Some Concerns about the Church, Reformed and Non-Reformed

I am concerned about the current state of the Reformed tradition. I am also concerned about the current state of the church generally. First, the Reformed tradition. Before I proceed any further, I want to say that I am largely Reformed in my theological views, and there are many things that I love about the Reformed tradition. What I love most about the Reformed tradition is its fidelity to Scripture – I love the Bible, and I think that Reformed tradition has succeeded to a great extent in identifying the core theology of the Bible. I love the doctrines of grace, providence, and yes, the depravity of man; and, while these particular doctrines were taught by Luther, and by Catholic theologians such as Augustine, I also love the specifically Reformed teachings on the sacraments, the unity of the Old and the New Testaments, and the third use of the law. Of these doctrines, the one I most cherish is the doctrine of justification by faith alone through grace alone. I didn’t really come to Christ until I came to understand and accept that doctrine. And, though I now see that this doctrine can be found throughout Scripture – not just in the letters of Paul and Peter, but also in the gospels and many books of the Old Testament – I didn’t appreciate this until I attended a Presbyterian church. God used the preaching at this Presbyterian church, together with the writings of Calvin and Jonathan Edwards, to introduce me to the Gospel of Christ, and for that I will always be grateful. (He also used Augustine and Luther, but this was later). I love Reformed worship, and I love the Presbyterian model of church government. Finally, I love the history of the Reformed tradition, the Reformed thinkers of this tradition, and their writings. I love reading about men such as Zwingli, Bucer, Calvin, Beza, Oecolampadius, Peter Martyr Vermigli, Musculus, Zanchi, and Ursinus. I love the humanist, devotional tone of Calvin and the scholastic, academic flavor of Turretin. It is a great pleasure to study the lives and works of these great heroes of the faith and to see God work through them. Although the core teachings of the Reformed tradition can be found in theologians as old as Augustine, these doctrines – which are really the core doctrines of the Bible – had to wait 1,500 years before they began to circulate widely. It is amazing to think that God waited so long before He allowed His Word to be both widely proclaimed and widely heard, and that He used men such as Zwingli and Calvin to accomplish this, though of course they built on the work of Luther. (I really don’t mean to withhold from Luther any of the credit that he deserves. We are all in his debt.)

Alright, I think that’s enough about my love for the Reformed tradition. Why am I concerned about it? Simply put, I don’t see much of Christ in it. I have now had the opportunity to visit many Reformed churches, and I have listened to sermons from dozens more. I have also read numerous Reformed blogs, as well as a smattering of books by contemporary Reformed authors, and I have listened to several Reformed podcasts. Moreover, I have met scores of Reformed Christians. Some of these Christians have been wonderful, faithful believers, full of love for Christ and eager to serve Him. However, I have met many more who have been cold and smug, especially where doctrine is concerned. I have even heard some Reformed Christians condemn their non-Reformed brothers and sisters for not seeing theological issues exactly as they do. Theology is incredibly important, and I believe that I have already made clear my love for Reformed theology. But we don’t need to be smug and superior when we engage in theology, and we certainly don’t need to lose sight of Christian love. We can challenge other Christians in theological debate, and in fact we should do this. But we should do it in the spirit of Christian love, graciously and humbly. We should be kind and patient, bearing with one another and serving one another. We should be ready to listen and slow to speak. Our first goal should not be to promote our private opinions but to uncover and expound the teachings of the Bible. Furthermore, we should admit that we haven’t won the truth from Holy Scripture through our own intelligence and effort; and, we should admit that we haven’t received it as a reward for our merits, of which we have none. If God has revealed something to us, we should proclaim it for the good of the other and the glory of Christ – not our own honor. Finally, we should realize that Christians who do not know the Bible as well as we do, or who do not read it as we do, might nonetheless love and follow Christ far better than we do. I can definitely provide ample evidence to support this last point.

It isn’t just that many Reformed Christians are smug when it comes to theology. Rather, it seems to me that the living faith of many Reformed Christians consists in nothing but their theological studies. This is the kind of stuff that Erasmus railed against. It’s the kind of stuff that makes non-Reformed Christians revile the name of Calvin. I can’t tell you how many Reformed Christians I have met who have expressed disdain at the thought of serving the poor. Don’t Reformed Christians read the gospels anymore? Or do we just read Galatians and a few chapters from Romans? I can think of a passage from Paul that we would do well to remember – 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. Here is a short paraphrase: if we don’t have love, then we don’t know Christ, and we’re completely useless. Christ calls us not just to faith, but also to hope, and yes, even to love. There is so much to be said here, but let me make just two observations. First, Christ calls each and everyone one of us to a life of radical love and service. Second, if we find ourselves unmoved by that call, then we really don’t understand Christ, who gave everything for wretched sinners. We can do good theology while also being true disciples. This is what we’re called to do. Let’s do it.

At this point, I must confess that I am just as guilty as the Reformed Christians I am criticizing. In the last few years, I have done very little to aid the poor, the hungry, the homeless, the widow, the orphan, the stranger, the sick, the imprisoned, and the lonely. But I have read lots and lots of Bible, and lots of theology. If I keep on this way, I am pretty sure that when I die and stand before Christ, I am going to hear the words “Depart from me, for I never knew you.” But wait, haven’t I received assurance of my salvation? Yes, I have. Then what gives? Again, there is much to be said here, but I’ll just say this – if I’m only concerned about my own salvation, then I may indeed be justified, but I still really don’t know the love of Christ, and that is miserable indeed.

I said that I had a concern about the current state of the church generally, and not just about current state of the Reformed tradition. I do, but I’ll keep it short. When I look at the church in America today, I see much that is good, but I also see much that is bad. In particular, I often see the same lack of concern for the poor and the suffering that I see in the Reformed tradition, only without the theological acuity. I often see the kind of moral superiority, religious self-satisfaction, hostility, and fear of others that characterized so many of the Pharisees. I see a church that has largely abandoned God spewing venom at non-believers, often without any real understanding of those non-believers, and without any real desire to love them and dialogue with them. This isn’t just bad evangelism, it’s an empty noise – a resounding gong and a clanging cymbal, dead and deadening, utterly without life or Christ. If God were to send one of the Old Testament prophets such as Amos or Hosea to the Christian church today, they wouldn’t need new preaching – they could just reuse their old material. I can just hear Amos now – “You cows of Bashan…” My only comfort in all this is that the church is not in the hands of men, but in the hands of God. But aren’t we the body of Christ? What must the head think of us?