The Protestant Culture of Death and the Folly of Discernment Blogging
“So, anti-spiritual abuse blogs are confronting a religion that they remain a part of while that religion looks to suffering as a means of properly understand reality itself. Good luck with that.”
“This should also be instructive for discernment bloggers; even if you succeed in making the Calvinist abusers feel guilty what is going to be the result? A return to the foot of the cross and nothing else.”
When Protestants started rediscovering their real roots in 1970, many “gospel recovery movements” started a “quiet revolution” to take the church back from modern-day “legalistic Pharisees.” Few knew anything was going on until 2006, and even then it was the realization that something was going on, but nobody knew exactly what it was. In 2009 discernment blogs exploded in response to the spiritual abuse tsunami sweeping across the evangelical church.
2014 has ushered in the realization that discernment blogs are pointless because they confront Protestantism and Calvinism in particular about its bad behavior while remaining in the institutional church, and in many cases, Calvinism itself.
The cat is out of the bag. The rabbit is out of the hat. The elephant is out of the barn. However you want to state it, spiritual abuse is happening in the church; and if not abuse, rampant sin, and if not sin; boredom, because Protestantism is the same old ancient doctrine of death ideology as Islam or anything else. There is only one historical difference between Protestantism and Islam in regard to degree of abuse: American rule of law, and the separation of force and faith. Calvinists in our day state plainly that they would “go Old Testament” on dissenters if they were allowed. What is our first clue that something isn’t right? Presently, they are limited to character assignation and having your name removed from the book of life. Openly, they bemoan the loss of days gone by when burning stakes were as common as road signs while the average pew sitter makes no correlation between history and ideology whatsoever. Calvinists like Wade Burleson can actually brag about being a modern-day Puritan while at the same time claiming to be an advocate for the spiritually abused. The disconnect in logic is stunning.
It is extremely important to make a distinction between doctrine and ideology. The same ideology can take on many different expressions of doctrine; biblical or secular. Doctrine is the stated ethic of the ideology which usually comes from what we believe about the state of being. A lot of the debate noise on the internet, if not most of it, is from people with the same ideology either aware or unaware, debating doctrine. They think they have relevant differences because they disagree on doctrine. No, doctrine is the tentacles of the ideological octopus.
Epistemology is the “how” we know the state of being (what is), and perhaps why it is. For original Protestantism, reality is perceived through suffering. Christ came to die on the cross so man could obtain life. That’s true in respect to salvation, but Luther (following the lead of Augustine) made that an ongoing need for understanding reality and experiencing the wellbeing of the invisible. This led to the false doctrine of progressive justification and made understanding reality part and parcel with salvation. This drives a lot of the mentality behind the evangelical homeschool movement. The public schools are evil because unbelieving teachers do not have a proper grasp of reality.
So, anti-spiritual abuse blogs are confronting a religion that they remain part of while that religion looks to suffering as a means of properly understand reality itself. Good luck with that. They have been blogging their guts out for five years now, and where are the results? You are dealing with people who will never be appalled at suffering because it is key to understanding reality.
Let’s look at an example:
The ugly reality of crucifixion looms over the lives of Christ’s followers today, as it did Peter’s life. In the gospel, we are confronted with the unvarnished horror of ourselves—damned and cursed and exiled. We find ourselves ensnared in the curse itself—in Jesus, writhing in torture on a stake (John 3:14).
Gathering each week, we reenact the horror of Jesus’ sacrificial death. In baptism, we see the flood of God’s judgment against sin (1 Pet. 3:20-21). At the Lord’s Table, we swallow and digest the sign of our Lord’s torn skin and spattered blood (Justin Taylor: The Gospel Coalition .org blog; The Gospel at Ground Zero | Sept. 9, 2011).
So, when you go to church every week, for all practical purposes, it is really a celebration of death. And what to do when your conscience bothers you?
And whenever our consciences accuse, the gospel takes us away from denial or preoccupation and right back to Ground Zero—to the Cross (Ibid).
