Christian Atheism

A bizarre liberal concept is “Christian Atheism” — the idea Jesus didn’t really exist (and/or wasn’t God), but we should follow the teachings and morals of Him, even though it’s only a fabrication. It’s Christianity without God.

I have a college degree, and honestly it’s difficult to read this stuff, because frankly, most of it makes no sense — the words put together form sentences grammatically impossible to understand.

I’m reminded of a story Walter Martin told when he was in school involving his liberal theologian professor. A scholarly article came out, and Walter tried to understand it, but couldn’t as it contained liberal-speak, so he took it to his old pal the liberal professor.

Sir, did you see the article in last weeks paper?

Yes, yes, very profound.

Now, sir, you know I’m a hard worker, and money doesn’t come easy for me, but I’ll give you $100 if you can honestly tell me what this means.

(professor glances at article, which Walter had marked with questions)

Dammed if I know!

Yes, so much mumbo-jumbo exists it’s hard to decipher. Like the emperor’s new clothes, many times even liberals can’t understand it, but repeat how wonderful it is just so nobody thinks it’s complete doggy poo-poo.

Christian atheism? Could two words create a bigger contradiction?

Thomas Altizer wrote a book “The New Gospel of Christian Atheism,” and I’m sure it’s popular with liberals everywhere. Like Walter, I ask can anyone explain the mumbo-jumbo?

We typically fashion our notion of anything we deem sacred “Oneness” in anthropomorphic terms, so we can more easily relate to the idea. The Christian then proceeds to incarnate that God notion with a Christology in which Jesus is typically construed as a co-eternal mediator and — peculiarly — a substitutionary sacrifice.

But for those progressives for whom such a construct is no longer viable or credible, what might still be found amidst the theological rubble in a post-modern — even post-deconstructionist — age? Indeed, what may have been there from the start of the entire imaginative process; known in the earliest days of a pre-Christian movement, known simply as the Way (of Jesus)? As near as we might be able to discern it with our own creative and interpretive imaginations, what resemblance might such a path bear to the “voice-print” of an extraordinarily imaginative character we might want to befriend? (John Bennison, “Jesus, My Imaginary Friend” http://progressivechristianity.org/resources/jesus-my-imaginary-friend/)

That reads like someone threw darts at a board filled with big words, stringing the result together. Classic hand-waving tactics to create distraction from the total nonsense put forward.

Christian atheism appears to divorce God from Jesus.

Why would anyone want to do this? One possible reason — some people want to appear religious without actually being religious. For them, Christianity without God fills the need.

If Jesus never existed, God can be denied. Better yet, we can construct our own “god” and do whatever we want. Have a sin you want to continue? Just claim passages in the Bible no longer apply, or that book supposedly written by Paul was really a forgery, so we don’t have to follow it.

What’s left? Potlucks. And an empty shell of a church was has all the form of Christianity without the pesky problem of actually having God, leaving the gospel of social justice and good works, but not sin, redemption, Hell, or Jesus as God.

Such movements Jude warned about.

For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. (Jude 4)

… as well as Peter

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privately shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. (2 Peter 2:1–2)

Progressive, liberal, progressive, atheist “Christianity” makes God in man’s image.

Whatever you call it, it has no relation to God, it’s deception, it’s wrong, and it deceives many people.

Frankly, I have more respect for the actual atheist who shakes his fist at God and says you don’t exist, than for liberals and progressives who like the swishing of the robes, but want nothing to do with the God of the Bible, don’t want to follow His rules, and attempt to hide their open rebellion and contempt for the creator of the universe.

You can believe the Bible, or the liberals, but not both — they represent opposites. Liberals want everything from Christianity except God.

My brain hurts from all this nonsense, but I read it so you don’t have to.

Filed Under: Christian Living

Recommended Citation:
Yeager, Darrin "Christian Atheism" (2023-11-23 14:46),
https://www.dyeager.org/post/christian-atheism.html
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