Jubilee by Ryan Eras

The church has a significant, but not ultimate, role to play in the life of the believer, in the culture, and in the Kingdom of God.

Cultural theology is the discipline of understanding what God’s Word says about culture, and applying that understanding to those various cultural spheres. Cultural theology is an approach that aims to get to the root of all human activity by examining the god concept at work in a particular cultural sphere.

The articles in this issue of Jubilee represent some of the most pressing and high-profile theological controversies that Western Christians are facing today. As the authors show, the errors found in these doctrines are not new, but are rather updated expressions of old heresies.

As Christians we believe in the Lordship of Christ over all of history – including the history of communications – that God is working in and through historical events and persons to accomplish his eternal purposes which can never be thwarted (Job 42:2).

Our worldview has deep, far-reaching meaning for the things we do every day, for the kind of person we become, and the kind of world we create. An idolatrous worldview will lead to further idolatry, while submission to the Word of God as the source of the one true and faithful worldview will mean light and life and flourishing.

Protestants around the world have been observing, celebrating and reflecting on five hundred years of the Reformation, in the lead up to the anniversary of Martin Luther nailing his 95 Theses to the chapel door of Wittenberg Castle on October 31, 1517.

A godly, rightly-ordered sense of patriotism is one mark of rightly-ordered affections. As Canadians celebrate our sesquicentennial, let us do so in a spirit of full and everlasting joy, knowing that Canada, like all nations and kingdoms, is under the righteous rule of King Jesus.

Islam has positioned itself as a correction and completion of Judaism and Christianity. However, Islam and the Quran are incompatible with Christian doctrine and the text of Scripture. The church must take the growth of Islam seriously; it is a movement and a worldview that is as political as it is religious, with significant implications for culture and society. As heralds of the gospel of Jesus Christ, we are entrusted with delivering the good news of the gospel to Muslims, to declare freedom in Christ from slavery to sin, and to present Christ, not sinful man, as the sovereign King who rules justly and righteously.

Witchcraft is the attempt to acquire knowledge or power by manipulation and control. Scripture is clear that, apart from God and his word, such an act is in fact a headlong plunge into folly. The apostle James reminds us the path to true spiritual insight: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (James 1:5). A humble and faithful plea to the only wise God is the way of wisdom. Any supposed shortcuts are the way of rebellion.

If the Gospel is rightly described as Good News, we must ask what the news is about. The answer Jesus gives is that it is “the good news of the kingdom of God” (Luke 4:43; Acts 8:12). The good news of the Gospel is that Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords, and that He is building His kingdom of righteousness among us.

Alone among world religions, biblical Christianity acknowledges God as a being totally distinct from His created order. Pagan beliefs and gnostic ideologies seek ways for man to become as God, while Christianity is clear that the chief end of man is to love and glorify God as His image-bearer. 

Social Justice  – properly understood in light of the Word of God – is indispensable to the Christian. It is a reflection of the social nature of the Triune God, and is to be pursued in every area of our lives.

(Social Justice Part 1)