The Pot Calling the Kettle Black
Although Ross Douthat presented some relevant information in his book, Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics, I was somewhat disgusted with his unprofessional and downright rude treatment of the people he was calling out as heretics. To me, his crass style of writing felt heretical and hypocritical. The author states that bad religion is “the slow-motion collapse of traditional Christianity and the rise of a variety of destructive pseudo-Christianities in its place.”[1] Obviously it is his book, and he gets to decide what is pseudo-Christianity to him, and there is a lot of truth to the fact that Christianity in America has collapsed in many ways, but the way he goes about it feels a little counterproductive. That being said, I did feel that his following statement was powerful and worth including:
“As long as the United States remains a God-haunted country, secular as well as pious Americans will have a strong stake in the forms that American religion takes. Both doubters and believers have benefited from the role that institutional Christianity has traditionally played in our national life—its communal role, as a driver of assimilation and a guarantor of social peace, and its prophetic role, as a curb against our national excesses and a constant reminder of our national ideals. Both doubters and believers stand to lose if religion in the age of heresy turns out to be complicit in our fragmented communities, our collapsing families, our political polarization, and our weakened social ties. Both doubters and believers will inevitably suffer from a religious culture that supplies more moral license than moral correction, more self-satisfaction than self-examination, more comfort than chastisement.”[2]
Maybe because he works for the liberal media and he is trying to use the shock value to prove his point, but mocking and disrespecting the people he is talking about did not feel very Christian at all. For instance, in setting up the section on Joel Osteen he describes him as follows: “The author himself gazes out from the front cover: his black hair is piled up and slick with gel; his hands are extended and touching at the fingertips; his smile is enormous, front teeth like piano keys or filed-down tusks. The book’s title hovers like an angel above his left shoulder, promising Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential.”[3] Whether you love Joel or hate him, he still deserves to be treated with respect. In fact, I have had many clients who have strong faith backgrounds and others who have very little Christian understanding who have had life-changing experiences listening to Joel’s messages and are grateful for his hopeful, positive words. I think we need to be careful to not throw someone completely in the heretic camp when they may be off on some things but still be making an impact for the Kingdom. He takes another jab at Joel when he states, “As much as any trend in contemporary belief, the success of this message suggests that modernity and religious faith cannot only coexist but actually reinforce each other—so long as modernity means American capitalism, and religion means the Christian heresy that has made Joel Osteen famous, and also rich.”[4] He takes similar shots at Gilbert when he says, “If there is a representative religious pilgrim for our times, it’s probably the blond, rangy magazine writer–turned–memoirist Elizabeth Gilbert.”[5] I don’t agree with everything she says or how she went about making the radical change in her life, but once again, I believe she deserves respect. I guess Douthat is getting full use of his right to freedom of speech.
Enough about his unprofessional tone, I think his call to reevaluate modern Christianity is worth looking at. It is disheartening to me as well how far we have strayed as a church from the example of Jesus Christ. It seems we are far from loving the marginalized like He did or treating the ultra-religious as He did as well. Ironically, the word religion actually comes from the Latin word religare, which means “to bind up”.[6] If we want to talk about bad religion, I think one of the worst things religion has done to people is cause them to be “bound up” by the controlling, legalistic doctrine that keeps people stuck in their four walls away from the people they are called to reach. It “binds up” women so they are not able to lead in ways that God has gifted them to lead. It “binds up” the LGBT community and does not give them a place at the ministry table in many places of worship. Religion and the church have ended up relegating (probably from the same Latin word religare) many people to the sidelines because we can’t figure out how to fellowship with them as Jesus did.
The author’s “four potential touchstones for a recovery of Christianity” are an interesting answer to the problem. They are: (1) “Postmodern Opportunity: the possibility that the very trends that have seemingly undone institutional Christianity could ultimately renew it;”[7] (2) the “Benedict Option: an extended period of withdrawal, consolidation, and purification;”[8] (3) the “Next Christendom: the extraordinary growth of Christianity in Africa, Asia, and Latin America;”[9] and (4) “Diminished Expectations: an age that’s willing to reckon with the ways that bad theology and bad religion have helped bring us to our present pass.”[10] I do think we need to look at the trends and keep the good stuff and throw out the stuff that has brought the church down. I think purification and withdrawing to a quiet place of reflection are both Biblical ideas. I also believe the Christians in those other “A” countries are going to and are already putting us to shame. Taking a look at the damage done to the Christian church will hopefully shake us enough to make some positive changes around us. The last quote that helped give this book some redeeming qualities for me was: “To make any difference in our common life, Christianity must be lived—not as a means to social cohesion or national renewal, but as an end unto itself. Anyone who seeks a more perfect union should begin by seeking the perfection of their own soul. Anyone who would save their country should first look to save themselves. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”[11]
_____________________________________
[1] Ross Douthat, Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics, (Free Press. Kindle Edition), p. 3.