This should also be instructive for discernment bloggers; even if you succeed in making the Calvinist abusers feel guilty what is going to be the result? A return to the foot of the cross and nothing else. One does not keep a clear conscience before God through obedience, that would be, “trying to be the gospel rather than preaching the gospel.” Hence, the often espoused, “I have no problem with Christ, it’s His followers I disdain” has unfortunate merit. Classic Protestantism is unabashed in promoting a talk instead of a walk—a walk is works salvation—we must let Jesus do the walking for us. “It’s not about what we do—it’s about what Jesus has done.” This mindset is unsalvageable—come out from among them. Unfortunately, once someone experiences a way of life that answers every question with the fatalistic easy-button while vanquishing real responsibly for the sum and substance of their own life, repentance is extremely unlikely unless God intervenes.
What’s the solution? Abandon the institutional church and return to church as it was meant to be. Believers at large are the priesthood, not Protestant academia. There needs to be an exodus to explore the real truth marred by 500 years of the traditions of men.
Why are we begging the institutional church to do what’s right? Why have we been begging since 2009, and to no avail? Why are toothless tigers like Boz Tchividjian heroes for merely crying foul on behalf of victims? Have you noticed how discernment bloggers are constantly clamoring at the doors of the institutional church with bated breath for some notable evangelical to throw them a verbal breadcrumb? It goes viral because some stuffed shirt orthodox lackey states something along the lines of God’s displeasure with pedophilia. It’s pathetic.
Victims need to understand that their suffering is a Protestant epistemology that is deemed not only a necessary evil, but the only gateway to spiritual wellbeing. Hold out your begging cup named justice till the second coming if you must, but you have been doing so since 2009, and you will continue to do so with the same results. Stop suing them and being sued by them, stop begging them, and for crying out loud, stop giving them your money!
Come out from among them and be separate. Only truth sanctifies. Be honest; what is your real goal in life? Retool and start blogging about the solution; that’s the new spiritual frontier. Stop being enslaved to a spiritual caste system, Christ came to set you free.
paul
Paul's Passing Thoughts 
“The question now is how do we define “nature”? Are we talking man’s metaphysical essence, or are we talking about how we THINK?
If we have a proper understanding of TRUTH there is no reason to suggest we are all still tempted to sin once we have come to believe the right things. This doesn’t mean no true believers are ever tempted to sin, but it doesn’t mean that ALL of us still are.
“Nature” is merely a strange way the bible labels man’s assumptions, I submit.”
And what people label as “sin” is often questionable. Just one example, any anger is often labeled as sin. Whereas I would be leery of folks who are not angry about some heinous things such as child molestations. And I have seen pastors actually rebuke people for being angry about that as if it is a worse sin to be angry about it. Another thing often labeled as sin are negative truths some believers don’t want to face so they call it gossip or hatred or something.
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“Come out from among them and be separate. Only truth sanctifies. Be honest; what is your real goal in life? Retool and start blogging about the solution; that’s the new spiritual frontier. Stop being enslaved to a spiritual caste system, Christ came to set you free.”
I loved this, too.
I will take a minute to warn folks to be mindful of their children, teens in this matter. It is amazing how much becomes ingrained so quickly. Couple that with church being a social arena for them, it can become very tricky. I advise having lots of conversations about WHO Jesus Christ is and what the resurrecftion means. EVen then it can be tricky if they become enamoured with the current youth pastor, etc.
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“If we have a proper understanding of TRUTH there is no reason to suggest we are all still tempted to sin once we have come to believe the right things.” Argo
Argo, Well said. Once we have a proper understanding of what is good for us and what hurts us, and keep that in mind, then it really isn’t much of a battle then, is it?
For instance: What is a good way to view children? As vipers in diapers, as Paul Dohse likes to plainly put it as he disagrees with that thinking? Or is it right for to view children as unique, special, God-created, precious gifts? How each of us views children will show in how we treat them. And how Christians treat children tells children what Christians think about who God is.
And if we teach children a bunch of rules without telling them why, then what do they do when they grow up? They may follow rules blindly, no matter what they are JUST BECAUSE IT’S A RULE (killing Jews, for instance). Or they may discard rules. Why follow a rule just because it’s an arbitrary rule?
No. We need to understand what good is. We must put our thinking caps on. We need to understand what is good for us and teach children to discern what is good for them. We must teach children to do only what is good for them. That is the golden rule. That is the opposite of what is touted as “dying to self”, “sacrificing self”, etc. It makes me nauseous to listen to “sacrifice yourself” teaching, especially when it’s taught to children…… This teaching is a teaching of death, not abundant life. It creates sitting ducks…..
