Ye Olde Synthesis

(Note: I'm going to keep this post as the most recent one since I feel it's important. Also, I added quite a lot of new material in the center, so if you've already read it, perhaps you will read it again. Thanks).

Either A=B; or A, does not equal B.

Either A or B, but not both A and B is true.

That is the logic most of us over 35 are used to. It's called Aristotelian logic after guess-who? Yes...him...the Greek philospher. Here are some examples as to how this logic works within Christianity.

Either Christianity is true (A) or Buddhism is true (B). But both cannot be true. In other words either A, not B; or, B, not A.

In postmodern logic both A and B can be true. Or, to put it simply and in a Hegelian dialectic way, A little of this and a little of that. In other words, a little of A and a little of B. And now ladies and gentlemen....that equals C.

A and B=C

Translating it into our Christianity and Buddhism example,
Some elements of Christianity + some elements of Buddhism=Progressive Christianity (what the emergents are calling themselves now--Progressive Christians.).

People have done this syntesizing with Christianity in history and frankly, it didn't turn out so well. For example,

This was done in the Middle Ages with a combo of a tad eastern mysticism, a dollop of paganism thrown in with some elements of Christianity....and..well..who wants to go back there and live? Well, the emergent Christians seem to since that is essentially some of their belief system.

The emergent faction is criticising us old folks for synthesizing Christianity with rationalism (read that Cartesianism). Could be true in fact. Maybe we need to examine that aspect a little more. But, this post is about how our younger Christians are thinking nowadays and how that thinking is affecting evangelical Christianity.

Recently, I visited another adult Sunday School class in my church. My contribution to the discussion was that the churches are losing the message of the cross. A young fellow, in his late 20's or early 30's, enthusiastically agreed with me. Then I explained to the class in a short capsulized description what the emergent church was doing in denying the substitionary atonement. This same young man said to me, I wonder if that is one of the people who wrote the best book I ever read - it really spoke to me. I asked him what that book was and he replied, "Blue Like Jazz" by Donald Miller. Before we continue, here are some snippets from that book, courtesy of Lighthouse Trails (http://lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/index.php?p=1193&more=1&c=1),

"For me, the beginning of sharing my faith with people began by throwing out Christianity and embracing Christian spirituality, a nonpolitical mysterious system that can be experienced but not explained." (p. 115)

and these passages from the book courtesy of the Kjos Ministries site(http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/08/nathan/green_like_envy.htm). Miller hung around a ultra-hip very liberal college, Reed College. Miller writes,

"“Each year at Reed they have a festival called Ren Fayre. They shut down the campus so students can party. Security keeps the authorities away, and everybody gets pretty drunk and high, and some people get naked. Friday night is mostly about getting drunk, and Saturday night is about getting high. The school brings in White Bird, a medical unit that specializes in treating bad drug trips. The students create special lounges with black lights and television screens to enhance kids’ mushroom trips.” ( Hallucinogenic mushrooms are also called “magic” mushrooms).

“Saturday evening at Ren Fayre is alive and fun. The sun goes down over the campus, and shortly after dark they shoot fireworks over the tennis courts. Students lay out on a hill and laugh and point in blurry-eyed fascination. The highlight of the evening is a glow opera that packs the amphitheater with students and friends. The opera is designed to enhance mushroom trips.”

The Kjos Ministries site goes on to say that Miller seemed to really enjoy these events. I also read Miller's book a while ago and I also remember thinking he was an overgrown hippie. But this guy is the darling of the younger Christian crowd and was invited to give the opening benediction at the Democratic convention this past week. Here is more from Blue Like Jazz,courtesy of the Kjos Ministires site (http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/08/nathan/green_like_envy.htm),

"“When my friend Paul and I lived in the woods, we lived with hippies. Well, sort of hippies. They certainly smoked a lot of pot. They drank beer a lot. And man did they love each other, sometimes too much perhaps, too physically, you know, but nevertheless they loved; they accepted and cherished everybody, even the ones who judged them because they were hippies. It was odd living with hippies at first, but I enjoyed it after a while.”

“We would sit around and talk about literature and each other, and I couldn’t tell the difference between the books they were talking about and their lives, they were just that cool. I liked them very much because they were interested in me. When I was with hippies, I did not feel judged, I felt loved. To them I was an endless well of stories and perspectives and grand literary views. It felt so wonderful to be in their presence, like I was special.”

Ok, I think you get the gist. Here is what I want to point out. This young man in my church basically said,

[A] I agree wholeheartedly that it's important we stress what Jesus did at the cross for us and orthodox Christianity (Note from me: with what I assume would be its attendant morals and ethics)

and

[B] Blue Like Jazz really spoke to me

That is a classic case of A AND B, where most of us (at least those of us over 35) couldn't fathom how anybdy could put those two things together. But young postmoderns can....and do.

In late 19th and early 20th century Germany, most of the Lutheran churches were following a weird form of liberal Protestantism. It was called Positive Christianity and was a synthesis of certain parts of mostly the New Testament and extreme anti-Semitic Aryanism. When the Nazis came to power they loved it! This is what can happen when Christianity is synthesized with something else.

How about these:

"Christian" yoga
"Christian" psychology
"Christian" __________(you fill in the blank)

Perhaps we need to think these through more too?

In missions, there is a tendency to allow people from other religions who receive Christ to keep following their religion -- AND -- be "Christ followers" too.

This is why I think it's important for us to study the first century church (and the apostles' mind) thoroughly, in order to avoid the synthesis of Christianity with other religions/philosophies/economical systems/political systems, etc.