by Greg Tidwell

Libertarianism, the political expression of Objectivist philosophy, is a continued force in American public policy. With prominent media coverage of the Religious Right, Christians should realize there is also an active atheistic faction in today's Conservative political movement.

The Truth Shall Make You Free

Ayn Rand, who died in 1982, is best known as an author of philosophical novels, the most important of which, Atlas Shrugged, was published in 1957. Rand's novels provide the primary statement of Objectivism, an atheistic system that attempts to give direction for human life based on a logical evaluation of reality.

Rand calls on each person to live by reason, claiming whatever opposes rationality or logic is evil. John Galt, the hero of Atlas Shrugged, expresses this view:

Do not say that you're afraid to trust your mind because you know so little. Are you safer in surrendering to mystics and discarding the little you do know? Live and act within the limit of your knowledge and keep expanding it to the limit of your life. (p. 982)

Objectivism seeks to follow logic to maximize value, each individual acting in his or her own self-interest. Within this system there is a continual dynamic to abandon those things of lesser value to attain those of higher value.

This trenchant analysis of value has figured prominently in the development of Conservative economic policy. Alan Greenspan, for example, was a longtime friend and admirer of Ayn Rand.

The Greatest Truth Is God

Objectivism has its good points, especially its commitment to truth and freedom. However, from a Christian perspective, Rand's analysis is deeply flawed. Her system, failing to consider God, has missed the single most important aspect of reality.

Rand's atheism can only place the individual as the centerpiece of his or her world. This system consists of selfish economic calculations, each person's highest value being only himself.

Objectivism, accordingly, is without mercy, sympathy, or any form of selfless giving.

"My philosophy," Rand explains in an appendix to Atlas Shrugged, "in essence is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity and reason as his only absolute" (p. 1085)

Christians, in contrast, know that there is a God. This knowledge provides a much broader view of value than Rand's system allows. Belief in God calls us to aspire to something greater than ourselves. Knowing God, Christians know the value of mercy, kindness, and love. These transcendent values provide a fuller appreciation for truth than any atheistic system can offer.

by Greg Tidwell

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8 (ESV)

The deity of the Christ is seen in his unchanging nature, for only of God can we say: "... you are the same, and your years have no end" (Psalm 102:27, ESV). Jesus, being fully God, is the object of our worship and adoration. He is central in every aspect of our faith, defining what we believe and determining what we do.

Many problems arise when the church fails to honor and serve Christ in all things. Conversely, looking to Jesus, we find guidance for every aspect of our lives as Christians. If we want to improve, either individually or as a congregation, Jesus Christ provides an essential starting point.

Considering the unchanging nature of Christ, we see how this truth provides an essential support for our understanding of what God's people are to accomplish. As William Barclay observed:

"It is in the nature of things that all earthly leaders must come and go. They have their day and they lead their generation, and then they must pass from the scene. They have their part in the drama of life, and then the curtain comes down. But Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and to-day and for ever. His preeminence is permanent; His leadership is for ever. And therein there lies the secret of earthly leadership. The real leader is the man who is led himself by Jesus Christ" (The Letter to the Hebrews, p.223).

How can we have confidence in the direction the church is headed? Only by looking to Jesus. He, in His unchanging nature, provides a constant assurance that we are on the right track.

When the church remains true to the Lord it can work through any difficulty. If we fail at this point, however, nothing else matters.

by Greg Tidwell

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. (1 Timothy 6:12, ESV)

God has called us both to a life of peace and to a life of conflict. This paradox exists because of the difficulties of the sinful world in which we live.

In a perfect world, the way God intended the world to be, there would be no conflict; there would be only peace.

Such a state of perfect harmony has not existed since Eden and will not exist again until we enter the world to come. In this life there will always be conflict.

The Apostle Paul instructs the young evangelist to "fight the good fight of the faith." He does not in this passage identify against what we are fighting, but clearly he is describing the great struggle against the forces of Satan.

The lines of battle are drawn on many fronts, in the lives of individuals dealing with despair, in families feeling the pressures of the secular world, in congregations grappling with remaining faithful against the tide of apostasy. In literally every area of life we are called to engage the forces of darkness and to fight the good fight.

While our struggle against Satan takes many forms, the conflict on a personal level comes down to one thing: remain faithful to the gospel of Christ. It was this gospel which provides us with eternal life, and which forms the substance of "the good confession." Paul instructs Timothy to take hold of this truth in order to fight the good fight.

Daily, in whatever form our struggle with evil may take, we must return to the one source of spiritual power. We must continually look to Jesus, for only in faith can we find victory.

by Greg Tidwell

Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar. (Proverbs 30:5,6 ESV).

God speaks to us through His word, the Bible. In the pages of Scripture we find all we need to be the people God intends for us to be.

Because the Bible is true, it provides access into a relationship with God in Christ which blesses every aspect of our lives.

When we follow the teachings of Scripture, God's grace shields us -- providing a refuge from the daily struggles which come from living in a world of evil.

Beyond giving instruction for our lives, so we can know God's law, the Bible provides an assurance of God's mercy. Through Scripture we not only know what we ought to do, but we know how to find forgiveness when we fail to keep God's law.

Receiving the Bible as it is, the word of God, we must reverence what he tells us and take care not to "add to His words." As this passage tells us, when we move beyond God's truth, we become liars.

Reverence to God's word prohibits God's people from adding unauthorized additions to worship or to the work of the church. We must do God's things in God's way.

The Bible must remain at the center of our lives as God's people. Personal Bible study, family devotional times, the worship and teaching of the congregation are all important. Only through the truth of Scripture can we find the light to guide our lives into an eternity with God.

by Greg Tidwell

Too many people are looking for a church that pleases them rather than a church that pleases God. When the standard of excellence in the church is "what I like," there is a horrible tyranny of selfish pursuit. People deceived by this approach think they are being liberated, but they are really being enslaved.

Freedom through Obedience

True freedom can only come through submission to the will of God. Having a standard for truth beyond our own selves is the only way we can have the freedom to function as we ought.

As long as we place our preferences as the standard for Christian faith, we are enslaved by a system which binds us tightly. Understanding the will of God, however, provides a context within which we can be free. As Jesus told his followers, "... If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:31,32). In the words of the old Shaker hymn: "'Tis the gift to be simple; 'Tis the gift to be free; 'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be ..."

The law of God facilitates our freedom as persons in the same way traffic laws facilitate our freedom to travel from one side of town to another. Without these laws to regulate us, driving would be encumbered, not liberated.

Freedom through Truth

The difference between self-centered verses God-centered approaches to religion is like the differing purposes of a projector and a flashlight. A projector casts an image with the purpose of fooling your senses into believing something is present which really is not. However engaging the image may be on the screen, it doesn't really exist. A flashlight, in contrast, reveals reality through illumination. When I go hiking through the woods, can you imagine how useless my flashlight would be if, instead of revealing the truth about the path ahead, it projected a fanciful image of whatever I chose to see at that moment? A projector is appropriate for entertainment, as it is dealing with fantasy. A flashlight is appropriate for illumination, for it reveals reality. God, in His grace, has provided illumination through Scripture. "Your word is a lamp to my feet," the Psalmist writes, "and a light to my path" (Psalm 119:105).

The Bible does not exist to titillate our flights of fancy, but to inform and direct us in accuracy. This truth is a light which frees us from the darkness of sin and the enslavement of eternal death. In the truth of Scripture we are free to be the people God would have us to be.