cmotherofpirl Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Mushy Christianity MICHAEL NOVAK One of the greatest of recent seductions by that wily devil Screwtape -- perfectly fitted to the times -- is to puff a tiny sugar crystal of Christianity into sweetish airy cotton candy. "IN-clusiveness!" he will insist. "Christianity is about nothing if not IN-clusiveness." That is how Screwtape sweet-talks you into affirming that some abomination (divorce, abortion, euthanasia, adultery, gay marriage) is, actually, included within the broad reach of Christian love. It would be positively un-Christian to think ill of that "abomination." You should be ashamed you ever thought it was wrong. Are you a bigot or something? "Strange!" I would have thought, "Christianity is about EX-clusion." On the last day the Judge shall divide the world into sheep and goats, you over on the left, you over on the right. A few of you will be chosen to enter with me into Paradise. The rest will descend, as you have chosen, into everlasting punishment. I have come not to bring peace, but the sword. He who is not with me is against me. God sent His light into the darkness, and the darkness received it not. The gate is narrow, and the way is strait. Only a tiny remnant will be saved. There was much weeping, and tears, and gnashing of teeth. You can look it up. Take half an hour, skim through the gospels of Matthew and Mark. (Even more "un-Christian" are some of the Epistles of St. Paul.) Screwtape has it all wrong. The moment you encounter someone stressing how IN-clusive Christianity is, walk away from him quickly, for the truth is not in him. Conspicuously was this true of the infamous Newsweek article putting homosexual liaisons in paradise, and picturing marriage (in the Christian view) as a kind of hell. This article appeared at Christmastime -- Christmastime! And it was later defended by the usually clear-eyed editor of Newsweek, John Meacham. That is the shrewdest sign of how skillful Screwtape is. He picks none but the best. But another case: Much that passes today for "environmentalism" is exceedingly vulnerable to sudden and unexpected factual disproof. Old-fashioned preachments of hellfire and brimstone (in certain types of Christian churches in generations past) seem to have become a template for today's dire depictions of the way the world will end all too soon. If twenty years from now, however, world climate seems to have become dramatically colder year after year (temperatures have been flat or slightly cooler since 1997), and if more discoveries are made about the effect of activities within the Sun, which affect Ice Ages and Warming Ages on Earth, current panic may seem to have been exceedingly naive. Our children and grandchildren may look back at our gullibility with embarrassment. Or maybe not. The point is, to become careful and empirical and fact-oriented, not cause-oriented. For myself (no scientist), I calculate that global cooling is more likely than global warming. Mushy Christianity also results in obscurantist thinking about abortion. Some people think it is more "tolerant," "broadminded"-- more inclusive -- to accept abortion as a new social reality. In fact, until 1973, nearly all jurisdictions in the United States regarded abortion as a disgusting violation of natural right. Alas, what our new abortion regime has done is narrow the circle of life and liberty. This is liberal? This is Christian? President Lincoln not only opposed slavery but also opposed the rights of states to have a "choice" in whether to permit slavery or not. His purpose in opposing both slavery and "choice" was to expand the circle of life and liberty. President Lincoln not only opposed slavery but also opposed the rights of states to have a "choice" in whether to permit slavery or not. His purpose in opposing both slavery and "choice" was to expand the circle of life and liberty. (No one can choose to put himself in slavery; no one can choose to abort himself; therefore, no one has the right to enslave or to abort anyone else.) The dismantling of the institution of slavery was, indeed, a liberal purpose, and a Christian one. Again, on January 23, our new president reinstated the culture of death in American overseas programs and foreign aid. American tax money will again be used to pay for abortions overseas. "What is the solution," I have often heard people overseas ask, "that the richest country on earth brings to the poorest peoples on this planet? Surely a wealthy and caring United States has something better to offer than to pay women of the neediest nations to kill their own children." And to do so during the very months when the children are most defenseless, in their mother's womb. Many here and abroad find this strategy disgusting. Moreover, this crude procedure deprives poor peoples (colored peoples mostly) of the full talents and beauties these not-yet-born human individuals are poised to contribute to the world. Children are the greatest natural resource any nation inherits. Human capital is the greatest and most irreplaceable of all forms of capital. It is the chief cause of the wealth of nations. Each of the discarded little boys and (mostly) girls possesses an utterly individual DNA. No other is quite like any one of them. Abortion deprives Earth of their creative gifts. Christianity came into the world to relieve us from, not add to, these and many other forms of human mush. