Can a Progressive’s ‘Inclusive Values’ Include Christianity?

I expect that political types to bay on sight at the Nashville document, though it might not be good for Megan Barry in the next election. For reference, her website does not give a religious affiliation, but she did go to Methodist colleges (Baker and Vanderbilt, OK, nominally Methodist) and a Catholic high school. If she’s either, she’s conveniently forgotten how her own church stands against homosexual practice.

What troubles me more is positions like Jen Hatmaker’s. Now I’ve not read any of her books, but it’s troubling that people still insist on the name “evangelical” when in reality, little things like “authority of Scripture” don’t seem to come into the picture when push comes to shove. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, since theological liberals also retained labels like “Presbyterian”, “Methodist”, “Lutheran”, and “Baptist”, but it’s one of those things where one wonders whether one would do better to read some of her work and figure out how she does, or does not, fit into the Solas, Fundamentals, and the like, or whether it’s simply better to note that we disagree, and this is why.

Given the sheer fluff/meat ratio that is evident in her blog, I’m definitely leaning towards the latter.

As a denomination Methodists went liberal a good while ago. The reason Barry’s proclamation is troubling is that she has, from high office, essentially declared that biblical Christianity is unwelcome in her city. This might be a first.

A mitigating factor is that she is quite possibly unaware that these beliefs have been part of the Christian faith around the world for thousands of years. The general history-oblivious nature of our culture makes it easy to think that traditional sexual ethics are the invention of a few right wing bigots.

…the Methodists still note that homosexual practice is contrary to Biblical teaching. So Barry is saying that not only are evangelicals and fundamentalists unwelcome in her city, but also United Methodists. Given the huge impact of the old circuit riders even today and Barry’s own education (and perhaps church membership), that’s a big deal and very interesting.

Is she unaware? Maybe, but count me skeptical. Even if one only reads left-wing literature, they will let you know in spades about the horribleness of Bible believing churches standing against them.

But again, that’s the rot we expected. The more serious thing is Hatmaker and the rot we didn’t expect.