Followers of Jesus protect, nurture, love. Followers of Jesus have a high value and respect for life. I can’t be convinced otherwise.
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Mom,
Well, my comment was to the believer who, though he has new life, is still tempted by sin, and that we are to reckon/consider that old sinful man dead. There is still a battle there or we wouldn’t be tempted to sin. Why would Paul tell us in Romans to reckon the old man dead if he weren’t a problem. Yes, we are new creatures and are to live unto Christ but there is still temptation. That was my reasoning.
Andrea Yates was a mental case, in postpartum depression and taking anti-depressants. She was a very confused and overly stressed mother, and from the sounds of it maybe not truly saved. We cannot know all the dynamics that went into her decision. She may have tried to use scripture for an excuse for what she did, but I don’t think my comment correlates with her situation.
No I don’t agree that children are totally depraved, but the Bible does teach that sin was passed down from Adam to all men so that we are all stained by Adam’s sin. It doesn’t mean we’re totally depraved, but nor are we righteous in our humanity. Otherwise, why did Jesus have to die on the cross if we didn’t need a Savior?
Not Reformed!
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Lydia,
I’m not quite sure how reckoning the old man dead and living unto Christ is “leaving us out of the equation” for we are to live, to walk out our salvation. Living is active! Maybe said a different way would clarify, we don’t focus on our sin, but when tempted to sin, when that old man who was crucified with Christ and buried in baptism tries to dictate our behavior, we tell him, “Hey you’re dead!! No, I now live unto Christ! Tell that old man he’s dead, doesn’t he know?
I will take your advice and go back and re- listen to Andy’s presentation from TANC. Thx.
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Andrea Yates:
Andrea Yates was valedictorian & a nurse before marriage. Her husband, Rusty, was a NASA engineer.
Patriarchy. The curse of Eve: women are Eve-il, natural childbirth only. Dominionism. Sinful at/before birth.
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=126229
http://www.beliefnet.com/News/2002/03/Bad-Religion-Partially-To-Blame-For-Tragedy-In-Texas.aspx#
http://articles.latimes.com/2002/mar/01/news/mn-30487
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A mom
I did go back and did some research on Yates after you had mentioned her name. Yes, there is definitely a link to her killing of her children to her belief system no doubt. Was she also suffering from depression and shizchophrenia? I believe also this was the case. Those two mixed together is a very deadly cocktail.
There is research that states that one of the number one jobs for a sociopath to employ himself IS the ministry.
Religion is notorious for picking up mental cases for the exact reasons of being able to control and manipulate. Andrea was just another victim to Michael Woroniecki’s belief system; as with others who follow the model of a Deterministic and Cruel god. Just take jaunt through history and there are scores of dead souls and physical bodies who have suffered the same fates. Disgusting!
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Working on getting Susan’s TANC 2014 stuff posted. It speaks to this issue.
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“Woroniecki ignored ABCNEWS’ repeated request for a response, but he did write a letter to the Dallas Morning News in which he said: “We enjoyed our relationship with Rusty and Andrea for many years as they tried to learn from our ways of following Jesus … they obviously ‘fell short’ of salvation.”
This is the vilest response to a sick woman and the murdering of her own children that I have ever seen, especially in light of the fact that this very man is the one she followed. He should be in jail with Andrea.
To Rusty and Woroniecki I would ask, “What demands did you put on a mentally I’ll woman?” This lack of compassion and understanding for human beings is incomprehensible to me. I don’t find it compatible with Jesus’ response to the murderer on the cross next to his.
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t4ho,
Yes. Beliefs, when carried out, can be life-affirming & giving OR beliefs can be anti-life. Religions of death can cause even the most upbeat, positive person to become depressed & hopeless. The belief that human life in & of itself = sin/bad/evil is harmful.
I believe action can be bad/evil or good/life-giving. I believe Satan is evil. The reformed crowd have made human life itself evil, IMO.
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Here is a Tullian tweet to make the point!
Tullian Tchividjian@PastorTullian·2 hrs
In God’s economy, our greatest gains come through losses.
Now, if Tullian really believed this he would make sure he has a poverty level wage and live it out in real time. He could then feel the “loss” every day. What piety gains he would make!
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