A Christian Denomination Where God is Optional


I wonder how many churches, both Catholic and Protestant, are more about social justice and than they are about God. The church discussed in the link is Presbyterian and located in New York City. Several years ago someone I knew was a member of a very similar Presbyterian church in Washington, D.C. I've mentioned before a United Church of Christ I attend occasionally where the pastor told a confirmation class he did not believe Christ died for our sins. This, even though his denomination's documents attest to this as the reason he died.

The Presbyterian Church we belonged to in Fargo recited the Apostles Creed every Sunday. I wonder if the congregations like those in NYC and DC recite it. When member's main preoccupation is social justice I think they would find it less than useful to recite an oath they believe God created the earth, there was a  resurrection and an invisible Jesus sits on the right hand of an invisible God.

If there are many more of such social justice Presbyterian, Lutheran or Methodist churches, I can imagine why we don't hear much about them. The denominations themselves would not necessarily want such churches, which have little or no interest in approved dogma, to be the denomination's face. Lots of people in any denomination want discipline. Those running the denomination may just was money and no controversies.

The dogma of denominations is of little or no interest to its members in my observation. If they are aware of the dogma they, like the preacher who does not believe Jesus died for our sins, may not agree with it.

We need to remember the parallels between the circumstances around writing of the Bible and the writing of the various Protestant denominational beliefs. Both were originally written at some point in time and altered over time. What is on the written page today reflects the culture the time when it was last rewritten.

Presbyterian congregations that get together every Sunday to hear reports of the state of social justice serve their members well. The importance of Presbyterian denominational dogma is next to zero.


Comments

  1. HenrySeptember 7, 2019 at 3:37 PM

    Jon: " I've mentioned before a United Church of Christ I attend occasionally where the pastor told a confirmation class he did not believe Christ died for our sins."

    I suspect this is the same denomination where you also professed your belief in Jesus Christ who died on the cross for your sins. You had done this by partaking in the body and blood of Christ. Or so you said (you took communion).

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  2. HenrySeptember 7, 2019 at 4:20 PM

    What is "social justice"? Is that where the church teaches the importance of young men to be a part of their family's lives and help raise their offspring? Or is it rather the promotion of the "great society" values where broken homes are financially promoted, children are emotionally impoverished, and young men are running rampant visiting many different households? They are pretty special:
    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2159476/Tennessees-deadbeat-dads-The-men-81-children-46-different-women--theyre-paying-child-support-them.html

    ReplyDelete

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