An atheist's take on liberal christianity

Brian Flemming is a self-described atheist Christian.  I'm not really sure I understand what that means but based on what I've read of the man, I think the atheist part fits a little better.  But that's just me.

What I found most interesting was his description of the religious left:

Liberal Christianity, despite being non-hateful and on many issues even ethical, is hopelessly incoherent, however. Liberal Christianity says a perfect God wrote a perfect book--but he made mistakes. Or, alternately, liberal Christianity says the book is an extremely flawed and even disgusting work written by men--but special attention should still be paid to it. Liberal Christianity says religion shouldn't stand in the way of science--but a dead man did really rise from the dead. Probably. Or, at least, it's not unreasonable to believe that he did (or that he turned water into wine and walked on water). Liberal Christianity says the love of Jesus is the only way to Heaven--but if some people don't believe that, it's fine to let their deluded souls go off to Hell without even trying to stop them. Or maybe Heaven and Hell don't exist at all--but it's still very, very important to praise this figure called "God." For some reason. Liberal Christianity wants to drink the Kool-Aid but pretend there's no cyanide in it. And nothing pisses off liberal Christians more than having the incoherence of their beliefs laid bare.

Heh.  I think he nails 'em.  Sort of.  Of course, he thinks he nails all of Christianity and I guess that's where I have to draw the line.

I've moved leftward spiritually (especially if you ask my more conservative christian friends) but I must say that liberal christianity, as I've experienced it and as Flemming describes it, is something I'll never ever embrace. 

With an exception or two (like cats at FindingAvalon or Steph at Just Etchings), most of the religious left I've encountered are merely political partisans who occasionally mention Jesus but who more frequently are carping about the religious right or Bush or Cheney or Rumsfeld or how bad the Iraq war is or tax cuts or how evil the wascally wepublicans are or that Cindy Sheehan is an iconic saint or... well... you get the picture and if you don't just look at Jim Wallis.  He exemplifies for me what liberal christianity has become.  But I digress.  I think.

The bottom line is that like a broken watch that's right twice a day, Flemming, though describing liberal christianity rather accurately and though I think he nails the illogic that so many use and embrace, I think in the end, overall, is... well... more atheist than christian.

But what the heck do I know.

H/T to the good folks over at Mere Comments.

Comments

[rick]

What would a confessed atheist know about what Christians believe?

That is like some conservative Christian attemtping to speak on behalf of what atheists believe.

I think he speaks in utter ignorance.

Brother, you say you moved "leftward", I am assuming that you once were "rightward"? Are you now saying that you were "wrongward"? :)

Just curious, what happened for you that allowed or caused a shift in your theology?

Thanks,

Rick

[rick]

I clicked on the article from Christianity Today. I am always amazed by folks who attended "Christian Schools" but gave up on their "conservative" theology for when it came to living it, it was just too damn hard to follow the laws set before them and the pat answers supplied by their local "pastor" just did not hold up over the long haul.

BTW, it sounds like Flemming has been reading some "liberal" theology. :)
That is Liberal defined by those who would consider themselves conservative, whatever that means.

Interesting article for CT.

[rick]

Rick, sorry for the three comments here. I just keep reading Fleming. I though you'd like his recent post from his blog.

I cut and pasted it here:

Dear America
You put in power a conservative movement whose attitude toward government was expressed as: "To get it down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub."

You voted for President Bush, who approvingly quoted Reagan's phrase, "The most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'"

Well, they weakened the government, and the government is not there to help.

So get your jaw off the floor.

You cashed your tax rebate check, didn't you? You got what you voted for.

And what's happening in New Orleans is exactly what you voted for.

[cats]

this is why i need to be the spokeswoman for the religious left.

[Rick]

this is why i need to be the spokeswoman for the religious left.

You've got my vote. And I mean that sincerely. I'd probably have less to rant about if you (or Steph) were spokeswomen and I think there'd be a better chance that the divide between the left and the right might be bridged.

[Roger Snowden]

As a non-Christian myself, I can immediately spot his bad premises. The world is not imperfect. It is material. The paradox is that free will exists in this material world at all. That leads to the great mystery which leads us to religion.

As a Buddhist, I don't tend to think in terms of God having a personality and emotions and all that. And the creation thing gets a bit dicey for me, but no matter-- I don't know any Buddhist atheists.

Life is a mystery, and is to be revered. Plain and simple. Really, every one of the atheists I know are bitter and angry about something. Clinging to that anger makes it possible to build a Leftist ideology, but serves no good purpose for actual, breathing humans.

Christians like to quote, "Be still, and know that I am God." It starts with the "being still". I wish more atheists would follow that advice.

[Zossima]

Roger, a buddhist Republican? I haven't met many. Am I mistaken in thinking that you must feel alone?