Monthly Archives: November 2011

Worrying Without God

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I was never a person of great faith. Oh, I believed and trusted that God would take care of me but I still worried a good bit. Worrying is part of my DNA.

When I was a Christian and things happened that caused me to worry I would pray. I would ask God for help and I would ask him to give me peace. Things usually worked out, and of course I gave God all the credit.

As an atheist I still worry. Since I no longer have a God to talk to I talk to the next best thing….my wife or my counselor. They have been a great source of help when I find myself worrying.

Winter has arrived in NW Ohio. It is raining right now, and as the temperature drops, the rain will turn to sleet/freezing rain, and then snow. We could get 6-8 inches of snow tonight and early tomorrow.

I’m worried.

My wife will leave for work in a little bit. Her commute is 20 miles one way. She is a good driver but I still worry.

My daughter attends Bowling Green State University. She left this morning and drove 50 miles to the University. She won’t return until 10:00 P.M. She is a good driver but she has little experience driving in inclement weather so I am worried about her return trip home tonight.

I suspect I worry because I want to protect my wife and children from harm. There will be no prayers to God to help them. I can only hope that they drive carefully and return home to me.

As a Christian I was told repeatedly that worry is a sin. It shows a lack of faith and trust in God. I now know that worry is not a sin at all. I worry because I care. I worry because it is part of my DNA, a part of who I am.

How about you? Are you a worrier? How do you handle worry now that you aren’t a Christian?

Independent Fundamentalist Baptist Lingo, A Guide to IFB Speak

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I have put the following guide together for those not raised up and educated in the Independent Fundamentalist Baptist Church (IFB) movement. This will allow you to understand the code words that are routinely used in the IFB movement.

Before I get to the guide let me define exactly what a Independent Fundamentalist Baptist Church is. (from a previous post)

I stands for Independent

The  local, visible Church is an independent body of believers who are not associated or affiliated with any denomination. The pastor answers only to God, and to a lesser degree the Church. The Church answers to no one but God. Most IFB churches oppose any form of government involvement or intrusion into its affairs.

F stands for Fundamentalist

The independent Church is fundamentalist in its doctrine and practice. IFB churches are social and theological fundamentalists. Social fundamentalists adhere to an external code of conduct. Often this code of conduct is called Church standards. The Bible, or should I say the pastor’s interpretation of the Bible, is the rule by which church members are expected to live. IFB churches spend a significant amount of time preaching and teaching about how God the pastor expects people to live.

IFB churches are also theological fundamentalists.  They adhere to a certain and specific theological standard, a standard by which all other Christians and denominations are judged. Every IFB pastor and church believes things like:

  • The inspiration, infallibility, and inerrancy of the Bible
  • The sinfulness, depravity of man
  • The deity of Christ
  • The virgin birth of Christ
  • The blood atonement of Christ for man’s sin
  • The resurrection of Christ from the dead
  • The second coming of Christ
  • Separation from the world
  • Salvation from sin is by and through Christ alone
  • Personal responsibility to share the gospel with sinners
  • Heaven and hell are literal places
  • Hierarchical authority (God, Jesus, church, pastor, husband, wife)
  • Autonomy and independence of the local church

I am sure other doctrines could be added to this list but the list above is a concise list of ALL things an IFB church and pastor must believe to be considered an IFB church.

B stands for Baptist

IFB churches are Baptist Churches adhering to the ecclesiology and theology mentioned above.  Some IFB churches are landmark Baptists or Baptist briders. They believe the Baptist church is the true church and all other churches are false churches. John the Baptist baptized Jesus, which made him a Baptist and the first churches established by the Baptist apostles were Baptist churches. Churches like this go to great lengths to prove their Baptist lineage which dates all the way back to John the Baptist, Jesus and the Apostles.

Other IFB churches and pastors believe that Baptist ecclesiology and theology are what the Bible clearly teaches. They grudgingly admit that other denominations “might” be Christian too but they are quick to say why be a part of a bastardized form of Christianity when you can have the real deal.

Some Southern Baptist churches can be rightly labeled IFB churches. They are Southern Baptist in name only. It is not uncommon for an IFB pastor to pastor a Southern Baptist church with the intent of pulling them out of the Southern Baptist convention.  It is not uncommon for Southern Baptist churches to reject resumes from pastors with a IFB background. Area missionaries warn churches about pernicious IFB pastors who desire to take over churches and pull the churches out of the convention.

Guide to Words and Phrases used by the IFB Church Movement

Inerrancy of the Bible

The Bible, many times the King James Bible, is without error, perfect in all it says and teaches. Some IFB churches believe even the italicized words added by the translators are inspired.

Inspiration of the Bible

The Bible, in its original writings, was breathed out by God. God directed(moved) the writers in such a way that their words were the exact words God wanted written down. Some within the IFB Church movement believe that the King James Bible is just as inspired as the original writings. God has preserved his Word throughout history and the King James Bible is the only Bible for English speaking people.

The Second Coming of Jesus Christ

Someday, perhaps today, Jesus Christ will come in the clouds and rapture all the Christians off the face of the earth. Then, all the unbelievers will face 7 years of tribulation as described in the book of Revelation. Jesus will then return to earth and bind Satan. He will then establish his 1,000 year millennial kingdom. During the millennium the raptured Christians will remain in heaven while Jesus rules the earth with a rod of iron. At the end of the millennium,Satan will be loosed for a season and God will defeat him. Then God will judge everyone, destroy the heavens and earth and make all things new. (This is an abbreviated form of what IFB churches believe about the Second Coming)

Pastoral Authority

The pastor, called by God, is in charge of the church. He is called by God to speak the words of God to church members and he often has autocratic authority. Most IFB churches are pastored by one man. Often, the pastor has the final say on everything.

Pastor Succession

Many IFB churches have pastors who have been their pastor for a long time. As they age and their children grow up, it is not uncommon for the pastor’s children to be hired as church staff. In some cases the pastor’s son or son-in-law becomes the pastor-in-waiting. The church becomes a possession that is passed down from generation to generation.

