Spirituality Column #752

April 13, 2021                                             

Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary

Good Work, Atlanta     

By Bob Walters

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.” – Jesus to the doubting disciple Thomas at the Last Supper, John 14:6

If you are into politics, wokeness, election intrigue, corporate globalism, social justice histrionics, and Christian heresy, well, Atlanta, Ga., is the new Babylon for you.

In order to stick to my own strengths, let’s leave out the “politics-to-histrionics” part of the above sentence.  You can form/inform your own opinions about all that by watching whatever newscasts you trust.  I have opinions on them, too, but not truth. 

Anti-biblical heresy, though, let’s deal with that; c’mon into the Truth wheelhouse.

What we know is that on Easter Sunday April 4, churches across America and around the world heard solid sermons, preaching, and praise music glorifying the single most transcendent, transforming event since the Creation of the world – the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  That includes the doctrinally sane churches in Atlanta, too, I’m sure, and will include the worldwide Orthodox Church when it celebrates Easter May 2.

But how a political pastor, now also a U.S. Senator, at what arguably is Atlanta’s most famous and historic Christian congregation – the New Ebenezer Baptist Church – could send out an ecclesial clunker of an anti-biblical social media post on Easter Sunday such as the following presents too great a teaching opportunity to pass up.

On Easter, Senior Pastor/U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock tweeted, and I quote:

“The meaning of Easter is more transcendent than the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Whether you are a Christian or not, through a commitment to helping others we are able to save ourselves.”

No.  Nothing in all human history is more “transcendent” than the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  No.  A commitment to helping others is nice but it is merely “works,” not “salvific” (salvation in Jesus).  No. We cannot save ourselves; only Jesus can do that.

Repeating:

No. “I am the resurrection and the life …” John 11:25-26.

No.  “… not according to our works, but to His own purpose in Christ.” 2 Timothy 1:9

And Hell no. “I am the way and the truth and the life …” John 14:6 (cited above).

I suppose we all are somewhat steeled and inured from (i.e., “used to”) secular persons with public platforms saying stupid and heretical things about Jesus and Christians.  But a pastor?  The Pastor at Martin Luther King’s old church?  I protest.

This pastor/politician’s motives for posting the tweet – and quickly taking it down when the storm of criticism erupted – remain, presumably, between him and his handlers.  No apology, theology, or explanation; the tweet just disappeared.  SMH.

“Transcendent”? Here, must mean “to exist above.” Humans do not “exist above” Jesus. “Christian or not”?  The path to the Father is Jesus Christ, period. “Commitment to helping others”?  Matthew 22:37 says, “love God and love others.” I.e., God counts.  And, what does “save ourselves” even mean? “Save ourselves” to or from what?

Our pastor on Easter made a great point about “graves and gardens,” meaning that Jesus’s grave – our fallen, earthly death – became, on Easter morning, humanity’s “garden” of new life, i.e., God’s promise of salvation in and through Jesus.  It’s the only “garden,” the only heavenly, eternal-life-with-God salvation, any religion preaches.

Save ourselves?  You expect the Christian garden without the Jesus grave?

It doesn’t work that way … for anybody, good works or not.  Faith is the only way.

Redemption and salvation, like justice and truth, are God’s alone.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) apologizes for the glancing blow on politics, adds a hat-tip to E91 pastor Rick Grover for his excellent “Graves & Gardens” Easter sermon, and notes “SMH” is twitter shorthand for “Shaking My Head.”