1. The Disappearing Church
August 28, 2016

2. From a Christian Worldview, we recognize 3 eras
Pre-Christian culture
“Christian” Culture
The beginning of the Church
The rise of Christianity
Post-Christian Culture

3. What is “post-Christian” culture?
It’s not a return to pre-Christian culture
It endeavors to preserve some Christian values, but rejects any restraints imposed by the Gospel

4. Mark Sayers identifies a new core set of beliefs
The highest good is the individual freedom, happiness, self-definition, and self-expression
Traditions, religions, received wisdom, regulations, and social ties that restrict individual freedom, happiness, self-definition and self-expression must be reshaped, deconstructed, or destroyed
The world will inevitably improve as the scope of individual freedom grows. Technology—in particular the internet—will motor this progression toward utopia

5. The primary social ethic is tolerance of everyone’s self-defined quest for individual freedom and self-expression. Any deviation from this ethic of tolerance is dangerous and must not be tolerated. Therefore social justice is less about economic or class inequality, and more about the issues of equality relating to individual identity, self-expression, and personal autonomy
Humans are inherently good

6. Large-scale structures and institutions are suspicious at best and evil at worst
Forms of external authority are rejected and personal authenticity is lauded

7. Sayers goes on to argue that
“For millions across the West, these beliefs provide the dominant framework for navigating life.”
“These beliefs have not so much been argued as assumed”
“They are not enforced; rather they are imbibed”

8. “We do not receive them as intellectual propaganda to be obeyed
“We do not receive them as intellectual propaganda to be obeyed. Instead they are communicated to us at an almost subconscious level through the high priests of advertising and the techno prophets of Silicon Valley.’

9. How would the Lord view this mentality?
It’s idolatry

10. Idolatry The word “idol” refers to either
The object: the “image.” the root word is “log.” when the word is a noun, it’s usually referring to the physical representation
The function. This word means “worthless.” It’s an adjective, and so usually modifies “wood,” “stone,” etc.
This helps us understand the most basic idea of idolatry
It isn’t simply the act of making an image
It’s the act of rejecting God and His truth. Leviticus 26.1

11. Some Bible facts about idolatry
Isaiah /I John : They are about truth. And even true believers can turn from truth, to idols
Colossians 3.5/I Corinthians : idolatry is a matter of the heart, not of physical images
I Corinthians 8.4: the images themselves are powerless and insignificant
I Corinthians : the images are “connections” to the demonic world—the world of untruth
Psalm : first the man molds the idol; then the idol molds the man