Church in America

The Betrayal of the Intelligentsia [Part II: Turncoat Religion]

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Rev. R. J. Rooney
Senior Pastor, Verona (MS) UMC
August 10, 2001

In a paper he read to an assembly of Anglican priests and youth leaders in 1945, C.S. Lewis said,

Our business is to present that which is timeless the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow) in the particular language of our own age. The bad preacher does exactly the opposite: he takes the ideas of our own age and tricks them out in the traditional language of Christianity (God in the Dock, p. 93).

I doubt Lewis would ever have believed just how many bad preachers would surface as leaders in the Church at the turn of the century.

As we saw in the previous installment of "The Altar Call" the intellectual community (a.k.a. the Intelligentsia) abandoned the society it had been entrusted to guide into wisdom and morality in favor of establishing itself as a socially superior and elite sub-culture. No longer does the Intelligentsia care about shaping academically sound and morally responsible people. The allure of accolades, wealth, and status was too strong to resist. By adopting the scientifically unsound theory of Darwinian evolution and tweaking it with a bit of Marxist ideology (though it would never admit to doing so) the Intelligentsia found itself on top of the food chain, politically empowered with elite social status.

It did not take long for the clergy, who were initially accepted as peers and even mentors of the Intelligentsia, to be viewed with suspicion, animosity, and eventually disdain for obvious reasons. The clergy's belief and faith in a personal God who had set very clear boundaries for acceptable moral behavior was soon labeled as "repressive." The pastoral preaching of the clergy ("it is better to serve than be served"..."the first shall be last"...etc.) directly undercut the Intelligentsia's thirst for recognition and power. Most problematic, however, was/is the timelessness of the Biblical message. The changelessness of the Truth as proclaimed by the clergy flies in the face of and undercuts the Darwinian foundation of modern day intellectualism. The stage was set for an ongoing conflict and a perpetual standoff.

It was only a matter of time until the weaker elements of the clergy began to succumb to the same powerful temptations that had seduced the Intelligentsia. The allure of status and power combined with allegations that the clergy were both uneducated and ignorant caused, and is still causing, a flood of religious leaders to seek the acceptance of men rather than the quiet approval of God. Turncoat religion.

In his classic, The Closing of the American Mind, Professor Allan Bloom noted with alarm,

There is one thing a professor can be absolutely certain of: almost every student entering the university believes...that truth is relative.

He goes on to say that their relativism is matched only by their "allegiance to equality" and that the biggest perceived threat to society is intolerance (p. 25). If someone were to write a book about religious education today with emphasis on seminaries Bloom's words could be used verbatim. Relativism disguised as pluralism, allegiance to absolute equality, and an unhealthy dependence upon "intolerance!" as the only reply to serious inquiries and observations concerning a scriptural and evangelical worldview are prevalent and paramount in many seminaries today.

Here are only a few examples of the sad state many of our colleges and seminaries have fallen to:

*In March of this year Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi hosted a professor from Claremont School of Theology in California whose lecture series was titled "Image(s) of God? Christianity and Religious Pluralism."

A flyer made available at a clergy meeting describing the event stated, "For most of its history, Christianity understood itself to be the only way of salvation." It went on to say that the Professor's lecture would help the audience wrestle "with alternative ways to understand other
religious traditions" and "to affirm" those other religions. Apparently, enlightened theologians no longer believe Christianity is the only way of salvation and can show us how to affirm Mohammed and Buddha as saviors in their own right.

*Marcus Borg is championed by many of the religious elite in United Methodism as today's premier theologian. He is a frequent and sought after lecturer in Methodist colleges and seminaries. This, despite the fact that Borg dismisses the Resurrection of Christ, the divinity of Christ, the miracles of Christ, the Nicene Creed, and divine inspiration.

*The battle for accepting homosexuality in the United Methodist Church is well-known and documented. U.M. seminaries have become an accommodating home for the pro-homosexual movement in Methodism. The Duke University chapel has been opened to homosexuals for marriages. Other of our seminaries offer benefits to partners of homosexuals. However, it is essentially a campaign by those who have sold out their allegiance to the Church in favor of being recognized and accepted by the Intelligentsia. Decades of proclaiming "another gospel", twisting Scripture, and preaching "bigotry" and "intolerance" have produced no results at the General Conference level. The overwhelming vast majority of Methodist laypeople continue to oppose recognizing homosexuality as a legitimate "lifestyle" or "orientation" while more and more seminary trained Bishops and academic elitists continue to favor and push for ordination of self-avowed homosexuals for the pulpit.

I went to an evangelical seminary and even there found pressure to get in line with various forms of political correctness. Papers submitted had to be written with gender "inclusive" language in order to avoid academic retribution. When form replaces content as the most important aspect of a religious education something has gone awry. I am a United Methodist clergyman and am embarrassed that our seminaries and colleges have become notorious for their commitment to whatever happens to be the current or pop theology, psychology, or politically correct ideology rather than Biblical accuracy and theological integrity. The problem is not confined to United Methodism, however. What we are seeing is a wholesale sellout by highly educated clergy leaders. Laypeople have become a commodity to draw resources from rather than a flock to feed.

Lewis was right, of course. Bad theology (and preachers) take modern ideas that are obviously in conflict with Scripture and find ways of "trick[ing] them out" in the language of Christianity. It is a betrayal of the trust laypeople invest in those who claim God's "calling" upon
themselves to faithfully proclaim the Gospel and administer the Sacraments.

When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness (metaphor and hyperbole the religious intelligentsia would say) He was offered recognition ("throw yourself off the pinnacle of the Temple") and status and authority ("all these kingdoms can by yours"). These offers were made at the onset of His public ministry. He refused both. Later, a crowd of supporters wanted to make Him assume His role as their King (John 6:15). He hastily withdrew from them. Finally, at the Last Supper He pointed out that "the kings of the Gentiles lord it over them" (Luke 22:25). But His followers were to be distinguished by their distaste of worldly accolades and authority. Years after the Crucifixion Peter would tell "how God anointed Him [Jesus] with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good" (Acts 10:38). Shouldn't those who have been entrusted to lead Christ's Church follow the same examples? Shun the temptations of recognition and power. Lead the Church by doing good rather than by leading protests.

There is nothing I can do to prevent some from reading this commentary and being labeled as "anti-intellectual." I am not against a solid education or advanced degrees. God has blessed mankind with an intellect and expects it to be developed and sharpened (Proverbs 27:17). When, however, that intellect exalts itself against God and reduces Christ to one of many paths to salvation it ceases being a means to glorify God. Religious leaders should be wise and intelligent. But the wisdom they should seek and exemplify is not the kind of wisdom the world lusts after and flaunts. First Corinthians chapter one points out that God has chosen the simplistic message of the Cross to redeem mankind. As such it is a "stumblingblock" to some and "foolishness" to others. Yet we are told "God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise" (1 Corinthians 1:27).

When the religious elite deny that Jesus is the only viable and legitimate pathway to salvation, when they seek to legitimize sinful behavior that a common-sense reading of Scripture plainly condemns, and when they seek the approval and acceptance of an Intelligentsia that sold out God long ago they have succumbed to the temptations Christ refused and have embraced turncoat religion. They have left their first love. They have their reward. Pray that God would nullify their influence and prick their consciences.