The New Christianity: Is Jesus at the Helm?

By Ricky D Carraway, ThD

The New Christianity is about concerted efforts seeking to infiltrate the gospel of Jesus Christ and turn it into a changeable document based on desired lifestyle. This infiltration is not limited to just sins of the flesh; it includes the highest levels of the church, government, civic groups, and gays and lesbians, all forcing their influence into the ship of the church. They have found a place of comfort, but is Jesus at the helm?

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jan 14, 2019
• ISBN: 9781546275817

Ricky D Carraway, ThD

Dr. Carraway grew up in Goldsboro, North Carolina, where he became a Christian at a young age. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the US Navy, where he served for eight years. He begin his higher education at Hawaii Pacific College while stationed at Pearl Harbor and later finished his bachelor’s degree while living in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He went on to complete a master’s degree in evangelism and church planting from Liberty Baptist Seminary and Graduate School, and he earned a doctorate in theology from Andersonville Theological Seminary. Dr. Carraway is the senior pastor of Life Changing Ministry for Jesus in Port Saint Lucie, Florida. He sits on multiple boards and is affiliated with numerous other organizations. He is married to Shannon, a school teacher and has three children, Ricky, Ashley, and Giselle.

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Copyright © 2019 Ricky D. Carraway, Th.D. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse  01/11/2019

ISBN: 978-1-5462-7575-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5462-7576-3 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5462-7581-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019900358

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and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

CONTENTS

Introduction

1.   What’s at Stake?

2.   How Is the Church Responding?

3.   Satan and Sin

4.   Is Jesus Navigating Our Churches?

5.   Deception

6.   I Write to You, Little Children

7.   I Write to You, Children

8.   I Write to You, Fathers

9.   Exceptions

10.   Does It Really Matter?

11.   Narrow Is the Way

12.   The Compromise

13.   The Dangers of a New Christianity

14.   A Closer Examination

15.   Explanation, Illustration, and Application

16.   Why Won’t They Stay?

17.   Spring Cleaning in the Church

18.   When Jesus Is at the Helm

Works Cited

Dedicated

to the Lord Jesus Christ,

who laid down His life to show us the way,

and to those who faithfully follow His commandments.

INTRODUCTION

I USE THE TERM NEW Christianity to identify the legions of anti-Christians such as gays, lesbians, bi-sexual and Christians who follow their own philosophy seeking to define society’s morality. Their tilted view of justifying righteousness seeks to dismantle thousands of years of biblical norms. Their foundation is built upon personal feelings rather than exhaustive research regarding ancient creeds, prophecies, historical writings, or countless university courses. This new wave of in-your-face bold expression rejects Christian faith and the Bible as the moral light for humanity.

Many people are adopting their own moral ideology for how to live; their aim is to set new standards for the moral compass of society. This parting from biblical doctrine is the result of rejecting Jesus Christ as the only way to salvation. This merger of lust and feelings aimed at being the standard bearer for peace and happiness is a direct assault on the power of the church and the credibility of the Holy Bible.

There have been rejecters of Christ for thousands of years. Even before Mary gave birth to Jesus, people had set out to destroy what He would bring to society. In this book, we will discuss many thought-provoking and even challenging issues. If adultery, dishonesty, homosexuality, selfishness, murder, and other ungodly behaviors are accepted as moral reflectors, can we really say of this passionate lust for self-pleasures that Jesus is at the helm?

I pray you enjoy the reading.

CHAPTER 1

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

IN THE WAKE OF SUCH beliefs lie catastrophic snares that can send a society into a tailspin reverberant of the times of Sodom and Gomorrah.

And the Lord said, ‘The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave. I will go down now and see if they have done entirely according to its outcry, which has come to Me; and if not, I will know’ (Genesis 18:20).

This wave of blistering defiance is content to believe that the true love of God allows for self-expression in all forms and that what people do with their lives should not have a bearing on goodness or be considered a fountain of evil deeds. They believe that their way of looking at life is at least as true as that of people who believe that accepting Jesus Christ causes moral transformation and that the Holy Spirit guides their choices. On one hand, they want to be looked upon as loving and moral people, but on the other hand, their views tears the fabric of decency while seeing opposers as intolerant hatemongers. This New Christianity group wants to change the biblical standards on sin into a self-determining process with open-ended, flexible rules that can be voted upon. Their facts are based on those of other people whose lifestyle they want to share. And yes, they have infiltrated the church. Some tuck quietly into their positions, hoping they won’t be revealed, while others are unable to conceal their hidden identities.

In God’s eyes, sin is sin. Sometimes pastors are guilty of focusing on one specific sin, which can imply tolerance for other sins. We must preach against all sins and that Christ died to free us from the power of sin. Sin should no longer have dominion over us. We have been set free through the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ: Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts (Romans 6:12).

One thing I want to caution is that the New Christianity groups are not to be confused with atheists or anti-theists, who don’t believe in Christ at all. The New Christianity groups believe in attending church and preaching from the Bible, but they insist that Christ is okay with their lifestyles.

The culture war over religious morality has been replaced by something much worse. Over the past decade, pollsters have charted something remarkable: Americans, long known for their piety, are fleeing organized religion in increasing numbers. The vast majority still believe in God, but the share that reject any religious affiliation is growing fast, rising from 6 percent in 1992 to 22 percent in 2014. Among millennials, the figure is 35 percent.¹

Some observers have predicted that this new secularism will ease cultural conflict as the country settles into near consensus on issues such as gay marriage. After Barack Obama took office, a Center for American Progress report declared that demographic change, led by secular, tolerant young people, is undermining the culture wars.²

CHAPTER 2

HOW IS THE CHURCH RESPONDING?

TO ANSWER THE QUESTION OF how the church is responding to this infiltration of personal beliefs, we must consider the many levels of the church. Church administrators, leaders, educators, musicians, and members all make up the church. It would be great if the church were monolithic in its response, but it’s not, so we must look at the various segments of the church and how they are responding to our changing society.

The church has a corporate structure that organizes people on many levels. The church is also looked upon as a unified body with a single purpose, but we know that is true only in theory for many people. Let’s take a closer look at some of the levels of the Judeo-Christian church:

• Administrators: Church administers provide necessary functions for the overall church, such as management, operation, leadership, governance, supervision, and regulation.

•