I stumbled across this topic in a linkedin discussion group that I am in and it caught my attention so much because the words express mirror my own thinking so very much. Here are the thoughts expressed by
Schalk Bornman, VDM: Novelist, Christian author, artist, and grower of Japanese Maple Trees.
Where is the door of Protestantism?
“On October 31, 1517 Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenberg church. Diet of Worms in 1521 resulted in his excommunication. What important, Luther knew where the door of the Church was.
Where is the door of Protestantism? Who can be held accountable? The multitude self-appointed Bishops or Apostles?
No one.
In those day one could still be called a heretic. Today, no one has the authority to identify and expose heretic view and if you dare you are branded a loveless troublemaker who causes division. How do you cause division if there are already 34800 churches?
Protestantism as a whole has lost its way. It has become worse that the Catholic Church ever was. Protestantism is so divided that one could literally believe any nonsense and no one dare point a finger. It’s a kind of perverse universalism – do what you want, believe what you want, but leave me alone to do what I want, and believe what I want.
So-called ‘free churches’ have no magisterium and often not even a proper written statement of faith that could serve as an instrument of doctrinal accountability. So the word ‘heresy’ became meaningless. There is no agreed on list of heresies or errors.
Today many regard people like Luther and Calvin as heretics. Someone recently described Luther as the one who paved the way for the NAZI’s to extinguish 2 (?) million people in the concentration camps. Calvin is described as one who developed a kind of bastardization between the theology of Augustine and the Catholic Church. No wonder Protestantism as a whole has lost its way.
Protestantism as a whole has morphed into a new kind of Christianity – one of complete tolerance. Two interpretations of the word ‘belief’ – two kinds of faith – one religious and another factual. Opposing, conflicting, and false views are immaterial – all that counts is love.
I am disappointed. I feel a bit like Luther, looking for the door of Protestantism to hammer a thesis to but where is it?” Where is the door?
So many times I have felt terribly disillusioned by the things I see in the practice of Christianity around me. I happen to fall under the broad heading of Protestantism, but I have to tell you that had I not been fully personally convinced of the supremacy of Christ I would perhaps have thrown church out the door altogether. I love Christ with all my heart but I am having real problems identifying with the rancor, the divisiveness, the lethargy, the froth and bubble of today’s buzz hyped entertainment driven utilitarian caricature of Christianity that I see paraded around me. I can relate to the pent up feelings the Bob Marley tried to release when he released his song about doing that thing there to a church. Alas I know that the church that Jesus built will prevail and alas I know that the church triumphant shall rise. Meanwhile help me Jesus, deliver me from me.
