Church of the Angry God
Just in case you missed this reflective piece from Larry James that appeared on his blog a few months ago:
It occurs to me that I haven’t spent much time unpacking my theological roots, at least not in any systematic manner, at least not lately since I’ve moved in such a radically different direction over the past several years.
For sure, I have spent many hours dislodging many specifics of the legalistic heritage I inherited from my West Texas farm family.
The strange, almost exotic emphasis on things like how to sing in church, the frequency of the Eucharistic celebration, the mode and meaning of baptism, the organizational details and glossary of the local church, the danger of being too cooperative with other congregations, the hard sell of a denomination that claimed it was non-denominational are all part of the list that goes on and on.
And, when you stop to think it through, it includes some other really important matters…things like how to view women…how to treat members of other races, ethnic groups and nations…the politics of war and peace, social justice and the poor–big ticket issues at home and around the world.
The truth is, I may have spent too much time on these issues in an attempt, both to make peace with my rather bizarre religious heritage and, at the same time, to reform it in some meaningful manner.
Most likely, I could have avoided wasting so much time had I stepped back earlier for a longer, more comprehensive view of the theological system passed along to me from childhood. I also realize that to some extent, everyone could find such an exercise profitable. And, I expect almost everyone will find some aspects of their “theological inheritance” wanting.
But, I have mine with which to deal.
I grew up in a church that was basically kind, welcoming and friendly–at least, that is how it seemed to me as a child. I later realized that this warmth was not necessarily shared automatically outside the church family. I also came to understand that, for the most part, the members of the church of my childhood were incredibly conservative socially and politically. In fact, many were extreme in their political and social worldview. If you are interested, I have stories!
In reflecting on my positive feelings about the warmth of the church, I have come to realize that this was likely true because of the gracious soul of one minister in particular who shaped the spirit of the congregation for over a generation, even though he served for a relatively short tenure.
Back to the longer theological view…it is clear to me now that the community of faith of my childhood envisioned God to be fundamentally an angry deity. A God of judgment, punishment and severe actions was the God we attempted to satisfy on Sundays–morning and night, and then again at mid-week prayers and Bible study.
Our concern for the details of salvation, church polity, worship style and religious exercises could all be traced back to this notion that God was a God who was defined and best understood as a deity seated on a throne of harsh judgment. Everything had to be just right or the God we served was bound to make it right at our eternal expense.
From an early age I read, studied and memorized the details of the mighty acts of this avenging God. In an interesting twist of theological gymnastics, we spent a great deal of time reading the judgments and punishments of this God as revealed in the Hebrew Bible. At times, his judgments wiped out whole nations. At other times, his wrath focused on individuals or small groups who were somehow out of step with his law…the rules that could not be violated without great personal loss. Then, when we turned to deciding how to measure our faithfulness and acceptability as a church, we focused solely on the New Testament, with an emphasis on Acts of the Apostles as we searched for a “safe pattern” for our community. Ironically, we spent very little time focused on Jesus.
We knew all about hell and eternal damnation. . .down to the sounds, smells and feelings. At one time or another, we all felt as if we were bound for the fire, only to be snatched out of the pit of suffering by completing a series of steps on our way to salvation. . .sort of.
We learned quickly that salvation also involved “being faithful unto death”–a feat no one seemed sure how to accomplish. As a result, we threw ourselves into religious observances lined out by a clear pattern that had to be followed if we expected to reach the realms of eternal life.
Our religion was defined almost completely by judgment…its single most important organizing paradigm.
Actually, this turned out to be very convenient for us. As most of us moved up into the middle class, we found that our religious system allowed us to escape the hard realities of the real world. We found it easy to ignore the American Civil Rights Movement, the War in Vietnam, poverty, injustice, racism and countless other matters of here-and-now social importance. After all, we were faithful to the precise pattern we had learned in church and we were on the road to heaven, away from hell. We even sang with gusto that “this world is not my home, I’m just a passing through!”
The paradigm of judgment insured our complete irrelevance as a people in and to our community.
It is this perspective defined by judgment that I have spent the last 30 years or more casting aside.
