When you elevate your thinking, you elevate your life.

Nope, that wasn’t a quote from the newest New Age Guru; nor was it a motivational speaker. Actually, that is the mantra of Elevate Church in Frisco (from a recent Dallas Morning News piece) And just to make sure that I am not taking the quote out of context, take a second and go click on the Dallas News link. I can wait…

Now what caught my eye in the article wasn’t that Elevate is building an unnecessarily big church in an area that already caters to “mega-churches” like Prestonwood Baptist and Fellowship Church; Nor do I take issue with  Pastor Craft saying “The church can be a significant shaping force if it is relevant,”. In fact, I would agree with him. But what does bother me is that this mantra of “elevating your thinking to elevate your life” is the mantra of an evangelical church! As a church there is a responsibility to Biblical Truth. Where in that mantra is Christ crucified for our sins? The basis of Christianity is that we are separated from God, by sin, and can do nothing to bridge that divide. When you say “elevate your thinking to elevate your life”, you are assuming that you can, with enough effort or mental prowess, make a difference in what happens after this life. Unfortunately, no amount of positive thinking or good deeds, by themselves, will make any difference when we stand and are judged once we die.  If we could simply “pull ourselves up by our bootstraps”, why do we need a savior?

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not saying we all need to be Eeyore with a gloomy, pessimistic worldview; that’s almost as bad as to much positive thinking. But your thinking and actions will never add to the grace offered by God through the sacrifice of his Son. Your actions are a reaction to the grace that comes from the new heart that He has given to you after you accept him as Lord in your life.

So what do you think?