Why 'Third Wayism' is modern gnostic heresy

[Michie]

What happens when we separate God’s law from His Gospel in the name of political neutrality? If you’ve been paying attention to Evangelical discourse recently, you’ve likely encountered what’s now called “Third Wayism” — a term for the modern Evangelical approach to political and cultural engagement without the baggage of moral or political absolutism.

The premise sounds reasonable enough on the surface: Occupy a middle ground between the Left vs. Right culture war, avoiding strong alignment with either major political party, platform, or group.

Proponents claim they’re simply being “winsome” and “balanced” — rising above tribalism and transcending versus trendsetting in order to proclaim a pure Gospel untainted by political entanglements.

Third Wayism often sounds like this: “Jesus is neither right nor left.” Or “Jesus wasn’t an elephant or a donkey. but the Lamb.” Or “Jesus would be too liberal for conservatives and too conservative for liberals.”

That’s true enough, but is that all that needs to be said about our cultural and political divide? What actually happening here? Third Wayism has become a Trojan horse for laundering progressive ideas into the Evangelical churches under the guise of neutrality.

It’s a form of bait-and-switch theological liberalism that prioritizes cultural accommodation over biblical faithfulness. And while Third Way advocates claim to critique extremes on both sides, their focus disproportionately critiques conservatives while blindly ignoring radical leftist policies like sexual indoctrination in schools, transing our youth, leftist political violence, mass illegal immigration, socialism and government theft, and a host of other issues.

Continued below.

Why “Third Wayism” Is Modern Gnostic Heresy | Standing for Freedom Center

Any pastor that preaches a middle-of-the-road message separating God’s law from His Gospel and accommodating cultural comfort over biblical conviction strips Christians of the moral clarity they need on life, family, freedom, and truth. What happens when we separate God’s law from His Gospel in...

www.standingforfreedom.com

 

[d taylor]

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​

Just another article furthering the belief that Christianity should be involved in politics. The law has nothing to do with the gospel, well at least the gospel that gives people God's free gift of Eternal Life.

But i guess it is part of a worked based political gospel, one in which how to receive God's gift of Eternal Life is not found.

 

[another_lost_guy]

I think it could be argued that Christianity is socially conservative and fiscally liberal. But it does cheapen the Word of God to attach it to man-made ideas like National Bolshevism.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

What happens when we separate God’s law from His Gospel in the name of political neutrality? If you’ve been paying attention to Evangelical discourse recently, you’ve likely encountered what’s now called “Third Wayism” — a term for the modern Evangelical approach to political and cultural engagement without the baggage of moral or political absolutism.

The premise sounds reasonable enough on the surface: Occupy a middle ground between the Left vs. Right culture war, avoiding strong alignment with either major political party, platform, or group.

Proponents claim they’re simply being “winsome” and “balanced” — rising above tribalism and transcending versus trendsetting in order to proclaim a pure Gospel untainted by political entanglements.

Third Wayism often sounds like this: “Jesus is neither right nor left.” Or “Jesus wasn’t an elephant or a donkey. but the Lamb.” Or “Jesus would be too liberal for conservatives and too conservative for liberals.”

That’s true enough, but is that all that needs to be said about our cultural and political divide? What actually happening here? Third Wayism has become a Trojan horse for laundering progressive ideas into the Evangelical churches under the guise of neutrality.

It’s a form of bait-and-switch theological liberalism that prioritizes cultural accommodation over biblical faithfulness. And while Third Way advocates claim to critique extremes on both sides, their focus disproportionately critiques conservatives while blindly ignoring radical leftist policies like sexual indoctrination in schools, transing our youth, leftist political violence, mass illegal immigration, socialism and government theft, and a host of other issues.

Continued below.

Why “Third Wayism” Is Modern Gnostic Heresy | Standing for Freedom Center

Any pastor that preaches a middle-of-the-road message separating God’s law from His Gospel and accommodating cultural comfort over biblical conviction strips Christians of the moral clarity they need on life, family, freedom, and truth. What happens when we separate God’s law from His Gospel in...

www.standingforfreedom.com

It's good to see that Yellow Journalism is still alive and well. It's been a while since I've read a good propaganda piece, especially by someone from a denomination that has been known for Separation of Church and State.

