Plantinga spoke beautifully on many aspects of redemption in the chapter of the same name. The thing that caught my attention most was his acknowledgment of God working through sinful agents. I have run up against the hypocrisy argument in talking with family members about christianity, and though I knew it did not invalidate what I believed, I was at a loss as to how to counter it.
What I mean by the hypocrisy argument is the idea that christians say you should act a certain way, and try to force others to behave the way they think people ought to act. Meanwhile, the christians are doing the very same thing that they condemned in others. The case of Ted Haggard, who as a prominent pastor promoted an amendment banning homosexual marriage and was a large figure in the conservative evangelical scene, despite seeing a gay prostitute and purchasing meth. I want to be clear that I am using this example only because it has been used in argument against me, not to comment on any of the political issues involved.
Anyways, back to the argument. As christians we often emphasize the moral law in dealing with non-christians, and for good reason, it is the means of convicting of sin and it “liberates people and helps them flourish”, as Plantinga says. The down side though, is when we so blatantly break all those things we have held up as the best. We cannot blame anyone for asking why they should believe hypocrites like us. There is the obvious answer that you can not tell the veracity of an argument by the arguer, that was covered by Bulverism. There is a deeper question though, that cannot be countered by an argument against bulverism. Why would someone who God had chosen act in such a reprehensible way? Plantinga answers this beautifully in a way I never could have; “the Old Testament shows a lot of sin and and other heavy weather inside the covenant of grace. The people of God display the whole range of obedience and sloth, piety and treachery.” God's people do not lose any of their sinfulness, but He chooses and uses them anyway. “King David himself – simultaneously godly and corrupt – shows us what God must deal with. God loves his people (David is “a man after God's own heart”), but God hates the sin that keeps dragging his people backward toward slavery (David nearly ruins Israel by his own adultery, deceit, and conspiracy to commit murder).”
The answer to the skeptic who points out christian hypocrisy is yes. We are just as in need of redemption as anyone, we are hypocrites, and so are you. To minimize sin or claim that the sinner is not a real christian misses the point completely. We must point out with Plantinga that, “what's striking, once more, is the persistence of God's grace”, not our ability to represent God or his grace, though that is what we ought to strive for.
Yes, I agree. Often times Christians are viewed as hypocrites because we talk about the sins people commit, when we are committing just as many sins and usually even the same sins. This is where we must be careful, we cannot be judgmental and harsh to those around us, because we are just as broken and fallen. But this does not mean we condone the behavior. We must help them progress, just as we are striving to change. We will fall short, but if we do this with love and not judgment we can make a significant difference.
ReplyDeleteIt is also important to keep in mind that although Christians represent the religion, we are not the deciding factor in its validity or truth. We are all broken fallen beings, and despite our best efforts we can never achieve the change that we really want. But just because we are not whole, does not diminish the redemption we receive through Jesus.
I really like how you related this chapter to hypocrisy and bulverism. I think its important to look at things from a different perspective. Its important to realize that we need to address our own hypocrisy to help others understand that though we are still broken sinful creatures we are saved through Christ and they too may receive this gift. Sometimes it because too easy for us to except our hypocrisy and then not strive to be sanctified in our faith. Although we are sinful it doesn't have to remain that way. Christ shows us a better way a better life, and though we can't get it perfect we can improve and become more godly people.
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing how persistent God's grace is. All throughout the Bible there are stories of God taking the worst sinners and using them for His glory. The fact that we are sinful and live in a sinful world is the reason we need God. We stand righteous before God because of Christ but we still have a sinful nature. Sanctification takes a lot of time and it is important for Christians to never feel like we have "arrived."
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