Soulwinning

Proverbs 11:30 says The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise. Most IFB churches are very active in evangelizing their local community. They believe they are commanded by God to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. (even if every creatures doesn’t want to hear it) Like the Jehovah’s Witnesses, IFB churches often go door-to-door witnessing and handing out tracts. They believe God holds them personally accountable for the souls of those they could have witnessed to and didn’t. Ezekiel 33:7-9 says:

So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

Altar Call

The altar, located at the front of the church, is the place where the unsaved and saved alike come to do business with God. Often the church has trained altar workers who help those who come forward during the altar call. (public invitation)

Backsliding

Since IFB churches believe Once Saved, Always Saved, they must account for when members become worldly or stop doing what is expected of IFB church members. Such members are called backsliders. Pastors spend a significant amount of time trying to get backsliders to live like a good Christian should. (attending church, reading the Bible, praying, tithing, evangelizing and follow the church social code)

Standards

Standards are rules that every IFB church member is expected to obey. Standards are often developed, not based on direct commands from the Bible, but based upon inferences from particular Bible verses. Every IFB church has its own standards. IFB churches fuss and fight over standards and often a church will refuse to fellowship with other IFB churches that don’t have the same basic standards as they do.

Separation

Separation is coming away, abstaining from people, actions and things that are considered worldly. What is worldly is defined by what the pastor says the Bible says is worldly. What is worldly varies from church to church. Worldly can be be generously defined as anything the pastor thinks is a sin or could cause someone to have a “bad” testimony.

Head of the home

The husband is the boss and the decider of everything pertaining to the family. (very similar to pastoral authority)

Right hand of fellowship

When new members are welcomed and admitted to the church membership.  Many churches have new members stand at the front of the church so every church member can come  by and shake their hand. (or hug them)

The Call

The call is when God speaks to someone’s heart (most often it is a man) and calls the person to be a pastor, evangelist, or missionary. The person called by God makes his calling known publicly before the church, often at the close of the Sunday  morning church service.

Preacher Boy

A young boy, most often a teenage boy, called by God to be a preacher. Preacher boys often have favored status in the church. Many IFB pastors pride themselves in how many boys have been called to preach under their ministry. (very similar to a man passing his seed on)

Faith Promise

A method used by some pastors to extract money from church members. Most often, faith promise is associated with mission giving. Church members are asked to make a promise of X amount of dollars for missions and by faith they are to expect God to give them the money for the offering.

Stewardship

A method used by some pastors to extract money from church members. Some pastors preach a series of messages on being good stewards of the money God has given each church member. The objective is to get people to give more money to God the church.

Revival

A revival is when a special speaker, often called an evangelist,  comes in and preaches each night for a consecutive number of days. (usually 3 to 15 days) Many IFB church members make spiritual decisions during the nightly revival altar calls.

This is not an all-encompassing list. If there are other words and phrases that you think would be a good addition to this list please leave them in the comments. (and make sure you define them)

The Cognitive Dissonance of Educated Fundamentalists

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Cognitive Dissonance

Cognitive dissonance is a discomfort caused by holding conflicting ideas simultaneously. The theory of cognitive dissonance proposes that people have a motivational drive to reduce dissonance. They do this by changing their attitudes, beliefs, and actions. Dissonance is also reduced by justifying, blaming, and denying. The phrase was coined by Leon Festinger in his 1956 book When Prophecy Fails, which chronicled the followers of a UFO cult as reality clashed with their fervent beliefs. It is one of the most influential and extensively studied theories in social psychology. A closely related term, cognitive disequilibrium, was coined by Jean Piaget to refer to the experience of a discrepancy between something new and something already known or believed.

Experience can clash with expectations, as, for example, with buyer’s remorse following the purchase of an expensive item. In a state of dissonance, people may feel surprise, dread, guilt, anger, or embarrassment. People are biased to think of their choices as correct, despite any contrary evidence. This bias gives dissonance theory its predictive power, shedding light on otherwise puzzling irrational and destructive behavior. (Wikipedia)

Christian Fundamentalism

Fundamentalism is strict adherence to specific theological doctrines usually understood as a reaction against Modernist theology. The term “fundamentalism” was originally coined by its supporters to describe a specific package of theological beliefs that developed into a movement within the Protestant community of the United States in the early part of the 20th century, and that had its roots in the Fundamentalist–Modernist Controversy of that time.The term usually has a religious connotation indicating unwavering attachment to a set of irreducible beliefs (Wikipedia)

The Christian fundamentalist has an unwavering attachment to a set of irreducible (not able to be reduced or simplified) beliefs. These beliefs are often called the “faith once delivered to the saints.” (Jude 1:3) These beliefs include doctrines like:

  • God created the universe
  • The deity of Jesus Christ
  • The virgin birth and sinless life of Jesus Christ
  • The triune nature of God
  • The atoning death and resurrection of Jesus Christ
  • The sinfulness of humankind and the need for personal salvation
  • The final judgment of humanity  by God
  • A literal heaven and hell/a new heaven and a new earth, with all of humanity, after death, living eternally in one place or the other
  • The Second Coming of Christ
  • The inspiration and infallibility of the Bible

Every Christian fundamentalist sect generally adheres to the above doctrines. They may explain them in different ways and they may have other “fundamentals” they believe are part of the “faith once delivered to the saints”, but most all Fundamentalists willingly embrace the above doctrines.

It is for this reason that I consider Evangelicalism to be a fundamentalist subset of Christianity. Evangelicals HATE to be called fundamentalists BUT their beliefs betray them. Granted, they are not social fundamentalists like Independent Fundamentalist Baptists (IFB) but they are every bit as much theological fundamentalists as IFB adherents. (and fundamentalists can be found In EVERY sect, including sects like the Roman Catholic Church, The Episcopal Church, The United Church of Christ, and the Greek Orthodox Church)

My wife’s uncle pastors the Newark Baptist Temple, a hard-core IFB church. He has been the pastor of the church for over 40 years. The church is associated with colleges like Pensacola Christian College and Bob Jones University, two hard-core fundamentalist institutions.

