Of Liberal Christianity

Hunting through the news blurbs, I came across one that read “Christianity’s New F-Word”, and I clicked on it in hopes of reading about how fundamentalism is finally on its steep decline. In a sense, I was right, but not in the way and tone that I was hoping. The article was bemoaning how open and freely interpretive Christianity has indeed become. The new F-word is faith.

I also caught Ross Douthat’s argument in his Sunday column at the Times hitting back at those of us who deride the Catholic Church for its increasing fundamentalism, and on how we argue that the Church needs to become more liberalized if it hopes to carry on its mission in the decades and centuries to come. He flipped it on us and pointed to the troubles of the Episcopalian Church, which has gone the more liberal route that we wish on the Catholic Church, and Mr. Douthat practically chortles over the supposed decline of the Episcopalians.

So, which is it? Does Christianity need to be more liberalized or does it need to be more reactionary?

The debate has made me think that maybe there is a point in the idea that if you are not going to play the Christian game all the way and preach the divinity of Christ and the hope of heaven, as much as these precepts may grate on our twenty-first century rationality, maybe you just need to leave it all behind and close the book on Christianity, and leave it to the true believers, a very right-wing reactionary type, and just hope to circumscribe its influence on our laws and society.

But I do not give up entirely on the middle ground. Even Douthat argues for the value of a liberal Christianity. Maybe you can be against the idea that homosexuality is an abomination to God, and believe that it is alright for women to play leadership roles, and that one does not have to be an absolutist on abortion, and one does not have to trumpet the idea that Christianity is the only way to heaven and everybody else burns in an eternal fire. But you probably do have to embrace some transcendent supernatural tenets. Maybe the leaders of a liberal church should outwardly embrace the divinity of Christ and hold out eternal bliss in teaching virtue. Otherwise, why bother going to church and proclaiming yourself a Christian? You may as well sleep in on Sunday.

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Sungyak Kim, "Christiaity's New F-Word" at Relevant Magazine

Ross Douthat, "Can Liberal Christianity Be Saved" in The New York Times

Geoconger, "Rum, sodomy and the cash: The Episcopal Church 2012" at GetReligion.org

Of Liberal Christianity

Hunting through the news blurbs, I came across one that read “Christianity’s New F-Word”, and I clicked on it in hopes of reading about how fundamentalism is finally on its steep decline. In a sense, I was right, but not in the way and tone that I was hoping. The article was bemoaning how open and freely interpretive Christianity has indeed become. The new F-word is faith.

I also caught Ross Douthat’s argument in his Sunday column at the Times hitting back at those of us who deride the Catholic Church for its increasing fundamentalism, and on how we argue that the Church needs to become more liberalized if it hopes to carry on its mission in the decades and centuries to come. He flipped it on us and pointed to the troubles of the Episcopalian Church, which has gone the more liberal route that we wish on the Catholic Church, and Mr. Douthat practically chortles over the supposed decline of the Episcopalians.

So, which is it? Does Christianity need to be more liberalized or does it need to be more reactionary?

The debate has made me think that maybe there is a point in the idea that if you are not going to play the Christian game all the way and preach the divinity of Christ and the hope of heaven, as much as these precepts may grate on our twenty-first century rationality, maybe you just need to leave it all behind and close the book on Christianity, and leave it to the true believers, a very right-wing reactionary type, and just hope to circumscribe its influence on our laws and society.

But I do not give up entirely on the middle ground. Even Douthat argues for the value of a liberal Christianity. Maybe you can be against the idea that homosexuality is an abomination to God, and believe that it is alright for women to play leadership roles, and that one does not have to be an absolutist on abortion, and one does not have to trumpet the idea that Christianity is the only way to heaven and everybody else burns in an eternal fire. But you probably do have to embrace some transcendent supernatural tenets. Maybe the leaders of a liberal church should outwardly embrace the divinity of Christ and hold out eternal bliss in teaching virtue. Otherwise, why bother going to church and proclaiming yourself a Christian? You may as well sleep in on Sunday.

=======

Sungyak Kim, "Christiaity's New F-Word" at Relevant Magazine

Ross Douthat, "Can Liberal Christianity Be Saved" in The New York Times

Geoconger, "Rum, sodomy and the cash: The Episcopal Church 2012" at GetReligion.org