Apparently, in all of the political dodging, name-calling and positioning, people don't seem to realize that Jesus never was on the Left, or the Right. Or even in "The Middle."

No, He is, and has always been, OVER.

 

[Michie]

It's good to see that Yellow Journalism is still alive and well. It's been a while since I've read a good propaganda piece, especially by someone from a denomination that has been known for Separation of Church and State.

It’s an opinion piece.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

It’s an opinion piece.

Sorry Michie. Nothing personal. It's just that I've seen too many Christian pundits lately pushing this new-ish label of 'Third-Wayism' in order to keep the middlemen out and sanctify the false dichotomy of "US vs. THEM."

It wasn't so long ago I heard a similar argument against those who might be in a "middle position" coming from the New Atheists, particularly Sam Harris.

 

[Michie]

Sorry Michie. Nothing personal. It's just that I've seen too many Christian pundits lately pushing this new-ish label of 'Third-Wayism' in order to keep the middlemen out and sanctify the false dichotomy of "US vs. THEM."

It wasn't so long ago I heard a similar argument against those who might be in a "middle position" coming from the New Atheists, particularly Sam Harris.

Interesting. Yeah these opinion pieces can certainly be off the rails at time but it is good to be aware how some think about these things. I see a lot of new movements/fads with Protestantism that come and go. It’s one of the reasons I left Protestantism among several others. I understand that Christians have a right to participate in the public square like anyone else. And I believe in advocating for one’s beliefs when the secular invades a believer’s right to stand against issues that they feel invade the practice of living their faith. The problem with a lot of that comes when people try to turn their politics into their religion. Which I believe is a very dangerous practice. Trying to mix the two rarely has good results from my observations.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

Interesting. Yeah these opinion pieces can certainly be off the rails at time but it is good to be aware how some think about these things. I see a lot of new movements/fads with Protestantism that come and go. It’s one of the reasons I left Protestantism among several others. I understand that Christians have a right to participate in the public square like anyone else. And I believe in advocating for one’s beliefs when the secular invades a believer’s right to stand against issues that they feel invade the practice of living their faith. The problem with a lot of that comes when people try to turn their politics into their religion. Which I believe is a very dangerous practice. Trying to mix the two rarely has good results from my observations.

Yes, I firmly agree with you that be need to be more aware of how some of our fellow Christians think about these things. It would behoove them to stop resorting to the fallacy of Strawmanning the political positions of other Christians for the sake of maintaining their own political identity and agenda.

 

[Michie]

Yes, I firmly agree with you that be need to be more aware of how some of our fellow Christians think about these things. It would behoove them to stop resorting to the fallacy of Strawmanning the political positions of other Christians for the sake of maintaining their own political identity and agenda.

I agree 110%. It can be disheartening but I think it’s also good to be aware how other believers think as well. I look at it as a guide of what not to do and how we can offset it.

 

[Niels]

What happens when we separate God’s law from His Gospel in the name of political neutrality? If you’ve been paying attention to Evangelical discourse recently, you’ve likely encountered what’s now called “Third Wayism” — a term for the modern Evangelical approach to political and cultural engagement without the baggage of moral or political absolutism.

The premise sounds reasonable enough on the surface: Occupy a middle ground between the Left vs. Right culture war, avoiding strong alignment with either major political party, platform, or group.

Proponents claim they’re simply being “winsome” and “balanced” — rising above tribalism and transcending versus trendsetting in order to proclaim a pure Gospel untainted by political entanglements.

Third Wayism often sounds like this: “Jesus is neither right nor left.” Or “Jesus wasn’t an elephant or a donkey. but the Lamb.” Or “Jesus would be too liberal for conservatives and too conservative for liberals.”

That’s true enough, but is that all that needs to be said about our cultural and political divide? What actually happening here? Third Wayism has become a Trojan horse for laundering progressive ideas into the Evangelical churches under the guise of neutrality.

It’s a form of bait-and-switch theological liberalism that prioritizes cultural accommodation over biblical faithfulness. And while Third Way advocates claim to critique extremes on both sides, their focus disproportionately critiques conservatives while blindly ignoring radical leftist policies like sexual indoctrination in schools, transing our youth, leftist political violence, mass illegal immigration, socialism and government theft, and a host of other issues.

Continued below.

