Can We Still Call This Christianity?
It’s the season for chili here in Tennessee. It’s getting cool; the leaves are changing, and chili recipe videos are now a part of my algorithms. Last week, I ran across a chili recipe that looked amazing and had great reviews. It inspired me! I got all the ingredients and made it for the family. I doubled the recipe, and, in doing so, the flavor was a bit strong, so I added some water, making it a little soupier than I like. It wasn’t as hearty as I prefer, but it was still chili. What’s my point, and what in the world does this have to do with Russell Moore’s book, Losing Our Religion?
At what point and how much water could I have added to my pot of chili so that it no longer looks or tastes like what it was intended to? If enough water had been incorporated into the pot, it would have become so diluted that it could no longer be called chili. Russell Moore and many other Christians are recognizing that the faith is becoming increasingly diluted and even contaminated by nationalism, American values, power dynamics, and cultural priorities, making it unrecognizable and even unappetizing for people in the faith and outside it. Can we still call this Christianity?
Since Christianity’s inception, cultural, social, and even pagan values and perspectives have always influenced the religion. Frank Viola and George Barna wrote a book called Pagan Christianity that explores the pagan roots of certain Christian church practices and behaviors still present today like church building architecture, order of worship services, and sermon structures.[1] David Bebbington also busts some myths by saying, “Nothing could be further from the truth than the common image of Evangelicalism being ever the same. Yet, Evangelicals themselves have often fostered the image. They have claimed that their brand of Christianity, the form once delivered to the saints, has possessed an essentially changeless content so long as it has remained loyal to its source.”[2] There is always going to be and always will be a degree of political and cultural influence in the faith. Moore acknowledges this as well, which I appreciated.
The issue at hand, at least from what I gather, is the amount or degree to which nationalism and American culture are diluting Christianity’s central message and transformative power. Some, like Russell Moore, believe that Evangelicalism is reaching the point of not only concealing the heart of Jesus but allowing racism, tribalism, consumerism, and nationalism to “masquerade as Jesus,” as he puts it.[3] Anything that sounds like empathy, compassion, love for neighbor, helping the foreigner, or aiding the poor is immediately labeled as “liberal,” “communist,” or “weak,” even if it comes from the lips of Jesus. Russell Moore lives about 45 minutes from me in Brentwood, TN, so I could relate to some of his stories of being categorized as “this or that” when you’re doing your best to follow Jesus in the American South.
There has always been a tendency to force prevailing hopes, ideals, and expectations onto Jesus as early as the first century, with Christians, understandably, waiting for the sky to split open for Jesus to destroy their enemies.[4] There were also times in Christian history when the faith was baptized in human nature’s darkest inclinations (domination, brutality, division, greed, violence, etc.) to the degree that it was anti-Christ.[5] All of it was done in the name of the religion. As Edmund Burk says, “Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.” Once again, many Christians, republican, independent, and Democrat, believe the faith is being contaminated with ideals that are adamantly opposed to Christ’s message and heart.
It feels like the root issue here for Russell Moore is that a specific version of Christianity has yet again emerged in history, particularly one that views Trump as the American messiah that does not match what he feels represents the conservative Evangelical Jesus he has in mind. I could just say “Jesus,” but I also want to acknowledge Russell, just like me, has a version of Jesus in mind that reflects his hermeneutic, experience, and denomination. There are places in this book where Russell and I align and other areas where we likely don’t. What’s new?
This, of course, muddies the water again on whose version of Jesus is correct and who and what determines that. Let’s say the Bible, or at least the “correct” interpretation of it, determines our view of Jesus. Now, we get to wade through a variety of interpretations and theologies. I have loads of books on my shelves that examine or reflect different groups who have used the Bible to argue for universalism and some that fear only a few will make it, doctrines that support predestination, and doctrines that support free will, some that support women’s rights and some that deny it, pastors who favored slavery and pastors who were abolitionists, denominations that forbid gay marriage and others that celebrate it, arguments for a literal creation story and arguments that hold to creation as myth, German theologians who were antisemitic and Germans theologians who were not, the list continues…
The irony is that they all use Scripture to support their case and claim to have the “correct” hermeneutic, context, and interpretation, like Evangelicals on both sides of the political and religious debate right now, that Moore is addressing. This touches on a much deeper issue that Tom Holland addresses in Dominion,[6] and Jennifer Knust, who is a New Testament scholar and one of the committee members who helped translate the NRSVUE, mentions in her book Unprotected Texts.[7] Ultimately, we choose which interpretations, passages, and verses will be prioritized to align with our deepest values and capture what we believe to be the heart of Jesus in our day and age. Father Richard Rohr argues that experience, more than tradition and Scripture alone, has always guided the faith, no matter how much we claim the latter, and the more I learn, experience, and observe, the more I agree.[8] I’ll gladly choose, along with Moore, to leave parts of my Evangelical religion at the altar if it increasingly nurtures division, promotes selfishness, and dilutes the compassion humans have for one another.
