Counterfeit Gospels
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Jonathan Leeman posts on a schema of seven counterfeit gospels, as cited in How People Change by Tim Lane and Paul Tripp.
- Formalism. “I participate in the regular meetings and ministries of the church, so I feel like my life is under control. I’m always in church, but it really has little impact on my heart or on how I live. I may become judgmental and impatient with those who do not have the same commitment as I do.”
- Legalism. “I live by the rules—rules I create for myself and rules I create for others. I feel good if I can keep my own rules, and I become arrogant and full of contempt when others don’t meet the standards I set for them. There is no joy in my life because there is no grace to be celebrated.”
- Mysticism. “I am engaged in the incessant pursuit of an emotional experience with God. I live for the moments when I feel close to him, and I often struggle with discouragement when I don’t feel that way. I may change churches often, too, looking for one that will give me what I’m looking for.”
- Activism. “I recognize the missional nature of Christianity and am passionately involved in fixing this broken world. But at the end of the day, my life is more of a defense of what’s right than a joyful pursuit of Christ.”
- Biblicism. “I know my Bible inside and out, but I do not let it master me. I have reduced the gospel to a mastery of biblical content and theology, so I am intolerant and critical of those with lesser knowledge.”
- Therapism. “I talk a lot about the hurting people in our congregation, and how Christ is the only answer for their hurt. Yet even without realizing it, I have made Christ more Therapist than Savior. I view hurt as a greater problem than sin—and I subtly shift my greatest need from my moral failure to my unmet needs."
- “Social-ism.” “The deep fellowship and friendships I find at church have become their own idol. The body of Christ has replaced Christ himself, and the gospel is reduced to a network of fulfilling Christian relationships.”
posted by JT at Monday, April 14, 2008
13 Comments:
As a new fan of your blog, I must first say: thank you for the good rebuke! (Especially formalism; that perceived imbalance of commitment never seems too little enticing to the Pharisaic flesh.)
I admit that I have found Gospel-centered laughter to be an important spiritual warfare tool for dousing the meritorial tensions that arise in these categories in my own life. I have to laugh like Abraham's wife Sarah regarding the Gospel: who would have believed that God would have done this for me? That kind of laughter puts away hot-headed merit to the cross of Christ, and eases the soul into fellowships among other believers in Christ.
Accordingly, I enclose a pasted blurb about you and your blog from the link I made on my blog to yours (as I wanted to point people to your stuff):
"Don’t be fooled; beneath that cool hip exterior of expert analysis on contemporary culture lies none other than - yes, I spotted it! - a Puritan frock. Brother, I have Joel Osteen’s tailor on speed dial, just for you. :)"
Thanks again for the article (ducking out of the way from tomatoes); praise be to the Holy Spirit for convicting brothers!
Thank you so much for posting this. I am going to keep this list in a place where I will always be reminded of its truths.
I know people in each one of those 7 categories. Thank goodness I'm not in any of them! ;-)
Thank you for posting this great reminder, rebuke, and encouragement which helped me to re-focus on the Gospel once again.
Thank you.
Have you guys been watching me, because I seem to display all of these ism's... Man do I ever need to pray and receive grace to change the way I pursue Jesus, thanks so much for this post guys.
This another good reminder of how we are prone to make even good things into idols. I've had the pleasure of hearing Paul Tripp speak twice at our church and have read one of his books. I think the crux of his ministry is calling people back to the 1st and greatest commandment "You shall have no other gods before Me", and it's corollary "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind". His is a great service to the body.
Justin this is one of the best summaries of detoured Christianity that I have ever seen. Thanks for posting it.
I suppose that other "-isms" could be added to the list. I'm surprised that one, "ritualism," is not in the list. Though ritualism may be conceived of as overlapping with formalism, there is a distinction.
Ritualism is the practice of going through all the right rituals but treating the rituals as ends in themselves rather than as ceremonial symbols that direct our minds and hearts to the spiritual realities found in the One to whom they all point, namely Christ Jesus, our Lord.
How about Desert-ism!
What about Listism?
Thanks very much for the post (I wandered over here from the gospel-driven church). I do have to disagree with one thing, though: #3 is mere emotionalism, not mysticism, and it does the real mystics and the church at large a disservice to call it so. Among other things, true mystics know that the dark night of the soul is a normal part of the process.
How sad this list is--it exposes the basic and fundamental problem of protestantism --Relativism!
Truth is lost and becomes relative to one's own experiences and understandings.
I suppose when one lacks the life of Christ in their soul-due to their rejection of Jesus Body an Blood in the Eucharist -this is where one is led --to perpetual division and ever-changing truths.
SAD!
Thanks for the list. I am just sad that more wasn't said about these traps. Lord knows, I have fallen into each of them probably at various times - and they are a good reminder.
To remedy their brevity, I'm doing my own exposition on these counterfeit gospels.
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