I haven’t had enough abuse about this subject yet, so…
My previous article got a fair amount of traffic. By far the biggest source was Facebook. But this article was my second-biggest source of traffic. He linked to me at the end of his article and so I’m returning the favor. At first, I was hesitant because it took me a bit to find his name [1] , but then I realized it was in the sidebar by way of linking to his Facebook page, and his Google+ page. Also his about page lists the Church he pastors. He is Rev. Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick, pastor of an Orthodox Church in Emmaus, Pennsylvania. As such I offer the disclaimer that he holds to theology which I very much disagree with (and some comes out in his article). And this is especially important for me to point out now because that’s really what this issue is about, that theology is important, that words, are important. In a word, worldview: it’s very important.
Andrew Stephen Damick:
The above video by Jefferson Bethke has been making the rounds lately via various bits of social media. A few people have sent it to me to ask what I think. This touches on a lot of themes that I’ve written on before, and while it doesn’t particularly make any new theological claims—it’s really just a sort of standard, monergistic, anti-ecclesial, sentimentalist Evangelical Protestantism—for whatever reason (perhaps the emotionally moving music in the background), it seems to be getting some attention.
See, almost right away the differences in our theology are apparent. If you didn’t catch it I’ll get to it in a bit. I did enjoy reading his article despite my disagreements with him because the general point he is making is the same as mine.
Here’s my favorite part:
But if Jesus came to your church, would they actually let Him in?
Well, since you asked about my church… He comes to my church every day, and He actually is present on my altar at least once a week, and we not only let Him into the church, but we let Him into our actual bodies.
As someone who believes and practices weekly communion this was great.
Also this:
Now back to the point, one thing is vital to mention, how Jesus and religion are on opposite spectrums. See one’s the work of God, but one’s a man made invention, see one is the cure, but the other’s the infection.
Actually, I thought sin was the infection. When Adam and Eve infected the whole human race with what they did, was their error the founding of “religion”? I seem to have missed that part.
But I do have to do the rest of my disclaimer here since I am linking to this. I have done my due diligence in reading it though and thoroughly and I don’t want there to be any confusion. Theologically I am a Reformed Presbyterian, and obviously Calvinist. Fr. Damick is obviously not. So just to clarify:
Which means I don’t have to hide my failure, I don’t have to hide my sin. Because it doesn’t depend on me, it depends on Him.
Actually, it depends on you, too. If you don’t cooperate, then it won’t do anything for you at all.
Sorry my brother, we aren’t going to get along here. It’s one of the few things I really didn’t have a quibble with in the video. If salvation requires us to cooperate then it is not salvation by grace, it is salvation by works. Again, I’m not surprised since he is a pastor in the Orthodox Church, I’m just pointing it out.
Religion is man searching for God. Christianity is God searching for man, which is why salvation is freely mine, and forgiveness is my own, not based on my merits, but Jesus’s obedience alone.
“Religion” is a lot of different things. I agree that it is God Who has come to reconnect (religion) with man, but He also created man to have a longing for God. What you’re revealing here actually has a technical theological name, and it’s the heresy of monergism, the idea that the whole of salvation is exclusively the act of God. You’re right that salvation isn’t based on your merits, but you’re wrong that Christianity isn’t about man searching for God. It’s both about God Who has come to be with man (“searching” seems to suggest that He doesn’t know where man is) and about man’s response to his desire for the divine.
When did monergism become heresy? I suppose the Orthodox Church may have declared it that and I didn’t know about it. I’m not well studied on all of the Orthodox Chruch’s positions. But so far as I understand Monergism, it is exactly the opposite of heresy, it’s correct and sound theology.
But I do agree with that last part, it was the exact thoughts I had at that part of the poem/song. God searching for man? Did he not know where we were?
I don’t like linking to people who hide their identity and make an effort not to do so. I make exceptions, but in general, if you are hiding, I don’t care to link to you. ↩︎