The Cross has always been offensive to the peoples of the world. They hate what it stands for - that we are so sinful we need a sacrificial Savior to bleed and die on it so that we can be saved from God's wrath. The world would rather deludingly believe that God turns a blind eye to our sin and winks at our brazen ways.
The trouble is this: progressive Christians believe the same in order to accommodate the rest of the world. In other words, Christ's sacrifice is not good enough for today's inter-faith world, so Progressive Christians have got to save the day, the church, and the world with their rejection of the Cross and their idolatrous doctrine of cosmopolitan toleration - a toleration which of course excludes their own traditional faith.
I am proud to be a part of the Christian Resurgent Movement. The progressive appeasers have gone too far. It's about time that true apologetics returned instead of timid apologizers.
In the cross of Christ I glory,
Towering o’er the wrecks of time;
All the light of sacred story
Gathers round its head sublime.
When the woes of life o’ertake me,
Hopes deceive, and fears annoy,
Never shall the cross forsake me,
Lo! it glows with peace and joy.
When the sun of bliss is beaming
Light and love upon my way,
From the cross the radiance streaming
Adds more luster to the day.
Bane and blessing, pain and pleasure,
By the cross are sanctified;
Peace is there that knows no measure,
Joys that through all time abide.
In the cross of Christ I glory,
Towering o’er the wrecks of time;
All the light of sacred story
Gathers round its head sublime.
(lyrics by John Bowring)
images by Stushie
9 comments:
Always glad to have you read my blog ... thanks. God's peace to you in all things.
And if I may add, while I cannot speak for all "progressive Christians," I can speak for myself: because I am not ashamed of the cross of Christ, there's no need to shove it into everyone's face.
Many Christians have confused power with influence - our influence is love. But without love, we settle for power - the power of a formerly "christian" culture that loved the accoutrements of faith without a lot of regard for the living realities of that faith.
I think that our love for Christ is revealed in our humility, gentleness, self-control; the need of some to force faith on others reveals a dark spirit - whether it be Christians or Muslims or any other radical.
I think it can be turned around on "conservative" Christians - they are ashamed of, or more likely, confused, about the cross, so they compensate by loud voices and an in-your-face aggression.
Anyway, just some thoughts.
Always glad to have you read my blog ... thanks. God's peace to you in all things.
And if I may add, while I cannot speak for all "progressive Christians," I can speak for myself: because I am not ashamed of the cross of Christ, there's no need to shove it into everyone's face.
Many Christians have confused power with influence - our influence is love. But without love, we settle for power - the power of a formerly "christian" culture that loved the accoutrements of faith without a lot of regard for the living realities of that faith.
I think that our love for Christ is revealed in our humility, gentleness, self-control; the need of some to force faith on others reveals a dark spirit - whether it be Christians or Muslims or any other radical.
I think it can be turned around on "conservative" Christians - they are ashamed of, or more likely, confused, about the cross, so they compensate by loud voices and an in-your-face aggression.
Anyway, just some thoughts.
Putting a Cross in a veteran's memorial site is not shoving it in anyone's face. Crosses have been used for centuries in graveyards and cemeteries all over the world. Should we begin to dig them up and break them into pieces just because they are in the public eye?
I agree that our faith has many wonderful qualities, but it never has been ashamed of the Cross which some progressives are doing today.
Love does not equal appeasement and a Christianity without the Cross is no Christianity at all.
Thanks also for reading my blog.
Hey, Stushie, I consider myself a "progressive" Christian with a Barthian perspective. Like you, I glory in the cross of Jesus Christ. Fine post and great pictures.
Thanks Fred. I know that not all Progressive think this way, but lately there has been a whole host of them diminishing and borderline denying the Cross.
Hi Stushie -- thanks for the post. A bit over a month ago I was at a conference where several well-known progressive Christians pushed back from the "bloody, drippy cross" as hard as they could. Like you, all I could think of was the "offense of the cross." On the other side I don't think enough conservative/evangelical Christians realize the scandal that it was, or still is, to have a Roman instrument of torture hanging at the front of our sanctuaries, mounted on the roof, and hanging around our necks. The loss of meaning goes both ways.
Thanks for reading and commenting on the post, Being. Conservatives actually do understand the bloody massacre that took place at Calvary. My beef is with those Christians who would revise its meaning and reverse it's shame by imputing their own ideas about pacifism into it. They obviously do not realize that Christians are still being tortured in many lands across the globe and who look to Christ's Cross as a means of identifying with their suffering.
Thanks again for reading.
I appreciated your original blog. Well said! I also found the comments interesting. It seems to me we can get awfully hung up on labels, trying to pigeonhole each other. But if "progressives" are trying to diminish the centrality of the cross, that is wrong--and not very progressive!
Paul told the Corinthians, "I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (I Cor. 2:2). Not that that was the only thing he talked about. But he saw Christ and Calvary as the foundation of everything (cf. 3:11).
Your blog caught my eye this morning because of the quotation of Bowring's "In the Cross of Christ I Glory." Today is the 195th anniversary of the birth of Ithamar Conkey, composer of the tune usually used with the hymn. (Interesting story behind that.)
As a pastor and Bible college teacher for 40 years, I found I could never move beyond the cross. My position is expressed in another hymn (Scottish!) "Beneath the cross of Jesus I fain would take my stand."
If you enjoy reading about our traditional hymns and gospel songs and their authors, I invite you to check out my daily blog on the subject, Wordwise Hymns. God bless.
Thanks Robert. I enjoyed reading your blog and have linked to it on mine.
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