I had as of late considered myself to be a part of the neo-reformed movement. In adopting this posture, I found many inconsistencies, one of them having to do with the Christian experience of salvation. I had blogged about the discrepancy in several different ways, mostly in that I couldn't figure out where we began to champion intellectual ascent as the highest form of sanctification.
So is salvation simply an acknowledgment, a confession of a series of propositional truths? Is the Gospel as easy as A.B.C? I think that old acronym is "Accept, Believe, Confess." My salvation "experience" did not come from accepting these propositions. This might come as a relief to some of my evangelical readers who don't like what I have to say, being committed to the idea that a Christian must have a tangible salvation experience coupled with the acceptance of the propositional truths of "Jesus died for my sins and is therefore my personal savior"; alleviating their anxieties because they conclude that I must not be a Christian given said criteria.
The source of the confusion, as one my professors helped me to understand, is that Evangelicalism was a new kind of theology that was developed in America that had some unique characteristics. You can see this in an exchange between John Wesley and an American Moravian. In the exchange you'll find the clearly articulated tenants of evangelicalism, which at the time very much confused John Wesley:
“[August Spangenberg] said, ‘My brother, I must first ask you one or two questions. Do you have the witness within yourself? Does the Spirit of God bear witness with your spirit that you are a child of God?’ I was surprised, and did not know what to answer. He continued and asked: ‘Do you know Jesus Christ?’ I paused and said, ‘I know he is the Savior of the world.’ ‘True,’ he replied, ‘but do you know he has saved you?’ I answered, ‘I hope he has died to save me.’ He only added, ‘Do you know this yourself?’ I said, ‘I do,’ but I fear these words were in vain.” (Journal)
In Evangelicalism, the personal encounter and the development of a saving relationship with Jesus Christ are all that matter. Baptism, the Eucharist, even a confession of faith matter little (for such confession that I am referencing has been repeatedly dubbed by evangelicals as "mindless repetition"). These are things that, if we are to plumb down through Christian history, have great implications for what it means to be a Christian. Yet in evangelicalism, the experience trumps all. This was confusing to John Wesley, as would it have been confusing to all other Christians before this time.
But Evangelicalism is not a denomination (as Dr. Derek Cooper pointed out), it is "like water, spreading itself out across all denominations. It is possible to have evangelical Catholics and mainline protestant evangelicals as well."
By marrying the tenants of evangelicalism with reformed theology, which is the current trend among young evangelicals, you'll find a very confused group of people about what it means to be a Christian.
I'm not saying that this is the soul source of the suspicious and caustic eye with which young reformed evangelicals like myself look at, question, and virtually piss on anything that is not "reformed" with a kind of hubris that would make the devil blush, but it seems to be one of the reasons.
What inevitably happens is, the measure of a Christian becomes the adherence of the propositional truths of the reformed tradition. Deviate from those truths, and your peers will find it very hard to believe that you are (or ever were) a Christian.
So is salvation simply an acknowledgment, a confession of a series of propositional truths? Is the Gospel as easy as A.B.C? I think that old acronym is "Accept, Believe, Confess." My salvation "experience" did not come from accepting these propositions. This might come as a relief to some of my evangelical readers who don't like what I have to say, being committed to the idea that a Christian must have a tangible salvation experience coupled with the acceptance of the propositional truths of "Jesus died for my sins and is therefore my personal savior"; alleviating their anxieties because they conclude that I must not be a Christian given said criteria.
The source of the confusion, as one my professors helped me to understand, is that Evangelicalism was a new kind of theology that was developed in America that had some unique characteristics. You can see this in an exchange between John Wesley and an American Moravian. In the exchange you'll find the clearly articulated tenants of evangelicalism, which at the time very much confused John Wesley:
“[August Spangenberg] said, ‘My brother, I must first ask you one or two questions. Do you have the witness within yourself? Does the Spirit of God bear witness with your spirit that you are a child of God?’ I was surprised, and did not know what to answer. He continued and asked: ‘Do you know Jesus Christ?’ I paused and said, ‘I know he is the Savior of the world.’ ‘True,’ he replied, ‘but do you know he has saved you?’ I answered, ‘I hope he has died to save me.’ He only added, ‘Do you know this yourself?’ I said, ‘I do,’ but I fear these words were in vain.” (Journal)
In Evangelicalism, the personal encounter and the development of a saving relationship with Jesus Christ are all that matter. Baptism, the Eucharist, even a confession of faith matter little (for such confession that I am referencing has been repeatedly dubbed by evangelicals as "mindless repetition"). These are things that, if we are to plumb down through Christian history, have great implications for what it means to be a Christian. Yet in evangelicalism, the experience trumps all. This was confusing to John Wesley, as would it have been confusing to all other Christians before this time.
But Evangelicalism is not a denomination (as Dr. Derek Cooper pointed out), it is "like water, spreading itself out across all denominations. It is possible to have evangelical Catholics and mainline protestant evangelicals as well."
By marrying the tenants of evangelicalism with reformed theology, which is the current trend among young evangelicals, you'll find a very confused group of people about what it means to be a Christian.
I'm not saying that this is the soul source of the suspicious and caustic eye with which young reformed evangelicals like myself look at, question, and virtually piss on anything that is not "reformed" with a kind of hubris that would make the devil blush, but it seems to be one of the reasons.
What inevitably happens is, the measure of a Christian becomes the adherence of the propositional truths of the reformed tradition. Deviate from those truths, and your peers will find it very hard to believe that you are (or ever were) a Christian.
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