Why “Third Wayism” Is Modern Gnostic Heresy | Standing for Freedom Center

Any pastor that preaches a middle-of-the-road message separating God’s law from His Gospel and accommodating cultural comfort over biblical conviction strips Christians of the moral clarity they need on life, family, freedom, and truth. What happens when we separate God’s law from His Gospel in...

www.standingforfreedom.com

"What actually happening here? Third Wayism has become a Trojan horse for laundering progressive ideas into the evangelical churches under the guise of neutrality."

What's happening is that the Church is being hijacked by secular politics. The message of Christ is being lost in the process, along with nuances of Christian thought and values. There's a difference between focusing on God's Word rather than politics and not trying to rock the boat. In fact, the teachings of Jesus rock the boat by putting you at odds with contemporary Evangelicals -and- progressive Christians.

While I agree that we need to "reclaim theological courage", I don't necessarily agree that jumping on political bandwagons is a good way to do it. The same can be said for courage of personal conviction. The world of politics can be like mobs with torches and pitchforks. You want to shape the politics if you can, rather than letting the politics shape you.

 

[Yarddog]

What happens when we separate God’s law from His Gospel in the name of political neutrality? If you’ve been paying attention to Evangelical discourse recently, you’ve likely encountered what’s now called “Third Wayism” — a term for the modern Evangelical approach to political and cultural engagement without the baggage of moral or political absolutism.

The premise sounds reasonable enough on the surface: Occupy a middle ground between the Left vs. Right culture war, avoiding strong alignment with either major political party, platform, or group.

Proponents claim they’re simply being “winsome” and “balanced” — rising above tribalism and transcending versus trendsetting in order to proclaim a pure Gospel untainted by political entanglements.

Third Wayism often sounds like this: “Jesus is neither right nor left.” Or “Jesus wasn’t an elephant or a donkey. but the Lamb.” Or “Jesus would be too liberal for conservatives and too conservative for liberals.”

That’s true enough, but is that all that needs to be said about our cultural and political divide? What actually happening here? Third Wayism has become a Trojan horse for laundering progressive ideas into the Evangelical churches under the guise of neutrality.

It’s a form of bait-and-switch theological liberalism that prioritizes cultural accommodation over biblical faithfulness. And while Third Way advocates claim to critique extremes on both sides, their focus disproportionately critiques conservatives while blindly ignoring radical leftist policies like sexual indoctrination in schools, transing our youth, leftist political violence, mass illegal immigration, socialism and government theft, and a host of other issues.

Continued below.

Why “Third Wayism” Is Modern Gnostic Heresy | Standing for Freedom Center

Any pastor that preaches a middle-of-the-road message separating God’s law from His Gospel and accommodating cultural comfort over biblical conviction strips Christians of the moral clarity they need on life, family, freedom, and truth. What happens when we separate God’s law from His Gospel in...

www.standingforfreedom.com

I'd have to look at this "Third Wayism" to see exactly what they say , instead of trusting what a political article writes about them.

 

[Hvizsgyak]

I think it could be argued that Christianity is socially conservative and fiscally liberal. But it does cheapen the Word of God to attach it to man-made ideas like National Bolshevism.

There is a political party in the US that is exactly that, socially conservative and fiscally liberal. I am a member of it and a few others here are a member of it too. And one doesn't need to be a socialist or communist to be fiscally liberal no matter how much the political conservatives scream that you are if you are fiscally liberal. This political party hails Pro-Life legislature and fair LGB rights responsibly (there is no push for T rights which most Christians would agree). Do a Google search on political parties in the US and there you will find it listed.

 

[Yarddog]

What happens when we separate God’s law from His Gospel in the name of political neutrality? If you’ve been paying attention to Evangelical discourse recently, you’ve likely encountered what’s now called “Third Wayism” — a term for the modern Evangelical approach to political and cultural engagement without the baggage of moral or political absolutism.

The premise sounds reasonable enough on the surface: Occupy a middle ground between the Left vs. Right culture war, avoiding strong alignment with either major political party, platform, or group.

Proponents claim they’re simply being “winsome” and “balanced” — rising above tribalism and transcending versus trendsetting in order to proclaim a pure Gospel untainted by political entanglements.

Third Wayism often sounds like this: “Jesus is neither right nor left.” Or “Jesus wasn’t an elephant or a donkey. but the Lamb.” Or “Jesus would be too liberal for conservatives and too conservative for liberals.”

