Rooted in Jesus Grace

How Conservative Churches Drift From Truth to Tolerance Liberal Christianity rarely begins as liberal. Most liberal churches were once strong, Bible-preaching, Christ-centered fellowships. Their founders proclaimed the gospel boldly, emphasized holiness, and believed in the substitutionary death of Christ. But history shows that over generations, conservative institutions often drift toward liberalism. Dr. James Bultman of Northwestern College in Iowa once noted that out of 3,500 higher educational institutions that began with significant religious commitment, only 125 remain truly Christ-centered. The pattern is clear: movements that begin with biblical conviction tend, over time, to trade conviction for accommodation. Why does this happen? Why do once-thriving evangelical denominations and seminaries lose their moorings? How Churches Drift Toward Liberalism Liberal Christianity is often what happens when the grandchildren of revivalists inherit churches founded by their grandparents....

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’” — John 14:6 “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” — 1 Timothy 2:5 Few truths set biblical Christianity more squarely against the prevailing mood of modern culture than the claim that Jesus Christ is the only way to God. In an age that celebrates tolerance above truth, exclusivity sounds offensive. To say that salvation can be found only through faith in Jesus Christ is regarded as arrogant, narrow-minded, and intolerant. Yet Scripture leaves no room for ambiguity: the only mediator between God and humanity is Jesus Christ, and no one comes to the Father except through Him. Modern culture permits people to believe almost anything — as long as they don’t believe it exclusively. The cardinal sin of the age is not falsehood, but certainty. “Believe what you like,” the world says, “just don’t say that you’re right and someone else i...