My wife and I attended the Newark Baptist Temple for about a year or so when we were first married.(the late 1970’s)There are many fine people at the church, people we have known for decades. The church is considered by most to be a middle/upper middle class church. A large number of the members have college educations. (though many of them have degrees from Christian institutions) Over the years, the church has had members who were doctors, nurses, lawyers, business owners, engineers, public school teachers, etc. Educated people.

How do we square the hard-core fundamentalism of the church with the education many of the members have? Education has always been considered an antidote for fundamentalism. The more educated a person becomes the less likely it is they will be a fundamentalist. How do we explain the disconnect between fundamentalist beliefs and the education a person has?

Every time I watch Rod Parsley on TV (and I do occasionally for entertainment) I am reminded that in his congregation of thousands are many well-educated people. People who have been educated at secular, public and private institutions. Smart people. People who worked very hard to attain the degrees they have. Yet, they are members of a church that is pastored by a whacked-out, bizarre, hard-core fundamentalist charismatic pastor who thinks he is a prophet with a special anointing from God. Granted, Parley is a great orator (and I personally love hearing him preach) but his beliefs, while fundamentalist, go far beyond core fundamentalist beliefs.

How do we square the hard-core fundamentalism of the church and the whacked out beliefs of Pastor Rod Parsley with the education many of the members have?

Before I answer this question there are several issues we must consider first. The answer to this question is not a simple……well Bruce, they are a bunch of idiots. No one in their right mind believes this stuff. Truth is, tens of millions of educated people whole-heartedly embrace fundamentalist beliefs.

Many people come into Christian fundamentalism through a radical adult conversion experience. Their lives are a mess, falling apart at the seams. Maybe they are addicted to drugs or alcohol. Maybe their marriage is on the rocks. Maybe they are in trouble with the law. The reasons for seeking God and deliverance are myriad. During my time in the ministry I saw hundreds of adults have a radical adult conversion experience. They were indeed “born again.” (John 3, 2 Corinthians 5:17)

Their lives change overnight. They become a “new creation in Christ.”  New life has been breathed into every aspect of their life. They have the same educational background after being converted but their point of view has been radically altered. As a new convert they are hungry for truth and they are part of a church that has a pastor who says, “listen to me, I have the truth. The truth is found right here in the Bible, the Word of God.”

The educated, new fundamentalist convert pushes his past education into the back recesses of his mind. All that matters, for a time, is knowing God better. After all, look at what Jesus did for them! (and we err if we neglect to consider the power of the conversion experience) The convert might spend years immersing themselves in the teachings of the Bible. Their bookshelves, RSS reader, and browser bookmarks are dominated by writers who reinforce the truth their fundamentalist pastor is teaching them.

Over time one of two things will likely happen. The educated fundamentalist convert will go one of two ways and understanding this helps explain WHY there are educated fundamentalists.

Over time,some educated fundamentalist converts settle into their church and become like the vast majority of church members, passive and compliant.  The newness of their conversion experience has worn off and they have to come to realize that their “deliverance” by Jesus wasn’t as complete as they first thought it was.  The pastor warned them that this could happen. The convert is encouraged to pray and read the Bible more. But, try as they might, the education they pushed back into the recesses of their mind starts to reassert itself.  The convert begins to have doubts or questions. When these doubts or questions are verbalized the convert is told that the Devil is trying to destroy their faith and they just need to “hang on to Jesus.”

The educated fundamentalist convert continues to have doubts and questions. Cognitive dissonance sets in.  The convert decides to leave the Christian fundamentalist sect that birthed him into Jesus. Perhaps another church, another sect will have answers for his questions. He wants to reconcile the cognitive dissonance he has so he uses the very skills his education taught him. He studies. He reads. He analyzes.  Over time….he begins to have a radically different view of Christianity than the one he was taught in the fundamentalist church. Maybe he embraces liberal Christianity. Maybe he becomes a universalist or a deist. Or maybe he finally admits that whatever his conversion experience might have been, he can no longer square the beliefs of Christianity with what he knows to be true. In that moment an agnostic or atheist is born. (or a skeptic, a humanist)

Perhaps he is outgrown Jesus and Christianity. While he is grateful for the deliverance he found through the fundamentalist Christian church he can no longer intellectually embrace their belief system. The fundamentalist pastor who helped bring him to saving faith in Jesus Christ likely warned him about following after the wisdom and philosophies of the world. (Colossians 2:8, 1 Corinthians 1:20,1 Corinthians 3:19) The pastor no doubt encouraged the convert, turned doubter, to run to the foot of the cross and stay there.  The pastor’s attempts at damage control failed and the educated fundamentalist convert is now considered:

Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. (1 John 2:18,19)

Over time, other educated fundamentalist converts take another path. They recognize the cognitive dissonance that exists between their fundamentalist religious beliefs and the college education they received. Instead of responding to doubts and questions with inquiry they set out to “prove” that their education and religious beliefs can be reconciled. Result? Groups like Answers in Genesis and The Institute for Creation Research. There are thousands of writers and websites dedicated to making science and religion and archeology/history and the Bible mesh with one another. The result is often farcical and embarrassing.

Some within this group wisely realize that attempting to reconcile science with their fundamentalist beliefs is a fool’s errand. So they compartmentalize their thinking. They convince themselves that matters of faith and matters of science exist on two separate planes. They convince themselves that religion and science are attempting to answer different questions and have no connection with each other.

