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    Tim Keller:  The Slippery Slope from Religion to Oppression

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    This is an interesting short video of Tim Keller, taken from a recent speech he gave at a Veritas Forum on the campus of UC Berkley. In this clip, Tim shares that he does think that religion has caused a lot of damage in the world; and he describes what he calls the 'slippery slope' of going from religion to oppression. Take a look; and let me know what you think. Next up, watch Rick Warren describe his PEACE plan in our next post today; then see the response when Rick Warren invited Ingrid (our friend from SliceofLaodicea) to an all expense trip to Saddleback, along with a place on his stage. I think all three of these posts work together. I'm wondering, do we sometimes use Tim Keller's 'slippery slope' even within different segments of Christianity?

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    1. Eric on Mon, May 12, 2008

      I would disagree that a true Christian either a. feels “superior” to the lost, or, b. wants nothing to do with the lost. 


      The very essence of Christianity is at least two-fold with humility that would state ‘except by the grace of God there go I’ - and a true passion and desire to win the lost to Christ.   New Testament believers were actively engaged in loving and reaching lost people daily!


      It’s not that I haven’t seen that attitude described in the video - it’s that I question if that attitude was/is resident in the heart of a truly born again believer, or just one of the millions of religious false converts that populate the church today.


      Additionally, the jump he makes in the video from step 2 to step 3 is a pretty big “characterization” blanket statement as well.  He also fails to mention (at least in the clip) that those in the world also characterize Christians - many times undeservingly so.  Who would want to be characterized by the goofiness that can be seen on much of Christian TV?  Yet that is how much of the world sees believers.


      I will concede that this attitude he describes can partially be blamed for pastors forgetting that Sunday morning is a fantastic time to disciple Christians with the preaching of the Word of God.  As Bill Hybel’s discovered you can have a house full people who are a mile wild but an inch deep.  When we cease to preach the cross, the blood of Jesus, the penalty for sin and true repentance from sin, we will continue to see this Christian country club mentality that merely seeks a better life and doesn’t want to be bothered with the lost and hurting that we have been called to reach.

    2. Leonard Lee on Mon, May 12, 2008

      The words he speaks are true.  Good delineation of the process here too.  Thanks Tod for making this available.

    3. Peter Hamm on Mon, May 12, 2008

      Eric writes [I question if that attitude was/is resident in the heart of a truly born again believer].


      I’ve known and known of MANY real Christians who have gone down this “slippery slope.” Yes they are really believers, and yes, they believe everybody that doesn’t have their exact list of doctrines right is going to burn in hell…


      ...Some of them have websites celebrating this…

    4. Eric on Mon, May 12, 2008

      Peter, again I question, is this genuine biblical Christianity?


      You mention a “correct list of doctrine” - I thought this was about believers oppressing non-believers - not about people of like precious faith having doctrinal variances?

    5. Tye Male on Mon, May 12, 2008

      This is quite insightful. I’ve seen this happen in my own life and now years later I make every attempt to avoid having this happen in my life. And a lot of it has to do with boundary issues. We have to be sooo careful not to impose our ideas on others and then judge them accordingly.


      I have to remind myself frequently that “but for the grace of God, there go I.”

    6. Eric on Mon, May 12, 2008

      Christians that seal themselves off from the unsaved could very likely become susceptible to this kind of thinking.   When we remove ourselves from the cry of the lost, it’s easy to lose the purpose and focus of our own salvation.

    7. CS on Mon, May 12, 2008

      I’m with Eric on this one.  And how this ties in with Ingrid in a “believer persecuting non-believers” connotation—that’s a huge leap in logic, too.  Unless, of course, the implication is that Ingrid is not really a Christian.



      CS

    8. Ted on Mon, May 12, 2008

      The issue isn’t haven doctrinal beliefs or believing others are going to hell.  The real problem, and this is what Keller was saying, is adopting an attitude of superiority over and separating from those who disagree with you.

      As soon as you see the Truths of the Bible making you better than someone else, you have completely lost sight of the Gospel.  Religion makes prideful people, the Gospel makes humble people.

