Discipleship

I wrote last week on the faith-based based outreach taking place at the Paris Olympics that will later be multiplied to the world. Paris is an opportunity for a modern-day “Pentecost” displaying God’s love and power to “people from every nation under heaven” (Acts 2:5).

If you haven’t done so, please join the one million plus people who are praying daily for the Olympics outreach via the Love France Prayer Guide.

Be encouraged we are fighting a worldview battle of vital importance.

The Battle for Paris (and the World)

I’m sure you’re aware of the overt mocking of biblical faith that took place during the Olympics opening ceremonies. I won’t share the photos of what was broadcast around the world, but let Faith & Freedom Network describe it. 

Gary Randall in Blasphemy in Paris Stuns the World wrote:

The despicable parody of the Last Supper (Mark 14:17-26), featuring drag queens and other actors who stood in poses inverted from the da Vinci painting, was set on a bridge over the Seine River that overlooks the Eiffel Tower. The parody included “A woman holding her hands in the shape of a heart.”

Located at the center was the ornately dressed woman with a large silver headdress that resembled a halo as depicted in paintings of Jesus. To add to the blasphemy, a massive serving tray was planted on the stage — revealing a scantily dressed man, painted head to toe in sparkling blue, curled up inside. What was that all about?

The Olympics committee explained that the performance was an “interpretation of the Greek God [of wine and festivity] Dionysus” to make “us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings.” Make no mistake, most of the debauchery was directed at Judeo-Christianity. In addition to promoting perversion, other depictions that biblically astute viewers were outraged about included the head of a golden calf and a horseman of the Apocalypse, the anti-Christ.

The Olympics also featured a pre-recorded dance in which a threesome — two men and one woman — frolicked around the streets of Paris in a romantic chase, pretending to kiss each other and ending up in a room and shutting the door on viewers before engaging in their sexual activities in private.

Even Elon Musk, who makes no claim to be a Christian, said on social media, “It’s extremely disrespectful to Christians.”

The Olympics organizers immediately did damage control (and continue to do so) with Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps offering a tepid and ridiculous response during an International Olympic Committee news conference: 

“Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. On the contrary, I think (with) Thomas Jolly, we really did try to celebrate community tolerance,” Descamps said. “Looking at the result of the polls that we shared, we believe that this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offense we are, of course, really, really sorry.”

Jolly explained his intentions to The Associated Press after the ceremony:

“My wish isn’t to be subversive, nor to mock or to shock,” Jolly said. “Most of all, I wanted to send a message of love, a message of inclusion and not at all to divide.”

That’s either politically correct nonsense or deception. When you horribly disparage the world’s largest religious faith, then every word you say about wanting to be “inclusive” is a lie.

Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee responded for many when he said: 

IF it offended anyone is NOT an apology. It’s a declaration that they thought it was fine. This pathetic statement makes it worse. Imagine the backlash if the Olympics had mocked Mohammed and Islam. Mark me down as not impressed with the “apology.

Of course, it wasn’t honest repentance. When you honestly apologize for a mistake or sin, you say you are sorry–deeply sorry. There are no “ifs.” Even better, you ask forgiveness for the specific wrong you committed and hope people will extend it to you.

Besides the blatant mocking of biblical faith, you probably know that the 2024 Olympics have experienced attacks of sabotage on the subway system, poor weather and accommodations, and sparse crowds at some events. The latter may be reaction to the opening ceremonies “Mock-a-thon.” 

So what’s this all about?

To pirate a Bill Clinton political expression, “It’s the worldview, stupid.”

The Paris Olympics opening ceremony was an atheist “shot” at biblical faith (Judeo-Christian beliefs and ideals). This secular worldview wants to dominate world thinking and values. We are in a worldview battle of epic proportions because for the first time in history, ideas go global via television, the Internet, and travel.

In River of God: Where Religion Began and Why Grace and Love Will Triumph (2018) which was first my doctoral thesis at Faith International University, I suggest that all the world’s religions come down to five major concepts of God. 

• Pantheism (Everything is God – such as Indian Hinduism and Western New Age)
• Polytheism (Many gods – ancient Greek and Roman gods and folk religions today).
• Atheism (No God–Man is God – in many “progressive” forms including humanism, secularism, socialism, communism, and totalitarianism.)
• Islam (Warring God – Sufi, Sunni, and Shiite versions of Allah and Koranic ideas).
• Biblical Faith (Judeo-Christian faith and principles in many forms and associations).

Twenty-nine years before, as I was first studying the concept of worldviews, I wrote Leadership for 21st Century: Changing Nations Through the Power of Serving. Though my thoughts were less mature at the time, I concluded rightly that in the 21st century, the battle for the world (peoples’ faith and commitment) would be between Biblical Faith (The Truth), Atheism, and Islam. I wrote (page 180):

“[These three] are in mortal combat for supremacy on earth. A war is being waged for the hearts and minds of the billions who must choose…We are living in the Church’s finest hour. Though the polarization is great, and problems are multiplying the world over, we have the opportunity to take the message of Christ to all the earth by way of service, love, and in glory. To do so, we must rise up as people of faith and present the claims of the Lord Jesus Christ in every dimension of life and to every person on earth”

That’s what we’re fighting for in the 2020’s.

Currently there are 157 Christian majority nations worldwide with 2.4 billion believers. There are 49 Muslim majority nations with 1.9 billion adherents. And there are six communist nations with 1.7 billion people and numerous nations (maybe 100) flirting with secularism. 

Muslims want to conquer the world through force (jihad) and high birth rates. Atheistic/secular folks want to control the globe by promoting cultural instability, financial collapse, and mass migration leading to one a world government to restore order (United Nations or the like). 

The 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremonies propaganda was a nod toward anti-God atheism (and the sexual decadence that goes with it). 

Christ-followers in Paris who are sharing their faith don’t believe in force or control. Yes, we’d love to see 200 majority Christian nations but only through loving persuasion and the free choices of individuals–according to the mandate of fulfilling the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). 

And as I said in the final words of “The Battle for World Leadership” in Leadership for the 21st Century:

First we must understand there is a battle. Next we must be committed to fighting it in the spirit and methods of our Servant King. And finally, we must believe we can win through the power of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Pray. Share your faith. The King is coming.