Today's Cutting Edge Christianity

Now, Religion in the News, a report and comment on religious trends and events being covered by the media. This week’s item is from the Santa Barbara NewsPress, May 9, 2004, with the headline, “Church Finds Innovative Ways of Spreading Faith—Tucked modestly behind a strip mall, Goleta Presbyterian Church is bursting with creativity and vitality—in its own quiet way, that is.

“Parishioners there are involved in an eclectic array of spiritual practices. Some are examining the role of technology in their spiritual life. Others are involved in traditional Bible study. Some are practicing yoga and meditation. Others are restoring an ailing creek back to health. Some play in the rock band; others sing in the choir. Its members are old and young, Republican and Democrat.

“At a time when mainline Protestant churches are suffering from a 40-year decline in influence and membership, Goleta Presbyterian Church serves as a stark exception to the trend. Sermons on Sunday morning sometimes make use of technology, with a big-screen image of the Holy Land taken from space, used to illustrate a different way of seeing things. But in the very same service, the minister might choose to dowse the lights for ten minutes of silent contemplative prayer.

“Some people have left the congregation, discombobulated by the changes in recent years. But many more have come and stayed, participating in the church’s various projects: saving a threatened creek on the property, serving disabled neighbors at a low-income facility next door, joining activities in which church elders share their life stories with younger members, building a new church and garden that nurture fellowship and environmental awareness.

“ ‘These are not evangelical mega-churches,’ said Miss Butler Bass, director of the three-year Lilly Foundation study of revitalized mainline churches. ‘These are quiet, modest places that are connecting with people’s spiritual needs by connecting with the past and taking their heritage and reworking it.’

“Goleta Presbyterian pastor, Reverend Steve Jacobsen, believes it’s important to try new ways of doing things. ‘As a leader, I try to make sure there is support for their different ways of being Christian in the modern world, and it’s a blessing.’”

Tom: Dave, I find this article really fascinating because, you know, it says clearly, “These are not evangelical mega-churches.” But you certainly have the…and I’m not talking about all large Christian churches, but certainly the seeker-friendly, seeker-sensitive churches. This is a small imprint here.

Dave: Well, I think this is going a little bit farther than most of them would: yoga, and so forth.

Tom: Yeah, well except that, you know, as the church moves more and more—the evangelical church moves more and more into the contemplative approach to Christianity, they’re really messing with Christian mysticism, with meditation, which is really Eastern meditation…not the meditation of the Bible, and so on. You have rituals, you have labyrinth prayer techniques—our kids are getting into it. Youth pastors are picking up on this. So, we’re moving in that direction, Dave. There’s no doubt about it.

Dave: Yeah. You mentioned “contemplative” movement in the church. We should contemplate, we should think, but it’s not really that any more. It’s getting yourself off into a neutral state of mind, allowing something else to take over. Eastern meditation, as you said. Western meditation is thinking deeply about something. Eastern meditation is reaching a state of mind where something else can take over. You get “goosebumpy,” and feeling spiritual. It’s like people say, “Well, I’m spiritual but I’m not religious. I don’t want any rules and regulations,” and now we’re launching out into the realm of the spirits—spiritual experiences. So that certainly is part of this.

Tom: Dave, this has to do with mainline Protestant churches. The whole study that this woman is participating in—and, by the way, the study is funded by the Lilly Foundation. Now that’s the drug company! And this isn’t the only study they do. They are funding numerous research projects, numerous religious spiritual projects among evangelicals. I mean, I can document all of that. But why is this drug company involved here? I don’t know. But here’s my point: this is mainline Protestant denominations. I don’t see a movement back toward biblical Christianity. It does say, “Yeah, we do have Bible studies,” but in the midst of Bible studies, you’re saving the creek, you’ve got the environment, you’ve got all kinds of purposeful things to do.

Dave: Well, Tom, we can’t quarrel with saving the creek, or serving disabled neighbors…

Tom: Right…

Dave: …at a low-income facility next door, and so forth. But the problem is…

Tom: Well, if that becomes...your works…your human efforts, your…

Dave: ...that becomes the tail that wags the dog. And now we’ve left off the truth of the Word of God, left off bringing people to Christ and a relationship to Him, now we’re into good works, as you said. And these good works then become the measure of our spirituality. But, Tom, this is a Presbyterian church, which is Calvinist. And you know that in Calvinism the big thing is, “Are you one of the elect?” And how do you know whether you’re one of the elect? Well, you have to do good works. You have to live a good enough life to prove that you’re one of the elect. Otherwise, how would you know that you had been elected by God in eternity past? You could only demonstrate that by your works.

We can’t complain about good works, but the Bible says, Ephesians:2:8-10 [8] For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: [9] Not of works, lest any man should boast. [10] For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
See All..., “By grace are you saved through faith.” Now that’s the main thing. We preach the gospel to get people saved, to rescue them from this world, and make them citizens of heaven. “By grace are you saved through faith…” People don’t want to talk about being “saved” any more. “…Not of yourselves, it’s the gift of God, not of works…” So you’ve got to be very careful that we don’t think that our works are earning merit with God that will help get us into heaven. It says, “We are created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath beforeordained that we should walk in them.

So, Jehovah’s witnesses, for example, they’re knocking on doors in order to get to heaven, in order to somehow merit salvation. The Mormons do the same. The Catholics, as you know—many years as a Catholic—do the same. You just gave us a quote of the good works helps him purchase the salvation of those who are in Purgatory, and so forth.

So, we’ve got to be very careful. On the other hand, we can be so intent upon—all we do preach the gospel…well, that’s good, that’s what we’re told to do, but then our lives do not reflect the transformation because we are created in Christ unto good works, we should not be forgetful to do good works, the Scripture says.

But, Tom, I don’t get any indication here that these people know the gospel—that they’re calling people out of a perishing world to heaven. But that this has become the tail that wags the dog, somehow or other, and has replaced the truth of the Word of God.

Tom: Well, it’s slightly revitalized a dead religion—“works-religion,” mainline, liberal Christianity. It’s a problem.