Yes, that is true. There is a lot of worldliness even in the nominally Bible-believing churches.
There is even a significant amount of sin in many churches. It may not be evident, but it is there nonetheless. Achan's sin was concealed, yet it was there nonetheless, and had an influence.
Thomas Merton wrote a book dialoguing Christian Mysticism with Japanese Zen Buddhism (which is influenced by Taoism and vice versa). I found it very interesting and you might enjoy it as well.
I don't know much about Thomas Merton, but have heard the name and read something of his years ago. A little research showed that he was strongly attracted to Zen Buddhism and felt a deep affinity with it. One source I looked at said Merton felt we as Christians could learn from Zen and even employ some of its techniques in Christian prayer and meditation.
My own attitude is very different. I have never been seriously attracted to Oriental philosophy and religion, and have only read two books in that area: the Analects of Confucius and The Tao Te Ching. I thought they both had some striking insights - one does not have to be a Christian to have some good ideas - but they are nevertheless separated by a deep gulf from Christianity.
I my article I mentioned (a) Lao Tzu's awareness of a higher force behind the visible world, in contrast to modern secularism, which assigns it all to random and purposeless forces, and also (b) his comments that we should live in accordance with this force (again, in contrast to the concept of invent your own truth so common today). Those are useful and important ideas.
But, while I believe it is interesting and helpful to examine other points of view (including some Western philosophy and critiques of Christianity) I believe the revelation of God in Christ and Scripture (with the illumination of the Holy Spirit) is the ultimate, true and final revelation of God.
There is to be sure a lot of superficiality and weakness in modern Christianity, and people, even Christians, are looking for something more, something not much evidence in the churches and in the lives of Christians today. I think the reasons for this problem, and the answers to it as well, are fully contained in the Bible, and what we need is more biblical truth.
By that I do not mean just more prayer, more Bible study, more church attendance and more of what we are already doing. Those do not help if there is something missing in the foundation, and there is a lot missing in the foundation. So, just trying harder is not good enough. There is a great deal of corruption from modern thought and modern lifestyles in the gospel we claim to preach and in the Christian lives we try to live. Hence our repudiation of the world and its false teachings (including consumerism, materialism, entertainment-ism, relativism, feminism, and scientism) does not go far enough.
How did people live in the past without TV, radio, the internet, and push button music. Did the apostles have to have their cups of coffee in the morning before they could function? What monotonous diets people had in biblical times. Is there life without Starbucks?
In this context the simplicity of Zen is appealing to some, but without Christ the utmost of meditation and self denial and turning away from this present world will accomplish nothing.
Good points Joe highlighting the superiority of truth revealed in revelation.
Your last comment is sad. Sadly, many churches become worldly to attract non believing seekers but do not reveal an alternative to the world.
Yes, that is true. There is a lot of worldliness even in the nominally Bible-believing churches.
There is even a significant amount of sin in many churches. It may not be evident, but it is there nonetheless. Achan's sin was concealed, yet it was there nonetheless, and had an influence.
Thomas Merton wrote a book dialoguing Christian Mysticism with Japanese Zen Buddhism (which is influenced by Taoism and vice versa). I found it very interesting and you might enjoy it as well.
I don't know much about Thomas Merton, but have heard the name and read something of his years ago. A little research showed that he was strongly attracted to Zen Buddhism and felt a deep affinity with it. One source I looked at said Merton felt we as Christians could learn from Zen and even employ some of its techniques in Christian prayer and meditation.
My own attitude is very different. I have never been seriously attracted to Oriental philosophy and religion, and have only read two books in that area: the Analects of Confucius and The Tao Te Ching. I thought they both had some striking insights - one does not have to be a Christian to have some good ideas - but they are nevertheless separated by a deep gulf from Christianity.
I my article I mentioned (a) Lao Tzu's awareness of a higher force behind the visible world, in contrast to modern secularism, which assigns it all to random and purposeless forces, and also (b) his comments that we should live in accordance with this force (again, in contrast to the concept of invent your own truth so common today). Those are useful and important ideas.
But, while I believe it is interesting and helpful to examine other points of view (including some Western philosophy and critiques of Christianity) I believe the revelation of God in Christ and Scripture (with the illumination of the Holy Spirit) is the ultimate, true and final revelation of God.
There is to be sure a lot of superficiality and weakness in modern Christianity, and people, even Christians, are looking for something more, something not much evidence in the churches and in the lives of Christians today. I think the reasons for this problem, and the answers to it as well, are fully contained in the Bible, and what we need is more biblical truth.
By that I do not mean just more prayer, more Bible study, more church attendance and more of what we are already doing. Those do not help if there is something missing in the foundation, and there is a lot missing in the foundation. So, just trying harder is not good enough. There is a great deal of corruption from modern thought and modern lifestyles in the gospel we claim to preach and in the Christian lives we try to live. Hence our repudiation of the world and its false teachings (including consumerism, materialism, entertainment-ism, relativism, feminism, and scientism) does not go far enough.
How did people live in the past without TV, radio, the internet, and push button music. Did the apostles have to have their cups of coffee in the morning before they could function? What monotonous diets people had in biblical times. Is there life without Starbucks?
In this context the simplicity of Zen is appealing to some, but without Christ the utmost of meditation and self denial and turning away from this present world will accomplish nothing.