Ideologies within Christianity have raised heads in recent years. Since there are many ideologies in Christianity, there can be many dangers. While Christianity in and of itself is the truth of Jesus, mankind has polluted and caused many deadly ideologies to emerge.
Here are four dangers of ideologies in Christianity.
1. Politics
One danger of ideologies in Christianity is politics. It is without a doubt that many Christians have mixed their faith with their politics. The separation of Church and State was a good thing and something that needs to be retained.
While many would argue that Christians should allow their faith to influence their country, most of the time, it is the worldly system of the country that is influencing the Christians.
Many Christians are involved with politics and can become rather rash when politics are spoken of. Some treat politics as their religion itself and place it above God.
As much as it would be nice for the world to be ruled under Christian leadership, this will not happen until Jesus returns for His thousand-year reign. Until then, the world will be under the control of the devil and whoever is placed in power positions.
As Christians, it is important to not create politics as an idol in our lives because nothing is more important than God. Politics might mean a lot to many people, but it should never mean more to someone than God.
If you are more passionate about your political party than you are passionate about God, you might have a problem.
It is best to place God at the center of your life and allow nothing to climb above Him. Politics can mean a great deal to you, but never let it become more important than God.
2. Forcing Someone to Accept Christ
A core belief of Christianity is to accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord. The danger of this ideology on Christianity is that we should never force someone to believe in Jesus.
Christian nationalism or Christian socialism would try to push this ideology onto someone, yet this isn't what God wants. God didn't create us as robots to do as He says.
Rather, He created us to fully accept Him on our own. Each person has to make their own decision that they will freely accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord.
Through political ideologies, everyone would be forced to accept Christ and become a Christian. This goes against God's design of free will. Not to mention just because a person is forced into accepting Christ or claiming to be a Christian doesn't mean they are a Christian.
In fact, it could be extremely misleading if someone thought they were a Christian simply because of their political views and later found out that they were never a Christian because they were forced into Christianity.
Nobody should be forced to become a Christian because being a Christian is a free choice. You should only become a Christian because you have placed faith in Jesus. Believing in Jesus should not come out of fear or obligation to your country.
Instead, it should come from a heart of pure love for the Lord. While many may think it would be a good thing to force all people to become Christians, it is actually extremely dangerous.
Think of how many people would live their lives thinking they were Christians only to find out they were never real believers in the first place.
3. Obsession with Marriage
A third danger of ideologies in Christianity is the obsession with marriage. While marriage is a beautiful thing and should be treated as such, many Christians make it an idol. Some go to the extreme to claim a person isn't living in the full will of God unless they are married.
With an ideology such as this, it could cause many problems both within and outside the church. Yet again, marriage is a good thing until it becomes an obsession.
As someone who has firsthand seen an obsession with marriage and seen someone getting married every other weekend, it is best to steer clear of any sort of obsession. Nothing should be placed above God, including your spouse or marriage.
Sadly, this ideology within Christianity can make many Christians feel empty, lost, or alone if they never get married or remain single for a long time.
This ideology also affects the outside world as it causes unbelievers to believe that they are worthless or not good enough to be Christians unless they are married.
Rather than stressing marriage, we need to share the love of Christ. We need to help those outside and inside the church know of their value and worth in the eyes of God. The Bible says we are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:13-18).
Since the Bible tells us this, we know that it is true. God doesn't make mistakes, and He didn't make one when He created you. Whether you are married or not, God wants to have a personal relationship with you.
A personal relationship with Christ means you are forgiven of your sins, given eternal life, and redeemed. While marriage is also an intimate relationship, a relationship with God is far more glorious.
Marriage ends once we die; however, our relationship with God endures forever. You will still know your spouse in heaven; however, your relationship won't be the same any longer.
While you should enjoy your marriage in this earthly life, you also need to focus on your eternal relationship with God, which lasts forever.
4. Damaging Jesus' Name
A fourth danger of ideologies in Christianity is the matter of it damaging Jesus' name. Through all of the ideologies listed above as well as more, you can see how much damage it can cause to Jesus' name.
Rather than giving Him the praise He deserves, it associates negative things with His name. Many people falsely see Christianity as racist, homophobic, and full of hate.
These are ideologies that need to be changed, but they won't be changed unless we, as Christians, educate others on the truth of the Bible.
The Bible is not racist, as God loves all people. In fact, Jesus says He came to earth to die for the entire world (John 3:16-17). He didn't say He only died for a certain type of people, but rather that He came to die for the sins of the world.
There is absolutely no need for racism as it goes directly against the Bible because we are all equal at the foot of the cross. Racism is a result of sin that goes against God's good design of different ethnicities.
In the same way, the Bible is not homophobic, nor is it full of hate. The Bible warns against homosexuality as being a sin; however, God never tells us to hate those struggling with homosexuality.
We should allow the gospel to do the convicting and simply share the gospel with them and point them to Christ. We have no right to judge anyone.
Only God will judge people–not us. There is also no room for hate in the lives of Christianity because God wants us to love all people just as He loves us.
Sadly, many people outside the church believe Christianity is a religion of judgment and hate. As Christians, it is up to us to change the conversation in this area and help bring glory back to Jesus' name.
For further reading:
Three Reasons Not to Preach Politics in the Pulpit
How Can Marriage Become an Idol?
How Can Believers Reconcile the Spread of Christianity Within Imperialism?
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Nuthawut Somsuk
Vivian Bricker obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Ministry, followed by a Master of Arts with an emphasis in theology. She loves all things theology, mission work, and helping others learn about Jesus. Find more of her content at Cultivate: https://cultivatechristianity.wordpress.com/.