At some point, I’ll attempt a reflection on our view of the Bible and on the nature of scripture itself. Enough for now.
Sorry, but this helps me process!
ETERNAL SECURITY OR INSECURITY?
Becoming or being the church of an angry God is based more upon our notion of the security of the believers than anything else. Denouncing it as we do, we are more Calvinist than Armenian in our heart-felt views of spiritual security.
In spiritual terms, there is nothing more important than KNOWING THE LORD and MAKING OUR CALLING AND ELECTION SURE. It is imperative that Christian faith be based upon a clearly biblical understanding of both “sin” and “salvation.” God’s eternal plan in Jesus Christ makes possible the salvation for every person ever born into the human family. Since the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Lord makes it possible for all His children to understand, experience and proclaim the “gospel of eternal security.” Our heavenly Father desires us to know Him and experience the security of being held securely in His hands and arms:
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one. (John 10:27-30, NIV)
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 38-39, NIV)
He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6, NIV)
God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5b-6, NIV)
We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God (Jesus) keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him. (1 John 5:18, NIV)
We can be absolutely sure about WHO we are in Christ:
- God’s children (Jn. 1:12)
- Saints serving the Lord (Eph. 1:1)
- Christ’s friends (Jn. 15:15)
- Adopted into God’s family (Eph. 1:5)
- Justified/fully pardoned (Rom. 5:1)
- Given access to God in the Spirit (Eph. 2:18)
- Bought with a price ((1 Cor. 6:19-20)
- Redeemed & forgiven (Col. 1:14)
- Members of Christ’s body (1 Cor. 12:27)
- Complete in Christ (Col. 2:10)
The Lord wants us to know ETERNAL SECURITY in Christ:
- Free from all condemnation (Rom. 8:1-2)
- Citizens of heaven (Phil. 3:20)
- Sure all works together for good (Rom. 8:28)
- Not given the spirit of fear (2 Tim. 1:7)
- Free from all charges of guilt (Rom. 8:31-34)
- Given the spirit of power (2 Tim. 1:7)
- Never to be separated from God (Rom. 8:35-39)
- Grace & mercy for every need (Heb. 4:16)
- God will perfect his work in us (Phil 1:6)
- The evil one cannot touch us (1 Jn. 5:18)
God did not create even one person with the intention of eternally destroying His own child! Jesus taught that hell was created for the Devil and his angels, NOT for human beings (Matthews 25:41). If any person is eternally lost in a Devil’s hell, it is NOT because the Almighty planned it that way; it will be in spite of everything that the Father has done to prevent “hell” for us through the gift of His Son and our Savior. If “hell” becomes our destiny, it is not a case of divine homicide or infanticide (God destroying His children) but clearly a case of suicide where we destroy ourselves!
No child is ever “born into the world with the guilt of sin” which a little child can neither understand nor commit. Contrary to what “peddlers of insecurity” have preached, there will NOT be millions of miscarried fetuses in hell because of Adam’s sin. To view God as a parent who would premeditate the eternal destruction of any of His own children would make Him a demonic monster, certainly not the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
The doctrinal conclusion that a fetus is damnably condemned for sin from the moment of conception was first shaped from the perverted mind of Tertullian who was the mentor of Saint Augustine. Tertullian’s views would likely have never been taken seriously by the historic church were it not for his influence over Augustine who became one of the most educated theologians and most prolific writers in the Medieval Church. None of us bears the iniquity or guilt of sin from our parents or from our very first ancestral parents from the Garden of Eden.
The soul who sins is the one who will die. The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him.
(Ezekiel 18:20, NIV)
God did not hold an eternal “election” and leave any of us off the ballot. “Peddlers of insecurity” (who embrace the doctrine of “guilt from conception” discussed above) also hold to the notion that before the creation of the world, the Almighty chose or “elected” ahead of time to selectively save some individuals while intentionally leaving others completely out of His salvation choice. A Father, who would show such partiality among His children, is certainly not the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! The beauty of God’s “covenant election” in Jesus Christ is that everyone’s name is on the ballot. More than that, God cast the final vote to sway the election and undeniably demonstrate that He is not willing that even one single person be left out but that everyone should come to Him. I praise God that I too am part of His promise of eternal “whoever, everyone, anyone, all” impartiality!