About time to take the kid’s trick-or-treating and enjoy some chili!
[1] Viola, Frank, and George Barna. Pagan Christianity? Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices. Carol Stream, Ill: BarnaBooks, 2008.
[2] Bebbington, David, Evangelicalism in Modern Britain: A History from the 1730s to the 1980s, London: Routledge, 2005, 271.
[3] Moore, Russell. Losing Our Religion: An Altar Call for Evangelical America, New York: Sentinel, 2023, 244.
[4] Ehrman, Bart D. A Brief Introduction to the New Testament. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.
[5] MacMullen, Ramsay. Christianity and Paganism in the Fourth to Eighth Centuries. New Haven London: Yale university press, 1997.
[6] Holland, Tom. Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind. Paperback edition. London: ABACUS, 2020.
[7] Knust, Jennifer Wright. Unprotected Texts: The Bible’s Surprising Contradictions about Sex and Desire. 1st HarperCollins pbk. ed. New York: HarperOne, 2012.
[8] Rohr, Richard. Things Hidden: Scripture as Spirituality. London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2016.
About the Author
Adam Harris
I am currently the Associate Pastor at a church called Godwhy in Hendersonville, TN near Nashville. We love questions and love people even more. Our faith community embraces God and education wholeheartedly. I graduated from Oral Roberts University for undergrad and Vanderbilt for my masters. I teach historical critical Biblical studies at my church to help our community through their questions and ultimately deepen their faith. I love research, writing, learning, and teaching. I oversee our staff and leadership development. Before being at Godwhy I worked as a regional sales coach and director for Anytime Fitness. I've been married for over 13 years to my best friend and we have two amazing boys that keep us busy.7 responses to “Can We Still Call This Christianity?”
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Adam, wow. I love how you started with Moore’s book and slid into questions about Biblical interpretation. Because that’s the rub, isn’t it? We have Christian Nationalists who somehow have twisted scripture to support their political preferences. That’s EASY to condemn, but lest I throw stones too quickly, I wonder what unknowing misinterpretation of the Bible has built a fence around my expressing the life and love and truth of Jesus?
A lot to think about here, my friend. Save me some chili (I wish) and I hope trick or treating is a blast!!!
Thanks, Tim, and I’m with you. The probability is very high that I am wrong about God knows how much. I can’t help but think about that element (biblical interpretation), which is a big part of my NPO, as I read these types of books, knowing full well that I also have my own lenses and ideas of how this is all supposed to look. This always seems to be the root issue, which is why I love both of those authors I mentioned. They articulate some things I’ve been feeling for a while.
Hi Adam,
I enjoyed your post. You are so correct when you said that we use and interpret scripture according to what we value and with what fits our experience. In the courses you are developing and tried out does Christian nationalism get brought up? Are those even safe words to use?
Enjoy trick or treating with your boys!
Thanks Jenny, hmmmm. That’s a great question and it probably should be because it is such a great modern-day case study of how politics can shape our lenses. Thanks for the idea and also, SOOO happy about your listening workshop. Loved seeing all those pastors talking. Seemed like a lively bunch. Love the work your doing! Way to set the bar!
Hi Adam,
I enjoyed reading your brilliant and enlightening posts. Your stance and views are so clear and firm on the ongoing phenomenon of the “degradation” of Christian values. You wrote, “The issue at hand, at least from what I gather, is the amount or degree to which nationalism and American culture are diluting Christianity’s central message and transformative power…. I’ll gladly choose, along with Moore, to leave parts of my Evangelical religion at the altar if it increasingly nurtures division, promotes selfishness, and dilutes the compassion humans have for one another.”
Is there a way or strategy to purify Christianity from this degradation in your context?
Thanks for that kind response, Dinka, thinking and processing this information out loud like most of us are doing!
Great question, the strategy we currently take in our context is a higher priority on education, critical thinking, and discernment. The first thing, just like this program, is to become aware of our own biases, conditioning, tribalism, and worldviews as we wade through our Scripture and tradition. The New Testament strategy, at least from what I can tell, is discerning fruit or noticing what specific types of theologies and interpretations produce in the lives of people, families, communities, and the nation. We choose to let the love ethic of Christ guide our biblical interpretation and take notice of what this does in the hearts and lives of believers. Despite all that, we know we are likely getting some things wrong, so humility is another essential strategy throughout our discernment, which we’ve talked a lot about lately! Still learning!
So brilliant my brother. I love how you used the diluting of chili to relate to how many believe the faith is becoming increasingly diluted. A great way to connect real life to faith…but then again, isn’t faith all about real life?
Anyway, since part of our theology is based upon our own experience and culture, it’s amazing how so many of us (Independent, Republican, Democrat, etc.) all believe Christianity/our culture is being diluted but we tend to see this dilution from our own perspective. So, I’m wondering how would it help all of us or at least many of us if we were able to see this dilution from the other side or a different angle. I’m just wondering how that might help us to possible relate better…just wandering…