1. Definition. “Christian atheism is a form of cultural Christianity and ethics system drawing its beliefs and practices from Jesus' life and teachings as recorded in the New Testament Gospels and other sources, whilst rejecting supernatural claims of Christianity.” [Wikipedia]. Fashions and fads in the Church and religious world come and go, just like the Greeks from the days of Paul who always clamoured to ‘hear something new’. So, I am not entirely surprised to see people taking this rather wonky view of Christianity.
2. Charles Spurgeon. Charles Spurgeon once made this priceless comment when he said that he was so glad that these kinds of outlandish fads had the good sense of popping up over time in ‘instalments’, and not all simultaneously at the same time, attributing it to the foresight of God designed to prevent genuine believers from dying en masse from amazement! Be that as it may, the emergence of this fad now explains the problems we have with some ‘Christian theologians’ (sic) here in South Africa who have joined the postmodernist ’Jesus Seminar’ bandwagon and have begun winning prizes from our local 'Secular Humanist Society' (the atheist’s club) for so-called ‘progressiveness in religious thought’ (!).
3. The tragedy of the ‘lukewarm Christian’, 'another Jesus', 'another spirit' & 'another gospel'. I am inclined to have far more respect for the genuine, serious atheist that rejects faith-in-God on principle, for at least one knows where on stands with him, but as far as ‘Christian atheists’ are concerned I think that, with their vacillating between the true Gospel and their fake ‘imitation-leather’ gospel (‘another Jesus’; 'another spirit', ‘another gospel’) they are flirting with terrible danger in the murky pseudo-theological mud of fashionable but lethal philosophical stupidity. The Bible says:
- “So because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.” [Revelation3:16].
- "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. [2Corinthians11:3-4].
4. Philosophical Stupidity. Here’s the problem: Why would any sane, literate person of even average education (let alone of advanced education sporting post-graduate degrees from 'Ivy League' universities) choose as his moral roll-model, spiritual leader or teacher-of-ethics a person who (according to his theological model) has (i) habitually lied about His divine status and origins, (ii) fabricated His miracles and (iii) fooled the first century public by claiming what Jesus Christ has claimed about Himself? Something in ‘Christian Atheism’ just does not add up!
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