[6] https://www.google.com/search?q=religion+definition&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS705US706&oq=religion&aqs=chrome.4.69i57j69i60l2j69i61j0l2.5351j1j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
[7] Ross Douthat, Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics, (Free Press. Kindle Edition), p. 278.
About the Author
Jake Dean-Hill
Currently a Marriage & Family Therapist in private practice. Ordained minister with 10 years of prior full-time church ministry experience and currently volunteering with a local church plant. Also working with companies as a Corporate Leadership Coach.8 responses to “The Pot Calling the Kettle Black”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Jake,
So, now “doubters” is Douthat’s PC description of sinners, lost souls, and the walking dead? Great introduction and thanks for defending the so called Douthat heretics. The older I get, the less I fight for the small differences in theology that many of us have. I’m not trying to be accused of accommodation or relativizing, but I have learned that the more I learn about God, the more I learn that I do not really know that much about God. Hope that makes sense, but when I graduated with my MDiv, I felt like I was back in Sunday preschool!
Nice job putting Douthat’s work in the right perspective. He had a few good ideas, took some laughable pot-shots at a few people, and then fell prey to his own form of heresy by asking us to adapt our beliefs to his 3-step Christian fix-it plan.
Stand firm,
M. Webb
Hi Jake,
I had no idea that the word religion meant to bind up. Thanks for sharing that.
I also appreciated your take on Douthat as being mean spirited. Take for instance his rant on Larry Burkett, now deceased, who helped tens of thousands of people get out of debt and be faithful stewards. His use of quotation marks to slam Burkett in a variety of situations like “financial concordance” and “financial ministries” were not appreciated by me, either.
Have a great Spring break Jake!
Hi Jake,
The religion graphic has a very negative definition of ‘religion’ that I think has some editorial spin attached, ie. “to thwart from forward progress”. I don’t think that angle is in the original definition. I’ve taken great consolation in a more positive view of religion as being that which re-links us back to God and historic faith, versus ‘spirituality’ which is a fuzzy type of do-it-yourself, postmodern faith that Douthat is railing against. I’m all for contextual, relevant faith as long as it’s linked back to the foundation, and I think doctrine can evolve over time. But let’s recover the word religion in the process.
Jake,
I appreciate your framing of Douthat’s discussion of those he considers heretical. I did not think about it while I was reading but looking back it does seem mean spirited. I do think he has value in his argument against both sides (conservative and liberal). Chris’s discussion of preferring Hunter’s presence is much more agreeable. Thanks again man.
Jason
Jake,
I understand your frustration with his attacking those he discusses in the book. I guess it was his way of painting a clear picture in order to garner support for his perspective.
I think your best insight was the way you recognize how Christianity has ‘bound up’ women and members of the LGBTQ communities. If one were to consider the period so affirmed in Douthat’s mind, that of the middle part of the last century, I think we would find that binding even more intense. So, in many ways maybe we are better off in the contemporary world than he would have us believe.
Hi Jake! Look at you all fired up! Great points and I feel schooled. I appreciate your perspective that someone (regardless of their theological differences) who brings others closer to Christ is a win. Great job!
I’m with Jean….I like fired up Jake 🙂 We have a hard time hearing the opposition when we set them up as the enemy. I am thinking back through some of what I read realizing that I missed the disrespecting of those he gave examples of as heretics. Thanks again for the reminder that love needs to be expressed to those that we disagree with.
Jake, I appreciate your critical reading of Douthat and am glad for your respect of persons. Thanks for being even handed there. I did a quick search and found religion to mean, “worship as expressed in ritual acts, religion” when coming from the Greek which is equally as old as Latin (although written pre-Latin). James uses the phrase in 1:27 to describe pure religion, which would not be something that meant to bind but rather the opposite. I wonder if religion is more of a term Douthat is using to categorize people of faith, especially coming from the Catholic tradition?