Darvish Intelligence: The Trinity Replaced: How Liberal Thought is Undermining American Christianity

Monday, November 11, 2024

The Trinity Replaced: How Liberal Thought is Undermining American Christianity

The Trinity Replaced: How Liberal Thought is Undermining American Christianity

By Bobby Darvish, Iranian-American Ex-Muslim, Former Vegan, Former Democrat, Former Socialist, Former CAIR-Columbus Executive Director, Former Muslim Forum of Utah President, Christian Conservative LDS

In recent years, many American churches have undergone a transformation that reflects a seismic shift in doctrine and direction. As an Iranian-American ex-Muslim and former socialist who once advocated for progressive ideals, I’ve seen firsthand how these ideologies infiltrate religious institutions, often replacing foundational doctrines with secular agendas. While the core of Christianity is built upon the eternal Trinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, an alternative trinity has gained influence: diversity, acceptance, and social justice. This new trinity seeks to redefine what it means to be a Christian, challenging the timeless truths upon which the faith stands.

A Shift in Priorities: Faith vs. Ideology

Christianity, at its core, is about salvation, sanctification, and service to God. Yet, within many American churches today, faith-based priorities are increasingly displaced by secular ideologies. Diversity, once celebrated as an outcome of God’s love for all people, is now used as a metric of institutional success. Acceptance, an essential Christian value, is transformed from the forgiveness of sin to the affirmation of behavior and belief systems that contradict Biblical teachings. Social justice, historically aligned with Christian charity and compassion, is now used as a political tool that often prioritizes divisive causes over genuine acts of mercy and service.

Rather than teaching congregants to “seek first the kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33), many churches now preach that we should first seek to create an inclusive, accepting, and socially just society. This shift distorts the gospel, focusing more on earthly concerns than on the eternal salvation of souls. The result is a version of Christianity where political correctness replaces Biblical correctness, and social movements overshadow the movement of the Holy Spirit.

The Erosion of Doctrine

The acceptance of liberal ideology within American churches has led to an erosion of doctrine. Scriptural authority, once the bedrock of Christian faith, is increasingly treated as a “living document” to be reinterpreted in light of contemporary values. But this approach is dangerous; it strips away the absolute truths of the Bible, substituting them with fluctuating cultural norms. The Apostle Paul warned against this very erosion in his letter to Timothy, where he described how people “will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears” (2 Timothy 4:3).

This drift from Biblical authority has paved the way for pastors and congregants to prioritize societal acceptance over divine approval. Messages from the pulpit increasingly reflect secular morality, emphasizing inclusivity and affirmation over repentance and transformation. The Trinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit has, in effect, been exchanged for a new trinity: diversity, acceptance, and social justice.

The Danger of Prioritizing Diversity Over Truth

While diversity is an inherent part of God’s creation and His church, it cannot be achieved at the expense of Biblical truth. Forcing diversity into every aspect of church life and leadership sometimes means promoting individuals based on their demographic rather than their spiritual qualifications. This practice often disregards Paul’s clear instructions about church leadership, which prioritize a commitment to Biblical truth and a life of moral integrity (1 Timothy 3:1-7).

A church that elevates diversity as its primary virtue risks diluting its doctrinal foundations. Biblical principles are not intended to be selectively upheld based on modern societal trends but rather embraced as universal truths. By promoting diversity over doctrine, churches may unwittingly compromise their teachings, thereby attracting individuals who are more interested in a feel-good community than in true spiritual transformation.

Acceptance: The Misunderstood Christian Virtue

Acceptance is often cited as one of Christianity’s most beautiful virtues, rooted in Jesus’ commandment to love one another (John 13:34). However, within the context of today’s liberal agenda, acceptance has been redefined to imply unconditional affirmation of all lifestyles and beliefs, even those that contradict Scriptural teachings. This reinterpretation abandons the need for repentance and dismisses the concept of sin, reducing Christianity to a spiritual form of relativism where “anything goes.”

True acceptance in Christianity involves loving the sinner while rejecting the sin. This is exemplified in Jesus’ interaction with the woman caught in adultery, where He forgave her but then commanded her to “go and sin no more” (John 8:11). Unfortunately, modern interpretations of acceptance within many churches ignore this second command, embracing a form of grace that requires no accountability or transformation.

Social Justice: Compassion vs. Coercion

The Christian pursuit of justice has always involved fighting for the oppressed and caring for the needy, from Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan to the early church’s support of widows and orphans (James 1:27). But the modern concept of social justice in many churches has diverged from this Biblical model. Rather than focusing on acts of personal charity and compassion, today’s social justice often involves political advocacy, pitting groups against each other and promoting an “us vs. them” mentality.

Instead of encouraging congregants to love their neighbors through genuine acts of charity, social justice within the church has become synonymous with activism that is more political than pastoral. Churches align themselves with causes that promote ideologies antithetical to Christian teachings, forsaking the timeless commands of Jesus to “love your enemies” (Matthew 5:44) and “turn the other cheek” (Matthew 5:39) in favor of divisive rhetoric and actions. This shift, rooted more in Marxist ideology than in Biblical doctrine, prioritizes systemic change over individual transformation, thus sidelining the gospel’s message of personal repentance and redemption.

Reclaiming the True Trinity

As someone who has witnessed the secularization of faith from multiple perspectives—as an ex-Muslim, a former Democrat, and an ex-CAIR leader—I see the danger in replacing core Christian teachings with the language of liberal ideology. Christianity is not meant to be a religion of political convenience or moral relativism. It is a faith centered on eternal truths, based on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and guided by the Holy Spirit. Replacing the Holy Trinity with a new trinity of diversity, acceptance, and social justice transforms Christianity into a social club rather than a path to salvation.

Churches must resist this ideological creep by refocusing on Biblical teachings and the transformative power of the gospel. Pastors and leaders must reaffirm their commitment to Scripture, preaching repentance, grace, and truth. Christians are called to be “in the world but not of the world” (John 17:16), and this includes resisting the temptation to exchange timeless truths for temporary trends.

It is my hope that American churches will return to their foundational beliefs, prioritizing the Trinity over secular values and embracing the faith as it was intended—a beacon of hope and truth in a world that desperately needs it.