The fourth episode in a 4-part series “Holy Heresies: A Podcast About the Things We Believe Which We Shouldn’t Believe.”

We’re Walking Through the Book “Counterfeit Christianity” by Roger Olson 

https://www.amazon.com/Counterfeit-Christianity-Persistence-Errors-Church/dp/1426772297

Weeks 1-4

1. Intro to the Series, and Gnosticism
2. Trinity & Doctrine of the Trinity
3. Montanism and Marcionism - What do we do with the Bible?
4. Moralistic Therapeutic Deism – Reducing God

Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess. (Deuteronomy 5:33)

------------------------------

Why Do This Study?

“Heresy” within Christianity isn’t limited to the pages and annuls of history. Rather, Heresies exist in various forms and haven’t lost any of their potency to corrupt our right, Christ-honoring understanding, faith, or worship. Just as we can use scripture wrong, we can carry incorrect belief, often without knowing. We will discuss a few heresies and how each of these have clung on through time and in which ways they may have latched onto our lives. 

 Moralistic Therapeutic Deism (Be Good Feel Good Religion)

MTD as described by Dr Olson in his book is characterized by 5 Broad Tenants: 

(1) the belief in a god who exists and created the world and watches over life on earth, 

(2) the belief that God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other as taught by the bible, … and various other world religions, 

(3) believing the central goal in life is to be happy and feel good about oneself/live a “good” life 

(4) God all that involved in my personal life except for the times when you need God to resolve a problem, 

and 

(5) the belief that if you’re a “good person” in life, you get to go to heaven when you die.

The Enlightenment view on Deism: 

1. Belief in a supreme deity
2. The deity ought to be worshiped
3. Virtue combined with piety is the chief part of worship
4. People should repent of their sins
5. Reward and punishment follow from

According to the cultural research center, 74% of Americans lean on some variation of agreement/practice with Deism and/or lean on it for life guidance. These people side with the “version of Christianity” which emphasized self, emotion, being good, rather than on God or Objective truth. 

• Of these 74% Americans, 95% don’t consider success in life as consistent with obedience to God
• 91% don’t believe that people are born into sin and need to be saved by Jesus Christ
• 88% percent get their “Truth” information or moral guidance from places other than the Bible
• 76% contend that people can earn a place in heaven based on being “good”
• 75% of these people don’t believe God is at all the basis for truth
• And 71% don’t believe the bible is true or reliable. 
• An Astounding 74% believe in Karma, which is in no way Christian!

Dr Olson Gives some Antidotes to These Heresies

Number 1: [Quote] “Christians need to recover a sense of the counterculture nature of the Gospel. The Gospel is an offense to common sense and a scandal to ordinary reason,” but it doesn’t have to be an opponent to reason, just...