It is not uncommon to find fundamentalist Christians in this group believing Genesis 1-3 accurately describes how God created the world and, at the same time, believing in evolution. I can only imagine the mental gymnastics that must take place a person to hold such a view. I couldn’t do it but I know a number of people who do. One moment they can be talking reasonably and rationally about evolution and the next thing you know they are talking about a God who created the world in six days or six indeterminate periods of time. (for many years, fundamentalist Christians who used the Scofield Reference Bible saw a study note about the Gap Theory,C. I. Scofield’s attempt to embrace evolution and Genesis 1-3)

I know many educated, fundamentalist pastors and educators who have made it their life’s mission to reconcile the ever-pressing claims of science, geology, archeology and history with the Bible. They are considered the “educated ones” the “defenders of the the faith.” They provide the laity with sufficient enough answers to allay their doubts and fears. Their answers, coupled with faith are enough..

Other educated, fundamentalist pastors and educators I know, and a host of not-very-educated pastors and educators, think that Satan is chancellor of the American educational system. They are suspect of ALL secular education. They encourage church embers to reject ANYTHING that is contrary to the explicit, literal teachings of the Bible. No matter what science, geology, archeology and history says……..the Bible trumps all. Sadly, this thinking dominates the majority of fundamentalist churches.

I still think that education is the antidote for fundamentalism. If I can get a fundamentalist to step outside of their theological rut and read books that challenge their sincerely held beliefs there is hope. If I can get a pastor or fundamentalist church member to openly and completely read books written by the likes of Bart Ehrman or John Loftus I have high hopes that  their fundamentalist mindset can be changed. Even a little Barth or Nietzsche can go a long ways in moving a person off the fundamentalist  path. Any movement leftward is progress.

I know many of us have a hard time wrapping our minds around educated people who are also fundamentalists. They exist, and I hope this post helps a bit in explaining how a person can be educated, while at the same time embracing fundamentalist beliefs.

Know It All Christians

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(my response in italics)

One thing three years of blogging has taught me…

A lot of Christians are know-it-all’s. They have got it figured out. They KNOW they are right and they KNOW I am wrong and they even KNOW why I ended up where I am today.

Take Britta, a commenter on the Welcome post:

Hi Bruce – I think I see how you ended up here. I’ve not read all of your posts, but it seems that your path is similar to a lot of folks: entrenched in some legalistic sect (borderline cults, really), then fleeing from that absurd burden you are comforted by those espousing that “the well is poisoned” (liberals of the old mainline groups), until finally you have to ditch it all. I can’t say I blame you too much – it’s exhausting to be tossed about on every wave.

Britta read all of about 15 posts. She didn’t read one post in the My Journey section. Based on 15 blog posts she came to the conclusions she did. Truly amazing, I must say. Many Christians have a magical gift of being able to pass judgment on most anybody using the slimmest of information. Of course this is directly opposite of what the Bible teaches. A Christian should never make any judgment before hearing (reading) the whole story.

But I don’t believe that you’re an athiest. Sure, you say you don’t believe in the God of the Bible, but you do believe in a god. You. Perfectly reasonable, actually. There is no other choice. I know that know other god is going to show up and pronounce himself as such — and you know it, too, despite your protestations — and so you get to stay god of your world. Tah-dah! (Atheism is really disingenuous.)

Britta evidently thinks that there is no such thing as an atheist. Either a person believes in the Christian God or they are their own God. Atheists need not apply.

No matter how many times Christians like Britta assert there is no such thing as an atheist……..here we are. And our numbers are growing. Pretending something doesn’t exist doesn’t make it so.

If by God, Britta means the person in control, then yes, I am my own God. It is my life, who else would be in control of my life?

Christians are no different. Oh, they “say” God is in control of their lives but they, for the most part, don’t live any differently than the atheist. Christians and atheists alike are….human and act as humans act. Are Christians morally superior than atheists? The evidence suggest they are not. Day in and day out Christians and atheists alike live their lives the best they know how. The Christian is every bit as much the God of his world as the atheist. (contrary to what the Bible says) The Christians speaks about a God who is in control of everything but then turns around and lives as if God is not not in control at all. (except for an occasional winning touchdown or election win)

Maybe I’m being too harsh. Perhaps, despite your own time in the pulpit, you never understood the simplicity of grace. It really is foolishness to the perishing, but life to those being saved, so here ’tis, for good measure:

Britta now gets down to what she really thinks……Despite 50 years in the Christian church, despite 25 years in the pastorate…..I never understood the simplicity of grace.

Of course the unstated point here is that Britta understands what I do not. She proves her point by loosely quoting a Bible verse. It is all foolishness to me because I am perishing. (lost, headed for hell) It is life to her because she is one of the saved. (or one that is being saved)

You (and me and all of us) are not perfect. A God worth worshiping IS perfect. Perfection rightly demands perfection, and since none of us can attain perfection, God offered himself in our place to be that perfection. Nothing we do merits his gift. All we have to do is accept it — that is, bend a knee and admit that we are lost without God and his gift of grace.

Britta and I agree on one thing……none of us are perfect. However, Britta’s comment betrays an arrogance found among many Christians. While they may not be perfect they seem to think their interpretation of the Bible is perfect.

Britta asserts God is perfect. What proof does she have that God is perfect? The Bible? Surely not. God should never have written the Bible. By putting it all down on the printed page he opened himself up to charges that he is far from perfect. In fact, God is quite capricious. He even changes his mind. I would think a perfect being would get it right the first time. God fucked it up from the start. He couldn’t even get creation right.

Evidently Britta has not read James. James seems to contradict Britta’s assertion that salvation is a free gift and that all we have to do is receive it. James says, faith without works is dead. So which is it? Faith alone? Faith plus works?

(and I should add that Britta does a poor job at presenting the Christian gospel. Her presentation is incomplete, to say the least.)

It’s an easy burden — but the crank legalist won’t allow it, neither will an ersatz intellectual grasp it. I’m sorry both camps have been so hard on you. (Really, I am sorry – no snark.) It takes the Spirit of God to discern things of the spirit. I’ll pray that God will open His Word to you.

Britta betrays the true nature of much of modern Christianity. It is nothing more the good, old fashioned Gnosticism. You see, a person can’t discern the Bible, the things of the Spirit, unless the Spirit of God gives them the ability to do so. On one hand people are told they must repent and believe the gospel but on the other hand they are told they can’t even discern what God wants unless God lets them.

