Pragmatism--the Secret Religion of the American Christian

Before I start, I want to make a housekeeping note and say, for those of you who may have clicked on the links I have on my sidebar and come to a dead end, I have them fixed now. Sorry about that.  But onto the main post:

R.C. Sproul says in an article on Pragmatism for Christianity.com:

"Pragmatism is the only philosophy native to America. Pragmatism eschews any hope of discovering ultimate truth. It is skeptical with respect to objective principles of righteousness and defines truth as "that which works". in this philosophy, the end always justifies the means. The driving force behind decisions within the scope of pragmatism is the force of expediency.

Is this a philosophy to which the church is enslaved? Is our standard the Word of God? Or has the standard become "does it work?" (I can't help but think of the phrase popularized by Dr. Phil, "How's that workin' for ya?"  As if this were the litmus test for people's actions!)  What exactly does the Bible say that Christ does for us. What are we to do?  Does God help those who help themselves?  And when we grow more like Christ, are we supposed to be privy to the exact workings of our sanctification?

Could good old American pragmatism be the reason behind all those books on the shelves of Christian Book stores that are simply reworked versions of every book found in Barnes and Noble in Self Help, Psychology, Finance, Parenting and Home Organization?  Is this what was meant for us, this "do-it-yourself" sanctification?

We humans love to tinker with things to make them better, faster, more effective.  We want a quick fix for all things. We get over colds too slowly, mail is never fast enough, and laundry detergent is never powerful enough symptoms. And to do our tinkering, we search out the inner workings of things.

It seems everything can be turned into a science. And though it is certainly reasonable to entrust our medical care to a doctor who has studied the workings of the human body, should there be any expert besides God for problems of the soul?

Sadly, we have turned to science to rescue souls. (Though there has been plenty published, though suppressed, on the lack of science behind the relatively recent "science" of psychotherapy.  I'll get a link up soon on a good treatment of that subject.) Is there any other way to look at the proliferation of psychologist, psychiatrists and psychotherapists? Many have given up and assume that the licensed psychiatrist is more qualified to handle a lost soul than a minister of God's word. But it seems to me that a whole industry has been built around treating symptoms rather than disease. (Isn't this really true of the medical profession now too? Hasn't it always been? Is there truly any cure for death? Isn't all sickness simply the birth pangs of our passing out of this world and paying the penalty for Sin?) And we have started to treat our souls as just a bit sick and in need of medicine rather than dead in our trespasses and sins.  And we were not blind and now we see.  Rather we had poor eyesight and just need a little correction.

Now I'm willing to take a gamble and trust a doctor with my body, because it's only temporary anyway.  I'm pretty sure no matter what the doctors do, I'm going to die anyway, right?  But Jesus said:

"Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear him who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell." Matthew 10:28

I've heard it said that scientists know all the parts of an atom but can't explain how it holds together. They know that DNA corresponds to the various characteristics of each individual human being, but to call it a blueprint is misleading because no one knows how the body exactly takes that information and produces a living creature. I suspect that there is a lot scientists learn through observation, trial and error, where the findings they publish are simply what they've discovered through paying attention, but reveal not nearly the depth of understanding that we might think of exactly why the world works exactly as it does.

These days, the mystery in life is not treasured. We don't want to believe there are any undiscovered frontiers. We do not happily accept that God knows some things that we just will never know. Knowledge is power (or so the serpent says) and we seem to have a lot of it these days.  And if knowledge makes us better, then the world must be improving, because we can Google the answer to almost any question, right? But what does the bible say?

"The words of the wise are like goads and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh. The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man." Ecclesiastes 12:11-13

Do we really need to know that "how" of our sanctification? Isn't the issue really that we want to get in on it, put in the work to maybe speed up the process? But it is God who sanctifies.  And he was there from the foundation of the world and knows how everything works.  how wonderful that our sanctification is His work.:

"And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth." John 17:19

And Jesus said to Paul at his conversation that he was sending Paul to the Gentiles that he would:

"...open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and place among those who are sanctified by faith in me" Acts 26:13

And it's a mystery, but we are saved through the faith granted to us by God to believe in the gospel, and that is how we are also saved:

"Now I would remind you brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you--unless you believed in vain." 1 Corinthians 15:1, 2

See that?!  The gospel was preached to convert, but it was also preached for sanctification. This sounds like the gospel should be preached to Christians not just the lost! And it should be continually received by us.  It never ceases to have value in our life. And what Gospel is Paul talking about, that seems to be the center of power to save and sanctify?

"For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins, in accordance with the scriptures, that he was raised on the third day, in accordance with the Scriptures." 1 Corinthians 15:3,4

Now maybe I'm oversimplifying things, but why does man want to go beyond the Word given by one Shepherd? Why do we need more than faith in Christ and his death and resurrection, which was the culmination of every promise and prophecy in the Law and the Prophets? I suppose we think it's not enough. If you look carefully, all of the best stuff promised in God's word, that we receive through Christ, are things we have to wait until the age to come to receive. As Paul says in Romans 8:

"For I consider the sufferings of the present time are not worth comparing to the glory to be revealed in us...the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creations, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit."

I think  many Christians are not content with firstfruits but want the whole crop right now. And there are preachers and authors aplenty who pretend they already have it all and can show you how to get it. But again, Paul says in Romans 8:

"We groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies."

What is Paul talking about when he says "the redemption of our bodies" if it is not the resurrection to come? He also says:

"Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience."

But Americans are not patient. And few Christians would imagine that God, in his wonderful plan he has for our life, has in store "tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword." Paul says that "in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us". And it is clear from this whole passage in Romans 8 we are not "more than conquerors" because of some dominion we are given over our children or our finances or even Satan.

 We can face the flames of tribulation in this life because we know they are far cooler than the flames of Hell, and that this time on earth is a vapor and eternity is forever.

So I end with a few questions:  As Peter was crucified upside down alongside his wife, was he experiencing his "best life now"? Why didn't John pray a "sun stand still" prayer to keep him from getting boiled in oil? What happened to the "abundant life" supposedly promised to Christians when the dogs were licking Lazarus' sores as he begged at the gate of the rich man?

So you might ask "Is there anything we're promised for this life besides trouble and tribulation?"  First of all, I suppose it would all be worth it if all we received was reprieve from the fires of Hell, from a just condemnation and entrance into eternal paradise. But there is more, for

"hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Romans 5:5

Christ's Spirit is the deposit given as a guarantee of what is to come. I'm sure I'll have more later on the work of the Spirit, for this is much misinformation and deception circulated, as it has always been, about the work of His Spirit in our lives.