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Didacus Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 If christianity is inclusive of sin, I may as well become an atheist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatherineM Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Christian Churches that have made themselves the most all inclusive have lost the most membership in the last 30 years. Guess it didn't work out too well for them after all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 All are called though. Just as long as we don't lose sight of that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MithLuin Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Yes - come as you are. Jesus had no qualms hanging out with prostitutes. Of course, he told the adulteress to "Go, and sin no more." Christianity is about transforming lives. To say that a person is welcome wherever they are right now is very much Christian. To tell them to change their lives....is also very much Christian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noel's angel Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 (edited) I once saw an interesting sign outside a Presbyterian church that said [i]'God loves you as you are, but He loves you too much to leave you as you are.'[/i] I think that's the way we should be too. None of this 'but God loves us all because He created us the way we are'. Erm, no...God loves you but He doesn't love your sins. Edited February 18, 2009 by Noel's angel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mari Therese Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Folks are playing God, deciding what's sinful and what's not. The cross isn't your get outta jail free card, you need to [b]repent and sin no more[/b]. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil Red Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 [quote name='MithLuin' post='1784726' date='Feb 18 2009, 02:52 PM']Yes - come as you are. Jesus had no qualms hanging out with prostitutes. Of course, he told the adulteress to "Go, and sin no more."[/quote] +J.M.J.+ that part's not in the Bible!! at least, according to some people it isn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selah Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 [quote]that part's not in the Bible!![/quote] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 [quote name='Lil Red' post='1784780' date='Feb 18 2009, 04:50 PM']+J.M.J.+ that part's not in the Bible!! at least, according to some people it isn't.[/quote] Is it removed or 'translated differently' in Protestant bibles? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eagle_eye222001 Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 [quote name='Didacus' post='1784378' date='Feb 18 2009, 10:45 AM']If christianity is inclusive of sin, I may as well become an atheist.[/quote] In the last few months, through Apologetics, I have realized that Roman Catholicism is the rise and fall of the Christian God. There is no middle ground. There can't be. If there is, there is no point and values lose their meaning. ---------------- Listening to: [url="http://www.foxytunes.com/artist/nirvana/track/dumb"]Nirvana - Dumb[/url] via [url="http://www.foxytunes.com/signatunes/"]FoxyTunes[/url] [quote name='CatherineM' post='1784418' date='Feb 18 2009, 11:40 AM']Christian Churches that have made themselves the most all inclusive have lost the most membership in the last 30 years. Guess it didn't work out too well for them after all.[/quote] Hey its easy and fun in the short term, but in the long term, you realize there is no solid ground and your standing on quicksand while the ground the Catholic Church stands on is firm and doesn't budge. Either values matter and to go against them results in bad, or there is no point behind anything. It is everything, or nothing. There is no middle ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 [quote name='MithLuin' post='1784726' date='Feb 18 2009, 05:52 PM']Yes - come as you are. Jesus had no qualms hanging out with prostitutes. Of course, he told the adulteress to "Go, and sin no more." Christianity is about transforming lives. To say that a person is welcome wherever they are right now is very much Christian. To tell them to change their lives....is also very much Christian.[/quote] That is true. No one, no matter what they have done is outside the realm of God's redemptive Grace. However, once a person has received the Lord they should soon start seeing changes in their life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmotherofpirl Posted February 19, 2009 Author Share Posted February 19, 2009 Indeed, the ethic of inclusion in the gospels could be stated: You can come as you are and leave behind what you can, but you may not stay as you were or do as you will. –The Rt. Rev. Francis Gray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinkerlina Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 The author makes some good points (for example, the absurdity of "choice" being an issue with respect to abortion) but I don't think the article is that cohesive-I don't really understand what "Environmentalism" has to do with "mushy Christianity", for example. That was kind of random. He doesn't really do a thorough job of explaining that. I also question his use of the word "colored" when describing people :x Katie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Therese Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 The Anglican church has been in the leading edge of inclusiveness. And look where its got them. Near disintegration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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