Biblical Christianity: Five Truths to Weigh Before You Leave

Editor’s note – Every season brings another wave of believers walking away from church, and the reasons they give rarely feel small: hypocrisy they’ve witnessed, prayers that went unanswered, questions no one would sit down and answer honestly. The author takes those reasons seriously without conceding that Biblical Christianity has failed. Before treating deconstruction as the obvious next step, she asks a harder question: is the real target of that suspicion the church’s failures, or is it Christ Himself? We’re running this piece because that distinction is critical to consider before anyone walks out the door for good.

Cultural Christianity

I hate statistics, don’t you? Most of the time they’re extremely boring, so I won’t bore you with a bunch of those numbers. Instead, I’ll show you what’s happening in today’s cultural Christianity. Since going to church involves God and one’s eternal destiny, it’s worth examining the ramifications of the decision carefully before writing a Bible-believing church off completely.

Many churches today mix Christianity with other religions and spiritual practices. This is called “syncretism”. [1] In these churches, core Christian doctrine is abandoned and replaced with teachings that displace Christ and minimize sin. I know that “sin” is an extremely unpopular word today, but does popularity matter? If God were to write two posts on Facebook, one about Heaven and one about Hell, which post do you think would get more likes? The one about Heaven, of course, but that doesn’t make the one about Hell any less true just because it’s unpopular.

What’s amazing is that many evangelicals these days don’t believe that Jesus is God anymore; many of them (60%) believe that He was only a great teacher. Some even go so far as to say the Holy Spirit is a force (like in Star Wars) rather than a personal being who is the third person in the Holy Trinity. [2]

This kind of thinking goes hand in hand with deconstructing the Christian faith. It’s evident all over the Medium platform. Several publications, such as “Backyard Church,” “The Great,” and “Change Becomes You,” are dedicated to tearing down traditional, Biblical Christianity for various reasons. These reasons range from being hurt by a Christian, to finding too much hypocrisy in the church, to personal suffering to unanswered questions to a desire for personal autonomy (which, in my humble opinion, is actually a desire to be free from being accountable to their Creator).

The danger in dumping Biblical Christianity for the modern, watered-down version prevalent in many of today’s churches is that people think they’re still close to God, when in reality, nothing could be further from the truth. People who say things like “I grew up in church,” “My family has always been Christian,” “I believe in God,” “I’m a good person,” or “I believe in Christian values” are missing the point. They are leaving Jesus out of the picture! If it’s really true that Jesus Christ is God (and He is, and has the credentials to prove it), then what He says about life is of the utmost importance. Scripture records God’s message to mankind, and it says that without Jesus, people are 100% spiritually dead (see the account of Nicodemus in John 3:1-2 and what Paul said about that in Ephesians 2:1-3). In that case, people don’t merely need regeneration or a better version of themselves; they need resurrection.

Editor’s note – The statistic about evangelicals doubting Jesus’s deity is sobering, because it shows the crisis often isn’t happening at the church’s back door but in the pews every Sunday. A watered-down Christ is not a stepping stone toward truth – He’s an obstacle to it. Reduce Jesus to a great teacher, and the whole structure of salvation collapses with Him.

Things to consider before dumping Biblical Christianity

People still care about truth, and their concerns about traditional churches aren’t trivial or petty. They still need to know if the real-life issues they’re facing every day, such as suffering, disappointment, hypocrisy, and unanswered questions, can be mitigated by continuing to attend a traditional church that adheres to the basic tenets of Christianity.

The core principles of traditional Christianity are worth pursuing today because they’re still true. God has spoken to mankind through nature, the Bible, and ultimately through Jesus Christ. Here are some things to consider before dismissing traditional, Biblical Christianity entirely.

1. The Bible is true and can be trusted

The Bible isn’t trustworthy just because a church says it is. Its claims are rooted in history and attested by ancient texts and artifacts that corroborate the existence of authors, places, rulers, events, and eyewitness testimony consistent with Biblical accounts. Traditional, Biblical faith isn’t blind, nor is it built on religious feeling alone. It’s built on God’s intervention in human history, most significantly through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Old Testament narratives foretold His arrival, and the New Testament gospels testify to fulfilled prophecy by recording His life and mission. (For more evidence on the reliability of the Bible, please see my article: “7 Supposed Myths About the Bible That Aren’t Myths“).