Hear what Lord Jesus said about God’s “whoever, everyone, anyone, all” election:
-For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that WHOEVER believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16, NIV)
-I tell you, WHOEVER acknowledges me before men, and the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. (Luke 12:8, NIV)
-WHOEVER believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. (Mark16:16. NIV)
Hear what the Apostle Peter said about the Lord’s “whoever, everyone, anyone, all” election:
-Repent and be baptized, EVERYONE OF YOU, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and FOR ALL who are far off–for all whom the Lord our God will call.
(Acts 2:38-39, NIV)
-I now realize how true it is that God DOES NOT SHOW FAVORITISM but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. (Acts 10:34-35, NIV)
-All the prophets testify about him that EVERYONE who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. (Acts 10:43, NIV)
-The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but EVERYONE to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9, NIV)
Hear what the Apostle Paul said about the Lord’s “whoever, everyone, anyone, all” election:
-For GOD DOES NOT SHOW FAVORITISM. (Romans 2:11, NIV)
As the Scripture says, “ANYONE who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is LORD OF ALL and richly BLESSES ALL who call on him, for, “EVERYONE who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:11-13, NIV)
Hear what the Lord’s beloved Apostle John said about the Lord’s “whoever, everyone, anyone, all” election:
-EVERYONE who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. (1 John 5:1, NIV)
-The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” WHOEVER is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. (Revelation 22:17, NIV)
The death of Jesus on the cross was designed to be a universal sacrifice for the sins of the entire human family. “Peddlers of insecurity” have left hundreds of sincere seekers wailing in despair at the altar of churches because they did not receive some “subjective sign” to make them confident that Jesus died for them. Such grieving souls must be given opportunity to hear the true gospel that the “atonement” (reconciliation), made possible by the blood of Jesus, offered a universal promise and was not just limited to God’s pre-picked favorites, selected before the creation of the world to the exclusion of others.
Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life FOR ALL MEN.
(Romans 5:18, NIV)
This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants ALL MEN to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a RANSOM FOR ALL MEN—the testimony given in its proper time. (1 Timothy 2:4-6, NIV)
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to ALL MEN. (Titus 2:11, NIV)
God’s salvation grace offers all of lost humanity a CHOICE, NOT A CHANCE! Almighty God is very polite. He does not impose Himself or His will upon any of us. He comes to relate with us only by our invitation, our welcoming His Son into our hearts and lives. He already made the eternal “choice” for us to spend eternity with Him in heaven. He has already cast the deciding vote in the “election” to our place as children in His regal mansion. But the King of the Universe does not make share a place in His mansion. “Peddlers of insecurity” remove human choice from the salvation equation and the end result is often a combination of “cheap grace and hypocritical faith.”
The Lord’s saving grace is compelling but it is NOT “irresistible!” Our relationship with the Lord requires our choice and our obedient response to the call of God in Christ:
See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. (Deuteronomy 30:15-18, NIV)
But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD. (Joshua 24:15, NIV)
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30, NIV)
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20, NIV)
God’s pre-determined scheme of redemption is His plan of salvation in Christ which He designed before the creation of the world! This is what God’s “predestination” is all about. Furthermore, His New Covenant blessings (just like His Old Covenant blessings for the Jewish nation) are only for those who choose to be in a faithful relationship with His Son and our Savior Jesus Christ. Biblical “predestination” is not the case of God’s preselecting individuals who can never be lost! “Peddlers of insecurity” do untold damage to the faith and faithfulness of believers by proclaiming unconditional promises of security for believers who would blatantly dare to abandon the faith of Jesus and turn their souls over to Satan and pursue rebellion against the Lord’s will. Many passages of Scripture teach graphically about the possibility of apostasy (abandoning faith, falling from grace and being cut off from Christ). There will always be some who deny their faith, abandon the Savior (like Judas did) and become rebellious children of our heavenly Father:
I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. He CUTS OFF every branch in me that bears no fruit. I am the vine; you are the branches. IF A MAN REMAINS IN ME and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. IF ANYONE DOES NOT REMAIN IN ME, he is like a branch that is THROWN AWAY and withers; such branches are picked up, THROWN INTO THE FIRE AND BURNED. (John 15:1-2, 5-6, NIV)
You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have FALLEN FROM GRACE. (Galatians 5:4, NIV)
Fight the good fight, holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have SHIPWRECKED THEIR FAITH. (1 Timothy 1:18b-19, NIV)
It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, IF THEY FALL AWAY, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. (Hebrews 6:4-6, NIV)
If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are WORSE OFF AT THE END THAN THEY WERE AT THE BEGINNING. It would have been BETTER FOR THEM NOT TO HAVE KNOWN THE WAY OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. (2 Peter 2:20-21, NIV)
Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and FALL FROM YOUR SECURE POSITION.
