Debauchery, Corruption and Greed
Some of us have noticed there is a disturbing difference between what Jesus taught and what we see in our pulpits and churches. The steady stream of moral failures and church scandals in the news makes us cringe with embarrassment. For starters, the Catholic Church shocked the world with its pedophile priests, cover ups and banking scandals. The Protestant world’s millionaire televangelists with their private jets and obscenely expensive mansions and notorious sex scandals are another disgrace. The debauchery, corruption and greed these things reveal are ugly stains on the Body of Christ and make Christianity a laughing stock to unbelievers. Something is desperately wrong! How in the world did this happen? Clearly, there is a breakdown in the faith at some level.
Things Were Totally Out of Control
Perhaps the Old Testament can give us some insight. An example from Exodus 32 might help. It tells how Moses was leading Israel to the promised land when God called him to Mount Sinai to receive the Law. What an experience that must have been! Moses was on the mountain with God for 40 days and when He came down he found things were totally out of control. Aaron had made a golden calf for Israel to worship and God’s people were partying like a bunch of pagans. There was wild dancing, drinking and a lot of immoral behavior going on. It wasn’t exactly what you would expect from God’s chosen people! In other words, it sounds a lot like today.
Israel Failed to Understand
Aaron had created a golden calf with his own hands and presented this pagan idol to the people as if it was a true image of God. Israel gladly embraced their new golden calf and as they worshipped it their conduct really went downhill! God, on the other hand, was not at all happy about the situation. Israel failed to understand that Aaron’s golden calf did not really represent God and their misunderstanding came at a terrible cost. Many people lost their lives due to their idolatry. Judgment was not what they were expecting and it sure was not what God wanted for them.
Another Man-Made Object of Worship
These days we don’t worship anything as obvious as a golden calf but there is another man-made object of worship in our midst. Israel’s vision of God was distorted by a golden calf and the destiny of many suffered as a result. Christianity’s vision of God is distorted by a man-made theological illusion we call the trinity. Could it be that the destiny of many will once again suffer as a result of a false vision? Is it possible that a failure of leadership will cause God’s chosen people to lose their inheritance?
Without Vision the People Perish
Proverbs 29:18 states “Without vision the people perish.” Some translations render this as, “Where there is no vision people are unrestrained” or “the people cast off restraint” or “the people run wild” or “the people are out of control.” It’s no wonder that God laments, “My people are destroyed from a lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6) We have a hunch that a clear vision of God may be the antidote to much of what ails the church today.
A Biblical Vision of God and Christ
Here at Wonderful Theology our mission is to share a clear and Biblical vision of God. He is the God of Israel and we call Him our Father (His name is YHWH). His only begotten human Son is our Savior Jesus Christ. This is a true and biblical vision of God and Christ that truly brings light and understanding. Many are convinced this vision of God leads to righteousness too. We contend that the Trinity is a philosophical golden calf that distorts our vision of God and darkens our understanding. Nothing good can come of it.
Copyright 2024 by Bob Shutes
I think it is important to make it clear that Aaron did not say “Forget Adonai. Follow the golden calf instead.” He said, “This IS Adonai.” That was the binity. Later, 2 golden calves were worshipped. That made the trinity.