Taking Back Christianese #6: “All Sins Are Equal in God’s Sight”
For advocates of Reformed theology, we are keen to emphasize the seriousness of sin. Sin is a big deal. Each and every one of them. Indeed, this is precisely why we all desperately need a Savior.
As true as this is, however, our enthusiasm for maintaining the seriousness of sin (which is good) can lead us to make additional statements which may not be so true (depending on how they are understood). One of these statements, and the next installment in our “Taking Back Christianese” series, is, “All sins are equal in God’s sight.”
On the surface, this phrase seems like a great way to uphold our commitment … Continue reading...
Taking Back Christianese #4: “We Have Freedom in Christ”
The wildly popular song “Let it Go,” from the movie Frozen, has the following lyrics:
It’s time to see what I can do
To test the limits and break through
No right, no wrong, no rules for me I’m free!
No doubt this captures the sentiment of much of our culture. People are looking to break through any last vestige of rules in our modern world. And they define the lack of rules–no right or wrong–as freedom.
Christians sometimes use a phrase that captures (or at least can capture) a similar sentiment, “We have freedom in Christ.” And Christians use this phrase in drastically different ways. Indeed, it … Continue reading...
Taking Back Christianese #3: “God is Always Pleased with You”
Imagine this scenario. Your friend at church (who is a believer) comes to you and confesses an ugly sin they committed. And they feel terrible about it. What do you say?
No doubt this scenario is played out countless times a week in evangelical churches all over the country–particularly given the church’s fascination with authenticity and vulnerability (see my post on that issue here). And it is not always easy to know how to respond.
But here’s one response that gets used a lot: “Don’t feel bad about this sin. If you are a believer, then God is always pleased with you. He can never be more pleased … Continue reading...
Taking Back Christianese #1: “The Christian Life is All about Being Transparent and Vulnerable”
Over the last ten years, especially in Reformed circles, there has emerged a vision of the Christian life where one of the defining characteristics of a believer has now become transparency. A Christian is someone who is authentic, real, and open.
While prior generations might have suggested the essential mark of a Christian was obedience, those days seem long gone. In fact, for many (post)modern Christians the central issue is not whether someone obeys God’s law but whether they are honest about whether they have obeyed God’s law.
Authenticity has become (for some) the number one virtue.
Thus, we come to our very first instance of Christianese: “The … Continue reading...
Apathetic about Your Apathy? Here is Why a Lukewarm Church is a Bigger Problem Than We Think
Laodicea.
Just the name of that church conjures up all sorts of images in our mind. It was a church that was tepid, bored, and apathetic–overconfident in their own spiritual condition. In short, they were lukewarm.
And, as we all know, Jesus told them plainly, “Because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth” (Rev 3:16).
Spiritually speaking, the Laodicean church could be summarized in a single word that (unfortunately) captures the ethos of our modern culture: “Whatever.”
The problem, of course, with being apathetic is that you can actually be apathetic about your apathy! Put simply an apathetic church does not … Continue reading...