(2 Peter 3:17, NIV)
To understand our indelible identity, our divine DNA in Christ, is absolutely essential for us to live the victorious Christian life! This understanding of our spiritual identity equips us to enjoy an eternally “safe and secure” relationship with the Lord Jesus.
Satan’s damning lie is that we are sinners because we sin. He tries to confuse our faith by getting us to define our identity in terms of what other people say about us. This slippery slope of demonic lies dumps us into an eternal pit filled with broken lives which reflect the same kind of negative self-image of all who might end up in a devil’s hell. Behavior clearly reflects how we view ourselves and what we believe about ourselves.
In contrast, God’s truth insists that we can be saints (those declared righteous by God) but who (through weakness, not self-deceiving rebellion) do commit sins:
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. (1 John 1:5-10)
Our identity must derive from what God has done for us and continues to do for us with the blood of His Son. Our self-image must reflect what God says about us. What we believe about ourselves does shape our behavior. A more comprehensive biblical understanding about “sin and salvation” offers us “hope and eternal security!”
Let me piggyback on Dale’s comments about racism having always existed and still being in the church. I find it very strange that the left-leaning churches among the brotherhood who harshly criticize us–most often among other religious groups-don’t fare all that much better on the race issue. These churches lament the treatment that African-American received in yesteryears, yet these same Blacks don’t really have a presence in their churches (please don’t write back with an exception ‘here’ or ‘there;’ this is the norm and it cannot be denied). It’s like the Democrats yelling “bloody racists” at the Republicans, yet President Bush has appointed more Blacks to Cabinet positions than President Clinton (FYI, I have never voted for George Bush).
Pepperdine, the model for the left wing of the church and other Christian Universities, will suffice as an example. Do you know where Pepperdine is located? Do you know where it used to be? Do you really know why it changed location? What comes to mind when you hear Malibu? What about Watts?
Okay, one more example. One church in Nashville that boast of this new enlightenment among us, when they constructed their new edifice, built it just across the proverbial train tracks in the rich, White part of town. Why not build it in the black area of town and truly become missional and emergent (key words for the new enlightenment crowd). Hey, I’m not saying they had to build in the black area to be Christians, but then don’t turn around and lecture me about how you’re really different from the 50s churches in mindset.
True enlightenment is manifested in a change in behavior and not in writing pretty on your blogs and magazines. I see many of our left-leaning, mega-churches as still lilly-White, while the African-Americans (not just color, but culture) and illegal aliens are placed on a pedestal as “the oppressed,” yet never reach a level of leadership or influence among those churches.
And then when their white daughter wants to date a black guy . . .
No, we’re not enlightened as we’d like to think.
What in the world is your point, Maddog?!
. . . that we’re not enlightened as we’d like to think.
You certainly illustrated that well. Thanks.
EVERY SECTARIAN SYSTEM NEEDS AN ANGRY GOD TO CONTROL THE PEOPLE AND HEEP THEM IN LINE WITH THE PARTY BOSSES.
The central issue, which tipped the scale for my wife and me, was facing the question we faced over and over again in virtually all our years and all of our congregations in the CofC:
“Is it most faithful for us to spend the rest of our lives supporting a theological system which we sincerely feel is more like the Pharisees than the Son of God whom they crucified in the name of “doing right?”
