Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

As stated last week, this is the same introduction for all “Liberal Christian” essays.  If you have read this opening before, you can skip to the Scripture immediately before the pink highlighted quotation.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

• Romans 12:2

“Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: You have been more unruly than the nations around you and have not followed my decrees or kept my laws. You have not even conformed to the standards of the nations around you.

• Ezekiel 5:7

And you will know that I am the Lord, for you have not followed my decrees or kept my laws but have conformed to the standards of the nations around you.”

• Ezekiel 11:12

“Liberalism is a thorough-going adaptation of Christian theology to the modern world. Liberals are prepared to sacrifice many elements of traditional Christian orthodoxy in their search for contemporary relevance. The same sacrifice has also been made by others who would not call themselves Liberals in the classical sense.”

• Tony Lane, A Concise History of Christian Thought

“Good philosophy must exist, if for no other reason bad philosophy must be answered.”

• C. S. Lewis

Editor’s Note: The Romans 12 and Ezekiel quotes are followed by a preface to the section on modern Liberalism within Christian thought.  In no other sections of his book does he give such a “warning” of sorts, although maybe a few should have had such warnings.  The author considered skipping this section of the book as being a waste of time, but then the C. S. Lewis quote kept calling.  Apologies for not identifying the source by book.  I am thinking either Mere Christianity or God in the Docks.  Due to the liberal idea of only accepting the parts of the Bible that match their way of thinking, R. C. Sproul said in one of his Bible study series that “Liberal Christian” was an oxymoron.  Once you carve through the Bible, accepting what you like and discarding what you do not like, you have created your own God.  Calling the God that you created “Jesus” does not make him the Jesus of the Bible.  These posts are only provided due to Lewis’ assertion that good philosophy must exist if for no other reason to answer to bad philosophy.

This is what the Lord says:
“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
    who draws strength from mere flesh
    and whose heart turns away from the Lord.

• Jeremiah 17:5

It is better to take refuge in the Lord
    than to trust in humans.

• Psalm 118:8

Do not put your trust in princes,
    in human beings, who cannot save.

• Psalm 146:3

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

• Ephesians 2:8-10

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

• Philippians 2:12-13

“ ‘One cannot arrive at and maintain individual conviction of faith in isolation from the already existing community of faith … The blessings which accrue to the individual are only imparted to him in common with all the others with whom he is bound up, through the same salvation, in the unity of the church. … The individual can therefore appropriate the forgiveness of sins by faith only when he unites in his faith at once trust in God and Christ, and the intention to connect himself with the community of believers’. (The Christian Doctrine of justification and Reconciliation, Volume 3, Chapter 2).”

• Tony Lane, A Concise History of Christian Thought

Note: I highlighted the quote in pink.  This is heresy of the highest order.  His premise and his conclusion are both lies and have no place in a book on “Christian Thought.”

Albrecht Benjamin Ritschl (1822-1889) was a Lutheran pastor and bishop.  He ascribed to systematic theology, where one can reason the truths of our beliefs.  The late R. C. Sproul was a systematic theologian who used his system to understand what God says about Himself in the Bible.  It seems Ritschl threw the Bible away and focused on philosophical principles.

Ritschl’s philosophy centers around the community.  In the quote, he says we must rid ourselves of the idea that salvation is by Grace through faith in Jesus Christ.  Our faith must be in the community of like-minded people.  Note: I did not say like-minded believers.

Ritschl followed the philosophy of Schleiermacher, thinking Jesus was a good teacher.  And as a mere teacher, the true faith, in his twisted thinking was in the community, in the church.

During his life, there were many wars in Europe.  The major players in many of these small wars were the Ottoman Empire, the Austrian Empire, the Russian Empire, and the Prussians.  Various groups that were subjugated would rebel and the rebellion was soon squashed.

Thus, the concept of safety within a strong-knit community made sense, but it throws out the foundation of our faith in that salvation is by Grace through faith and not of works.  Creating a man-made community, especially a walled city, is definitely a search for salvation by works.

But I could have said, and did say at the beginning, that this heresy has no place in a book on Christian Thought, but then said no more.  Ritschl reduces Jesus to a mere teacher and then eliminates faith in Him, replacing it with the community.

But C. S. Lewis says that bad philosophy must be answered.

And that brings me to people I have met in church, church elders in fact, over the past thirty years.  Some proudly proclaim that they do not have a Christian testimony.  Others would whisper in private that they had no faith and if they died that night, they had no idea where they would be going.  Others said they believed, intellectually, in God, but this “Jesus Character” was just too much.  There was no way he ever existed in their mind.

All of these people were not just members of a church, but elders in that church, decision makers, people that not just vote but stand up to give their sage opinion and sway others to their viewpoint.  Yet, they do not have a Christian viewpoint.  They admit, most in private, that they do not believe.  And sadly, most of these that I have mentioned have passed away in that unbelief.

Why did I include Ritschl in this series?

He has followers, even today, who never knew his teaching.  Yet, they said the words “Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior” because they wanted to belong to the community so that the community could save them.

You may have some like this sitting next to you in church.

“Good philosophy must exist, if for no other reason bad philosophy must be answered.”

• C. S. Lewis

Do not believe in man-made institutions.  Trust in God but have a group of like-minded BELIEVERS to help guide and teach you, keeping you on the straight and narrow path.  We can have saving faith without community.  Ritschl was wrong about that.  But sometimes that community is symbiotic in that each of us grows stronger in faith by working out our faith with those close to us.  We are saved by faith alone, but sometimes a community helps to strengthen us and helps us grow.

If you like these Tuesday morning essays about philosophy and other “heavy topics,” but you think you missed a few, you can use this LINK. I have set up a page off the home page for links to these Tuesday morning posts. I will continue to modify the page as I add more.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.