Eutychus and His Kin: February 17, 1984

The X-Rated Pulpit

Sin is passé. Conviction is out of the question. No one should ever be made to feel guilty in church. It is a liberated day: Down with sermons that correct us! All people should feel good when they leave church.

Some pastors have been known to persecute their congregations by preaching too directly against sin. Until now there has been little help offered, but today there is an agency especially designed to protect the flock from abusive shepherds. The organization is called FROCC (Freedom Over Cruel Clergy), and it can be reached by dialing 02B-FREE locally, or 1–800-IM2-GOOD nationally. (The number in Canada is 301–216-OUCH.)

Really, FROCC can help. The next time you are forced to sit through a tirade against anything that makes you feel guilty or ashamed of your current lifestyle, dial the magic number and set yourself free. The truth is, we at FROCC believe sheep should never be sheared or even approached with intent. We are trying to appeal a case to the Supreme Court right now in which a pastor not only preached against sin but said that commitment to Christ should require a man to “take up his cross” daily. The sermon left many of the sheep feeling intimidated and unworthy.

Sermons should soothe, and FROCC is here to cut the abrasives out of theology, the rasp out of the rector, the grit out of grace. Smile, be at ease in Zion; the offense is gone, the candles of your favorite altar will now beam with golden light, and serious confession will die without any guilt. Enjoy! We even have a hymnal in which the old “worm-theology” songs are upgraded to congratulate human dignity: there are “FROCC of Ages,” “Oh Safe to the FROCC,” “He Hideth my Soul in the Cleft of the FROCC.”

So, the next time you hear a sermon that seems to condemn your lifestyle, call FROCC—the people who have eliminated sin and replaced old-fashioned guilt with new, fun-filled Christianity.

EUTYCHUS

Confusion Reigns

According to “Lutherans and Catholics Reach Surprising Agreements” [News, Dec. 16], the rift between Lutherans and Roman Catholics may soon be healed. Does that mean that “minor” issues such as papal infallibility, Maryology, transubstantiation, the cult of the saints, and celibacy of priests have been resolved? Could it be that the Lutherans have pitched the Augsburg Confession and the Catholics have rescinded the Council of Trent? I must have had my head in the sand not to recognize the “immediacy” of that historic day.

Maybe the Lutheran-Roman Catholic Dialogue Group operates like boys trading baseball cards. “I’ll trade you one Papal Infallibility for one Sola Scriptura.” “No, but I would give up one Sola Gratia and one Sola Fides to get your endorsement as an expression of the perennial Catholic tradition.” Is this the way they did it?

JEFFREY B. STEPHENS

Christ The King Lutheran Church

Memphis, Tenn.

Original or Paraphrase?

In the article “C. S. Lewis on Christmas” [Dec. 16], Kathryn Lindskoog quotes Lewis as stating in Mere Christianity that “The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God.” As quoted here, this suggests the statement is original to Lewis. But is it not more likely that Lewis was simply paraphrasing Augustine, who called Christ “the one who, already Son of God, came to become Son of man, so as to give us who were already sons of men the power to become sons of God” (Letter 140)?

REV. MICHAEL P. KNOWLES

St. Paul’s Church

Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Sinless Perfection?

Thank you for the excellent article on the Salvation Army in the December 16 issue. It states, however, that the question of whether the Army believes in sinless perfection receives no direct answer in official literature. A statement in response to that question occurred as far back as the first publication of the Salvation Army’s “Handbook of Doctrine” in 1923. There was a section in that document that stated: “Sanctification does not include certain supposed experiences with which it is sometimes confused.” Article (b) under that heading stated the following: “It is not Adamic perfection (sometimes called ‘sinless perfection’), or the perfection enjoyed by Adam before he fell, when he, having powers unimpaired by sin, could perfectly obey God’s perfect law. Such perfection is impossible to us, for the Fall has rendered us imperfect both in mind and body. God does not require what is impossible, but expects us to keep His law of love; in other words, to love and serve Him to the best of our knowledge and ability. Our best service is imperfect, but it is acceptable to God, provided it is prompted by pure love.”

I possess a booklet dated 1892 entitled “The Doctrines of The Salvation Army Prepared for the Training Homes by the General” in which the same points are made in a question-and-answer format. This has remained the teaching of the Salvation Army throughout its history. Article 9 of the statements of belief reinforces this thought with a corollary doctrine on the possibility of backsliding: “We believe that continuance in the state of salvation depends upon continued obedient faith in Christ.”

