Posted on 02/01/2019 6:29:36 AM PST by Gamecock
Full Title: The 10 Commandments of Progressive Christianity #6: Is Christianity Just about Being on a Spiritual “Journey”?
Over the last few months I have slowly worked my way through a series entitled “The 10 Commandments of Progressive Christianity.” It’s an examination of 10 core tenets of progressive (or liberal) Christianity offered by Richard Rohr, but really based on the book by Philip Gulley.
We come now to the sixth progressive commandment: “Encouraging the personal search is more important than group uniformity.”
In his sixth chapter, Gulley laments the fact that Christians are so concerned about protecting the church from aberrant views that they stifle free thinking and are even kicking people out who don’t conform.
To make his point, he proceeds to tell stories about people he knows who were “disfellowshipped” or “shunned” by their churches for certain behaviors or beliefs. They were just trying to think for themselves, but the church was more interested in “group uniformity.”
Jesus would never have wanted the church to do such things, we are told. Instead, argues Gulley, Jesus was merely for “spiritual exploration” (116) and “quite comfortable with independent thought and action” (118).
To be sure, Gulley’s chapter does make some good points about the way some churches practice church discipline. He’s right to be wary of the “shunning” approach of some groups, and is certainly correct that some churches are unwilling to engage graciously with people who ask hard questions.
But, the overall message of this chapter is far too simplistic. Churches which hold firmly to certain truths are portrayed as mean-spirited and vindictive, and those who question those truths are portrayed as heroically fighting the system for the sake of free thinking.
And, of course, Jesus would be on the side of the latter group.
While this entire narrative will play well with the progressive wing of Christianity, I think it has significant problems.
Christianity is Not Just about Being on a Journey
Progressives love to portray the Christian religion (and all religion for that matter) as being on a spiritual “journey.” It is just about “exploring” for ourselves what we think about spiritual matters.
The problem is that hidden within this approach is an enormous (and unspoken) assumption, namely that God has not clearly revealed himself. Nor has he clearly revealed a message about salvation.
In other words, the liberal assumption underlying this entire narrative is that religion is about humans finding God, rather than about a God who has revealed himself to humans.
And if one thinks such a thing, you could see why they would be irritated with biblical Christianity. According to liberals, religion (by definition!) is always in flux. It’s a process of finding God. How arrogant would it be to claim he’s been found!
In contrast, biblical Christianity argues that God has clearly revealed a message of salvation in Christ Jesus, and all people everywhere are called to believe in that good news.
The Church Welcomes Questioners
Gulley fosters a perception out that there that churches really don’t like people asking questions because they are merely trying to protect their own authority. While there are certainly some churches like that, I don’t think it is true for the evangelical church as whole.
I think most churches are quite eager to have people come and ask questions. Indeed, they want people to inquire about the Christian faith and learn what Christians believe and why they believe it.
As a result, I think the liberal complaint about churches is really something else altogether. The complaint is not so much that churches don’t welcome questions (I think most do), the real complaint is that the church thinks there are answers to those questions!
In other words, Gulley’s real objection is that Christians think there are clear, knowable answers to life’s most important spiritual questions. His objection, then, is about the Christian belief in absolute truth. That is the sticking point.
And that is why liberals will never be satisfied merely by Christians changing their tone or approach. They will only be satisfied when Christians fully abandon their fundamental truth claims.
[To be clear, Christians don’t believe everything in the Bible is equally clear–some things are difficult to understand. But, they do believe that at a minimum “those things which are necessary for salvation” (WCF 1.7) are clear.]
Jesus Believed in Church Discipline
As noted above, I think Gulley is correct that certain types of “shunning” would be problematic. But, he mistakenly cites 1 Cor 5:11 as evidence that the apostle Paul is an advocate of “shunning.”
Instead, Paul was an advocate of church discipline, that process whereby the leaders of a church correct wayward members who have engaged in serious disobedience (morally or doctrinally). And, like all discipline, it is done out of love and for the good of the recipient.