       

    9. Dave on Mon, May 12, 2008

      Wow. It really makes you stop and look in the mirror. Am I really seeing people through the eyes of God? Or have I shifted, ever so incrementally, away from God’s eyes to my own human eyes? When we get complacent about being Christ followers who help expand the Kingdom of God, we’ll become religious people who act superior.

    10. Derek on Mon, May 12, 2008

      Ah the wise Tim Keller…


      I agree that caricatures can lead to oppression. There is a subtle temptation to pigeon-hole people, both people in the faith and outside the faith.


      It seems like we want to be able to define people with clear lines of demarcation. We want to classify everyone so we know if they are playing for the right team. (Which of course is our team.) So in the Church we want to know:


      Are you a Baptist or a Methodist?


      Believers baptism or infant baptism?


      Are you a Calvinist or an Arminian?


      Are you a charismatic or a cessationist?


      Are you a young-earth or an old-earth creationist? Are you pro-female elders or pro male only leadership?


      Are you PD, seeker-sensitive, multi-campus or do you do things the “bible way”?


      Whenever we pigeon-hole someone and that person in on the OTHER SIDE from where we stand, we then make them one-dimensional, as Keller noted. This can lead to all sorts of oppression, ridicule, etc.


      And you certainly see Christians doing this with people outside the faith. Muslims, homosexuals, feminists, etc. all seem to become cartoonish if we don’t take them time to get to know them. I guess it is much easier to oppress a cartoon than a real human being. 


      Derek

    11. Oliver on Mon, May 12, 2008

      Keller is right, Nazi germany and the crusades are just two examples.  Warren isn’t wrong because he is offering an alternative positive view on interfaith cooperation as opposed to Keller. Warren is right that interfaith cooperation is important.  He’s also right that the church is globally important.   Warren is wrong because he is too careless.  Motivation does matter, warren says it doesn’t.  If someone goes in to do humanitarian work to proselytize or to coerce with communist propaganda or to make inroads so later a profit can be made in business, the results will matter.  Our motivation matters.  Otherwise we are left with a moral relativism that the ends justify the means.  Warren has already done alot of damage around the world by going into Syria without considering the geopolitical ramifications, and creating serious cultural problems in africa.  Why?  because he has taken a dangerous position NOT in his cooperation, but in his underlining philosophy that motivations don’t matter.  They do.

    12. Carole Turner on Mon, May 12, 2008

      Tim is right on with this. I work in the inner city as part of Healing Place Church Winborne Campus. I talk to MANY Chrisitans who love God but feel they are better then the people served at the inner city campus. It’s like they think the people of the innercity are a lost cause. No, they don’t come right out and say that but it is very obvious when you talk to them about the people from the innercity. The judgements are starteling sometimes. But I know the more churches leave the four walls and reach out to other people with a mindset of equality not superiority, the more the eyes of people will be opened.

    13. Aaron on Mon, May 12, 2008

      I agree with Tim and have generalized people in broad categories. I would even add defining my personal sin from being a soil on my person to an abstract idea is also a movement for abuse.  Once we become familiar with our spiritual life and forget that we will always struggle with our humanity. Excellent truth that will be used in a future sermon.

    14. Eric on Mon, May 12, 2008

      Perhaps some need to distinguish between Christians who feel “superior” or, “better than” as opposed to Christians feeling “better off”.  Am I better than anyone because I’m a sinner saved by the grace of Jesus Christ?  Absolutely not.  Am I better off?  Absolutely yes.

    15. MIkeS on Mon, May 12, 2008

      I think Tim makes a distinction, purposeful or not, that we may not be getting.  He uses the term religion, not Christianity. 


      Eric - you continue to use the term true, genuine Christianity.  I agree with you.  But I also think Keller is referring to religion in general.  And believe me, there are a lot of churches AND people calling themselves Christians more interested in RELIGION - doing the right things in the right order and living according to the do’s and don’ts raher than truly living out life as a Christ-follower. 


      I think it’s easier to live a life of religion than to live a life as a Christ-follower.  It also allows for the slippery slope Keller describes.


      Hope this makes sense.


      Mike

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