Christians

At some time during their lives, the following people have publicly identified themselves as Christian.   Inclusion in this list does not indicate approval or disapproval of the person, of their orthodoxy or lack of it, or of their actions.  Some of those listed may surprise you.  Readers are encouraged to suggest persons who should be included on this list.  This is a recurring segment in this blog.

Abraham Johannes Muste: (b. 1885, Netherlands – d. 1967; A.J. Muste) American Clergyman, civil rights activist, pacifist.  Muste was a proponent of the Social Gospel.  He was a Dutch Reformed Socialist who became a Quaker Christian pacifist.

Honorio Hermeto Carneiro Leao, Marquis of Parana: (b. 1801, Brazil –d. 1856) Judge, politician, diplomat, and monarchist.  Roman Catholic.

Howard Thurman: (b. 1899, Florida (USA) – d. 1981) Baptist minister, educator, author, philosopher, theologian, civil rights leader.  Thurman was a mentor to Martin Luther King, Jr.

James Leonard Farmer, Jr.: (b. 1920, Texas (USA) – d. 1999) Civil rights activist who organized the 1961 Freedom Ride and was a cofounder of the Congress of Racial Equality.  Son of James Leonard Farmer, Sr. Methodist.

James Leonard Farmer, Sr.: (b. 1886 – d. 1961) Author, theologian, educator, university professor.  Father of James Leonard Farmer, Jr.  Methodist.

Book Comment: If the Church Were Christian, Chapter 1, Part 2

If you are joining this book review series mid-stream , you can read the comments from the beginning by going to the LABELS section following the last post on this page and clicking on PHILIP GULLEY

If the Church Were Christian. Chapter 1, Part 2; in a chapter by chapter series of posts in response to the book by Pastor Philip Gulley. Chapter One: Jesus Would Be a Model for Living Rather Than an Object of Worship.

Pastor Gulley insists that Jesus was a totally orthodox monotheistic Jew who never challenged any of the tenets of Judaism.  This is absolutely true, but Jesus exhibited no hesitation about redefining or "raising the bar" on the meaning of his faith.  "... you have heard it said ... but, I say ..."

Gulley makes the same mistake as many others who attempt to recover the "historical Jesus."  They are  correct to say that the organized church has often "Godized" Jesus to the point where He couldn't really be human (the heresy known as Docetism) and that, to properly understand Him, we must understand that He was a first century orthodox Jewish rabbi.  Saying that, they go on to make the mistake of thinking that He was only a first century orthodox rabbi.  To them, He was human; a brilliant teacher and religious leader; He may have even had a special spark or quality, what the Quakers call "that of God in all people;" but He couldn't have been God and didn't claim to be God.

More to follow later.

Book Comment: If the Church Were Christian

Gully, Philip, If the Church Were Christian. A chapter-by-chapter response.

The propositions put forth by Pastor Gulley are:

1. Jesus would be a model for living rather than an object of worship.

2. Affirming our potential would be more important than condemning our brokenness.

3. Reconciliation would be valued over judgement.

4. Gracious behavior would be more important than right belief.

5. Inviting questions would be valued more than supplying answers.

6. Encouraging personal exploration would be more important than communal uniformity.

7. Meeting needs would be more important than maintaining institutions.

8. Peace would be more important than power.

9. It would be more about love and less about sex.

10. This life would be more important than the afterlife.

This will take a while.  More to follow.

Book Comment: If the Church Were Christian

Gulley, Philip, If the Church Were Christian. A chapter-by chapter response.

Gulley's propositions:

 1. "Jesus would be a model for living rather than an object of worship."

 2. "Affirming our potential would be more important than condemning our brokenness."

 3. "Reconciliation would be valued over judgement."

 4. "Gracious behavior would be more important than right belief."

 5. "Inviting questions would be valued more than supplying answers."

 6. "Encouraging personal exploration would be more important than communal uniformity."

 7. "Meeting needs would be more important than maintaining institutions."

 8. "Peace would be more important than power."

 9. "It would care more about love and less about sex."

10. "This life would be more important than the afterlife."

All, or most, of these propositions have some truth to them and all of them have some error.  They are all based on the "progressive" or "emergent Christian" outlook which views traditional Christianity as outdated and in need of being made relevant.

"Progressive" Christians are dismissive of doctrinal orthodoxy, seeing it as old-fashioned and in need of re-interpretation for the modern world.  They are very likely to adopt "reasonable"modern attitudes and beliefs, some of which are completely at odds with scripture.

Many become sarcastically dismissive of anyone who disagrees with them.  Some of their more progressive ideas cross over a line which makes them a "different gospel," no longer Christian.  

More on this later.

Book Comment: If the Church Were Christian

Gully, Philip, If the Church were Christian.  Rediscovering the Values of Jesus (New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2010)

Philip Gulley is a Quaker minister, writer, and television host.  He was born and raised as a Roman Catholic and won Emmy Awards in 2007 and 2009 for his work on Across Indiana for WFYI Public Television.

