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2Tim215 -> Getting serious...about bad theology. (10/17/2007 12:27:03 AM)
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Hello.
There's a book that has been quite a hot topic in the blogosphere for the past year by a woman named Debbie Maken. The book is titled, "Getting Serious About Getting Married (Rethinking the Gift of Singleness)." It's sort of a reaction against all the bad teaching in the Church over the last few decades on the subject of singleness, in telling unmarried people things like, "If you're single, it must be God's will for you" and "Just wait on the Lord for a mate." I've managed to see through these sayings as bogus -- although they did cause some frustration and anxiety in me when I was younger.
After following the discussion her book spawned for quite a while, I decided to send her an email, detailing the influence Greek philosophy has had on the Body of Christ for centuries and how it's contributed to much of the false teaching on singleness. She was kind enough to post it to her blog. I thought I'd post it here in case it might be helpful to someone.
Hi Debbie.
I stumbled upon your book on Amazon about a year ago and enjoyed it very much. Afterwards, I began following the singleness discussion on your blog and others. I could definitely relate to the frustration I saw expressed about the current marriage crisis. I was pleased to find that many others were rethinking the modern Church's teachings about singleness and marriage. I'd like to offer my thoughts on what I believe is the source of the faulty teaching on this subject in the Body of Christ.
You have rightly pointed out the harmful effects of the well-meaning platitudes Christian leaders tell singles about their situation, such as "If you're single, it's God's will for you right now"; "Wait on the Lord and He'll bring you the person He has for you"; and of course, "Singleness is a gift." I certainly agree with you that these words have produced much frustration and paralysis in Christian singles in recent years.
But the question must be asked: What do all these pious platitudes have in common? Answer: The implicit notion that God has chosen a particular person for each of us to marry, and that He will bring that person into our lives at the "appointed time" – that is, if it is His will that we marry at all. A typical Christian hears the expression, "the person God has for you" literally hundreds of times in his life - at Church; from family and friends; on Christian TV and radio; in books and magazines. The idea is so ubiquitous in the Christian world that it goes largely unquestioned. Not to mention the belief, so common in the popular culture, that we each possess a "soul mate".
By the way, one very overlooked passage of scripture that implies God does not have a particular person picked out for each of us is 1 Cor. 7:39-40 (NKJV):
" 39 A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. 40 But she is happier if she remains as she is, according to my judgment-and I think I also have the Spirit of God."
"…to whom she wishes…"
I'm convinced that these flawed ideas follow quite logically from the fatalistic worldview that has permeated Christianity for many centuries.
Due largely to the Neo-Platonist movement at the time of Augustine, Christianity [and Western Civilization in general -- "Que Sera, Sera, Whatever will be, will be" ] has been greatly influenced by Greek philosophy – Plato's writings in particular. Augustine is "credited" with harmonizing Platonic thought with Christian theology. In his 'Confessions' he admitted that his commitment to the Greeks was so great that he refused to become a Christian until Ambrose, the bishop of Milan, showed him how he could interpret Scripture through the prism of Greek philosophy. Augustine had seen a clear distinction between the way the Bible presents God, and the Greek's conception of divinity -- and he preferred the latter!
The Church's commitment to philosophy continued through the Reformation with Luther -- an Augustinian monk -- and Calvin, who revered Augustine's writings. Calvin's theology is considered to be in many ways a revival of Augustinianism. Many Reformation seminaries placed an equal emphasis on the study of The Classics (Greek philosophy) as on the study of Holy Scripture. In short, the Reformation freed the Body of Christ from Rome, but not from Greece.
The concept of an eternally settled (preordained) future that cannot be altered in any way – by either God or man - is a superstitious, pagan idea, not a Biblical one. The Greeks called it Fate, while many Christians call it God's Will or Providence, but it's source is the superstition that has been common in pagan cultures throughout history -- most significantly in ancient Greece. By the way, the term "providence" was actually coined by the Greeks, and later adopted by Christian theologians.
This doesn't mean Greek philosophy is worthless. In fact, one of the major factors in the advancement of science in the West – along with the influence of Christianity, with its belief that God created an orderly universe - was the development of the laws of logic by the philosophers of ancient Greece. However, whatever truth may be contained in any man-made philosophy -- especially that which attempts to describe the nature of God, man and reality -- must be gleaned by reading it through the prism of God's Word, and not vice versa.
For the first 300 years of Church history - before the influence of Augustine - notable Christians like Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Clement, Tertullian, Origen, Chrysostom and Jerome taught that because God possesses genuine freedom of will, and because man is created in His image and likeness, we do too. In the book, "God's Strategy in Human History" (Marston & Forster, 2000 Ed.), Alister McGrath, professor of historical theology at Oxford, is quoted as saying ( p.296), "The pre-Augustinian theological tradition is practically of one voice in asserting the freedom of the human will." McGrath considers Christianity's later denial of true libertarian human will to be a good thing, so his admission here is notable.
