Introduction: 

We begin this course with reading Chapter 4 of The Reason for God followed by viewing several video clips of Tim Keller addressing some of the issues raised in his book. In this chapter Keller observes that many opposing Christianity intellectually are motivated by bad experiences with the church - disappointments that are deeply held, leaving then closed to Christianity. And as it turns out Christians are far from perfect and often far from decent, which leads Keller to address the character flaws of Christians. He also goes on to address social issue associated with war and violence as well as fanaticism. Kelller's language in this chapter is often very poetic as when he describes the Church as "a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints." While Keller would be the first to call for more civility and grace among the faithful he argues that In this chapter Keller specifically deals with the character flaws of Christians, the issue of war and violence, and finally the issue of fanaticism.Addressing the flawed character of Christians, Keller gives the oft-repeated quote that “The church is a hosptial for sinners, not a museum for saints.” While not excusing the flaws exhibited by Christians he states that remaining within the good graces of God is not based on a person’s morality, but on who Christ is and what he’s done. This makes Christians recipients of grace with a responsibility to share it.

After having completed the readings for this session and reviewed the accompanying video you may choose - on a purely optional basis - to answer the study questions and submit them at etwimber@hotmail.com or to contact Dr. Wimberley by phone or email to request a time for dialogue about what you have learned. You may do so by phone or dialogue via Skype or Facetime. Dr. Wimberley's phone number is 239.405.4164. We may convene group meetings of the class using the Zoom application on our computers. You can enroll in this course by emailing etwimber@hotmail.com or by texting Dr. Wimberley at 239.405.4164.

Readings: 

Keller, Timothy (2020) "A Biblical Critique of Secular Justice and Critical Theory;" John Haidt (2024) "Why The Past 10 Years Of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid - (It’s not just a phase);”  Keller, Timothy (2009) The Reason for God. New York, NY: Penguin, Chapter 4; Chapter Slides; Church Injustice; Postmodernism & the Church;  White Paper: The Church anb Injustice;

Scripture:

Acts 2:44-47

44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common; 45 and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they partook of food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Isaiah 58:4-7

4 Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high. 5 Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a man to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a rush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the Lord?  6 “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

James 1:17

17 Every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

Matthew 21:31

31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.

Luke 11:39-46;

39 And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of extortion and wickedness. 40 You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But give for alms those things which are within; and behold, everything is clean for you. 42 “But woe to you Pharisees! for you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God; these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 43 Woe to you Pharisees! for you love the best seat in the synagogues and salutations in the market places. 44 Woe to you! for you are like graves which are not seen, and men walk over them without knowing it.” 45 One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying this you reproach us also.” 46 And he said, “Woe to you lawyers also! for you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.

Luke 20:47

47 who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

Video: 

Tim Kellor on Racism and Corporate Evil; Hasn't Christianity Been an Instrument of Opression?; God Abounding in Love but Punishing the Guilty; Are People Who Aren't Christians Going to Hell? Is that Fair?; Church and Injustice; The Reason for God, Session 5: Why is the Church Responsible For So Much Injustice? (Download the video from the home page. Session 5 "Why is the Church Responsible for So Much Injustice?" begins at one hour 24:52 minutes and ends at 1:39:46).

Study Questions: (Keller Questions)

