Dangerous Doctrine, Terrible Theology
‘Bad Religion’, in its most basic expression, puts rules over people, law over grace, and control over servanthood. It replaces life in Christ with obedience to a system of beliefs where Jesus may be mentioned, but He is not the center. Paul said, “For freedom, Christ set us free”, (Gal. 5:13). If religion feels more like wearing chains than walking in joy and peace, we missed something somewhere. We are not meant to be bound by a belief system used by bad players to control us, we are meant to live out of the heart and love of Christ.
I see four areas where leaders have used their authority more for control than for building up. Those areas are a) Misapplied doctrine, b) Hyper-spiritualism, c) Hyper mission/vision focus, and d) Political/Religious fusions. My initial plan was to focus on the first two in this article, but once I started writing, I realized the article would be too long! No one likes a long-winded preacher, and I don’t want to be a long-winded writer! So, I am staying with numero uno today – ‘misapplied doctrine.’ My next article “Leaving Charismania” will focus on the hyper-spiritual side of bad religion, and I will share some of my journey there.
I begin with a funny story, though initially it may shock some of you. Several years ago, I was an elder in a church in Sacramento, CA. One Sunday morning a young man who had just been converted to Christ was brought up to share his testimony. I don’t remember his full story, but he was heavily involved in drugs and all that accompanied that lifestyle. He may also have been connected to a gang. Someone had just led him to Jesus, and he experienced a radical conversion, was set free from drugs, and was full of God. You could see it on his face. There he stood on that Sunday morning, possibly his very first time in a church, with no sense of protocol, pretense, or religiosity. After he was handed the mic, he was asked to share what Jesus did for him. So, he began. I don’t remember all he said but I do remember something like this. He gushed, “God is so F****ng good! I mean I never felt anything like this before! He is just so F***ng good. I love Him.” As you might imagine, the sanctuary suddenly became so quiet you could hear the proverbial ‘pin’ drop a mile away. After a few moments of silence, there was a variety of responses from the congregation. Some gasped, trying to figure out if they heard what they thought they heard – in church. Others wondered if they should cover their children’s ears, in case more of this language come out. On the other side, you could hear some suppressed chuckles accompanied by some outright laughter. Personally, I thought it was hilarious. My language was quite salty before I got saved. This brand-new babe in Christ was sincerely praising Jesus in the only language he had known. Why should we have been surprised that this new ‘fish’ wasn’t immediately going to talk like a seasoned saint? Though Jesus was now Lord of his life, this young man was just beginning his journey toward sanctification.
A bit later, something changed in this young man. I hadn’t seen him for a while, but he was different the next time we met. He was still following Jesus, but according to a very narrow path. Someone had mentored him into a legalistic Christianity. All his answers were pat, his doctrine was narrow, and there was no room to think in any other direction. This might not have been a bad thing had he been able to maintain his joy in God, but it seemed as though his joy had been sacrificed on the altar of legalistic religion. He found religion but lost the joy of Jesus in the process. I liked him better the other way. It’s sad what bad religion can do.
Bad religion turns sanctification into a man-made self-help system that relies on doctrinal rules and human effort. It focuses on outward behavior instead of understanding that it’s only through the inner working of the Spirit that outward change be affected. I’m not saying that young believers don’t need help and guidance. I’m saying that no one will be perfected by their own works and self-improvement plans. As has been said, “It’s our job to catch the fish, but it’s the Holy Spirit’s job to clean them.” Our attempts may often be a hindrance. We may think some negative outer expression is the issue when the Holy Spirit wants to deal with an issue of the heart. Legalistic sanctification generally results in failure and shame, and those who wield this power over others undercut the grace of Christ working to perfect them. Bad doctrine can be doubly harmful to those who become entangled in it. First, because it presents a false or incomplete picture of who God is. Second, because it comes in God’s name, it bears a heavy weight of condemnation when we fail to live up to the rules and expectations. It’s like we are constantly failing God. Bad religion and doctrine focus on man’s ideas and what man can do, while the Holy Spirit transforms inwardly to become like Jesus. And in this process, we get to keep our joy!
Bad religion turns sanctification into a man-made self-help system that relies on doctrinal rules and human effort. It focuses on outward behavior instead of understanding that outward change can only be effected through the Spirit's inner working. I’m not saying that young believers don’t need help and guidance. I’m saying that no one will be perfected by their own works and self-improvement plans. As has been said, “It’s our job to catch the fish, but it’s the Holy Spirit’s job to clean them.” Our attempts may often be a hindrance. We may think some negative outer expression is the issue when the Holy Spirit wants to deal with an issue of the heart. Legalistic sanctification generally results in failure and shame, and those who wield this power over others undercut the grace of Christ working to perfect them. Bad doctrine can be doubly harmful to those who become entangled in it. First, because it presents a false or incomplete picture of who God is. Second, because it comes in God’s name, it bears a heavy weight of condemnation when we fail to live up to the rules and expectations. It’s like we are constantly failing God. Bad religion and doctrine focus on man’s ideas and what man can do, while the Holy Spirit transforms us inwardly, making us like Jesus. And in this process, we get to keep our joy!
