If I was to summarize the fundamentals of Christian belief it would probably read as follows; There is a God who is creator of all the universe and everything within it. This God in His nature is the standard for all that is good, moral and righteous. Humans, who are created in God’s image, were created to know and love God and have separated themselves from Him because they do not do what is good, moral and righteous. God, being just, must judge the evil deeds of His human creations. But God, being also merciful, sends His only son Jesus in full humanity to accept the justice and wrath of God so that human can be extended the love and mercy of God. Although relation with God is restored for those who believe in Jesus’ person and work, evil still prevails throughout the world. As such Jesus will return as final judge to stamp out evil and establish a kingdom of righteousness and justice.
This can be further summarized into 4 overarching categories for Christian belief.
Creation
Fall
Redemption
Return
When considering objections to the Christian faith most if not all can be boiled down to a denial or improper understanding of one of these four beliefs that make up the Christian meta-narrative. These fundamental beliefs must be held strongly in the face of detractors because it is from these that other Christian doctrine and beliefs flow.
Unfortunately there has often been those who have been willing to give concessions on these fundamental beliefs whenever they come into conflict with popular thinking. J. Gresham Machen once commented on this strategy of concessions by saying, “Mere concessiveness, therefore, will never succeed in avoiding the intellectual conflict. In the intellectual battle of the present day there can be no “peace without victory”; one side or the other must win.”[1]
Soft stances on the bedrock beliefs of Christianity will lead to total loss of the distinctions necessary for the identity of Christianity. As modern and popular thought are allowed to chip away at the outer image of Christianity, we will soon find a faith that has lost all the things that makes it beautiful. Here Paul’s admonition to the Corinthians is most important. We are to “destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.”
[1]Machen, J. G. (2009). Christianity and Liberalism (New Edition, p. 5). Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
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