Theologies of Abuse

In the last posting I wrote about the gap between what we know and what we believe.

The knowledge of God, his Church, and the story of redemption is learned progressively through our exposure to Sunday School, Youth Group, Sunday sermons, Christian literature and music, and so on. These many venues and experiences gradually build ones framework of Christian thought, resulting in a personal theology and world view.

In general, there is a not much debate over the primary tenets of our Faith. Most Christians agree that God is loving, that he exists in three persons, that salvation is an undeserved gift, that Jesus was born of a virgin, that he died to save us from sin and rose from the grave to give us new life. Those are the things we know.

Our belief system, however, is applied knowledge. It’s the body of ideas and attitudes that function as the catalyst for our behavior. These are the notions and practices that cause division in the Church, and are the basis for what I call “theologies of abuse”.

the-ol-o-gy |θēˈäləjē|
noun ( pl. -gies)
the study of the nature of God and religious belief.
• religious beliefs and theory when systematically developed

a-buse |əˈbyoōs|
noun
the improper use of something
• unjust or corrupt practice

Thirty-five years of Christian education, ministry activity, church life, and my own spiritual journey have produced a lamentable observation - much of Christendom embraces a belief structure of performance-based acceptance and a doctrine of works.

The sad result is seen in the lives of countless Christians who don't really live in the freedom that was purchased for us on the cross, or the victory won out of the empty tomb. Our bondage to faulty concepts prevents us from embracing our release from the Mosaic code. Instead, we contradict the Gospel by concocting a strange mixture of law and grace.

Sincerely confused saints expend great effort to capture the benefits of the covenant of grace by trying to satisfy the requirements of Old Covenant law. The outcome is a form of schizophrenic spirituality that clouds the truths of identity in Christ. That, in turn, produces a life of frustration, confusion, and defeat - the antithesis of what Jesus died to give us.

Years ago I heard a series of sermons by a zealous young pastor who unwittingly illustrated this oxymoronic faith. One week he creatively portrayed the measureless wonders of God’s saving grace through Christ. He beautifully described the father-heart of God, the redeeming power of the Cross, and the ever-present companionship of the Holy Spirit. We left the sanctuary buoyed by the joy and relief that the Good News always produces.

The very next week the pastor delivered a passionate sermon on the Ten Commandments. With fervor equal to that of the previous message, but now with an angry slant, he described in colorful detail the horrible fate that awaits the believer who fails to practice and promote the unshakable requirements of the first ten of God’s 600-plus laws. When the diatribe was finally over, the crowd filed quietly out of the sanctuary, convicted by a sense of shame and guilt that contradicted the message of the previous week.

This back-and-forth profusion of confusion flows regularly from the pulpits and pens of professional Christians. In the well-intentioned attempt to make our knowledge of the Divine practical we formulate beliefs that spotlight our efforts, actions, and behaviors far more than the finished work of Christ on the cross.

When we find it impossible to live up to our own standards, which doesn’t take long, we shift our focus to the failures of others. This is always the result of the improper use of one’s Christian beliefs - theologies of abuse.