10 Commandments Of Progressive Christianity
$7.99
A cautionary look at ten dangerously appealing half-truths.
In 1923, J. Gresham Machen, then a professor at Princeton Seminary, wrote his classic text, Christianity and Liberalism. The book was a response to the rise of liberalism in the mainline denominations of his own day. Machen argued that the liberal understanding of Christianity was, in fact, not just a variant version of the faith, nor did it represent simply a different denominational perspective, but was an entirely different religion. Put simply, liberal Christianity is not Christianity.
What is remarkable about Machen’s book is how prescient it was. His description of liberal Christianity–a moralistic, therapeutic version of the faith that values questions over answers and being “good” over being “right”–is still around today in basically the same form. For this reason alone the book should be required reading, certainly for all seminary students, pastors, and Christian leaders.
Although its modern advocates present liberal Christianity as something new and revolutionary, it is nothing of the sort. It may have new names (e.g., “emerging” or “progressive” Christianity), but it is simply a rehash of the same well-worn system that has been around for generations.
The abiding presence of liberal Christianity struck me not long ago when I came across a daily devotional from Richard Rohr that listed ten principles he thinks modern Christianity needs to embody. These ten principles are actually drawn from Philip Gulley’s book, If the Church Were Christian: Rediscovering the Values of Jesus. In that devotional series, ironically titled “Returning to Essentials,” Rohr sets forth the ten principles as a kind of confessional statement of modern liberalism (while at the same time pretending to deplore confessional statements). They are, in effect, a Ten Commandments for progressive Christianity.
Indeed, these ten sound like they were gathered not so much on the mountaintop as in the university classroom. They are less about God revealing his desires and more about man expressing his own–less Moses, more Oprah.
But take note: each of these commandments is partially true. Indeed, that is what makes this list, and progressive Christianity as a whole, so challenging. It is a master class in half-truths that sound appealing on the surface until you dig down deeper and really explore their foundations and implications. Benjamin Franklin was right when he quipped, “Half the truth is often a
In stock (additional units can be purchased)
SKU (ISBN): 9781949253214
ISBN10: 194925321X
Michael Kruger
Binding: Trade Paper
Published: November 2019
Cruciform Quick
Publisher: Cruciform Press
Print On Demand Product
Related products
-
Berenstain Bears Learn About Heaven
$5.99Encourage children to ask big questions in this new, inspiring story from the Berenstain Bears Living Lights collection.
Something has been on Sister Bear’s mind lately … heaven. Sister asks all the usual folks she knows just might have the answers-from Lizzy Bruin to Grizzly Gran to Cousin Fred. She wonders where heaven is, what it is like, and how you get there. Does she get the answers she is looking for? Or will Preacher Brown explain it all on Sunday?The Berenstain Bears Learn About Heaven:
*Is an inspiring book from the bestselling The Berenstain Bears brand
*Gently encourages children 4-8 to ask big questions about heaven
*Is a welcome addition to the popular Zonderkidz Living Lights series, with over 8.5 million copies sold since 2008Add to cartIn stock (additional units can be purchased)
-
Road To Wisdom
$30.00As the COVID-19 pandemic revealed, we have become not just a hyper-partisan society but also a deeply cynical one, distrustful of traditional sources of knowledge and wisdom. Skepticism about vaccines led to the needless deaths of at least 230,000 Americans. “Do your own research” is now a rallying cry in many online rabbit holes. Yet experts can make mistakes, and institutions can lose their moral compass. So how can we navigate through all this?
In The Road to Wisdom, Francis Collins reminds us of the four core sources of judgement and clear thinking: truth, science, faith, and trust. Drawing on his work from the Human Genome Project and heading the National Institutes of Health, as well as on ethics, philosophy, and Christian theology, Collins makes a robust, thoughtful case for each of these sources–their reliability, and their limits. Ultimately, he shows how they work together, not separately–and certainly not in conflict. It is only when we relink these four foundations of wisdom that we can begin to discern the best path forward in life.
?
Thoughtful, accessible, winsome, and deeply wise, The Road to Wisdom leads us beyond current animosities to surer footing. Here is the moral, philosophical, and scientific framework with which to address the problems of our time–including distrust of public health, partisanship, racism, response to climate change, and threats to our democracy–but also to guide us in our daily lives. This is a book that will repay many readings, and resolve dilemmas that we all face every day.Add to cartIn stock (additional units can be purchased)
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.