Pragmatism and Dogmatic Bible-Thumping

I recently watched a movie on truth and it predominantly features a concept I have had on my heart for a long time but couldn’t put a name to it. Now I can, and it is pragmatism. You can check out the definition here. For those lazy types (like myself) it is basically a system of belief that makes truth relative and is an enemy of True Christianity. This system is dangerous and poses a threat to the real way of life. It debunks Biblical tradition and discourages radical Christ-following. Now, it is seeping into Christian society and churches are buying into it. “Sunday morning Christians” definitely fit this profile, and the Emerging Church has a problem here as well.

I personally was saved at a Presbyterian church which I now realize is also pragmatic, although they consider themselves “Non-Denominational” (which is becoming a denomination itself). However, I left before the end of a year attending because of many reasons, the main one being that it wasn’t practical. Emotional, yes. Powerful, yes. Immense, yes. However, they had no real bible studies, no fellowship ministries, and many of the mentors weren’t real good on keeping in touch let alone not the most qualified to be leading new Christians. Not that we aren’t all sinners and we all have problems and make mistakes, but I feel that church leaders need to be at least a little more righteous than their followers.

The “Christian” version of pragmatism strictly follows the practice of ‘giving the people what they want’ rather then telling them what they need to hear. This is why mega churches are so successful—and why this country is so deep in sacrilege. All you ever hear from these churches is how God is ready to bless you, how God can save you from every ail and woe, how quickly God is ready to forgive you and how much God loves you. They forget to mention how we are held accountable for our sins—past and present—how God judges all people, God still holds us in contempt, and He only gives us what we need according to His will. The belief my old church held was that if you want a new Mercedes you must declare it, believe God will give it to you, and pray for it. Within a few months, you will mysteriously obtain this fancy vehicle. If you remember the old Bible story, this is how Jesus got that beautiful Arabian Stallion.

Jesus never rode a horse. He never wore fancy clothes. Heck, He barely wore clothes at all. He gave all His money to people who had none. And trust me, He made loads of money in His ministry. Jesus never had a house, Jesus never gave in to temptation, and Jesus lived by faith. He served the servants, He dressed the naked, He healed the sick. We cannot make God move if He doesn’t want to move. A major problem with pragmatic churches is that they discourage the use of faith. It provides constant emotional, powerful feelings of connectedness to God without much effort. It enforces the continual presence of the Holy Spirit. It feeds us lies. God is always there, God is always watching, but sometimes it won’t feel like it. Sometimes we need to employ our faith in order to assure ourselves that God really is aware, always. Some churches measure the congregation’s holiness by spiritual gifts (speaking in tongues, healing, etc.) while others do it by the fruits it produces and the protectiveness the people seem to have. This is a dangerous theology to live by. God isn’t biased, God isn’t one-sided. With Him, you get the good and the bad. You get the love and the wrath. You get the life of Jesus and His death. Sin is sin, truth is not relative. God’s word never returns void. It is all anyone ever needs to be saved. It is not emotion, it is not power, it is not logic. It is Truth.

Don’t be pragmatic. Don’t be the lizard.