Yes, The Church Is The Bride Of Christ
Yes, Christ is married to the church. Christian marriage (including its actual consummation) is therefore an image of Christ as well as the church. However, merely stating these profound and beautiful biblical truths will not be enough to make Christians a target for other Christians.
Pastor Josh Butler was canceled The Gospel Coalition who gave in to an internet backlash for an article they published. After the offending essay was removed from The Gospel Coalition’s website and people who had previously praised the book were forced to withdraw their endorsements, Butler quit the Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics.
Butler is adamant that “A husband and wife’s life of faithful love is designed to point to greater things, but so is their sexual union!” It is entirely consistent. Nothing is worse than him expounding on this topic in the often-awkward style a pastor would use to communicate theological insight in a relatable way. This enthusiasm led to some cringey prose — “Christ penetrates his church with the generative seed of his Word and the life-giving presence of his Spirit, which takes root within her and grows to bring new life into the world” — but no heresy, let alone the blasphemy his many angry critics accused him of.
Rod Dreher, an Orthodox writer, was compelled to cancel Pastor Butler’s appointment. pronounce He is confused at the outcry about something that is “pretty basic for Orthodox and Catholics.” But, Butler’s article and our reaction are deeply rooted in American evangelicalism’s pathologies as well as the theological weaknesses they create.
Shallow Theology
One of the most fundamental problems facing American evangelicals is their lack of understanding about God. This can affect entire congregations or even whole denominations. Although there are exceptions within Reformed traditions, most evangelical churches are not as deep-rooted in their theology than pastors who have read C.S. Lewis, Augustine.
This neglect of theology is due in part to the evangelical emphasis on Scripture’s primacy, often coupled with genuine devotion and study of its application. Relying on individual interpretations of Scripture has led to an evangelical culture that encourages entrepreneurial theology. This is because charismatic leaders create megachurches and movements, sometimes on very thin theological ice without much accountability.
The sad story Joshua Harris’s story is an excellent example of the problems that intellectually deficient spirituality may cause. He rose to fame as a young evangelical man with his two books about dating culture and its discontents. Harris eventually gave up on dating and made his mark by embracing his faith.
Harris is one of the most influential evangelical leaders. Even the ones who are influential have only a small share of the attention from the religious shoppers and the cultural market. Evangelical theology is always divided, with factions that are frequently driven by charismatic leaders — or the backlash to them. Harris’s harm and those of similar stature are clearly behind the fury directed at Butler.
It is common in evangelical circles. Bad theology or poorly applied theology can lead to overreactions and worse theology. Popular evangelical theology is influenced as much by personal rivalries and power struggles, as it is by theological reflection.
Overwrought Attacks
Butler’s orthodox but awkward essay was met with more backlash from tribalism and personal offense than any theological disagreement. Even theologians are not immune to criticism. One such writer wailed This “This kind of theology is causing devastating damage.” Elle added, “It is.” “turns Jesus into a pagan God, a mythological and unholy character akin to Zeus” And that “The article is fundamentally pagan and idolatrous.” After proving her point, she burned a battalion de strawmen to the ground and made sure that we all knew how mad she was.
Overwrought criticisms like these reveal more about Butler’s baggage than the theological legitimacy of his writings. Both share the belief that the church is having a problem dealing with women. They are ready to criticize anyone who highlights sexual differences and finds spiritual meaning in them. Although there are some real theological issues at play, they have been obscured because Butler’s critics tended to focus on emoting, accusing rather than explaining theological differences.
The Complementary Natures of Men and Women
Butler’s critics may not have been able to grasp the difficulty his essay poses for those who find it difficult to accept the complementary natures between men and women. Sex is the most complementarian thing there is. Sex’s complementarity is the basis of even mutuality. The complementary nature of the marriage of the bodies of husband and woman is an important symbol for Christ and his church. Instead, sexual complementarity has meanings and uncovers truths that go beyond marital beds.
Butler struggled to express this portion of the sexual theology. However, his critics didn’t stop at critiquing his choice of words. They also denied the foundation for biblical sexual theory, which was the complementarity and one-flesh union between husband and wife. This is also why they resorted to such hysteria — stating their objections clearly and without hyperbole would show that Butler is obviously standing on orthodox biblical ground.
The fact that the Butler program was canceled shows how important it is to have a solid evangelical understanding of marriage and sex. It is not wrong to look at our Catholic brothers or sisters. “Theology of the Body,” There are many resources available for such work within the Reformed tradition. It is likely that the intellectual aspect of the work will not be difficult.
A culture of evangelicalism that gives too little to the world can lead to real troubles. A lot of evangelical churches don’t know how to discipline their members or tell them no. Too many leaders in church shrug off easy divorces and remarriage among their members. Few have considered whether Christians should use contraceptives or in vitro fertilization, as a casual practice. It has been more than just bad theology for evangelical men that to accept the pill is to make their wives sexual slaves.
To address these issues, sexology must look at Christ’s union with the church. This union is both celebrated and revealed by the union between husband and wife.
Nathanael Blake, a Senior Contributor to The Federalist and an Associate Postdoctoral Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center is Nathanael.
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