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The recent General Convention of the Episcopal Church has prompted a broader discussion of the fate of liberal Christianity. No surprise-the Episcopal Church has been one of the most aggressively liberal influences in American Christianity in the past few years, pushing hard against the traditions of the broader Anglican Communion.
In The New York Times, Ross Douthat goes so far as to ask, “Can Liberal Christianity Be Saved?” But that question necessarily prompts two others: What is Liberal Christianity, and Should it be saved?
Liberal Christianity is dying on the vine. Mainline denominations are taking big hits across the board. According to The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, among Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, and Episcopalians, more adults are leaving the church than entering it.
Methodists, Presbyterians, and Anglicans are retaining less than half of their children. And in these denominations, no one is sitting in the pews! Gallup reported in 2005 that weekly and near-weekly church attendees made up less than 45% of self-identifying Methodists, Presbyterians, and Lutherans, with Episcopalians at a dismal 32%. And the numbers aren’t getting any better.
But what, exactly, is liberal Christianity? Over the past several decades, liberalism has primarily defined itself by what it is not. Its message is “We’re not like those stodgy old traditionalists-we’re hip and accepting” (as long as they’re not asked to accept unchanging morality or the truth of Scripture).
Liberal Christianity rejects the core tenets of Christianity, including the belief that Jesus is God, that all of mankind is guilty of sin and condemned to hell, that God sacrificed His Son to bear the punishment for our sins, that Scripture is the absolute, unchanging, perfect Word of God, and that the only path to salvation is through believing in Christ’s sacrifice and accepting His gift of eternal life by grace through faith.
In place of these tenets, liberal Christianity embraces a series of denials: Christ is not divine, mankind is not inherently sinful, the Scriptures are not authoritative and unchanging, heaven and hell are not literal, morality and theology are not absolute, and social mores do not flow from Scripture, but are an ever-changing product of our evolutionary enlightenment.
All of these beliefs allow liberal Christians to be more “comfortable” in the culture around them. The common message of the liberal Christian is that “God is love” and we need to speak to the rest of culture in the language of loving acceptance.
“Love” here is code for the conviction that there is no absolute moral standard which humankind has violated. Hence, to believe in justice, morality, sin, punishment or an unchanging God is to be “judgmental” and “unloving.”
If this is the heart of liberal Christianity, is it worth saving? Douthat argued in his article that conservatives “should not be smug” about the failures of liberalism, but rather value the work liberal Christianity has done to advance the social duties of the Church.
While liberal Christianity might have gotten the Church talking more about social justice, it provided all the wrong answers. Liberal Christianity looks primarily to the government to shoulder our social responsibilities.
But the social duties of Christians are clearly spelled out in Scripture, and they are directed to individual Christians and to the church. Christians-individually and collectively-are primarily responsible for this work, not the civil government.
It is not the message of “acceptance” but the truth of historic, traditional Christianity that has transformed society over the centuries. The spread of the biblical Gospel message throughout generations has changed the world.
Christianity has grown and spread because Christians have taken seriously Christ’s great commission to go into all the world and make disciples. Animated by love for their neighbor (dictated by Scripture) and concern for their eternal future (heaven or hell), believers in historic Christianity have sought to spread the truth of the Gospel throughout the world.
Concern for their fellow man and the belief that ministering to the poor and needy is the same as ministering to the Lord Jesus Christ himself (Matt. 25:40) has been the impetus to build hospitals, orphanages, soup kitchens, pregnancy care centers, water purification plants and the like around the world.
Liberal Christianity undermines the Truth that has motivated so much good work. Liberal Christians reject the core tenets of historic Christianity. They have embraced the contemporary fancies of an ever-changing culture. They have nothing to live for, nothing to die for, and nothing to work for.
For them, church is just another social club, devoid of power because it is not animated by transcendent truth and accountability for living in conformity with that truth.
They have no authority for faith or action. They embrace a counterfeit Christianity, a pale image of the real thing, a hollow shell, a thin gruel that offers little sustenance for its followers or the culture at large.
It is no wonder that the ranks of liberal Christian churches are shrinking. Liberal Christianity is passing with a whimper, not a bang. Increasingly, its adherents have concluded it is not worth saving.
Categories: Bible Prophecy, Breaking News
I could wish that Churches/groups who depart from the truth of God’s Word would call themselves something other than Christian – that is, with no reference to Christianity. How can they include ‘Christ’ in their name when they deny Him?
We are one day closer!
‘Even so, come quickly’
You are absolutely right Lyn, this is all a part of living in the last days. It should be an encouragment realizing each day we are a bit closer to His coming!
Thanks Rob… I agree with this article as well. I just wanted to make sure you knew that I didn’t write it though 😉 I just posted it. And yes, we are definitely living in the times of the return of Christ. God bless you today and always.
The more any church becomes like this world, the further from Heaven it gets.
It’s unfortunate that most churches these days that say “Christian” have been perverted. Of course, the Bible tells us this would happen in these days…so it’s expected. Hugs to you Jessica..hop you’re doing well! God bless you!
I’m doing fine – and learning much from your blog 🙂
That’s awesome! Complements are always nice, but what really matters most and feels great is to know someone out there is getting something out of what you’re posting! I’m blessed by your comment! Thank you, and God bless you Jessica 😉
Thanks are all to you Lyn, it is a great blog, and full of interesting information.
Thank you so much; you are so sweet! I am again, blessed; but I must give all these thanks to God because this is His website..I just keep watch and do the work for Him here. Love you in Christ sister!
Thank you so much – for your kind words and the amazing witness to Him.
Thank you so much. I feel the people, like yourself, who read and post comments are even more valuable than us who write the articles. Not only are the comments valued and ready by many, but who would be blessed if there was noone to read? Not only is the work you do on your website amazing and important, but also what you’re doing on other people’s as well! Be blessed sister!
I’d never thought of it that way, though I think those who come to my site and comment contribute so much – so thank you, dear sister in Christ for such encouragement and such a good witness.
The strand was getting to skinny on the page..lol..so had to reply to your latest comment beneath this one…sorry. I wish word press would change that! Anyway, you are very welcome. I had a question, I forgot to ask..I think I subscribed to your blog, but am worried because I’ve had no notifications. Do I need to do it again, or have you just not made any posts in a while? I went and looked and it says I’m subscribed in my dashboard area.
Don’t know why they have. It come through, as I do a couple most days. perhaps retry subscribing?
I’ll have to do that. Is there a way to make these threads not get so skinny? I have looked and looked, searched wordpress’ q’s and a’s…nothing.
No,I can’t find a way either. Thanks for subscribing 🙂
Yes, just checked the follows, and you don’t seem to show up, so Perhaos try again?
Got it! It said I’m following you now Thanks and God bless for the help!
It’s a great pleasure sister 🙂
Thank you! Same here!
Oh, you don’t have to thank me. I thought I had subscribed before..apparently I didn’t push the button down all the way on the mouse or something. I went and checked in my blog settings/dashboard area..and it said posts I’ve made..so I was wrong..it wasn’t under the subscribed area. But it is now!