Pragmatism

prag·ma·tism – [prag-muh-tiz-uh m] – adj – 

  1) character or conduct that emphasizes practicality.
  2) a philosophical movement or system having various forms, but generally stressing practical consequences as constituting the essential criterion in determining meaning, truth, or value.

prac·ti·cal – [prak-ti-kuh l] – adj – adapted or designed for actual use; useful

Ok… so when I started this post, I was going to simply write a few comments. Wanting to be thorough, I decided to look up some definitions on a word I have been tossing around for quite some time now. Sometimes it astounds me when I think I know something and really only have a very weak concept of what it is I am talking about. I really didn’t intend to break open the surface of what could be thesis material (and may be considering I am entering seminary!)

Well… I typed in pragmatism into the www.dictionary.com and wound up the definitions above and also followed the word “practical” as if an adjective is described by another adjective, I wanted to be sure I knew what it said. I wasn’t satisfied so I wound up up on Wikepedia.  
Wow… pragamatism is a whole philosophical system of thought and is very frightening. I started reading and, quite literally, it made my head hurt. It is connected to Darwinism and secular humanism. It is relavistic and has no mooring at all in any authoritative source outside of itself. Pretty much whatever man can devise in his own mind that seem good and useful must be true.

From Wikepedia: “Going back to [William] James, pragmatists have often spoken of how truth is not ready-made, but that jointly we and reality “make” truth. This idea has two senses, one which is often attributed to William James and F.C.S. Schiller, and another that is more widely accepted by pragmatists: (1) that truth is mutable, and (2) truth is relative to a conceptual scheme.”

YIKES!!!

So… why is this so terrifying? Well, if one is a a “Christian” then there is no room for what you think is right or wrong and good or bad. There is a criterion that we must live our lives by and that is the bible… God’s laws and instruction divinely (breathed by God) written by men. There is an absolute authority for us… there is no deciding on whether something is right for us because of whether or not it “works” for us. We are supposed to do what we are instructed by God (Christ) despite the worldly results. The world is not supposed to love us as it’s own folks. John 15:19 “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.

We are called to OBEDIENCE… not to seek out and find what works for us. 2 Corinthians 2:9 For to this end also I wrote, so that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things. Jesus was, in His earthly ministry, the perfect model of obedience, and since the last time I checked God’s plan is to make us more and more like Christ.  
Philippians 2:8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. So the way I see it, our lives should be marked with a burning hunger to properly mine the truth out of scripture (the only authority on God’s will and truth) and then to become obedient to it to the point of death. Unfortunately, most of us (including me) fall woefully short of this goal, but some don’t even know what the goal is.

So what does any of this have to do with the price of bread in China? Well… I have been laying a groundwork here to show that a) pragmatism is wrong, dangerous and totally incompatible with true Christianity and b) to show that Arminian evangelism, because it relies on man’s “free will”, will logically always end up in pragmatism. Beyond that… you can make the next logical leap as to what I believe about Arminianism.

Arminianism is a position that God gave man a free will… and then provided a provision for salvation in Christ Jesus and that’s all God’s going to do… the rest is up to man making “choice / decision / commitment for Jesus” at which time God automatically dispenses Jesus’ atoning blood and the sinner is forgiven. If this is the way one thinks, then really evangelism (and salvation) is all about the POWER OF PERSUASION and lies firmly in man’s hands… in the sinner’s hands as he has to power to accept or reject and in the evangelist’s hands as it is his job to make the sinner want to choose God. The Lord just sort of sits in the wings hoping that everyone does a good job and makes good choices.

The “free willer” will tell you that’s an exageration and not really how they believe, but, at the core of it, this is exactly what they preach or say they believe in otherwise they would have to admit that God must do something in the heart first. If they do, they use the term “preveniant grace.” I don’t care whether you call it “prevenieant grace” or whatever… bottom line… God has to do something first. [By the way, I reserve the right to care later!] Even the most hard core Armenian will generally concede to at least this when pressed.

Now I am not saying that anyone can ever get to the place where all biblical mystery and divine tension are resolved… that’s not possible. I certainly am not even close to understanding the doctrine of election. I do, however, believe that people give up way too early and file things into the “I have that figured out well enough” folder in their mind. I believe the truly regenerate will not rest until they get “it” figured out… and that their life is characterized by a hunger to obtain that which it can not grasp until the day they die.

Jesus preaches a sermon in the book of John. At this point there were throngs of people following him as he was healing and performing many miracles… he had just fed 5,000 men (plus their women and children). He was, by worldly standards, a “very popular guy.” Then he
started to get into some hard teaching and the following verses disclose the outcome:

John 6 53Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. 60On hearing it, many of his disciples said,
“This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” 61Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them,
“Does this offend you? 62What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63The Spirit gives life;
the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. 64Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65He went on to say, “This is why I told you that
no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him.” 66From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. 67“You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. 68Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” 69We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”

These texts simply blow so much right out of the water if we really read it in truth. There are just some passages that contain SO MUCH TRUTH. This is one of those passages that would make my short list if I had to keep only certain parts of the bible. It clearly outlines the Father’s role in salvation and states man’s INABILITY to come unless “enabled.” It clearly shows that Jesus teaching is hard… many will reject it… a few will follow because they realize who Jesus is what the consequences are of not following Him.

So… what does it say about our theology when we invite into our churches muscle men, ventriloquists, sports figures and TV stars or hold carnivals, sportsman hunting dinners and all sorts of DISHONEST METHODS to draw people in only to spring the gospel on them in surprise (making people mad and giving them a bad impression about sneaky “Christians”) and then presenting them a twisted view of a weak Jesus that is gently (pathetically) knocking (very lightly) at the door of your heart and is begging that you let Him in and make Him lord of your life?? Personally, I think it says we really don’t have that much faith in the power of God to draw His sheep. I think it says that we feel we have to whip up emotionalism and help God out because He just doesn’t move like He used to.

HEAR THIS. Jesus Christ IS Lord of all (including your life) and whether you acknowledge that or not doesn’t change His status. 

You will bow your knee before Jesus either in submission and worship in this life or at your judgement when you leave this earth…. either way, every knee will bow.

We are commanded to Repent and to Believe. We need to preach it that way. Let me assure you, if people don’t like that message then changing it and getting them to “buy in” won’t make them anymore saved… it will just make them sleep better on the road to HELL.

God Bless You.

Timothy (the clay)

Feeding Sheep or Amusing Goats
(C.H. Spurgeon)

~ by thepotterandtheclay on July 28, 2008.