Torch, Fall/Winter 2009

Fall–Winter 2009 | TORCH 23 sociological approach to religion precludes the possibility of a God who exists outside the human experience. Sola Scriptura Aside from God’s revelation of Himself in Scripture, all other religions are products of human imagination. As a result, we should not approach God like those who practice false religions. Nor should we try to control and manipulate God for our own purposes. We should be more concerned about violating the objective law of God than about securing social acceptance. And spiritual experiences should never trump the will of God as revealed in the Bible. Darwinian assumptions about the family, private property, culture, society, and religion saturate our world. They are absorbed as readily and as unconsciously as the air we breathe. Only by weaving a commitment to the sole sufficiency of Scripture into the fabric of our thinking will we be equipped to deconstruct the “speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God” (2 Cor. 10:5). The Bible alone distinguishes the true Christian faith from all the other religions and ideologies of our culture. T Dr. Robert Parr serves as professor of sociology at Cedarville University. He holds a B.R.E. from Grand Rapids Baptist College, an M.R.E. from Grand Rapids Baptist Seminary, an M.A. from Michigan State University, and an M.S.W. and Ph.D. from The Ohio State University. He has taught at Cedarville since 1980. They have to be created. Create your own gift plan on our award-winning website! www.cedarville.edu/giftlegacy BRECKENI / ISTOCKPHOTO