He contends that “we should never delude ourselves into thinking that today’s church sprang directly from the mind and witness of Jesus.”  In fact, he believes that the modern church doesn’t seem to share the same values as Jesus.

Gulley states that, “We can’t know what Jesus intended the church to be …” and that we can’t assume that the four gospels’ recounting of the Jesus story are historically accurate.  He points out that the over 39,000 Christian denominations all think that they most  faithfully follow Jesus.

Pastor Gulley represents the views of a significant and growing portion of those who describe themselves as Christian.  These people believe that large portions of traditional orthodox Christianity are outdated and irrelevant to modern life.  Of course, they think that they have the correct modern and relevant Christianity all figured out.

The name of this movement is Emergent Christianity and it is in line with the political movement known as Progressivism.  It is a continuation and extension of the Social Gospel movement begun in the mid-Nineteenth Century.  It is what the secular media now refer to as “mainline Christianity” or “mainline Protestantism” and is the religious understanding of many modern theologians.

The inclination of Evangelical conservative Christians (including those who don’t align themselves with “fundamentalism”) is to reject this version of Christianity as not Christian.  I, myself, do not believe that it is Christian.

Even so, they do have some valid criticisms of Christianity as it has existed over the centuries and as it exists today.

In a series of posts on this book, I will be giving a chapter-by-chapter response to Gulley’s book.  This is not a personal attack on Pastor Philip Gulley.  I’m sure he’s a nice guy.  Nice is great, but this isn’t about nice.  This is about considering challenges to traditional understandings of Christianity; acknowledging and responding to those which have merit  and rejecting those which are based on something other than Scripture and the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Your job is to read the posts, and hopefully the book, and then to make up your own mind.

To just avoid the controversy is to add weight to the argument that traditional Christianity is anti-intellectual, and, besides, Pastor Gulley makes it abundantly clear in his book that he won’t lose any sleep if you disagree with him.

This is part of a continuing chapter-by- chapter response to this book.  More to come. 

Why Jesus Came

"Jesus came to raise the dead. He did not come to teach the teachable; He did not come to improve the improvable; He did not come to reform the reformable. None of those things works." –Robert Farrar Capon

"But when Jesus heard [that], he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.
 But go ye and learn what [that] meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
" Matthew 9: 12-13

Social Justice and the Church

God (I AM, Jahweh, Elohim, Allah, Deos, Theos, etc) is a God of paradoxes, He is the God of Mercy and the God of Righteous Judgement; the last shall be first; those who ostentatiously pray already have their answer; the King of the Universe appeared to us a a poor man; free will and predestination are both true.

Check your Bible, Jesus always spoke with and dealt only with individuals, never with governments or institutions. In front of Annas, the High priest, He spoke directly to Annas. In front of Pilate, Pilate, He spoke directly only to Pilate (John 18:33-38.) Even when Jesus spoke to large groups, He was speaking to His individual listeners.

Throughout the Bible and the teachings of Jesus is a great concern for the poor. Jesus makes it plain that a failure to help the poor is a failure to obey Him. It’s that simple, but that concern for the poor is a consequence of salvation, it is not the Gospel message.

The Gospel message and the ultimate concern of the Church, is that, through His freely given act of Grace, through His substitutionary death on the Cross, Jesus has defeated the consequences of man’s sin (death) and made it available to every individual on Earth.

The social actions of the Church are a vital function but when they become the primary or only focus, they become what many believe to be a heresy, because they replace the Gospel.
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Concerning the identity of the Church: the Church is not an organization, a denomination, or a “movement.” What constitutes the Church is the totality of all true believers in Christ, indwelled by the Holy Spirit. Not everyone who is a church member is a member of the εκκλεσια, the Church.

A Kid's Ear

     My doctor told me today that I had a "kid's ear," one of the worst cases of an ear infection that he had seen in years.  I know now why infants and young children fuss, fidgit, and cry when their ears hurt.  It is a true case of "walk a mile in my shoes."

     Non-believers and some more liberally minded believers use this idea to declare that Christians have no right to criticize, or even question, the actions and beliefs of others.  We must take into account their life experiences, their religious heritage, their nationality, their race,  ... whatever.  The effect is paralyzing moral relativism, the inability to admit that right is right and wrong is wrong.  It all depends on the situation.

     Of course, Christians should understand the influences which have shaped a person and their beliefs and actions, but the influences to which a person has been exposed are no excuse for bad actions.  Each person, and no one else, is responsible for their own choices and actions.  A truly great man, George Washington Carver (1864-1943), who was born as a slave and sold as an infant for a horse. became a scientist, inventor, and educator rather than a bitter twisted man. 

     Christians are called to be compassionate and caring, not judgmental, and to perform good works.  We are also not to dilute the gospel in any way, not to change the gospel in any way, not to compromise to win the favor of other people, and not to be afraid to speak the truth.