In more blunt terms (which you can appreciate I am sure) we feel the theological foundation of the CofC is sectarian at its base and cultic in approach.
One example of this exclusionist approach was a year ago when we contacted the elders at Sunset to see if we could use their baptistery (we had nearly 40 baptisms last year). In the most polite terms possible, they expressed much discomfort because we were not “Church of Christ” but rather “Jesus’ Community.” We had no differences about baptism. Their polite discomfort was so apparent that we withdrew our request and instead purchased a portable baptistery which we set up and fill each Lord’s Day.
Bottom-line, I sincerely believe that any historical group in the long line of 2000 years of Christianity (even the 100 year old a’cappella CofC) which essentially believes and operates from the premise that “We are the body of Christ, the sum total of the body of Christ to the exclusion of all other believers in all other groups!” is just as much a cult as the Roman Catholic Church, the Jehovah Witnesses or Mormons, etc., etc.
Anyway, I commend the attached thoughts to your keen minds and good hearts. If these writings bless you in your search for truth and your walk with Him, I praise God! If you feel these writings represent a perversion of the truth of the gospel, by all means discard them and just stay with your best understandings or misunderstandings of God’s word. I do pray the tone of the writings is gracious and would not be offensive to anyone who deeply loves Jesus.
Kieth,
Exclusivity is not the one and only trait of being a cult, yet your posts leaves that impression. You yourself are exclusive. Exclusivity, like most terms, is relative. Do you believe Muslims are part of God’s people? According to the teaching of the New Testament, will atheists be saved? Are Mormons your brethren in the Lord?
Now I’m taking for granted that your answer is no to all of the above (If not, you have another issue here). So, exclusivity is not the issue. You simply need to state that you don’t agree with the lines of fellowship that typically, historically and generally have been drawn among Churches of Christ. When we begin to articulate the issues correctly, honestly, and (especially on this blog) fairly, perhaps that will be the start to some productive dialogue among the ever-polarizing ends of brotherhood.
Oh, come on Maddog! You sound like my grad school professor, Dr. T. Warren, who whenever you challenged him for castigating those outside the CofC would retort, “Well, you’re judging me right now, aren’t you? What makes you any different?”
We serve a God of inclusion, not exclusion. But some choose not to be included (i.e. Muslims, Hindus, some Jews, etc.) People of God are inclusive, not exclusive…meaning we look for any and every inch of common ground, even if it only serves as a beginning point for conversation and brotherhood (even among the aforementioned groups). That’s a far cry from what I’ve experienced from our CofC friends, and I think that is what Kieth is expressing.
You are attempting to defend a dead and dying system. Your diatribe of May 24 is a perfect example of trying to find some rationale for the system you’ve chosen. It’s time to open your eyes and smell the fajitas! Geeez!
It is hard to read the bible and not see an angry and wrathful God. I believe that our failure is taking these natures of God out of context and applying them to support our presupposed ideas and thinking. The two pillars of a “cult” are to suppose that only their thinking is correct and then to put the “fear of God’ behind it. No matter how much we want to deny it many of the churches of the past and present have doctrines and theologies that make almost everything into an issue of salvation. Dave Miller’s new book assaulting North Richland Hills for their Saturday night instrumental service with the Lord Supper says this on the first page: “Souls are at stake”. I can produce many writings from the Gospel Advocate to Christian Chronicle that still see almost everything as an absolute issue of salvation including not just modest but “appropriate” dress when one attends an assembly to the length of a man’s hair. If God is really mostly concerned with all these details that have little to nothing to do with someone’s core character then I cannot believe in a God like that any longer. There is something inside of me that simply cannot see God or good in that kind of control and theology.
To say you do not or will not see God a particular way is one thing; to say you cannot see Him a particular way is something else. In fact, such points to an effort to control theology–the makings of the very cultic approah you seek to avoid. “I thank God that I am not like TBW who judged others.” Indeed, it can become easy to become pharisaical toward pharisees.