Is Jesus A Malleable Messiah?

There was once a time when we believed that God was the potter, and we were the clay. In those days it was God who fashioned us and He was in control. Perhaps we have always had it wrong. Maybe we are the potters and God is the clay. Perhaps we have the power to form God into our image. Maybe Jesus is nothing more than a malleable piece of clay waiting to be molded in our hands. Discover the truth. Please read more…

Are you familiar with the term Moralistic Therapeutic Deism or MTD for short? It is a popular term coined by Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton in their book, Soul Searching: the Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers. MTD is not an organized faith, and it has no denominational headquarters. It is a belief system. It does, however, have millions of devoted followers across the United States and around the world. This is not unique to teenagers; people of all ages adhere to this belief system. The authors suggest that Moralistic Therapeutic Deism may now constitute the dominant civil religion and belief system for the culture at large.

The term Moralistic Therapeutic Deism derives its meaning from the following key points of its belief system:

  • There is a God that exists who created and orders the world and watches over human life on earth.
  • God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions.
  • The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.
  • God does not need to be particularly involved in one’s life except when God is needed to resolve a problem.
  • Good people go to heaven when they die.

Immediately you can see that any mention of Jesus is conspicuously absent. Unfortunately, far too many people, especially today’s youth, share these beliefs. Worse yet, these beliefs are infiltrating the minds and hearts of some Christians. In some cases, these beliefs have infiltrated so deeply into some Christian denominations that it calls into question whether or not they are still a Christian faith.

One Christian author, when addressing the topic of moral therapeutic deism, wrote the following, “This is not the God who thunders from the mountain, nor a God who will serve as judge. This undemanding deity is more interested in solving our problems and in making people happy. In short, God is something like a combination Divine Butler and Cosmic Therapist: he is always on call, takes care of any problems that arise, professionally helps his people to feel better about themselves, and does not become too personally involved in the process.”

My friends, in essence through the infiltration of MTD, I fear that Christianity is being watered down. The authors of the book asserted Christianity is actively being colonized and displaced by quite a different religious faith. This attempt to do a makeover of Christianity replaces the sovereignty of God with the sovereignty of self. With all of this said, my purpose today is to make clear what our responsibilities are as true followers of Jesus Christ.

So, what are we as Christians to do? First, let’s always remember that Jesus led first with love before He began to preach theology. People are much less likely to care about what we know until they know that we care. As Christians we must treat people and their views with respect. This does not mean, however, that we should ever waiver from the truth of what we believe.

Here are some important Bible truths that we can share with anyone who does not place their belief in Jesus.

 John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Romans 10:9 “for, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Acts 4:12 “There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.”

John 14:15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

Let me conclude where we began, with this question, “Is Jesus a malleable messiah?” Can we mold Him and change Him and His teaching to fit our needs?  The answer is found in Hebrews 13:8-9. It states, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teaching.”

It has been said that in order for evil to succeed, it is only necessary for good men to do nothing. Said differently, in order for false belief systems to succeed it is only necessary for good Christians to say nothing. Let’s share the good news of Jesus with someone today!

Heavenly Father, I place my belief in your Son Jesus Christ. I believe that he died to forgive my sins. I believe that he rose from the dead, ascended into Heaven, that He will come again to judge the living and the dead, and His Kingdom will have no end. I also believe that all people are called to follow your commandments. Grant me the courage to never shy away from sharing these truths. Amen!

AMDG

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Brian Pusateri
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3 Comments

  1. Ray Laub on July 3, 2021 at 7:53 am

    Brian –

    This is an accurate description of the belief system for those who want an easy answer to everyones need to answer for themselves the purpose of life.

    There is an unwillingness to address that our purpose is not ‘to seek happiness’ rather than glorify their creator. An unwillingness to acknowledge a creator or read any of the many books that reason to that truth

  2. Felicia Smithey on June 29, 2021 at 7:59 am

    Brian. I have not heard of MTD. Some people will do anything to make themselves feel good. God is not defined by simple rules. God wants to relate to us where we are in our life’s journey. Reading the Bible is a sure way to get to know him. These groups come and go. My prayer is that these people will turn back to the Real God.

    • Brian Pusateri on June 29, 2021 at 8:17 am

      Felicia

      Thanks for posting. The one question we all need to ask ourselves is this, “How much of these other belief systems have infiltrated into my own belief system. None of us are immune from attempting to water down Jesus’ teachings. You are absolutely correct when you point out that we must immerse ourselves in Scripture and prayer in order to know and understand God better. We should also ask God to point out anything in us, or in our belief system, that is offensive to Him. It does seem to me that more and more Christians today believe that the only thing necessary to reach Heaven is to “be a good person.” Believing in Jesus and accepting Him as Savior and abiding by God’s laws for some people no longer seems too important. My hope is that today’s message causes us all to look in the mirror. It is a good practice, from time to time, to do an inventory check on our own value system.

      Brian

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