1. “The church has a history of supporting injustice, of destroying culture… If Christianity is the true religion, how could this be?” [p. 51]. How does this challenge make you feel about the Christian faith?
2. “Many people who take an intellectual stand against Christianity,” Keller says, “ do so against a background of personal disappointment with Christians and churches. We all bring to issues intellectual predispositions based on our experiences” [p. 52]. What has been your personal experience with Christians and churches—have you been disappointed or wounded? When people bring up their disappointment, what is usually your first response? Why do you think that is? Do you understand why non-Christians might react the way they do?
3. Keller claims that the notion—“If Christianity is all it claims to be, shouldn’t Christians on the whole be much better people than everyone else?”—is actually based on a “mistaken belief” [p. 53]. What is this mistaken belief? Have you held it?
4. “Good character,” Keller says, “is largely attributable to a loving, safe, and stable family and social environment—conditions for which we were not responsible.” Because people with greater needs are often the ones attracted to Christianity, Keller concludes, “we should expect that many Christians’ lives would not compare well to those of the nonreligious” [p. 54]. Do you find this argument surprising? Is this normally how Christians answer this objection to the faith? How might Christians take this argument to an incorrect conclusion?
5. Keller says, “The church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints” [p. 54]. Do you see yourself more as a patient in a hospital than a saint in a museum? Which are you most drawn to?
6. Keller quotes New Atheist Christopher Hitchens’ accusation that religion “has been an enormous multiplier of tribal suspicion and hatred,” and concludes, “Hitchens’s point is fair” [p. 54-55]. Does Keller’s response surprise you? Is that how you would have responded if someone you knew raised that accusation?
7. “Alister McGrath points out that when the idea of God is gone, a society will ‘transcendentalize’ something else, some other concept, in order to appear morally and spiritually superior” [p. 55]. What are some of things transcendentalized by our pluralistic, busy, postmodern consumer culture?
8. “Violence done in the name of Christianity is a terrible reality and must be both addressed and redressed. There is no excusing it” [p. 56]. Have you ever heard excuses given for it by Christians wanting to defend the honor of their faith? Have their excuses been compelling?
9. “Perhaps the biggest deterrent to Christianity for the average person today is not so much violence and warfare but the shadow of fanaticism. Many nonbelievers have friends or relatives who have become ‘born again’ and seem to have gone off the deep end” [p. 56]. Have you ever heard this objection to Christianity? How did they define “fanaticism” and “off the deep end”? To what extent would their definitions apply to you—or to your Christian friends?
10. “Think of people you consider fanatical,” Keller says. “They’re overbearing, self-righteous, opinionated, insensitive, and harsh. Why? It’s not because they are too Christian but because they are not Christian enough” [p. 57]. In some sections of the church, however, the opposite conclusion would be drawn. How would you help such fanatics see they “are not Christian enough”?
11. Do you believe that right doctrine and proper moral behavior will assure your relationship with God? Do you think Christianity should be understood to be a form of moral improvement? [p. 57].
12. “We should not be surprised to discover it was the Bible-believing religious establishment who put Jesus to death” [p. 59]. Is this common knowledge among Christians? Why not? What do think of Barth’s statement that it was the church, not the world that crucified Christ? [p. 59].
13. “The tendency of religious people,” Keller says, “is to use spiritual and ethical observance as a lever to gain power over others and over God, appeasing him through ritual and good works” [p. 59]. If that is true, should churches reward children for good attendance in Sunday school? Or honor members who serve in some way over many years? How have you seen the lever at work?
14. “In Jesus’ and the prophets’ critique, self-righteous religion is always marked by insensitivity to issues of social justice, while true faith is marked by profound concern for the poor and marginalized. The Swiss theologian John Calvin, in his commentaries on the Hebrew prophets, says that God so identifies with the poor that their cries express divine pain. The Bible teaches us that our treatment of them equals our treatment of God” [p. 60]. How do evangelicals fare today by this standard?
15. How should the biblical teaching that Jesus saves us by grace affect the way we view others, and treat them? [59-60]. How does Keller’s discussion of Sommerville’s example of the mugging highlight what our motivation for helping people should be? [p. 60-61]. To what extent should Christians help people because they might be get saved as a result?
16. Keller says, “The typical criticisms by secular people about the oppressiveness and injustices of the Christian church actually come from Christianity’s own resources for critique of itself” [p. 61]. How can Christians talk about this with non-Christians without sounding self-righteous?
17. To what extent do evangelicals actively submit themselves and their churches to Christianity’s own resources for critiquing itself? To what extent is this taught and encouraged by church leaders?
18. In giving specific examples of how Christianity has used self-correction to stop injustice and oppression, Keller mentions: William Wilberforce and the abolition of slavery; Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Civil Rights movement; Desmond Tutu and the end of apartheid in South Africa; Catholic leadership in the Solidarity Movement in Poland; the martyrs Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador and Dietrich Bonhoeffer of Germany. Might this list surprise some evangelical Christians? Why? What does this suggest?
19. Keller quotes Bonhoeffer: “It is not a religious act that makes the Christian, but participation in the sufferings of God in the secular life. That is metanoia [repentance]: not in the first place thinking about one’s own needs, problems, sins, and fears, but allowing oneself to be caught up into the way of Jesus Christ… Pain is a holy angel… Through him men have become greater than through all the joys of the world… The pain of longing, which often can be felt physically, must be there, and we shall not and need not talk it away. But it needs to be overcome every time, and thus there is an even holier angel than the one of pain, that is the one of joy in God” [p. 66-67]. What is your response? Why do you think you respond the way you do? To what extent do you know this experientially? To what extent would suffering people say you know this?