Pastoral Ponderings| Pastoral Ponderings | [printer version] |
| In the fourth century a monk by the name of Pelagius was appalled by the immorality he found rampant when he visited Rome. He concluded that the cause of the immorality was the popular theology of that day which saw man as captive to sin and helpless to remedy the situation without the initiation of salvation by God on behalf of the sinner. Pelagius argued that sin is not a condition we are born into and held captive by, but one to which we choose to enslave ourselves. For Pelagius, man was born free to choose between good and evil. What mankind needed was proper motivation to choose the good words and actions which would result in righteousness. This motivation would come through education and various encouragements. In the history of the church, Pelagius and his ideas have not only been condemned, but condemned numerous times. Why did his teaching continue to resurface throughout the centuries? Because the idea that righteousness results from what I do, think and say appeals to mankind's reliance upon self. It should be no surprise then that Pelgianism thrives in the American “Can Do” culture today.  As evidence of this American Pelagianism, consider the research of secular sociologist Marsha Witten. In a review of forty-seven sermons on the prodigal son by various pastors in both Presbyterian and Southern Baptist churches, she observed that many times the sermon, “…constitutes a 'do-it-yourself' guide for personal satisfaction, with a few mentions of God or faith or prayer tossed in to mark itself as 'religious.'” | What mentions of God there were did not depict a god whose rule and authority had been transgressed by our sin resulting in His righteous and terrible wrath against us, but more as a “…clear thinking, well-organized 'super administrator,' one of whose primary functions is to plan efficiently the affairs of the universe.” Because of Pelagianism, the focus in our churches is no longer about sin and the need for forgiveness; instead, it's about being good and, through that goodness, being transformed. As one theologian surmised, “…a great deal of contemporary preaching, whether mainline or evangelical, assumes that conversion is something we generate through our own words and [efforts].” But it goes beyond just the preaching. Every facet of the church is geared towards equipping the believer to know and follow the steps which will result in having the best in life now. We have marriage conferences which teach us about love languages. We have men's conferences which encourage us to keep the promises we made on our wedding day. The list goes on, but the message is always the same, “Come and we'll show you what to do.” But what if the problem is not a lack of knowledge concerning my wife's love language? What if I know her language, but I'm too selfish to turn off the TV and speak it? What if my real problem is not a language problem, but an “I” problem? What solution is there if all I really think about is me, myself and I? Will the church today help me see that this is the problem? The ideas of Pelagius are alive and well in our Christian culture. We see it in the emphasis on being good and making the “Christian” choice. As a result, God is reduced to a personal life trainer who becomes whoever we need Him to be so as to assist us in getting the most blessings in life. Sin isn't an offense to the holiness of God demanding righteous judgment. Instead, it is the wrong choices we make that lead us away from what we really want. Sunday mornings become a celebration of the joy we've attained or an encouragement that it is out there for us. God is celebrated for how He leads us to these blessings. It's time for the church to condemn Pelagianism again. |