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Heresy of Evangelical Christians?
Most of my adult life I’ve been keenly aware of how the evangelical community has defended the Jews and Israel; I realize that this feeling is shared by many other Christian communities, but since the evangelical churches are under attack by their Progressive Christian brethren, I’m calling attention to them.
Signatories of the Boston Declaration covered in sackcloth and ashes. (Courtesy of Susan Thistlethwaite)
Recently I learned about one of the most blatant modern attacks on Christians by westerners that I’ve heard of, and I felt compelled to speak out.
Let me say first that I realize that every religion has had its internal conflicts; some of them have been deadly; others have simply been ugly; and still others have been encouraged by governments and politics. This latest struggle has been created by a group of Christian pastors and academics. They are attacking evangelicals as heretics, by distorting the beliefs and values of their co-religionists in a way that I believe is unconscionable and evil.
I heard about this organization when I was driving in the car, where I sometimes listen to NPR. The station was promoting a program called “The Three Wise Guys”—hosted by an imam, pastor, and a rabbi. Needless to say, they are all progressive. They were promoting an upcoming guest, the Reverend Doctor Sylvia Thistlethwaite, who would be on the program December 26. Since it has already aired, you can listen to the program here. She spoke about a major meeting, following the creation by two dozen people * of a document called The Boston Declaration; this is the opening of the declaration:
As followers of Jesus, the Jewish prophet for justice whose life reminds us to, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ (Mark 12:31) we hear the cries of women and men speaking out about sexual abuse at the hands of leaders in power and we are outraged. We are outraged by the current trends in Evangelicalism and other expressions of Christianity driven by white supremacy, often enacted through white privilege and the normalizing of oppression. Confessing racism as the United States’ original and ongoing sin, we commit ourselves to following Jesus on the road of costly discipleship to seek shalom justice for the least, the lost, and the left out. We declare that following Jesus today means fighting poverty, economic exploitation, racism, sexism, and all forms of oppression from the deepest wells of our faith.
They formally introduced this document in Boston, MA:
The action by Christian theologians, who are grieving over the corruption of U.S. Christianity, took place outside a meeting in Boston, Mass., of the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature, the largest annual gathering of religious scholars and leaders in the U.S. In conjunction with the physical demonstration, the group of faith leaders and theologians launched The Boston Declaration at the Old South Church at 12:30 pm on Monday, November 20th. That church, established in 1669 and considered the “mother church” of Congregationalism in America, played a significant role in the American Revolution. From it, in 1773, Samuel Adams gave the signal that started the Boston Tea Party.
I was outraged by this statement. These Christians not only attacked evangelicals, but they tried to draw an association between their group and the American Revolution. They also tried to show a connection between the Barmen Declaration of 1934 when Christian theologians took a stand against Adolph Hitler’s control of the church. The inference was clearly intended to show a connection between today’s evangelicals and the Nazis.
They make no secret of the fact that their agenda is a political one:
‘We’re trying not to be dramatic,’ said Rev. Dr. Susan Thistlethwaite, teacher at the Chicago Theological Seminary and a spokesperson for the Declaration in an interview with People’s World, ‘but to bring some kind of repentance for conservative Christianity which has been hijacked by political hacks.’
Members of this group have committed to “interrogate” Democratic and Republican 2018 candidates regarding their concerns.
If you look at the Boston Declaration, you will find every Progressive issue listed, supposedly demonstrated by evangelicals: racism, sexism, empire building, homophobia, white supremacy and Islamaphobia, for starters. Ironically they criticize anti-Semitism while “standing with the plight for human rights with our Palestinian brothers and sisters.” Since they are essentially attacking any conservative Christian, whether the person considers himself or herself evangelical, all conservative Christians are targeted, and by extension, so are all conservatives.
I find this entire movement so detestable and hateful that I want my evangelical friends and Christians of any kind to know that this Jew cares about you, and I believe my statement applies to many others at Ricochet, whether they are religious or not.
What do you think of this group and the accusations they are making?
Published in Religion & Philosophy
I’m definitely trying to convince you, Susan. If I truly believe what I believe, that the only way to the Father is through the Son, but then I don’t at least attempt to convince you that this is true, how little must I think of you? What I’m not doing, however, is passing judgement on you should you reject what I think is the Truth. That is between you and God!
I remember a Mormon guy telling me that they were taught never to proselytize Muslims. He said that it because it is too dangerous for them (the Muslim). I remember thinking (thought I didn’t say it) “How small is your God?” I mean, if the Muslim converts, and then is the victim of an honor killing, how wonderful for him! He goes to the Father a martyr for the faith. Don’t get me wrong: I don’t want him to be killed. But better that than to live a life as a Muslim and then suffer eternity separated from God!
The Old Testament to Christians, along with lineage, was a guidebook from God on how to be holy. There are many rituals, including only eating certain foods, and animal sacrifices – there are many others. I’m not sure what goes beyond that for Jews – what the afterlife is like, no belief in hell etc.
When God became man through Jesus, the message was, there was no more earning your way to heaven. You don’t have to do this on this day, not eat that, say a specific prayer, etc. He took on the sins of the world, yet was blameless, sinless – a pure soul, He overcame death and hell, and rose again and offers grace, freely to all who believe – you are washed clean with baptism. It doesn’t mean you are perfect and sinless, but with your flaws, you are good enough as you are.
