Christian freedom: a response to Gurney

[FireDragon76]

Not sure I buy that. There was a libertine "Christian freedom" ideal in the Reformation that was alien to Christianity up until then. We are slaves to Christ, not really free men. In Protestantism there is this sense of freedom. Each man has his conscience. Each man is under grace alone and can sin boldly without fear of damnation because the blood of the Cross has liberated men, covering over their sins in an imputation. The Reformation gave way to the Enlightenment and freeing men in the West from everything be about the Church. Secularization and the arts and science went crazy under this new development.

Protestantism has never been about submission or slavery, but about a libertine grace that really doesn't exist.....

We do not advocate libertinism without responsibility. While we are free from the Law's condemnation, we are also free to serve our neighbor. That explosion in arts and science is a consequence of that.

We do not see secularism as inherently problematic. Religion is just one sphere in human life, what we Lutherans call an estate, it is not supposed to be totalizing. Nor is secular work inherently inferior to religious work, both can be part of God's reign in the world.

The Church is not ideally a master, but a servant. We freed men from the Church because the Church had become abusive and distorted the spiritual message of God's kingdom, turning it into an earthly institution.

But much of what Gurney says is accurate, and I for one am unapologetic. It's hard not to be when you live in the West and benefit from the patrimony of many Protestants who contributed to human flourishing here

 

[ArmyMatt]

I think there is a disconnect here, and I don't think necessarily we would disagree. secular work done do love God and neighbor IS religious work, from medicine to academics to social justice to politics.

we would say it's all religious work, even if it happens at an office desk instead of an altar, and Christ is present even if He isn't mentioned.