freddy Davis