For some time we have been accustomed to think of justification as a Biblical promise, one that shows a (perhaps briefly) remorseful sinner permanently forgiven in a black letter law, legal sense. Once tasted, we have thought, salvation was to fill our bellies forever.
We are chagrined, as a result, where we ought to be challenged. Christendom is so filled with the hacks, the charlatans and the sunshine patriots, we must enter into some frenzied linguistic/theological gymnastics to forgive, in succession, our own poor teaching and our fellows' poor living.
If the Church can be said to be thirty years behind the Culture in most things, the Divine Community might now be said to be entering the decadent, desperate '80's, during which massive government over-spending led to double digit inflation, overweening stagflation and the superficiality of a culture that made disco seem deep.
Well, how else do you explain Joel Osteen?
The theological naivete of the past culture is evident in the present Church. In fact, naivete is a kind word to use, for the actual curse of the Church is willful ignorance, which is more deliberate obfuscation of truth than it is benign head-turning to take truth out of one's line of easy vision.
Simply put, we are fearful to tell a "lost" fellow he is "lost" if it means he might not take part in our "salvation" community. I do not mean the fellow struggling with his homosexual urges or the woman who experienced an abortion ten years ago. I mean the spiritually sick staff member who spends his time trying to climb the ladder at the expense of whomever. I do mean the sin-sick elder who thinks it is his spiritual gift to demean the pastor
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