Today, the Body of Christ continues to be mired in a worldview derived from pagan philosophy, and it has a direct impact on practical life issues like how Christians pursue marriage -- or don't. Countless singles have had Church leaders discourage them from proactively pursuing marriage, telling them it will all just happen in "God's perfect time" or that they don't want to "get ahead of God." Even the dreaded "contentment lecture" that singles are often bludgeoned with when they express their desire to marry, flows logically from this fatalism. After all, if every aspect of life, including one's marital status, is following a sort of Divine Script, how can anyone be discontent with where God "has him"?
A while back you posted an article by Blaine Smith on your blog titled, "Is God A Matchmaker?" It's a good illustration of the paralysis these ideas can create in the lives of singles. He wrote:
A member of the church I attended as a single Christian wrote a song that became a favorite at weddings there. Many couples included it in their wedding ceremonies, and Evie and I began our own service with it. The first verse sets forth the theme that continues throughout the song: "Before God gave us life . . . He planned us for each other."
The song proclaims a belief which Christians have long held sacred--that God predetermines whom you marry. If he wants you to be married, he has one ideal choice in mind. And he works in many mysterious ways to bring you to the one for whom you are destined....
...I find that...[frequently] this viewpoint has an adverse effect on Christians....
...Most unfortunate...is the paralyzing effect this notion sometimes has on single Christians who want to be married. Some conclude that any personal effort to find a spouse is outside the bounds of faith. Changing jobs or churches to improve the prospects of meeting someone compatible, for instance, is out of the question. Faith demands that you sit still and wait for God to bring the right person to your doorstep.
In one extreme case a Christian woman told me she felt she must avoid any situation that would make it too easy to find a husband. She had four opportunities for missionary service. In three of these situations there were single men whom she would consider marrying. Thus she felt compelled to choose the fourth. Though this woman, who was past forty, deeply wanted to be married, she greatly feared getting her own will mixed up with God's in the matter. Making it as difficult as possible for God to bring a man into her life would help ensure that marriage would come about only if God willed....
...My experience...is that most Christians do not find this notion [the premise of the song] helpful when it comes to decisions related to marriage....
No, not helpful at all.
You might ask, "So, if this fatalism has infected Christianity for centuries, why is it only recently -- in the last few decades -- that we've experienced such passivity regarding the pursuit of marriage?"
Until fairly recently, because there was still general disapproval of pre-marital sex in our society, young men were quite motivated to look for a wife -- just as God intended. When the trend of marital delay began in the West in the 1960's - due mainly to the Sexual Revolution – Christians slowly adopted the new cultural norm of postponing marriage. The Body of Christ was then faced with the challenge of ministering to millions more unmarried people, and began to develop a sort of Theology of Singleness -- the foundation of which, unfortunately, was the superstition the Church has applied to every dilemma and tragedy in life for centuries.
There's an excellent audio presentation that is highly relevant to this issue called, "Predestination & Free Will" by a man I greatly admire named Bob Enyart . He's a radio talk show host and the Pastor of Denver Bible Church in Colorado. His ministry has had a tremendous impact on my life. The presentation is a six-hour seminar he held on this topic. Here's the description from his website:
So much is at stake when people consider predestination and free will. Strong emotions often surface with a discussion of this topic. That passion points to our critical need to understand the truth regarding whether or not God has predetermined who will go to heaven and who will go to hell.
Also, the question of whether or not God has planned out each person's life affects us. Does God have a plan for your life? Does a blueprint exist for your future? Did God predetermine whether or not you would get married, and to whom? Did God plan whether you would be wealthy or poor, happy or sad? If God does plan your life, does He do so in minute detail or in general themes? If God has a plan for your life, are you able to alter that plan? This topic directly influences people concerning how they live their lives [AMEN! - me]. As Christians, we must seek God to accurately portray the LORD to others. For any misrepresentation of God will dishonor Him and perhaps bring harm to those misled.
I believe many people have misrepresented God - even if unintentionally - and have brought great harm to unmarried believers through theological error.
I think you would enjoy reading a fascinating debate on this topic that took place at TheologyOnline.com between Enyart and Dr. Samuel Lamerson, a professor at Knox Theological Seminary: link.
In observing this discussion for some time, I've perceived that most of those involved are from a Reformed background. I'm aware that my analysis strikes at the heart of Reformed/Calvinist theology. For this reason, I was hesitant to voice my opinion. I know how contentious the subject of Predestination and Free Will is, and how defensive – and downright hostile – fellow believers can get when their most cherished doctrinal beliefs are challenged.
But because I felt like the current analysis of this issue, though accurate in many ways, wasn't quite getting at the heart of the matter, nor identifying what I believe is the root cause of all the confusion and false teaching about singleness, I decided it was worth offering my two cents. I guess I'm asking you and your readers to "rethink" a few more things.
I want to thank you for encouraging singles to be more intentional about pursuing marriage and family. Of all the obstacles Christian singles must dodge in their efforts to get married, hopefully we can soon remove bad theology as a wholly unnecessary one.
Thank you for your time.
In Christ,
Paul
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