That’s true enough, but is that all that needs to be said about our cultural and political divide? What actually happening here? Third Wayism has become a Trojan horse for laundering progressive ideas into the Evangelical churches under the guise of neutrality.

It’s a form of bait-and-switch theological liberalism that prioritizes cultural accommodation over biblical faithfulness. And while Third Way advocates claim to critique extremes on both sides, their focus disproportionately critiques conservatives while blindly ignoring radical leftist policies like sexual indoctrination in schools, transing our youth, leftist political violence, mass illegal immigration, socialism and government theft, and a host of other issues.

Continued below.

Why “Third Wayism” Is Modern Gnostic Heresy | Standing for Freedom Center

Any pastor that preaches a middle-of-the-road message separating God’s law from His Gospel and accommodating cultural comfort over biblical conviction strips Christians of the moral clarity they need on life, family, freedom, and truth. What happens when we separate God’s law from His Gospel in...

www.standingforfreedom.com

Wow, I've been looking into this and never realized it was out there. I certainly don't agree with many aspects of, either, Conservative or Liberal churches. I'll stick with the Pope and the Church God called me into.

 

[Michie]

AI Overview:

Third wayism" in Christianity refers to an approach that seeks a distinctly biblical stance on cultural and political issues, rejecting the conventional left/right political binary in favor of a "kingdom" perspective.

It is a term primarily used within evangelical circles, where it has become a subject of intense debate and criticism.


Core Concept

Proponents, often associated with figures like the late pastor Tim Keller, argue that Christians should be involved in politics and culture as a way of loving their neighbors, but without fully aligning the Christian faith with any single political party. The goal is to avoid uncritical partisanship and apply biblical scrutiny to all political stances.

Key aspects include:

• Rejecting Political Tribalism: It seeks to avoid the perceived errors and moral compromises of both the political left and the political right.
• Focus on the Gospel: A central motivation is evangelism—removing political obstacles that might prevent skeptics from considering Christianity.
• Grace and Truth: It aims to embody both radical truthfulness about sin and radical, unconditional commitment and grace to others, reflecting the nature of Jesus Christ.
• Nuance over Simplification: It calls for a nuanced, discerning approach to complex issues, rather than taking a simple "middle-of-the-road" or moderate ideological position.

Criticisms

The term is often used critically by those who believe this approach is insufficient or even harmful in the current polarized environment. Criticisms include:

• Failure to Take a Stand: Critics argue that "third wayism" can be an excuse to avoid difficult conversations or taking a clear stand on contentious moral and social issues, which they see as a form of complicity with harmful ideologies.
• Perceived Left-Leaning Bias: Some argue that in practice, "third way" arguments tend to disproportionately criticize the Christian Right while being soft on the Christian Left, thereby cultivating acceptance of left-leaning cultural and political framings.
• Moral Paralysis: The call for nuance is sometimes seen as leading to "paralysis" or silence when "conviction is required," disarming Christians in the "culture war".
• Splitting God's Law from Gospel: A more theological critique is that it risks separating God's moral law from His gospel of grace, an idea some have termed a "neo-Marcion" heresy.

Ultimately, "third wayism" is a contested concept that highlights a significant debate within contemporary Christianity regarding how believers should interact with a polarized culture and political system.

 

[expos4ever]

What is this "government theft" that is spoken of in the OP? And why is it represented as a "leftist" position?

 

[Delvianna]

It's just another way to put people in boxes. What is with this modern fad of identifying yourself to a particular box? Personality tests - "I'm Type A personality!" Denominations, political parties.... I mean there are loads of examples and all this is doing is drawing another box. Man created boxes aren't going to neatly fit into what scripture says. So anything man made, point blank, is going to have issues.

 

[another_lost_guy]

There is a political party in the US that is exactly that, socially conservative and fiscally liberal. I am a member of it and a few others here are a member of it too. And one doesn't need to be a socialist or communist to be fiscally liberal no matter how much the political conservatives scream that you are if you are fiscally liberal. This political party hails Pro-Life legislature and fair LGB rights responsibly (there is no push for T rights which most Christians would agree). Do a Google search on political parties in the US and there you will find it listed.

I am not sure which party you're talking about but there is not really anything socially conservative about homosexuality. The closest thing we have to social conservatism + fiscal liberalism is groyperism