Hey all, here's the latest Feature Article from yours truly @ DaysofNoah.org. Enjoy!

Cafeteria Christianity

By Scott A. Keisler: March 9, 2007

One of the oft-repeated mantras of 21st century evangelicalism sounds something like this: Believers! Avoid cafeteria Christianity! This axiom basically asserts that as Christians we aren't at liberty to simply pick and choose what parts of the faith we like and don't like. In other words, believers shouldn't enthusiastically embrace only that which is pleasing and comfortable, while quietly rejecting and discarding truths that are displeasing and uncomfortable.

Obviously one can find wisdom in such an admonition. Certainly we are to embrace the whole council of God's Word - regardless of whether our acceptance comes easily and naturally, or only through much difficulty, brokenness, and prayer. To give an example, many professing Christians are eager to embrace the good news of the Gospel as it relates to the forgiveness of sins, eternal life, hope, joy, peace, reward, etc. Yet when it comes to the implications of living the Christian faith in a fallen world (taking up one's cross, suffering, the realities of sanctification, et. al.) evangelicals tend to begin 'a-waffling.

In my experience this caution against 'cafeteria Christianity' is often made within the context of what I'll call 'doctrinaire denominationalism.' So instead of encouraging fellow-believers to follow the Bible, the well-meaning 'exhorter' is subtly pushing a denominational agenda.

If this is indeed the case, I'll be a bit mischievous and encourage the reader to engage in a bit of 'cafeteria Christianity.' (Gasp!) Allow me to explain.

A few days ago I was conversing with a friend about politics (sorry) and how we both have recently 'ditched' the Republican Party. I'll spare the details, but to qualify his newfound political insights my friend said something very interesting. He said, "I think it is better to be issue related rather than party related because otherwise there are contradictions."

I readily agreed with my friend and subsequently admitted that during the '04 elections I had engaged certain political issues as a partisan. And in so doing I had thrown objectivity and perspective out the window in favor of a subjective ideology.

'Dyed-in-the-wool' denominationalism (as another friend puts it) acts in much the same way - sometimes subtly, other times more unashamedly. When confronted with an issue of the faith, Christians often seek answers from a denominational or theological paradigm - just as I had as a Republican seeking political 'answers.' So instead of asking what the Bible teaches, we find ourselves asking 'What do Presbyterians say? What do Pentecostals think? How would a good Baptist answer this question?' This quickly eliminates precious Biblical perspective!

Jesus told the Pharisees that they were breaking the command of God for the sake of their tradition.[1] He further told them that by insisting upon their traditions, the Pharisees were actually nullifying the Word of God.[ii] I like Paul's words in Galatians 2:6-8:

As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

Of course this doesn't just apply corporately to denominationalism. It also applies individually to our own pre-conceived ideas and systems of thought. I sometimes catch myself seeking out only the opinions and ideas of Bible teachers whom I already trust. (My previous feature article is a great example of this.) Again, there is wisdom in this approach to a point, but we must be careful about getting into a Biblical rut.

Recently I've been reading some unfamiliar authors who write from perspectives that, to me, are very different. Of course this doesn't mean that I accept everything they say, though I have been able to find a great deal of value in discovering and engaging differing points of view. It is often said that one of the best ways to learn about one's own position is to explore a hostile position. This can be difficult, frustrating, and even painful, but in the end one's own position will take on added depth and strength. The same is true when exploring classic Biblical issues from divergent points of view.

Don't misunderstand. I'm not suggesting that we dive headlong into the ecumenical movement, which avows a lowest common denominator faith at the widest point of intersection. (The Ecumenical Movement is mostly headed up by theological liberals - wealthy Sadducee types with personal agendas - who don't take the Bible seriously.) But I am saying that it's okay to do a little shopping. With Bible in hand, and through much prayer, venture out a little and do a little fruit inspecting![iii] Pick out the good fruit and ditch the bad. Be discriminating. Judge by the Word of God. Heck, be a cafeteria Christian!

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[1] Mark 7:7-9
[ii] Mark 7:13
[iii] Matthew 7:15-20; John 15:1f

Thanks Scott for the great article

God bless

It's God's system Scott...

Say you have a long dissertation in front of you and a yellow highlighter in your hand. You go along and mark all the things that leap out at you..Maybe there's and area you aren't sure about so you highlight it in mint green...the rest you leave in black...Next you have a magic three-d machine that lifts the yellow print off the page and forms a picture...the green only comes part way up.

Isn't that how God tells us to see things?

When we take those things and lift them off the page we can exhort what is good in something or someone. We don't always do it. Sometimes other things have to addressed...But it's grievous.
We first see the good of a thing...how else can we understand to make a call...
and well.... if we have a board...

PS...I couldn't tell what your penguin was at first...It looked like a fish stick in a pencil sharpener! :-)

You mean its NOT a fish stick in a pencil sharpener???

Great article Scott.

Oh You!

Absolutely correct. There are LOTS of things stated in the Bible that are not comfortable or pleasing for me to accept (eternal damnation for seemingly "finite" crimes, stuff that can happen when God gets angry and other not very loving sounding passages, political incorrectness everywhere in that Book, etc., etc., etc.). We can hide our heads in the sand like an ostrich being chased by a predator or we can accept the situation for what it is and escape our just desserts for the deeds we have done in this life. My path from atheism was the same path one takes when dying of a terminal illness..denial, anger, bargaining and finally acceptance. Maybe that is what "dying to self" means?

I think you are right , its when we accept that which our flesh hates as truth (when we read it in the Word) that we die daily to self. The word is also a Sword to out flesh...it kills it.

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

C

I like your thought process in this.

Hey thanks . I'll certainly be looking into this idea a little more. The phrase "dying to self" has several rather interesting implications, another one being that following christ is not always pleasent (quite different than the message we get in today's "modern theology" which implies that the christian life is a cakewalk). "We die daily", another quote, seems to expand this concept by implying that "death to self" is an ongoing process. Our worldly self slowly wastes away and deteriorates as our faith and obedience grows, slowly "poisoning" the old self and allowing the new self to take its place. One thing about death...there is often pain and discomfort involved. Seems like for our faith to grow, we have to go through the often-times painful process of obedience (ooooh the Flesh doesn't like that! lol ).

Yes...And l don't want to resuscitate him any more!