Cafeteria Christians Series

Cafeteria Christians

I have pretty much had a problem understanding some people… Ok. Perhaps the problem is even larger. There a large groups of people I don’t understand.

Women in general, teenage girls more specifically.

People that believe that the Government should take complete care of them.

I could go on and on. I guess that May be an indication of a problem on my part.

But when it comes to categories related to spiritual matters have trouble connecting. I have a blind spot because my understanding that there is a God is unquestioned.

So, I don’t understand people that consider themselves to be atheist. Atheist are people that can look around at this world and the abilities of human beings and can flatly say that there is no God, no Supreme Being or creator. The few that I have met, have their minds made up.

I guess I don’t consider myself to be that arrogant, to be able to just decide in my own mind that all we see and accomplish as people is all by accident, or a statistics miracle.

Another category of people would be called agnostic.

Agnostics – I can understand a little better, they believe that no one can be sure if there is a God or not. They don’t know that any person can interpret the information we have and come to a provable conclusion that there is definitely a God.

They seem to feel that we are all disqualified from knowing because there is no absolute proof of God…and some just refuse to make any personal investigation.

-- They seem to be a bit afraid to find out that there is a God.

With those two views identified I want to contrast them against Christians as a specific group. Christians believe in a God, a creator, a supreme deity that actually interacts with creation.

John Wesley the founder of what we call Methodism believed that the core of the Christians faith is alive and based on scripture, illumined by tradition, vivified in a person’s personal experience and confirmed by reason.

Ultimately, Christians offer testimony to what we find in evidence all around us. In the traditions of early church writings and the evidence presented in the miracles of nature blended together with common since and intellect.

We in our own way find enough evidence of God to seed our faith.

--- There seems to be such a gulf between Atheist and Agnostics when compared to Christians. It seems that we might never be able to find any place to meet in the middle.

But I need to let you know that for the majority of Christians the distance is a lot closer than we would like to admit.

-- Quick show of hands, How many people Like going to a cafeteria, M&J’s or Ryan’s for a meal?

When you go for a meal at a place like that we have a lot of choice….

We get to choose what we put on our salad. Cheese, bacon bits, tuna salad. Beats, onions , hominy…Ranch dressing regular or light dressing…..

The choices go on… The guy at the carving station will slice off some roast beef and say is that enough…. No I think a little more….

Fish or liver…Fish please

Green beans or asparagus definitely green beans

For desert a sugar free jell-o square or ice cream with chocolate syrup and nuts….I will let you guess what I prefer…

-- I have a friend that spoke of his church denomination as being filled with Cafeteria Christians.

He was speaking about people that picked and choose what to believe.

Picked and choose what was right in their own minds.

I will take a good serving of Grace but skip over the whole judgment section.

I will take a double portion of Blessings but I don’t want any discipline…or Bible study.

I like the verse that God has plans to bless and prosper me but, I don’t like the verses that God wants me to be generous with what I have.

People …Christians that pick and choose believe that they get to choose what God is like and what He expects by ignoring the hard parts.

They believe that they are able to create God in their own image……Instead of the other way around.

-- Cafeteria Christians are in reality broad minded atheist.

They have a belief in God but they don’t live like He exists. They live for what they want and need. They live for their comfort.

They live fulfilling some of the descriptions that Paul offers to indentify the last days.

Most Christians e want enough of God to stay out of hell and enough of God to get into heaven

But NOT enough of God to change their lives.

-- Why, because they do not have a fear of God.