The combination of bad religion and doctrinal misapplication can be practiced in large denominational churches and non-denominational churches as well as in small churches and para-church organizations. Often, the error results from highlighting a few scriptures to support an entire belief system rather than letting the Bible interpret itself through a full Biblical /Christ-centric lens. This leads to a narrow view of God and scripture while missing the bigger picture of the love and fullness of God in Christ.
It should be noted that doctrine, and theology for that matter, are not bad in themselves. They get a bad rap for being misused. Both help gain an understanding of the basic teachings of scripture and an understanding of what God is like. Doctrine focuses on the study of what the scriptures teach about religion; theology focuses on what can be known of the nature and character of God as revealed in the scriptures. We may not have thought of it this way, but all believers hold to some form of doctrine and theology. If you believe God is good, you have a theology. If you believe Jesus is the Son of God, you hold a doctrine.
Where doctrine or theology supports and builds our faith in Christ and enhances our relationship with Him, they are good things. There are many doctrinal expressions within the worldwide Church and obviously they are not all in agreement. Yet, in nonessential things, there is room for disagreement. Some cessationists may disagree with the idea that the gifts of the Spirit and speaking in tongues are still active in the Church today. Some Charismatics may disagree with them and say they have closed the door to the work of the Holy Spirit. We can disagree with each other because neither of these positions will exclude anyone from the kingdom of heaven. However, if I go on a crusade to prove everyone else is wrong and become divisive and hurtful in my actions and language, I am practicing bad religion and am using my Biblical viewpoint to try to control and judge you. This is a violation of the law of Love. Christ is our center and whatever differences there are, if they don’t distort the image of God or pervert the gospel, we are to strive to walk in unity and care for one another. As was said by one of the ancients:
“In essentials, unity; in doubtful matters, liberty; in all things, charity.”
Yet the same principles that keep us on the straight and narrow in our view of doctrine and theology can also be the thing that creates bad religion when it is compromised and/or abandoned. When we speak of a Christ-centric lens, we are talking not only about who Jesus is, what He has done for us, and how to grow in our relationship, we are also talking about how He sees others. Jesus is jealous over His flock. Some shepherds try to take for themselves an authority over the flock that is not theirs to exercise. Shepherds are to watch over the sheep entrusted to their care, but they aren’t to lord it over their faith in matters non-essential to their salvation. This is where the wrong use of authority moves from the realm of care and guidance into the realm of manipulation and authoritarianism. In these cases, it’s not about freedom in the nonessentials; it’s about toeing the line and buying into the leader’s doctrines and interpretation of scripture. If you don’t buy in, you may be shamed or ostracized, and this is not the way of Jesus. Whether this mandate comes through a denomination or leaders in an individual church or organization, the result is the same. One group of leaders seeks to control those they have oversight over and may use fear and manipulation to do so.
An example of this can be seen in the evolution of the Southern Baptist Convention (the SBC), regarding women's roles in SBC-affiliated churches. In the early 80s, Paige Patterson, former President of the SBC and Southwestern Theological Seminary, began teaching that men were called to be the primary players in carrying out the plans of God while women were created to serve in a secondary role. Beth Allison Bar writes:
“Patterson preached that men were divinely created to lead and wield authority, women to follow and submit. The influence of men like Patterson (and, ironically, his wife) led the SBC to rewrite its faith statement, first creating the 1984 resolution that emphasizes women’s secondary creation, followed by the 1998 statement about wives submitting to their husbands. The submission statement swiftly became an amendment, culminating in the final (and by that time uncontroversial) addition to the “Baptist Faith and Message 2000” that only men can serve as head pastors.” (Barr, Beth Allison. The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth (p. 18,27). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
The SBC is one of the largest denominations in America, and though its churches are independent and autonomous, they still must abide by the rules the governing body has agreed on. The previous amendment was not strictly enforced until recently when new leadership took a much stronger Patriarchal view and began pushing for enforcement. This led to the disfellowshipping of one of its most well-known and largest churches, Saddleback Community Church in California. Pastor Rick Warren had women on his staff who held pastoral roles and were called pastors in the church. His refusal to change his views and their titles led to the removal of his church from the SBC. This stirred even more controversy and led to the withdrawal of many other churches. Some of the newer SBC voices have pressed for even more complementarian, (Patriarchal), views and language, stating emphatically that women were created to be subservient to men and that their greatest and highest calling is to get married and serve their husbands by maintaining their households and raising children. This is the supreme purpose God designated for women. They are not viewed as individuals whom God has called, but rather as support structures for the work and ministry of men, whether at home or in the church. Working outside the home is frowned upon, and they are not allowed to exercise authority as teachers or preachers in any meetings where men are present. This emphasis on submission has, in some churches, led to the instance that women who are in abusive marriages should stay in those marriages regardless of the emotional, spiritual, and physical harm being done to them and their children, all for the sake of ‘serving’ their husbands’. This is a perfect case of bad doctrine leading to bad religion. These leaders have built a whole doctrine upon a few scriptures written by the apostle Paul without considering the culture of his time or the tradition of church history going back to the New Testament church. This is a prime example of using religion to control women and turn them into second-class citizens in the church.
