GraceLife Thoughts – Paganism in the Church

Grace Thoughts

GraceLife Thoughts – Paganism in the Church

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.Ephesians 6:11-12

While many Christians would agree with what they read in Ephesians 6 about “spiritual warfare,” they might be surprised to know that “paganism” is part of that warfare inside churches and denominations. Some churches and denominations are open about their involvement in paganism, known to many today as “Neo-paganism.” However, other churches and denominations are not open about their involvement in paganism. That might be because they want to keep it hidden from people for as long as they can, or they may not even realize that what they teach and believe is Neo-paganism.

Some groups call this “Christo-Paganism.” They view their beliefs as a “blending” of Christianity and paganism. The Apostle Paul puts the brakes on that idea in his church and pastoral letters. Read them before buying into somebody’s idea of blending Christianity and paganism. It can’t be done.

False teaching and deceptive church leadership was going on in the 1st century and is still going on in the 21st century. Pagan ideology is still finding its way into church leadership and teaching. So, how can you know whether something going on in your church, denomination or study group has Neo-pagan influences? Here are some suggestions:

Compare everything to God’s Word. It is the final Authority on all spiritual matters for a Christian. If any belief runs contrary to God’s Word, don’t believe it.
Study the Bible methodically and carefully.
Don’t accept something someone says is true (even a good friend or family member) until you’ve done the above.
Ask questions of people who say they’ve had some kind of new or special experience with God or His Word. Be polite, but remain skeptical until you see the evidence.
Ask for evidence from the Bible. God is not going to introduce something new or unique into a Christian’s life that goes against what He’s already revealed in His Word.

Be curious and skeptical of anything new that you see “creep” into your church or denomination. Christianity is two-thousand years old. It’s difficult to think that there’s something “new” after all this time. When someone says they have a “new” idea or way of looking at Scripture or the Christian life, alarm bells go off in my mind, caution flags are waving. I know something isn’t right when someone says they’ve found a “new way” to follow Christ. Jesus made it very clear that the gate is narrow, “and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” The “new” way? That’s usually part of the wide gate and broad way “that leads to destruction.”