This past weekend, we talked about Keller's distinction between nominal and fanatical Christians. One of the criticisms of Christianity is that, like all religions, it leads to fanatical behavior and attempts to impose our views on others, restricting their freedoms and individuality.
And, we talked about 'cheap gracers' who think, "I want to be "free" and "Christ will forgive anything, so I can do what I want."
And, at the other end of the spectrum, there are the legalists who are busy following rules and trying to be perfect. Is this fanaticism? We Adventists have been accused of this, and sometimes the shoe fits (painfully). What about that person -- you know who I'm talking about -- who drinks iced coffee and brings it to CHURCH!? And they eat an occasional ham sandwich (They're smart enough not to bring this to church, but you know the type).
Some people have a huge problem and get focused on this. Others look at the people who have the problem and call them the "F" word--fanatic!
Adventists have been called fanatics about all sorts of things. According to Keller, however, Christians in general (including Adventists) aren't fanatical enough! Religious people, in general, are not passionate about the issues that Jesus was passionate about and, therefore, aren't really free.
"The tendency of religious people...is to use spiritual and ethical observance as a lever to gain power over others and over God, appeasing him through ritual and good works. This leads to both an emphasis on external forms as well as greed, materialism, and oppression in social arrangements. Those who believe they have pleased God by the quality of their devotion and moral goodness naturally feel that they and their group deserve deference and power over others...In Jesus' and the prophets' critique, self-righteous religion is always marked by insensitivity to issues of social justice, while true faith is marked by profound concern for the poor and marginalized" (59-60).
What do you think about Keller's assessment? Are we fanatical enough or fanatical about the right things? What would Saturdays look like if we were?
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3 comments:
Thanks Kris, for a thought-provoking post, and tying Keller's thoughts into what some of us have experienced in our own church. To be clear, however, I don't think Keller is advocating getting rid of certain beliefs/standards/practices, but making a point about emphasis.
Reading/discussing this chapter challenged me to be passionate about things that, in the end, matter.
Thanks again!
Yes- good point. What are you fanatical about? What does Keller mean it is good and bad to be fanatical about. How do we avoid being pharisees? Do you think all Christians have the problem of sorting this out?
I want to be fanatical. But I don't want to follow rules. I'm rebellious, for one thing. But, also, as Keller shows, legalists (pharisees) did NOT follow Christ.
They either did not recognize him or they went against him because he did not agree with their fanasies about the Messiah. They were full of pride because they were focused on "who's who" and "How am I doing?" They were focused on what people thought of them. That was a problem between Peter and Paul, too. Remember their quarrel about food and other rules that resulted in a big important, decisive meeting in Jerusalem. Peter was afraid to go against the traditions of the Jews to be with non-Jews. It is interesting to meditate on this, I think, and imagine what we would do in Peter's and Paul's positions. I find that at times I am too focused on what people think about me and what I'm doing, so this is very inspiring. A real radical will just love God with all their heart and this is what I want.
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