Of course, historical evidence doesn’t automatically remove every difficulty presented in the Bible. Christians shouldn’t dogmatically pretend there aren’t hard-to-understand passages, questions about interpretations, or translation issues. However, difficult passages aren’t the same as contradictions, and questions about errors, inconsistencies, and changes to the ancient manuscripts should be thoroughly investigated before assuming Scripture is unreliable.

The most important thing to consider about the Bible is that its unified message throughout its entirety is supernatural. Its message is consistent: humanity has rebelled against its Creator, cannot save itself, and is offered reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ. The Bible isn’t merely a collection of disconnected fables depicting moral dilemmas; it’s the unfolding account of God’s plan of redemption for mankind.

2. Biblical Christianity can back up its claim to be the one true religion

At first glance, this claim sounds arrogant until we recognize that every worldview makes exclusive claims. Atheists claim to know “there is no God”. Truth, by its very nature, is exclusive; otherwise, it wouldn’t be truth, it would be opinion. To say “all religions are equally true” is also an exclusive truth claim. However, this statement doesn’t adequately describe what different religions actually teach. For instance, none of the other religious leaders ever made the claims about themselves that Jesus did. So what makes Jesus and traditional Christianity different?

Traditional Christianity teaches the following: that God is manifested in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man; that He died for sinners and rose bodily from the dead; and that reconciliation with God is found only through Him. Other religions deny one or more of these truth claims. Contradictory claims can’t all be true in the same sense at the same time.

So every belief system, including Christianity, makes exclusive claims. The important question is, are the claims made by traditional Christianity true? Are they the ones that will actually get us into Heaven? Yes, because Jesus never presented Himself merely as one helpful spiritual guide among many. He claimed unique authority and a unique relationship with the Father. Genuine Christianity stands behind the cross of Christ and says: “Jesus loved me enough to die for me.” If Christ truly rose from the dead, then His claims deserve to be heard. If He didn’t, then traditional, Biblical Christianity completely collapses. Before dismissing this central claim as mere sentimental stories not based on facts, it’s wise to examine the historical and textual evidence for Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection as recorded in the Gospels and other sources. [3]

Most religious teachers don’t require their followers to have a personal relationship with them. Instead, their teachings direct followers toward a path, principle, or practice that results in enlightenment or union with the divine. Jesus always stressed that He wanted people to come to know Him personally. He knew people didn’t just need advice on how to live better or become better people. He knew that people were totally in the dark and helpless to make themselves right with God (Romans 5:8).

Jesus claimed to be God, and the light of the world. The four gospel accounts of His death, burial, and resurrection are central to Biblical Christianity. This is why the question of who Jesus is, and why He has the ultimate authority, can’t be avoided. He doesn’t leave us the option of treating Him as merely another teacher.

3. God experienced human suffering personally

No brief answer can adequately explain why God allows people to experience suffering and anguish due to grief, chronic pain and illness, violence, betrayal, disaster, or death. Jesus Christ, who is God, experienced all of these things personally, and knows the depth of each person’s pain and suffering. He rejected the simplistic conclusion that every tragedy is the direct result of personal sin in John 9:1-3.

Traditional, Biblical Christianity teaches that suffering entered the world through humanity’s rebellion against God. We live in a fallen creation, where death, decay, moral evil, and natural disasters are real. The apostle Paul described this world as groaning under the effects of the fall, yet is still looking forward to God’s final restoration of the world as He initially planned.

We know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until the present time. Not only that, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies [Romans 8:22-23]

Adhering to the core beliefs of Christianity doesn’t imply that people should be satisfied with the platitude of “everything happening for a reason.” On the contrary, Scripture shows that Jesus felt agony, rejection, temptation, and injustice too, which is why He can empathize with us and feel compassion for us. At the cross, Jesus, who never sinned, suffered and died for us to rescue us from eternal separation from God. Jesus’ resurrection is God’s pledge that suffering and death will not have the final word.

Editor’s note – This is the piece’s strongest turn: God did not observe our suffering from a safe distance, He entered it. That fact changes what we do with our pain, though it does not answer every why. Anyone counseling a grieving friend needs this distinction more than they need an explanation.

4. Science hasn’t disproved God

Science uses powerful tools to investigate, hypothesize, and report on regular patterns and mechanisms found in the natural world. However, these discoveries aren’t good reasons to abandon core Christian beliefs. God created order in the world and gave people intelligent minds to understand its mechanisms and properties, as well as the ability to know Him (albeit we will never fully understand our infinite God).

