Theological Literacy in Today's Church - Moralistic Therapeutic Deism

This is the final part in my series on Theological Literacy in Today's church. It has been very eye opening to me as I researched and worked through the issues that I addressed. To those that have looked at it and have been enlightened and blessed, I thank you for reading it.


In the original article, my final point was in regards to preaching of pop psychology vs the Biblical Gospel. My research showed that this is better known as Moralistic Therapeutic Deism (MTD). The basic points of MTD are:

• A God exists who created and order the world and watches over human life on earth. 
• God wants people to be good, nice, fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions.
• The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.
• God does not need to be particularly involved in one's life except when God is needed to resolve a problem.
• Good people go to heaven when they die.

Source: Modern Reformation (Nov-Dec, 2010)

I would submit that the ripe fruit of the seeds that are planted by the Modern Evangelical Church is MTD. One should not be surprised that this is what most teens today believe. The church for many years has been preaching what most people want to hear. 

[3] For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, [4] and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. [5] As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.(2 Timothy 4:3-5 ESV) 

Humanism is alive and well in the Church. I was recently made aware of a sermon by Paris Reidhead entitled "Ten Shekels and a Shirt" (Hat tip Cameron Beuttel). This sermon beautifully illustrates the state of the church today and yet it was made in about 1965 (Could not find the specific date so if you know it please leave a comment below). This would remind me, as a dear brother in the Lord also did that there is nothing new under the sun.  


However how is one as a Christian suppose to respond to this heresy that has entered the church. First we need to address how we got here. Many of the materials that are used for Bible study, I believe have lead us to this current point. One such item is Eugene Peterson's "The Message Bible". Many in the church today have elevated this to a level that is on par with inspired scripture itself. This book is handed to church members and it is almost never explained to be a paraphrase. There is no guidance that it should not be the main Bible that one uses. One knows that something is up with this paraphrase when the author of this work says that it shouldn't be a person's primary source for bible study or preaching. 

The reason so many were surprised at Rob Bell is that his heresy was eased into the church as a wolf in sheeps clothing. The hip and highly stylized Nooma videos have been used greatly. The ones that I have seen do not engage the viewer to think in a meaningful way when looking at scripture. They often produce isogesis of the text rather than clear Biblical exegesis. They are shown in churches and Bible studies and this opens the door for the wolf to easily devour people. The next time the church members are in a "Christian Book Store" they see one of Rob Bell's books and think that what it teaches must be orthodox. My church has not even spoken out against the most recent Rob Bell book, even though one of the pastor's believes it to be unorthodox and "Ticked him off."

Finally the emphasis on social justice programs are the last leg in this stool. Many churches have programs for feeding the poor and homeless, doing yard work for single moms, and reaching out to battered women's shelters. Although these are things that I firmly believe should be done, however it has become a replacement for the Gospel. "You must live the Gospel." is what is said from the pulpit, however I would say that this is impossible. The Gospel is "Good News". One would not try to live out the front page of the newspaper or the lead story on the nightly news any more than they can the Gospel.

What the church needs to do to combat MTD is to proclaim the gospel. Teach the law to the church so that it reveals how utterly dirty and depraved their sin is. Then share the life, death, and resurection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Call the lost to repentance instead of just giving them a neat lawn, food in their belly, and clothes for their back. Because when that is all that we give people we just make them comfortable on their way to hell.