Universal vs Particular

Interesting article by Petter Sellick posted on Online Opinion. Interesting because it goes some way to explain the compromises churches make to secular opinion, and goes behind some of the themes so prevalent in what is sometimes called a "liberal catholic" theology (although Wikipedia sheds no light on the issue)

Quote:

The universalising of Christianity is a part of the church’s accommodation with modernism that is embarrassed by the historically particular. The product of this movement is universal morality that can be applied to any man in any situation, a God divorced from particular commands found in scripture; the imposition of a theology of creation that ignores the covenant established in the Old Testament and is directed to an explanation of nature.

Unquote.

So in your friendly local Uniting Church, for example, you will hear a great emphasis on creation, with little time for redemption. There'll be lots of talk about God's love, without hardly any reference to judgement, despite a strong emphasis on social justice. There will be lots of talk about openess, aceptance and inclusivity, and little about reforming your life or conforming it to God's word. The actual reason why Christ died is explained away as a sign of "God's love", which seems like a pretty cruel thing to do to someone you love. The cross becomes more and more divorced from mercy (i.e. as an antidote to divine judgement), and more and more about warm fuzzies. No wonder there is confusion in the pews as to the difference between sin and grace.

Four Way Anglican Gay

From The American Anglican Council


In their tense debate about homosexuality, the world's 77 million Anglicans (called Episcopalians in the United States) take four approaches to biblical teaching: dismissal, perplexity, renovation and traditionalism.

Shelby Spong: Dismissal

Anglican Church of Canada: Perplexity

U.S. Episcopal Church: Renovationist - see "To Set Our Hope on Christ" (*.pdf download)

Anglican Mainstream: Traditional - see "A True Hearing"(*.pdf Download)

Christianity twice removed

From an American academic Lynn Schofield Clark, who visited Melbourne this month for a conference on media, religion and spirituality at RMIT University:

"Young people I spoke to did believe in good and evil, and the necessity of fighting evil, and a surprising number did seem to think of evil along the lines depicted in Buffy and other supernatural horror films - demons who encouraged bad behaviour that was punished by an everlasting stay in hell."

This is Christianity twice removed, she says. It is filtered first through Christian institutions, then popular culture picks up some stories and imagery. Stories of the Apocalypse are highly entertaining, ideal for films and video games.

"There is definitely a shallowness to some young people's beliefs," Clark says, "mostly because they have little interest in thinking about religion. It's not that the media have become more influential but that the stories of religion have become less so. Young people don't know the stories of their religious traditions. They know the basic outlines: that religion is something good people do, religion helps you to be a moral person etc."

From The Age (may have to log in)