Britta thinks she has a special, inside track with God. She is praying that God will open up the Bible to me. What is God going to show me that I haven’t already seen?  Is there some secret message, some secret code that has somehow eluded me all these years? How will I know if God opens up the Bible to me? Will I start speaking Aramaic Greek?

I wish you the best, sir…
Britta

What if “best” is where I am now? Does Britta genuinely wish me the best? Of course not. There is no “best” without Jesus. (or Britta’s version of Jesus)

Next is a comment from Jason who commented on the What Do Christians Really Believe about God, Jesus and the Bible post.

I have no doubt that there are “Christians” that don’t understand a lot. Many of them, as you say, may be inclined to blindly follow. However, I don’t agree that this is true of most or any “real” Christians. Those actively reading God’s word and being involved in church groups would not follow these categories. The “Christians” you are referring to in these statements are the ones who are simply professing Christians.

Right away Jason lets me know that there are two types of Christians, professing Christians and REAL Christians. Of course Jason is a REAL Christian. I find it interesting that every Christian who takes this approach always thinks they are one of the REAL Christians. Calvinists do the same. I have never met a Calvinist who didn’t say they were one of the elects. Seems quite self-serving.

About this statement:

“Christians are confused about what salvation is. Of course this is understandable because the Bible teaches many different plans of salvation.”

I don’t quite understand what you mean by the Bible teaches many different plans of salvation. It says clearly that Jesus is the only way to God the Father in John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but through Me’”. The Bible also explains in Romans 5:8 that Jesus did in our place and wiped our sin clean “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” It’s beyond me what other kind of “plan of salvation” could be.

Jason is perplexed by my statement that the Bible teaches many different plans of salvation. I know Jason has been “taught” that there is only one plan of salvation but he might want to read the Good Book again.

In the Old Testament how were people saved? By keeping the law.

In the New Testament how were people saved? Paul said by faith. James said by faith and works. In Acts the early Church concluded that certain works were required for Gentiles to be saved.

There are hundreds of Christian sects. Every sect has their own take on salvation. Is it by faith alone? If it by faith and works? Is it by baptism for the remission of sins? Must a person speak in tongues as evidence of salvation? Must a person persevere to the end to be saved?

Supposedly, the salvation message is so simple that even a child can understand it. If so, why is there so much confusion in Christianity? If, as Britta says above, the Holy Spirit gives discernment, why is there so much confusion? Maybe the Holy Spirit needs to be relieved of his duties. Perhaps God should do away with the Bible and put out a FAQ. In the FAQ God should state very clearly his demands. Use as few words as possible. Surely God wants everyone to know the simple gospel message. Oh wait, no he doesn’t since he created some people so he could damn them and he even makes some people spiritually deaf so they will not hear the gospel. What kind of God says to a deaf man, HEAR?

I understand that you, as a former pastor, may have been faced with many people that fell under the categories listed, but I reassure you that Christians, like myself, who, really in their hearts believe that Jesus is their savior and make that effort to learn more about Him, don’t really fit the description.

Jason wants me to know that he is not like those other Christians. He is a sincere Christian. He is a devoted Christian. He really, really believes in his heart and he makes an effort to know more about Jesus…..not like those other “not real” Christians.

I am sure Jason means well. I have no doubt he is sincere in his belief. That said, my only advice to him is to read as many books as possible that challenge the version of Christianity he thinks is the “way, truth, and life.” Carefully read  the Bible. Forget what you have been taught. What if Paul, Peter, and James really taught three different plans of salvation? What if there really are multiple Gods in the Old Testament? Instead of interpreting everything through a Trinitarian Protestant lens, take a look at the text as written. When the Bible says “Let US make man in our image” don’t assume US means the Trinitarian Protestant God. Maybe it means multiple Gods. Polytheism can be found all over the Old Testament if a person takes off their Trinitarian Protestant blinders.

Every Christian thinks they are right. Their God is the right God. Their plan of salvation is the right plan. Their interpretation of the Bible is the right interpretation. Uncertainty and doubt are the tools of Satan.  Maybe, I am a Satanist after all. If I can get Christians to at least profess a healthy dose of uncertainty and doubt they will be better off and so will everyone else. (Certainty often brings death and destruction) If so, I am indeed doing Satan’s work. (or the Devil, or Lucifer, of Beelzebub, or whatever the heaven his name is)

Bruce, the Pornographer and WHY I Really Left the Christian Faith

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Evangelical Christian Apologist William Lane Craig writes, in response to a question about doubt:

…..Be on guard for Satan’s deceptions. Never lose sight of the fact that you are involved in a spiritual warfare and that there is an enemy of your soul who hates you intensely, whose goal is your destruction, and who will stop at nothing to destroy you. Which leads me to ask: why are you reading those infidel websites anyway, when you know how destructive they are to your faith? These sites are literally pornographic (evil writing) and so ought in general to be shunned. Sure, somebody has to read them and refute them; but why does it have to be you? Let somebody else, who can handle it, do it. Remember: Doubt is not just a matter of academic debate or disinterested intellectual discussion; it involves a battle for your very soul, and if Satan can use doubt to immobilize you or destroy you, then he will.

I firmly believe, and I think the Bizarro-testimonies of those who have lost their faith and apostatized bears out, that moral and spiritual lapses are the principal cause for failure to persevere rather than intellectual doubts. But intellectual doubts become a convenient and self-flattering excuse for spiritual failure because we thereby portray ourselves as such intelligent persons rather than as moral and spiritual failures. I think that the key to victorious Christian living is not to have all your questions answered — which is probably impossible in a finite lifetime — but to learn to live successfully with unanswered questions. The key is to prevent unanswered questions from becoming destructive doubts. I believe that can be done by keeping in mind the proper ground of our knowledge of Christianity’s truth and by cultivating the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives….