Since God isn’t part of His creation, science can’t disprove Him. Science, by its own methods, can certainly explain how physical processes operate, but it can’t answer questions like “Why does anything exist at all?” “Why is the universe governed by precise laws?” “Why do consciousness and reason exist?” and “Why are moral obligations real?”

On the contrary, modern developments in science actually point to a supernatural Creator. The Big Bang theory, the information contained in DNA, and the finely tuned constants of physics affirm that a transcendent Creator created and sustains the universe.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth [Genesis 1:1]

The Bible wasn’t written to be a scientific textbook. It tells us who created the world with us in it and why. It also tells us what has gone wrong in the world and where it’s headed. Science can investigate processes, but it can’t answer the deeper question of why an orderly universe capable of sustaining life exists at all, so it will never replace the Creator.

5. The doctrine of Hell is compatible with a loving God

The core doctrine of the existence of Hell is the most difficult Christian doctrine for people to understand. It should never be discussed casually or disrespectfully. The reality of Hell shows why it’s vital for people to recognize who Jesus Christ is, and to recognize the significance of His resurrection and ascension.

True justice requires a final judgment of sin. If God never judged murder, oppression, betrayal, exploitation, abuse, deception, and rebellion, He wouldn’t be a loving God. He would be acting as if evil didn’t matter. Because He is a just and loving God, He must punish unrepentant murderers, such as Hitler, Stalin, Mao, and Pol Pot.

The problem is that people usually measure sin by its social consequences. However, sin is rebellion against our infinitely holy Creator, who created us to know, love, worship, and obey Him. When people sin, they reject Him, which is not morally neutral; it’s the outright rejection of the source of life and goodness.

God never intended for any human being to end up in Hell. He created Hell to quarantine the rebellious angels. The end result of unrepentant sin and eternal rejection of God’s love is eternal separation from God, which is punishment. Those who reject God their whole lives end up in Hell via their own choice; God doesn’t send them there.

Scripture teaches that God is patient and passionately desires that people turn away from sin. He never delights in judgment, and that’s the significance of the cross. At the cross, God didn’t simply ignore sin; He provided a way for sinners to be forgiven and for justice to be implemented. Because Jesus bore the judgment sin deserves, people who repent and trust Him can be reconciled to God. The cross is the clearest evidence that God’s love is valuable, holy, and real. The warning of final judgment is actually an act of mercy, calling people to turn to Christ while there is time.

The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance [2 Peter 3:9]

Editor’s note – Hell is the doctrine most likely to end a conversation before it starts, and the author is right to slow down here rather than rush past it. Notice that she roots the doctrine in God’s justice and holiness, not in anger – that distinction matters pastorally as much as theologically. However, in my view, the challenge remains that we need to accept by faith that an omnipotent God allowed Lucifer to become Satan and what flowed through mankind from that transformation. Again, salvation results from God’s grace and our FAITH in the payment Jesus made on the cross for our sins.

Conclusion

So before jumping on the popular bandwagon of deconstructing your faith, please consider the above discussion of the truthfulness, validity, and usefulness of the core tenets of the Christian faith. The decisive question isn’t, “Has Biblical Christianity outlived its usefulness?” It hasn’t, and never will, because it still presents the most important question people can ask themselves: “Who is Jesus Christ, and what will I do with Him?”

Resources

1. Blair, L. (2023, May 12). America under threat from syncretism, George Barna says in study; churches urged to respond. The Christian Post. https://www.christianpost.com/news/america-under-threat-from-syncretism-george-barna-says.html

2. The state of theology. (n.d.). The State of Theology. https://thestateoftheology.com/

3. The powerful historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus. (n.d.). St. Paul Center. https://stpaulcenter.com/posts/the-powerful-historical-evidence-for-the-resurrection-of-jesus

A Word from the Editor
Deconstruction has become the fashionable word for what Scripture simply calls unbelief, and this piece does the patient work of asking why that matters. None of the five considerations here are new arguments – the reliability of Scripture, the exclusivity of Christ’s claims, the reality of suffering, the limits of science, the justice of Hell – but each one answers a real question rather than dismissing it. Jesus told Nicodemus that no one enters the kingdom without being born again (John 3:3), not because church membership demands it but because spiritual death is real. If you are weighing whether to walk away, weigh first whether the object of your doubt is really the church, or whether it is Him.

Editor Comment: You root the case for staying in the church in Christ's own claims and the cross, and that is where this conversation has to start. You then place the doctrine of Hell last and frame it through God's justice and mercy.

This article appeared on Medium and is reprinted with modifications and by permission.