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Once again, WorldNetDaily's resident Reconstructionist apologist has launched another blistering attack against Dispensationalist fundamentalist Christianity, lamenting that if only Christians weren't so ignorant, they'd all see things his way. As he sees it, "The problem is Christians are woefully ignorant of their own faith. Because of the influence of late 19th- and early 20th-century fundamentalism, we have truncated the faith so greatly that Christianity only speaks to matters of the afterlife and personal piety in the here-and-now. " He goes on, "That kind of anti-intellectual approach to the faith – one that boils it all down to a personal relationship with Jesus to the exclusion of the vast body of knowledge to be found in the Scriptures – is precisely what has reduced Christians to begging for a place at the discussion table." Being an ignorant fundamentalist myself, I will make a pitiful attempt to respond, with proper deference for Miller's rapier like logic.

Once again, WorldNetDaily's resident Reconstructionist apologist has launched another blistering attack against Dispensationalist fundamentalist Christianity, lamenting that if only Christians weren't so ignorant, they'd all see things his way.

As he sees it, "The problem is Christians are woefully ignorant of their own faith. Because of the influence of late 19th- and early 20th-century fundamentalism, we have truncated the faith so greatly that Christianity only speaks to matters of the afterlife and personal piety in the here-and-now. "

He goes on, "That kind of anti-intellectual approach to the faith – one that boils it all down to a personal relationship with Jesus to the exclusion of the vast body of knowledge to be found in the Scriptures – is precisely what has reduced Christians to begging for a place at the discussion table."

Being an ignorant fundamentalist myself, I will make a pitiful attempt to respond, with proper deference for Miller's rapier like logic.

Miller refers to fundamentalism as a recent construct of Christianity. According to Miller, those who trust their personal relationship with Christ are 'anti-intellectuals' who retreat 'rather than face the intellectual battles of a hundred years ago'.

In Miller's opinion, "we backed out and cloistered ourselves in our cultural ghettoes, waiting for the Second Coming while trying to win as many to Christ with a scandalously simplified gospel – e.g., fire-insurance faith, jack-rabbit theology and a bit of good-times spiritual feeling thrown in for kicks."

Miller was careful to select others to make his point. He quotes H. L. Mencken's characterization of evangelical seminaries as "run by "half-idiot pedagogues and broken-down preachers," said Mencken. The graduate's "body of knowledge is that of a bus-driver or a vaudeville actor. But he has learned the clichés of his craft."

In so doing, according to point Miller was using Mencken to make for him, the "graduate has made his escape from the harsh labors of his ancestors."

But Miller then springs off Mencken's worldview to explain what Mencken, and ignorant fundamentalists everywhere missed that he didn't.

"The really bad fruit of fundamentalism, while liberals would like to say it is intolerance, is actually anti-intellectualism and cultural irrelevance. Fundamentalism set the stage and provided the impulse for the withdrawal from the general culture. "Backward, Christian Soldiers" became the marching hymn. And, while things have improved in the last many years, we're not yet done with brain-rot."

Miller says that "none of this is to spurn personal piety or spiritual experience, but only to stress that these are not enough."

Throughout his indictment of those simpleton Christians who believe that salvation is a gift of grace and not works, and that a personal relationship with Christ IS enough, Miller extensively quotes H.L. Mencken, Oswald Guinness and the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney [presumably Australia -- he doesn't say].

Miller does not go to the Scriptures he says the rest of us are so ignorant of to make his point.

If he had, he may have located some difficulties with his theological worldview. If salvation by faith is not enough, then Galatians 2:21 must be a mistranslation.

"I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. "

If salvation requires an extensive knowledge of Scripture, who then can be saved? When I first bent my knee to Christ and accepted the Pardon He obtained for me at Calvary, I knew only two things.

First that I was a sinner. Second, I wanted to be forgiven and go to heaven instead of hell. Had I known then that Jesus could not accomplish my salvation without my help, I probably would have continued in my sin.

As I recall, it was my sin, and my fear I'd have to meet some standard of perfection I knew was beyond my capacity that kept me from turning to Jesus much earlier.

In fact, I didn't turn to Christ until I found out that I was saved by faith and not by being good. I could lie to everybody else, but I knew how good I really was and I knew that wasn't working in my favor.

Lately, Miller has been focusing a lot of column ink on those simpletons who trust Jesus for salvation instead of relying on their own efforts.

I'm not entirely certain why it is that Miller is so angry with Christian fundamentalists. Perhaps he really believes that fundamenalists practice, as he writes, "fire-insurance faith, jack-rabbit theology and a bit of good-times spiritual feeling thrown in for kicks."

If so, where is his Scriptural argument? Miller has decided that the 'fire insurance faith' and 'jack rabbit theology' that preaches faith in Jesus as all sufficient to salvation is 'not enough'.

At the risk of proving my intellectual inferiority I must reply; "Sez you!"

If, in my ignorance, I had only learned one verse, it is sufficient to counter his argument to my personal, ignorant satisfaction.

"Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." [Galatians 2:16]

Dummies in Church Joel Miller - WND

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