First, Craig describes infidel websites like mine as:

  • A tool of Satan used to destroy the souls of Christians
  • Pornographic (evil writing)
  • Something, that in general, should be shunned

Craig readily admits that websites like Fallen From Grace (and a host of others) can cause a Christian to doubt their beliefs. I have no desire to convert any Christian to atheism. However, I do think the tenets of Christianity and the teachings of the Bible should be carefully investigated. If my writing causes a Christian to question and have doubts…….good!

If the Christian faith is worth believing it will withstand any questions or doubts a Christian might have. If Christianity is what it claims to be then websites like this one will do little to no harm. (of course, I am of the opinion that Christianity is not what it claims to be and that is why people are leaving the faith in droves)

Second, Craig attempts to dismiss people like me by calling our testimony of loss of faith a Bizarro-testimony. (not to be believed) Craig contends that people like me lose our faith, not for intellectual reasons, but because of spiritual or moral failure.

Craig believes that people like me use intellectual doubts as a cover for moral or spiritual failures. In doing this, Craig moves the focus from Christianity and the Bible to the individual. I am no longer a Christian because of some moral lapse or spiritual deficiency in my life.

I will leave it to the Detectives for Jesus to ferret out my moral or spiritual failures. I doubt they will find much to hang me by, but I will readily admit that I , like every other Christian and pastor, had moral and spiritual failures in my life. After all, since we STILL have a sin nature, moral and spiritual failure are sure to happen. (and I have no affairs lurking in my closet, just case someone thinks moral failure=screwing the church secretary)

Craig lives in a world of willing delusion. He simply refuses to accept the fact that many of us, especially those of us who were pastors, left the ministry and the Christian faith for intellectual reasons.

I have written many times about this subject……the primary reason I left the Christian faith was because I no longer believed the Bible was the Word of God. I no longer believed the Bible was “truth.” I no longer believed that the central character of the Bible, Jesus, was who the Bible says he was. (and I use the word “was” because I don’t believe Jesus “is”)

I didn’t have a moral or spiritual collapse that led to me leaving the Christian faith. Instead, I decided to reinvestigate the claims of Christianity and its divine Holy Book. Conclusion? I weighed Christianity and the Bible in the balances and found it wanting. (Daniel 5:27)

At the end of the day……..it really is all about the Bible.

Why Some Preachers are Moral Crusaders

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Let me tell you about a preacher I once knew.

This preacher grew up in the Independent Fundamentalist Baptist Church movement. From the time he was 5 until he was in his mid-40’s he was a card-carrying member of the Independent Fundamentalist Baptist Church movement.

He was saved as a teenager and called to preach a few days later. He went off to train at an Independent Fundamentalist Baptist college. After leaving college he immersed himself in the Independent Fundamentalist Baptist culture. He was the assistant pastor of several churches and then finally he started a church of his own. His church, from scratch. Finally, he could do things God’s his way.

Over the course of a few years the church grew. Souls were saved and the preacher began to get “noticed” by the Independent Fundamentalist Baptist big wigs.

The preacher, full of the Holy Spirit, full of himself determined that he was going to be a moral crusader. With God by his side and a bible in his hand, he set out to right all the moral wrongs he could find.

The preacher was a hard-core, right-wing, God is a Republican, hell-fire and brimstone, Baptist. Politics and morality were one and the same. Compromise was never an option.

When the biddy football league began playing games on Sunday he objected. Children needed to be in church.

When the governor advocated giving condoms out to combat the spread of AIDS the preacher took out a full page ad in the local paper. In large letters the page said WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT HOMOSEXUALITY? The rest of the page was filled with Bible verses and the preacher’s condemnation of the governor’s condom policy.

The newspaper ad made him famous overnight. Local news channels covered the ad and its message. The preacher began to write letters to the local newspapers condemning the moral laxity of the non-Christian world. (though he knew from counseling church members that Christians were quite immoral too)

His church continued to grow. People loved having a preacher who stood up for Christian morality. The preacher thought, “I must be doing right because look at all the people who are coming to my church to hear me preach!”

By now, you may have figured out this preacher is me.

Why are some preachers moral crusaders?

First, let me say very clearly that many moral crusaders are well-intentioned. They become crusaders because they think God is pleased with them if they do. After all, if preachers don’t stand up for morality then who will?

Second, most preachers who are moral crusaders believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. They believe that the moral strictures of the Bible are applicable for everyone. They believe the only way for a nation to be a great nation is if the citizens of that nation obey the teachings of the Bible. God has spoken,obey. Even if some people don’t become Christians they still should be expected to obey the moral teachings of the Bible. After all, Bible morality is good and best for everyone.

Third, most preachers who are moral crusaders believe they have been called by God to stand up against Satan and the moral wickedness of the world. They see themselves as having no option. Either they stand up for God and his moral teachings or they risk falling into disfavor with God. Once again, if preachers don’t stand up for morality then who will?

Fourth, some preachers who are moral crusaders were converted (saved) out of lives of debauchery. They know firsthand what “sin” can do to a person so they sincerely believe they MUST spare everyone else what they went through.

Fifth, some (many?) preachers who are moral crusaders struggle with secret sin. I am of the persuasion that those who scream the loudest about sin often commit those very same, or similar, sins in secret. By preaching against this or that moral sin, they are preaching to themselves, call themselves to repentance.

As long as there are preachers that believe the Bible is God’s divine truth moral crusaders will be with us. After all…..God said!

Were you a moral crusader at one time? What changed your view? Did you ignore the moral failures in your own life as you preached about the moral failures of others?

How NOT to Win Me Back to Jesus

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Rarely does the day go by when some well-intentioned Christian doesn’t try to win me back to Jesus. These zealots for Jesus are certain if they say or do the right things that I will instantly be persuaded that my deflection from Christianity was wrong and that I should immediately return to the faith once delivered to the saints.

At times, zealots for Jesus anger me. They totally ignore the pain, heartache and hard work that went into my defection from Christianity. The arm-chair psychologists are the one’s that irritate me the most. They refuse to accept my testimony of disbelief. Instead, through some magical gift, they peer into my mind and determine that the reason I left Christianity was because I was hurt,burned out or some other mental or character defect.