The most important part of it is this is not our home – but a temporary dwelling, both spiritually and physically – there is an eternity – both hell and heaven are real. But choosing between good and evil is a choice – like a father wants love from his children, and to be good, but doesn’t control the child’s life. He or she has to choose. It’s also a very outwardly focused faith – a focus on the other and not self.
Yet it seems to be a faith that other religions fear the most for some reason. Most of the Middle East, or Communist or Authoritarian countries ban Christians sharing their faith, or having a Bible. You can be jailed or worse. Why? What is the threat? Christians aren’t afraid of others who are of a different faith or no faith.
Fascinating story, Spin. I’m not going to speculate on another’s experience with G-d. She sounds like a courageous woman, given the consequences of her actions. For the record, Buddha isn’t considered divine, either; I was a Zen Buddhist for 20 years; Buddhism doesn’t have conversion or require that one give up one’s previous religion. I’ve often told people that through meditation (which is central to Zen) is when I felt closest to G-d. I don’t still practice Zen, although I still believe many of its tenets.
BTW no offense taken on your comment about Jesus.
Edit: I still meditate
I think others fear us, FSC, because it compromises their absolute power. If you believe in G-d, how can you possibly fully devote yourself to the state?
BTW, in response to your comment, our time on earth is very important to Jews. We are here to be creative and active and serve G-d. If we do that, we don’t give much thought to hell or heaven.
I can’t lie that there is some hope of persuasion, but it is never the primary goal in my discussions. I really do enjoy the back and forth and I frequently learn something in debate. Joining Ricochet has taught me that I really know far less about certain things than I had been lulled into thinking because my immediate peer group thinks I know everything.
When talking about what I believe, I don’t think its my job to convert. Its between you and God, not me and you. The only thing I can do is be a good witness to what I believe is true. Good theology? Loving conversation (even if it is a debate)? Have I studied to show myself a good workman (frequently of late, that answer is not so much… I must change that)?
So, a hope that you might be convinced, but not the primary focus of my conversation. Basically, my primary goal is to not get in the way if you would be convinced. Does that make sense?
These are great tips for talking to people on Ricochet about anything, IMO: Don’t assume other person is dishonest, uninformed/unintelligent, or will agree if you argue with them hard enough.
Thanks for sharing, @skipsul.
Wonderful advice. Maybe also pray for God to bless them. Something like these verses in Numbers 6
24 “The Lord bless you and keep you;
25 the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”
For myself I often pray for wisdom, grace, and clarity when discussing serious things like matters of faith.
This is a beautiful and touching statement, @stina. Thank you so much for your candor. I’m moved and honored about your sharing, and I so appreciate your directness.
Ok, well Obama then. I suppose now you’ll tell me you used to be a Democrat, and they never considered him divine?
Hahahahaha!!! I was Democrat–at least I grew up in a Democrat family. But I’ve seen the light!!
You are right – and may be the point to your post – if you make it (religion) about politics, social justice or the trend of the hour, it takes your eyes off God and His message.
Ricochet’s Mormons, @spin, have mentioned some of their afterlife beliefs, and it may be that those beliefs motivate a different calculation of prudence when it comes to evangelizing. For example, from Brigham Young University’s Encyclopedia of Mormonism on “spirit prison” and “salvation of the dead”:
The distinctiveness Mormons claim for this belief lies in the specifics. A more general hope for postmortem repentance has a long history within Christian tradition (it is recorded in Clement of Alexandria’s surviving documents, and he died c 215 AD), though not as established doctrine. Some denominations permit the hope, though they don’t establish it as doctrine. Other denominations consider the hope heterodox.
Among Catholic and big-O Orthodox theologians, there are several who have expressed the hope in ways their church establishments have found non-heretical, and the ones I’m familiar with would generally be described as theologically conservative.
An oft-cited prudential reason for discouraging this hope is that the hope risks discouraging diligence – why be diligent to repent now if it’s never too late, even after death? So it’s noteworthy that having this hope established as doctrine has not kept Mormons from being one of the more diligent religious organizations out there, in terms of actively living their faith and in terms of evangelism, too, even if they do shy away from evangelizing to those for whom conversion is a mortal risk. I also wonder if the Mormon understanding of family in salvation also plays a role in this specific reluctance. If an evangelee has dependent family members who’d suffer if he were martyred, especially if the suffering were apt to cause them moral upheaval (if shame and penury invite prostitution or drug-dealing, for example), that might be a rather more Pyrrhic victory in Mormon theology than in other denominations’ theology.
The Mormons I remember having these conversations with earlier on Ricochet are less active than they once were, or I’d @mention them. Though, we may have other Mormons following this thread who could chime in.
I missed this comment, Spin. So I want to respond now. I don’t understand the bolded part of your comment. Isn’t everyone worthy of conversion? Or are you saying that if you didn’t try to convince me, you would have to resign yourself to the fact that I will go to hell? Then I would say that that your feeling that way is your problem, not mine. (That sounds snarky and I don’t intend to sound that way.) I guess the question is, is there ever a time when a Christian (and I know you might only be speaking for yourself) respects the other person’s belief and lets go of the conversion approach? I don’t object to your hoping that I will convert–but if your hope overly influences what you say or how you say it, that can create a barrier between us. And I don’t think G-d would want that. Your hope reminds me of my favorite Emily Dickinson poem: Hope is the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul, and sings the song without the words, and never stops at all . . .