And despite the implication that Jesus would be against such a practice, we see that he affirms it plainly in Matt 18:17: “An if he [the wayward brother] refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.”
Keep in mind that this sort of church discipline is for members of the covenant community. Thus, these passages do not forbid Christians from interacting with non-Christians or people who disagree. No, as already indicated, the church welcomes non-Christians who want to come and learn about Jesus.
Instead, church discipline is for professing believers who have lost their way. And it is for maintaining the peace and purity of the church. Conclusion
In the end, I think this sixth progressive commandment suffers from a number of assumptions or misunderstandings. It assumes there’s no absolute truth (without proving such a thing), it assumes that the church doesn’t welcome questions (when, generally speaking, it does), and it misunderstands the nature and purpose of church discipline (which is for the good of the recipient).
And even more fundamentally, the progressive position misses the core Christian message. Christianity is not about our “journey” to God, but about God’s journey to us, to save us from our sins.
Ping!
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Progressive Christianity throws thousands of darts at the dartboard, but they continue to miss the bull’s eye. Jesus is more than a wise man, He’s more than a social justice warrior, He’s more than a “journey” — He’s the savior of the world.
Thank you for posting this!
This is good stuff. Thanks.
Church discipline, vis-à-vis doctrinal matters at least, can be quite simple. It needn’t be heavy handed nor overtly confrontational.
Example: your church proclaims the Rapture. Someone in your church strongly disbelieves this tenet and makes a big deal over it, say, at home Bible studies, to the point of disturbing the peace in the congregation. You simply reemphasize the point in several ways, whether blunt or subtle, until the clinker can’t stand it any more and leaves.
Example: your church is Calvinist. You have a ringer who can’t stand any strict views on Election or Sovereignty and regularly inveighs against these points among the congregation. Again, you would emphasize these points in no uncertain terms until the individual couldn’t take it any more. Thereby you induce her departure while making some purposeful teaching points at the same time.
These people are exposing the SJW lefties that have already taken over a large part of the “church”.
Jesus said that those who believe in me I will raise up at the last day.
Believing is more than just admitting Christ is Lord, ii it is trying to do
his will.
Jesus referred to The Law constantly. Even in teaching how to pray at the Sermon On The Mount, Jesus unveiled a universal prayer, the Our Father, which was available to EVERYONE. Taken from the Hebrew Amidah, it was to God On High.
YHWH
The statement focuses on the hole not the donut.
Yes, the journey to Christ and with Christ is individualized in that each individual does not proceed 100% exactly identical to any particular fellow Chirstian. But if that journey is not about Christ then it's not about Christianity. Enouraging a non-specific "spiritual journey" is not about pursuing or living Christianity. Encouraging that non-specific "spiritual journey" is not the correct work of anyone in any Christian ministry, because it is not about building the body of Christ's church. It belongs in secular philosophy and those preaching secular philosophies, not Christian ministry.
You are spot-on. It’s about Christ, and others, not me-me-me.
Jesus first
Others next
Yourself last
I love the acrostic that makes.
It is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets (written Word), Jesus Christ Himself being the Chief Cornerstone (Living Word). Stray from that and, like you say, you’re doing secular philosophy (which may be useful, but has little eternal value). Paul said to beware of philosophy and vain deceit based on the rudiments of the world and not on Christ.
Calvinist here, and you are correct.
If we have poplw how have stong issues with certain tenents of the fiath, but for some reason want to join, we are glad to have them.
But they will not be allowed to do things like serve as Deacons or Elders. They cannot teach Sunday School. Otherwise they are welcome to participate in the full life of the church.
Gamecock, thank you for this. Good stuff! Can you provide a link to 8 and 7 as well? I am interested in reading them all!
....”if that journey is not about Christ then it’s not about Christianity”....
The Bible is a book.... The Word is a Person.....How much you see when you read depends on whether you just want to read the book or whether you want to meet the Person.
There is no 8 and 7. The author found no big issues there.
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