Tuesday, April 28, 2009

If This Sounds Familiar....

...then you're in trouble.

H. Richard Niebuhr (not his brother, Reinhold) is known for a number of reasons, one of which is this famous quote describing Americanist religion:

He said that it peddled the idea that "a God without wrath brought men without sin into a kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross."

This is the Therapeutic religion (as Dreher would have it), and it is a lot more common across denominations than it should be.

HT: Pertinacious
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2 comments:

  1. Terrence Berres4/28/2009 5:20 PM

    "...a Christ without a cross."

    For instance.

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  2. GOR4/29/2009 5:25 AM

    It does explain the numbers at non-denominational churches and the appeal of televangelism. "Don't worry! Be Happy!"

    And the Boomers mantra: "All you need is love!"

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