Friday, August 8, 2008

The schizophrenia of pluralism

after reading this article this morning:

http://www.modernreformation.org/default.php?page=articledisplay&var1=ArtRead&var2=178&var3=main

i needed a shot of sanity. and if it seems to be schizophrenic to you too, do yourself a HUGE favor and go read this thread by Doug Wilson discussing Greg Boyd's book, "The Myth of a Christian Nation". (start at the bottom and work your way up)

http://www.dougwils.com/index.asp?Action=ArchivesByTopic&TopicID=93

and then do yourself another favor and read Peter Leithart's book "Against Christianity." as a few reviewers have put it:

When Leithart says he is against "Christianity" he does not mean the the Christian faith. He is not attacking God, nor is he attacking the Church. But the privatized, individualized, depoliticized, religion that turns everything into propositions and is reductionistic in its outlook. He is attacking the silliness that naturally ensues when men try to fashion the Kingdom of God in their own image.

Dr. Leithart does a great job showing the political implications for the gospel. The Church is called to be a culture of her own, and to eclipse all other cultures with hers.

Leithart argues that "Christianity" sets itself up as just one more popsicle stand within a broader culture, the "real" one we live in. He writes, for example:

"Contextualization be damned. The Church's mission is not to accomodate her language to the existing language, to disguise herself so as to slip in unnoticed and blend in with the existing culture."

Leithart argues for a belief in a Christian culture, one in which Christ is recognized and honored as the head of all things, in which worship is once again narrative, retelling the mighty acts of God, and one in which the idea of modern "Christianity" is gone from our minds. Amen, come Lord Jesus. Thy Kingdom Come!

Oh, and today's date is 8-8-8....and no rapture in sight!!!

;-)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The vast majority of evangelicals have an ideal of evangelizing the culture with "culturial or even worldly activities" instead of the preached Word of God. How we need in our day the Word of God preached in such a way that it transforms our world view into something other than our cultures and into a biblical one. It would eventuall effect(or sanctify) everything we do, even down to Sabbath keeping, which most evangelicals and even reformed have such a low view of!

Ken