Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Liberal theology not killing mainline churches

Elizabeth, at Bethquick.com, is irritated at religious conservatives who claim that anyone who doesn't agree with them has "a low view of scripture." She also counters the claim that more "liberal" mainline churches are "wrong" and that an increase in relative membership by conservative Evangelical churches is somehow proof that they are "right".

She says that some people are simply attracted to what is new, flashy, easy, convenient, and socially fulfilling. "Some churches," she says, "both mainline and other, can grow for [the] wrong reasons."

2 comments:

BLAZER PROPHET said...

The issue is this: do we want to believe what the Bible states or create the Bible around us? The latter is the liberal point of view. I would argue God created US and His word is to be taken seriously as His word to US.

CBrulee said...

Actually, Elizabeth's comments were concerning church growth. But the question is, of course, "which Bible"? We're on dangerous ground when we make idols out of any particular translation of the Bible. "What the Bible states" differs among different translations. Even the same translation undergoes changes as new archeological or textual evidence of Biblical times comes to light.

I see nothing in Elizabeth's posting that "creates the Bible around us". I believe she merely asking that people not be so arrogant as to assume that their particular understanding of a particular Bible translation is the only possible one.