The Threat of Simplistic Christianity

Leading the charge against Graham was none other than Reinhold Niebuhr, the venerable professor at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. In an article for Life magazine, Niebuhr vigorously denounced Graham for presenting Jesus as the all-sufficient answer for man's ills. "Perhaps because these solutions are rather too simple in any age, but particularly so in a nuclear one with its great moral perplexities, such a message is not very convincing to anyone—Christian or not—who is aware of the continuing possibilities of good and evil in every advance of civilization, every discipline of culture, and every religious convention," Niebuhr wrote. "Graham offers Christian evangelism even less complicated answers than it has ever before provided."

http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/newsletter/2005/jun17.html

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An error in the website in a recent posting: "Graham Crusade 1957 Led to Take Over of NYC Protestant Council of Churches" offers an occasion for a critique of the simplistic version of Christianity presented by Billy Graham and other evangelicals over the past century that risks murderous blunders when those blinded by this 'feel good' religion take the ball and run with it in instinctive directions -- all too frequently crude manifestations of deadly human instincts: self-righteous hatred, revenge, punitive retaliation, whatever pops out of the right brain affective mechanisms to implement its far too simplistic message.

'Loving Jesus' in this frame all too frequently connects with despising one's neighbors (poor, criminal, immoral) and hating THEM -- which may connote an alien ethnic group (racism), an alternative religion (Islam, Judaism) or culture (e.g. liberal, gay, feminist, whatever).

Billy Graham, unlike many of the frauds who peddle the same message, manifestly is a decent man. And precisely therein lies the hazard in his intellectually anorexic Gospel message. Love Jesus and all will be well -- and let the devil take those evil ones out there.

I studied theology because it lay in my family tradition -- my grandfather's books are still in print nearly a century after his death in 1925 -- to pick out only the first of many Google hits:

http://manybooks.net/titles/kentchar11701170111701-8.html

However, 3 years spent studying theology at Union Theological Seminary and Oxford before turning back to philosophy persuaded me that the God was, indeed, dead as any real savior for present day suffering humanity. Niebuhr was only one of my much valued teachers who signaled to us that Christianity was on the wane and might be heading in dangerous directions. One could see then that the best minds were not entering theology, leaving the field open to some people doing good works -- but to far too many who were con artists looking for big monies to be made out of religion. Everyone has to make a living one way or another, but the present culture wars launched by born agains -- against women, gays, the poor, minorities, Islam etc. are extremely dangerous in this era of WMD -- as Niebuhr so wisely noted back then.
--
"A war is just if there is no alternative, and the resort
to arms is legitimate if they represent your last hope." (Livy)
--
Ed Kent 718-951-5324 (voice mail only) [blind copies]
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