The historic Christians
believe their religion is revealed by God in the person of his Son Jesus
Christ, and that the Scriptures are the primary witness of that
revelation. They believe the church is the embodiment of the risen Lord
Jesus in the world and that his mission to seek and to save that which
is lost is still valid and vital. Historic Christians believe in the
supernatural life of the Church and expect God to be at work in the
world and in their lives.
Progressive
Christians believe their religion is a historical accident of
circumstances and people, that Jesus Christ is, at best, a divinely
inspired teacher, that the Scriptures are flawed human documents
influenced by paganism and that the church is a body of spiritually
minded people who wish to bring peace and justice to all and make the
world a better place.
I realize that I
paint with broad strokes, but the essential divide is recognizable, and
believers on both sides should admit that “historic” and “progressive”
Christians exist within all denominations. The real divide in
Christianity is no longer Protestant and Catholic, but progressive and
historic.
When I say “divide” I should say
“battle” because both sides are locked in an interminable and
unresolvable battle. Interminable because neither side will yield and
unresolvable because the divisions extend the theological and
philosophical roots of both aspects.
However,
it is true to look at the dynamic of progressive Christianity and see
that by the end of this century it will have either died out or ceased
to be Christianity.
At this time
modernism still wears Christian clothes in the mainstream Protestant
churches and in parts of the Catholic Church. This cannot last much
longer for ten very simple reasons:
1.
Modernists deny supernaturalism and therefore they are not really
religious. Now by “religion” I mean a transacton with the supernatural.
Religion (whether it is primitive people jumping around a campfire or a
Solemn High Mass in a Catholic Cathedral) is about an interchange with
the other world. It is about salvation of souls, redemption of sin,
heaven, hell damnation, the afterlife, angels and demons and all that
stuff.
Progressives don’t deal in all
that. For them religion is a matter of fighting for equal rights, making
the world a better place, being kind to everyone and “spirituality”. It
doesn’t take very long for people to realize that you don’t have to go
to church for that. So people stop going, and that eventually means the
death of progressive Christianity. The first generation of
progressive Christians will attend church regularly. The second will
attend church sometimes. The third almost never. The fourth and fifth
will not see any need for worship. They will conclude that if religion
is no more than good works, then the religious ritual is redundant…and
they would be right.
2. Progressive
religion is essentially individualist and not communal. Each person
makes up his own mind about matters. Therefore when it comes to religion
the fissiparous nature of progressive religion will become more and
more acute. Individuals with firm opinions will form ever smaller and
more passionate groups with like minded people and the smaller the
groups, the more they will eventually wither and die.
Progressive
Christianity is also subjective and sentimentalist. It eschews doctrine
and favors individual spirituality and sentimental responses to
doctrines and moral issues. It is not long, therefore, before the
individualist and sentimentalist inclinations drive a person from a
church that is dogmatic and demanding. Modernists will prefer their own
spirituality and emotional experiences to any sort of formal,
corporate religious commitment. Thus the modern admission, “I’m
interested in spritituality but not religion.” When this attitude
prevails, modernist religion dies because it’s devotees don’t see the
point of belonging and believing.
4.
Progressive Christianity is historically revisionist. They re-write
history according to their prejudices. In religious terms this means
they are cut off from tradition. They are therefore cut off from the
life-stream of real religion. As they cut themselves off from the
tradition they will only have the latest religious gimmick, fad or
adaptation to contemporary culture. Such an ephemeral attitude cannot
provide for long term sustained religious longevity. Religion thrives as
a tradition is nurtured and expanded through the years. A religion that
destroys tradition therefore destroys itself.
5.
Progressive Christianity is based on out of date Biblical scholarship.
The cynicism, fashionable doubt and dismissal of the reliability of the
Bible is based on rationalist Biblical scholarship that is now well
past its sell by date. The archeological, textual and historical
discoveries of the last century are making the assumptions of the early
twentieth century Protestant Biblical critics look quaint. New, younger
Biblical scholars are using the same critical methods of analysis and
research to show that the Bible is much more historical than the old
German guys thought. The house of cards that is modernist Biblical
scholarship is tumbling down and will continue to do so. The
progressive Christian will then be left with either a return to historic
Christianity or will be looking for the exit door with nothing left of
his faith at all.
6. Progressive Christianity will die out
because it makes no great demands for its devotees to be religious. Ask
any modernist, “Why should I come to Church?” What would he answer? “You
don’t have to come to church. It’s there if you want it. If it does you
good, and makes you feel better, we’re here to serve you.” Modernist
Catholic priests wring their hands and wonder why no one comes to Mass
anymore. It’s because for forty years they’ve been saying, “It’s not
really a mortal sin to miss Mass. You should come because you love God,
not because you fear him.” While this sentiment may be laudable, they
shouldn’t therefore be surprised if no one comes to Mass.
The
progressive himself does not really understand why anyone should be
religious. He started out as a religious man believing in sin,
redemption and the supernaturalist story. He became modernist gradually
and all the time continued his religious practice, but he has never
stopped to ask why such a thing should be necessary. If he is honest and
asks himself the question he will soon stop the practice of his
religion too. Unless, of course, he is a clergyman. If he is a religious
professional he would have to get another job, so it is easier to keep
the show on the road.
8.
Progressives allow for moral degeneracy and that saps the strength out
of real religion. Devotees of all supernaturalist religions demand moral
purity, self discipline and restraint. Real religion requires self
discipline. The modernist sees religion not as self denial but self
fulfillment. Hedonists will soon realize that religion–even in its
watered down modernist form–is not worth the trouble.
Another
aspect of this point is that progressive Christians use artificial
contraception and endorse abortion. It’s not rocket science to conclude
that a population who stop having babies will soon die out.
9.
The Church of the South is on the rise. Christianity is most vital in
Africa, Asia and South America. The Christians there are both historic
and modern. They’re young, they’re energetic and they follow a joyful
and dynamic gospel. The African Anglicans moving to expel the
Episcopalians is a hint of the future. Historic Christianity will rise
up and defeat progressive Christianity simply because the first is
authentic and the second is a counterfeit faith.
10.
Progressives are dull and respectable. They used to think they were the
radical ones, but they’ve gone grey and suburban and become part of the
establishment. They always go with the crowd, especially if that crowd
pretends to be “radical” or “subversive”. Respectability is the kiss of
death to real religion, and bourgeois radicalism is really the pits.
11.
The Historic Christians are now the radicals. When the whole world
becomes liberal it is the conservative who is the radical. When the
whole world is wrapped in moral decadence chastity becomes radical. When
the whole world is consumed with gluttony the one who fasts is radical.
When the whole world is devoured by relativism the dogmatist is the
radical. When the whole world is blinded by materialism it is the
supernaturalist who is the radical. Christianity is only good news when
it is radical and so it is the historic and heroic Christians who will
prevail.
12. All Are Welcome…to leave. The
irony is that their final, infallible dogma for progressives is that
“all are welcome”. They never stop to realize that a religion can only
be a religion if it has boundaries. It’s not a club if there are no
membership rules and its not a church if there’s no dogma or moral
expectations. Consequently, while they cry happily, “This is a house of
prayer for all people” it will increasingly be an empty house of prayer
for no people. The doors of the progressive churches may be wide
open…but that’s so the people can get out as soon as possible.
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