Ironically, the fruit of this low view of women has come back to haunt the SBC. Paige Patterson was fired in 2018 over accusations that he covered up reported cases of rape during his tenure and discouraged victims from coming forward and reporting the crimes to the police. Another former SBC President, Johny Hunt, was fired over alleged ‘sexual’ indiscretions. The lawsuits that have been filed by other sexual abuse victims who have come forward have led to the sale of SBC’s headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee, to help cover over $12,000,000 worth of legal fees. There are some wonderful churches in the SBC, and many are demanding changes to the convention, but it is hard to deny the poison that has come through some of its leaders due to bad religion.
Stories like this show why it is so important to have a Christ-centered perspective when approaching and interpreting scripture. A simple reading of the gospels reveals the multitude of ways in which Jesus elevated women in daily life. He received financial support from women and in general, defended them from the misogynistic culture and the oppression by certain men who sought to use them for their means or belittle them for their circumstances and desperation, (The Woman caught in Adultery, Jn 8:3, and the ‘sinful’ woman at Simon’s dinner party, Lk 7:39). He openly received and commended Mary’s sacrificial act of love when she anointed him with perfume, (a practice that was limited to men). Not only did He receive her offering, but He made sure it would be forever included in the gospel story. And regarding the subject of women preaching or teaching, it should be noted that the first preachers commissioned to proclaim the resurrection were women, whom He sent to men! He might have something to say to those organizations that hold doctrines that devalue or restrict women from the calling He places on them.
Bad religion eventually leads to control or oppression, usually through leaders imposing their agendas and bending the scriptures to support their harmful leadership. In “A Church Called Tove”, (Copyright © 2020 by Scot McKnight and Laura McKnight Barringer, Tyndale House Publishers, Chapter Two), the authors compiled a list of toxic characteristics that can indicate bad religion in churches or organizations. Here are a few markers to watch for. Narcissistic leadership, fear-based power cultures used to control, authoritarian and/or celebrity leadership that is unaccountable, and a culture where questions are discouraged.
Some churches start well but drift into questionable practices as they grow. In such cases, it may take a while to recognize when things start to ‘not feel right’. When this begins to happen ask questions. If questions are discouraged and you are made to feel guilty for asking, something is not right. If you find yourself in a place where leaders are trying to control you by dictating God’s will for you or bribing you to stay through promises of a position, (that they will most likely never give you), take it as a sign of a toxic culture. If they are using threats, (you are disobeying God if you leave, you are letting people down), it’s time to re-evaluate your status.
Here is one last thing to consider as I bring this to a close. The early church thrived and grew in its first 15 years without any of the letters we now count as scripture. Most were written after AD 48, and even those were not widely published or read by most Christians. There was no formalized doctrine. That means that the early church was full of love for God and neighbor, mostly met in homes, and the main teaching, the Apostle’s teaching, which would be what Jesus directly taught them, (the Kingdom of God, Sermon on the Mount, parables, Christ's death and resurrection), were the heart and life of the gospel message. This, plus the pulsating movement of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers, became an unstoppable force of love and power, transforming entire families and communities. A summary of the church's growth in the Book of Acts is that they took meals together, prayed together, met in each other’s homes, and were full of the Holy Spirit and the joy of the Lord. From this foundation, the church spread to the nations. The emphasis was not doctrine or theology, The emphasis was on the living personal and communal knowledge of Christ in their midst, manifest through the Holy Spirit - not through their understanding of doctrine. As Paul later wrote to the Corinthians, "Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up". A simple, Christ-centric experience transformed and regulated life. Without Jesus at the heart of things, we will lose touch with the love of God. Today's church is full of Biblical knowledge at various levels but is sadly lacking, in many ways, in the love of Jesus, in word and action toward the lost, and in reflecting the joy of the Lord and the beauty of Jesus to those who are looking for something more.
We don’t just want to leave bad religion behind. We want to bring the fullness of the life, love, and compassion of Jesus into the center of all we do. We want to be living examples of the life, joy, and power of the gospel before a lost and broken world. Paul summed this up well in Philippians 2:1-11.
“Therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
May the joy of the Lord be our strength as we live our faith out loud.
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Blessings – Jeff