While I was certainly hurt a time or two and burned out for a time these are NOT the reasons I left the Christian faith. Read the post in the My Past category. Read ALL the posts. The reasons are there for all to see.

Quoting Bible verses will not win me back to Jesus. The Christian zealot is not going to quote anything I haven’t read before. It is likely that I know the Bible far better than the zealot. I spent most of my adult life studying and preaching from the Bible.What is the zealot going to show me in the Bible that I haven’t already seen? Yes, I know I sound arrogant. It’s just the fact of the matter. I know the Bible inside and out.

The Christian zealot seems to willingly ignore the fact that I don’t believe the Bible is God’s Word. I don’t believe it is inspired, infallible, inerrant or that it is, in any way, a divine book. I don’t view the Bible any differently than I do any other work of antiquity.

I don’t read the Bible. The only time I ever look at the Bible is when I need a quote for a post I am working on. I have read it cover to cover countless times. I have preached thousands of sermons from it. I have spent thousands of hours studying and meditating on the Bible. Trust me……..a Bible verse quotation in a blog comment has ZERO effect on me. (instead, it makes me wonder what kind of dumb ass the quoter is)

Attacking me and trying to discredit my time as Christian and a pastor has no affect on me either. I know what I know. It was my life. I lived it. I know when, where, and how I was saved and I know when, where, and how I stopped being saved. It is arrogant for ANY Christian to think they can discern and know whether or not I was a Christian. I was there when God saved me and I was there when God became a being of fiction to me.

I realize my defection from Christianity troubles a lot of people. (especially former parishioners) They can’t seem to wrap their mind around the fact that I once was a Christian and a pastor and now I am not. In the zealots mind better to suggest then that I NEVER was a Christian. Better to say that I was deluded my entire life. But what does this say about the thousands of people I pastored? Over the course of 25 years in the ministry not one, let me repeat, NOT ONE, person ever said that I wasn’t a Christian. I was every bit as much of a Christian as the people I pastored and the pastors who were my fellow laborers in God’s vineyard.

One tact Christian zealots take is attempting to befriend me. Somehow they think if they just befriend me they can woo me back to Jesus. They assume, of course, as an atheist, I am friendless. Sorry…….I have plenty of friends, especially of the internet variety. I don’t need more friends.

As a pastor and as a Christian I had plenty of friends. I have never lacked having friends in my life. I am an outgoing person and I make friends easily. I am not sure why Christian zealots assume I am friendless or in need of one more friend.

I have my doubts that a Christian can truly be my friend. It is possible, I suppose, but highly unlikely. If my prospective Christian friend is truly a follower of Jesus how can he refrain from sharing with me the good news of the gospel or refrain from trying to win me back to Jesus? According to the Christian zealot Jesus is good for everyone. They simply can not imagine a life of happiness of fulfillment WITHOUT Jesus.

That said, I don’t mind interacting with Christians. I am involved in several email discussions with Christians. As long as the discussions are friendly I am inclined to continue to having them. As soon as they turn from friendly to adversarial or evangelistic I have no interest in continuing the discussion.

The Christian zealot is better off if they refrain from any form of evangelization with me. I am not a good candidate for salvation or heaven. There are so many better candidates for salvation than me……..go seek them out. I am a confirmed atheist who is quite happy to live my life in the shadow of Christian dogma that says I am going to go to hell when I die. I am willing to “risk” eternity for the privilege and blessing of living in the here and now. If, when death comes calling, I find out there really is a God I hope he will consider how I lived my life and the good works I did. If my life and works don’t matter and all that matters is that I believed the right things, then I will gladly go to hell with all the other good, but lost people.

Feet of Clay, No Your Pastor Can’t Walk on Water

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Over the course of my lifetime I have met  scores of pastors, evangelists, missionaries, and church leaders. Some of them were the superstars of Christianity and others were nobodies who labored week after week in obscurity. The nobodies longingly gazed at the superstars with a sanctified covetousness, desiring to have the superstar’s power and status. (this was also called pleading for God’s blessing)

The superstars of Christianity are no different than superstars in sports, the media, or Hollywood. As their stature grows they gain a following and as their following grows so does their fame. Of course, along with fame comes wealth. Look at the big name TV preachers. Almost all of them are multimillionaires. After all, superstars are WORTH more money. (no matter how many times we are shown that this isn’t true we still tend to believe it. 20 million a year to play baseball. Really?)

With superstar status comes a perceived invincibility. If you dare say or write anything negative about one the the superstars of Christianity you likely will face the wrath of their devoted followers; followers who are blind to their idols feet of clay.

Are the superstars morally, ethically, or spiritually superior to the nobodies? Are the superstars cut from a different cloth, a better kind of human being? Of course not.

We are all feeble and frail creatures. We are all prone to our own excesses and delusions.  With or without Jesus each of us is the same. Oh, we come in different shapes, sizes, and abilities but in the still of the night all us hear the quiet beating of our heart and are reminded of the commonness of us all.

Sometimes superstars forget all of this. They start to believe the excited utterances of their followers. They start to believe their own press clippings. Maybe God really has given me a special anointing, the superstars thinks. After all, the Bible is filled with stories about God’s superstars, men and women who did great exploits in the name of God. The superstar thinks, Maybe I am a modern day David or Paul.

True, but let’s not forget, as Paul Harvey would say, the rest of the story. Yes, David was a man after God’s own heart but he was also an adulterous murderer. Paul formerly named Saul, the man who singlehandedly raised up the Christian church in the first century, was a temperamental man who bickered with and split from those who disagreed with him. Look at Peter…what a contrast between the Peter of faith and the faithless Peter. (I always loved Peter, reminded me of myself, a person on contradiction)

The Christian superstars focus on the good side of men like David, Paul, and Peter. They arrogantly ignore the bad side of these men. Focus on the positive, forget the negative, they say.

