The mantra today among many people in America, especially the young people, is mostly negative toward Christianity. The Christian church today has many flaws in it and definitely could do things differently. However, a main idea among Christians has been to abandon doctrine and theology in favor of just "living like Jesus". All you have to do is read any book by Brian McLaren, Rob Bell, or Donald "I never read the Bible, yet teach people how to be Christian" Miller.
It is interesting to note the similarities between many of today's supposed "hip" Christians in the Emerging Church and the connection with the liberalism of the 19th and 20th centuries. Here is a great example from a novel by Winston Churchill entitled, The Inside of the Cup. As Gary E. Gilley summarizes, "This early 20th Century novel by the American Churchill, tells the story of an up-and-coming minister who almost loses his faith, only to be rescued by a new understanding of the gospel and the church. Sound good? It’s not, because the new gospel embraced was that of liberalism bordering on socialism." Wow, didn't I read this book about a year ago? Oh wait, no that was A New Kind of Christian by Brian McLaren. Basically the same message. As you read these two excerpts, you can't help but see the extreme similarities between the Emerging Church and classic Christian Liberalism.
"Christianity was not a collection of doctrines, but a mode of life" (p. 418).
"I can see . . .. the beginnings of a blending of all sects, of all religions in the increasing vision of the truth revealed in Jesus Christ, stripped, as you say, of dogma, of fruitless attempts at rational explanation" (p. 470).
What's that saying again? History repeats itself? or maybe it was, those who don't learn from the past are doomed to repeat it? I think I'll just stick with Solomon in admitting that there is nothing new under the sun.
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