MAJ. EARL ROBINSON

Catherine Booth Bible College

Winnipeg, Man., Canada

De-Sexing Attempts Grotesque

While attempts at making our language more inclusive have much to commend them, the NCC lectionary appears to have gone to extremes that will only serve to heap ridicule upon this attempt [News, Dec. 16]. Somehow the committee has missed the point that humans come in only two forms: male and female. So God had only limited choices when the Word was made flesh. Christ had to be born male or female. For God’s own reasons, male was chosen. So I find the attempt to de-sex the expressions about Jesus rather grotesque.

Throckmorton’s view that the Scripture is the church’s book, to be added to or deleted from at the church’s pleasure, is a complete denial of the Reformation. One of the main points of the Protestant Reformation was that Scripture judges the church. If the church can add to, or take away from, Scripture, then there is no longer a basis for reforming. Following Throckmorton’s view, the Mormons, Moonies, and other groups that have added to Scripture have done something entirely proper, and there is no longer any “orthodoxy,” but only authoritative churches that can decree what members ought to believe.

The Scripture stands; let the church and the world be judged.

REV. DONALD R. HYER

Calvary Evangelical

Presbyterian Church Butler, Penn.

The issue here is not the quality of the wording of the Bible, but whether anyone has the right to tamper so loosely with the Scriptures. Catering to the opinions of a few seems to me to be, at the least, straining out a gnat while swallowing a camel, and at worst, rebellion against the authority of the inspired Word of God.

ANDY BAKER

Clear Creek Christian Church

Clear Creek, Ind.

Clergy to Laity

As I read “Who Counsels Ministers when They Have Problems?” [Nov. 25], I couldn’t help but be saddened by the background picture the author painted of the ecclesiastical environment in which he seeks to minister. It highlights a very real shortcoming in much of the church today—the artificial distinction between “clergy” and “laity.” Surely, as people indwelt, empowered, and graciously gifted by the same Spirit, we ought all to be able to minister to one another, including pastors and other leaders.

If pastors would see the members of their congregation as ministers and colaborers (and help them to see themselves as such) and themselves as equippers, not set apart from, or above, but among them, perhaps they wouldn’t have to look so far for someone to minister to them in their times of need.

KEVIN J. WHEELER

Honolulu, Hawaii

God’s Presence—All Functions

Themes from three recent articles on decision making and God’s will [Sept. 16] and physical healing [Nov. 25; Dec. 16] can be integrated elegantly and extended to all human function. God’s emphasis in our lives is not on the sensational, the dramatic, the extraordinary, but on the quiet, continuous working of his Spirit within us. An extraordinary event should not cause us to prescribe such events as normative or lead us to seek another such event from God. Rather, it should vividly remind us that at every moment God’s breath is quietly at work within us in all decision making, in all physical healing, in all human function.

PHILIP BITAR

Berkeley, Calif.

Let’s Share!

The article “Five Reasons for Not Giving to the Poor” [Nov. 25] really made me think about the many gifts Christ has given me and how selfish I have been. I hope it also affected other people. It is a shame that we are too selfish to share our many gifts and our happiness with those who are not as fortunate.

KARYN DEVRIES

South Holland, Ill.

Mark Galli’s article is only half the story. With only a single sentence buried toward the end does he address the question: How should we then give? The misuse of the principle of stewardship does not invalidate it. Each of us has very finite resources, and we should give in ways that will maximize the benefits.

Since few of us are able to follow our gifts with the nonfinancial help so many of the poor need, the best recipients are those who can help in this way (Salvation Army, inner-city churches, social agencies). Other groups are far more capable of helping materially than we are alone, so we should aid soup kitchens and similar efforts in their work. The gift of self is far greater than the gift of money. The rest of us should aid and encourage them.

KELVIN SMITH

Alma, Mich.

Art or Images?

I would like to take issue with the Giesers’ proposal that we “Put Art Back into Our Churches” [Nov. 11]. We must recognize that art is used wrongly not only when the images themselves are objects of worship. It is also idolatry to think that our worship of the true God can be enhanced or helped along by the use of manmade images. As J. I. Packer demonstrates in chapter 4 of Knowing God, images used in this way dishonour God by obscuring his glory, and they mislead men by conveying false ideas about God.

Our “sense of celebration” in worship must come from the knowledge that we are in communion with a gracious, awesome God, not from the “worshipful feelings” we get by beholding the works of man.

REV. DAVE COLES

Koinonia Church

Potsdam, N.Y.

Have something to add about this? See something we missed? Share your feedback here.