Then one day the news comes. Superstar So and So has fallen into sin. They have stolen money, committed adultery, etc. All of the sudden the superstar looks just like everyone else. Frail. Feeble. Broken. (unless they deny the things they are accused of) What is clear for all who are willing to see….the superstars have feet of clay.

I grew up in, was trained in, and pastored in Baptist Fundamentalism. Superstars were quite common in the Independent Fundamentalist Baptist (IFB) Church movement. Men like Jack Hyles, John R Rice, Curtis Hutson, Bob Gray, Bob Jones Sr, Bob Jones Jr, Tom Malone, GB Vick, AV Henderson, Jerry Falwell,John Rawlings,BR Lakin, Peter Ruckman, Dallas Billington, Charles Billington, Harold Henniger,  Billy Graham (in his early days) and a host of other men. (I heard all but one the above men preach)

All of these men were preachers of great status and power. Most of them pastored large churches and thousands would flock to hear them preach, not only on Sunday but also during the week at conferences and special meetings. They were in such demand that they could have  preach every day of the year and twice on Sunday.

These men were above criticism. Since they had done great things for God, since the largeness of their church proved God’s favor, the nobodies were expressly forbidden from saying anything negative about the superstars. How dare they criticize God’s anointed prophets?

Almost all of the above mentioned men are now dead. What is their legacy? Their big churches are now in decline or closed. Men like Jack Hyles and Bob Gray were accused of gross sexual improprieties.(and to this day some of their followers deny these men ever did anything wrong) Few of these men are still superstars. Most are just a faint memory of a day and a man gone by.

Why is this? Superstardom is fleeting. They had their five minutes of fame and now it is over. The nobodies should ponder this very carefully….is five minutes of fame worth the price? When superstars fall the destruction left in their wake affects many people. Perhaps living in anonymity as a nobody is better in the long run.

I have written several posts that mention my alma mater Midwestern Baptist College and Tom Malone the founder of the college and long time pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Pontiac Michigan. (the church and college are now for sale)

In the late 1960’s and 1970’s Tom Malone was considered a superstar by most everyone in the IFB movement. He was a great pulpiteer, a man who preached with great power and conviction. Midwestern Baptist College sent out hundreds of men to start new IFB churches. (and I was one of them) Emanuel Baptist Church was one of the largest churches in America. Attendance exceeded 5,000 people in the 1970’s. Busses from Emmanuel traveled the Detroit/Pontiac metroplex bringing thousands of people to church.

All of this is long gone. Tom Malone is dead. He is but a fleeting memory. Yet, as time goes on the purer the memory of Malone becomes. People forget how arrogant and obstinate he could be. They forget how unwilling he was to embrace compromise or change. They forget that there was only one way to do things, Tom Malone’s way.

I loved listening to Tom Malone preach. He was an awesome public speaker. His preaching was forceful and passionate. However, Tom Malone was more than his preaching. Preaching made him into a superstar but his character flaws reminded everyone who dare pay attention that he had feet of clay.

Who can forget Tom Malone going into a rage over the 1977 Midwestern Baptist College yearbook? There were pictures in the yearbook of people with long hair. Malone was certain this was a deliberate plot to hurt him and the college. He tore up the yearbook in front of the student body and demanded that all the yearbooks be returned so the pictures could be blacked out. (I have one of the few unblacked yearbooks)

I played a good bit of pick-up basketball with Tom Malone. He loved to play basketball.(he loved competition in general) I watched Malone reduce students to tears when they called a foul during the game. Only wimps, weaklings, called a foul. No blood, no foul. Malone even sent a student home from the pickup game for being too “sissy” to play the game.

Tom Malone ran the College and the Church with a rod of iron. He allowed no dissent. Anyone who tried to stand up to him lost their teaching job or was expelled from school. There was, and still is, a certain arrogance in IFB churches and institutions that refuses to admit wrong. As a result, Malone hurt and abused many people during his 60 plus years in the ministry.

Many people want to only remember Malone the superstar. I refuse to have such a whitewashed memory of my pastor,professor, mentor, and example. Yes, he was a great preacher but he was also a arrogant, mean-spirited, man. He had, like we all do, feet of clay.

A devoted follower of Tom Malone wrote to me about my posts that mention Tom Malone:

It is hurtful to his (Tom Malone) character and him as a Christian and since he died a few years ago in sure you want to preserve the right image of him as a Godly man and a leader who did what he believe was right in the eyes of the Lord.

The writer thinks the most important thing is to preserve a right image of him. In order to do this we must not write or talk about his character flaws and failures. I refuse to do this. To understand Tom Malone is to know him for ALL that he was. He was, like all of us are, an admixture of many different things. When taken together the result is a clear picture of who Tom Malone was. To only focus on his preaching or his religious works in the 1960’s and 1970’s results in a skewed picture of who Tom Malone was.

I was a pastor for 25 years. I did many good things during my time as a pastor in Ohio, Michigan, and Texas. I like to think that people will remember me for the good things I did. However, I also know that I was not perfect. Out of anger, arrogance, and pride I did things that hurt others. I said things I regret to this day. I made bad decisions that still reverberate to this day.

The difference between Tom Malone and Bruce Gerencser is that I was never a superstar. My success in the ministry was moderate and I never pastored more than a few hundred people at a time. Like most preachers I lusted after the success of others but superstar success never came my way.

Superstars and nobodies at the end of the day are the same, human, a mixture of many things, that make them who and what they are. Rose-colored glasses worship of superstars strips the superstar of their humanity and sets up an impossible standard for the nobodies of the world.

How many times did a church member say to me Dr. So and So on TV said__________. How could I ever compete with that? The superstar was considered a step above me, the local nobody preacher. He was smarter than me and his words were gospel. The church member never saw the superstar’s faults or failures. Mine were on display every Sunday.

How about you? Share with us your superstar stories. Maybe you were a superstar at one time. How do you view the superstars of the religious world? (maybe not a good question to ask on an atheist blog)