As tempting as it is to point to our culture of consumerism and secularism as threats to Christianity, a greater evil has infiltrated our very theology and mindsets - dualism. You can see it everywhere within Christian culture - our books, theology, and internet - yet it has no place within the teachings of Christ. Unfortunately, dualism his been threatening Christian thought from the very beginning; indeed, it has proven difficult to root out.
Dualism is the idea that there are two equal forces fighting against each other in the universe - it was taught in a religion called Zoroastrianism, which was popular in Iran during the time of Christ. Dualistic thought springs from dualism - it was actually promoted by the Pharisees - there is only right and wrong, black and white, God or the devil, no work on the Sabbath - PERIOD. Christ's response was to offer a third option, which terrified everyone around Him, actually.
Is Satan a real force in the universe? Yes. Is he a threat to the risen Christ? Not even close. Is he a threat to a redeemed Christian? Nope. Instead, our sinful nature is our greatest threat to the peace of Christ in our hearts - but the good news is that Christ is with us and He wants to be in relationship with us. So next time you feel like you are being attacked by Satan - think about it - does your view of Satan include omnipresence? Can he attack everyone, personally, at the same time? Does it include omniscience? Does he know everything about us - all of us personally? How about omnipotent? Can he destroy us all? Lead us all to Hell? Seriously compete with God for our hearts and minds? If yes, you are definitely giving Satan far too much credit - as most of you know, all three of those aspects I listed are aspect of God alone; more importantly, you may also be falling into the age old trap of dualism.
Some of you might remember an old book that used to be sold as Christian - it is a work of fiction called "This Present Darkness" - it is the best example of dualism, I can think of at the moment.
Friday, October 15, 2010
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I read that book back in my fundie days--thought it was great. But, understand I was in Saudi Arabia guarding their border awaiting the Gulf War. Got me all pumped up.
ReplyDeleteNice reminder of a very human response to life. Lately I've wrestled with how practical it is to live a life of monism when dualism seems more apparent. Once we've broken through and "seen the light" don't most of us just go back to at least some degree of dualism? Maybe I'm being dualistic about the term dualism...ha.