Matt Barber wrote a great piece on Today’s Baal Worshipers, showing how today’s “progressive / liberal Christianity” isn’t Christianity at all, just warmed over idol worship.
Selected parts:
Modern-day liberals – or “progressives” as they more discreetly prefer – labor under an awkward misconception; namely, that there is anything remotely “progressive” about the fundamental canons of their blind, secular-humanist faith. In fact, today’s liberalism is largely a sanitized retread of an antiquated mythology – one that significantly predates the only truly progressive movement: biblical Christianity.
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The principal pillars of Baalism were child sacrifice, sexual immorality (both heterosexual and homosexual) and pantheism (reverence of creation over the Creator).
Ritualistic Baal worship, in sum, looked a little like this: Adults would gather around the altar of Baal. Infants would then be burned alive as a sacrificial offering to the deity. Amid horrific screams and the stench of charred human flesh, congregants – men and women alike – would engage in bisexual orgies. The ritual of convenience was intended to produce economic prosperity by prompting Baal to bring rain for the fertility of “mother earth.”
The natural consequences of such behavior – pregnancy and childbirth – and the associated financial burdens of “unplanned parenthood” were easily offset. One could either choose to engage in homosexual conduct or – with child sacrifice available on demand – could simply take part in another fertility ceremony to “terminate” the unwanted child.
Modern liberalism deviates little from its ancient predecessor. While its macabre rituals have been sanitized with flowery and euphemistic terms of art, its core tenets and practices remain eerily similar. The worship of “fertility” has been replaced with worship of “reproductive freedom” or “choice.” Child sacrifice via burnt offering has been updated, ever so slightly, to become child sacrifice by way of abortion. The ritualistic promotion, practice and celebration of both heterosexual and homosexual immorality and promiscuity have been carefully whitewashed – yet wholeheartedly embraced – by the cults of radical feminism, militant “gay rights” and “comprehensive sex education.” And, the pantheistic worship of “mother earth” has been substituted – in name only – for radical environmentalism.
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This is merely liberalism all dolled up and gratuitously stamped “Christian.” It’s a way for left-wing ideologues to have their “religion” cake and eat it too. Under the guise of “social justice,” its adherents often support – or at least rationalize – the same pro-homosexual, pro-abortion and radical environmental policies pushed by the modern-day Baal worshiper.
Though the “Christian left” represent what is arguably a negligible minority within larger Christianity, the liberal media have, nonetheless, embraced their cause and seized upon their popularity among elites as evidence that the so-called “Christian right” (read: biblical Christianity) is losing influence – that Christianity is, somehow, “catching up with the times.”
Because emergent Christianity fails the authenticity test whenever subjected to even the most perfunctory biblical scrutiny, I suspect it will eventually go – for the most part – the way of the pet rock or the Macarena. But this does not absolve leaders within the evangelical community from a duty to call leaders of this counter-biblical revolution on their heresy. It’s not a matter of right versus left; it’s a matter of right versus wrong – of biblical versus non-biblical.
Go read it all.
Hat tip: Slice of Laodicea
Eternity Matters 
Liberals are always hiding behind something.
Christopher Hamilton
The Right Opinion, for the Right Wing
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Liberal Christianity is almost a contradition of terms.
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“contradiction”
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Normally I agree with most of what Neil links to on this blog. But I find this article is a bit of a stretch given most supporters of abortion, feminism, and gay rights consider themselves atheists who follow no God(s). I do not accept that liberal or progressive views are equivalent to worshipping Baal. Many progressives in fact blame all organized religion for various problems in the world today. The right approach is not to paint liberal progressives as pagan idol worshippers but to challenge them about the amount of faith it takes for them to be absolutely convinced God does not exist. The dirty secret of secular humanism is that as adherents believe they are “beyond religion” ignoring the fact that it takes just as much faith to follow what secular humanists believe as any other religion. Our adult Sunday school class just finished studying Lee Strobel’s “The Case for the Real Jesus” which outlines many ways secular humanists attack the traditional Christian view of Jesus and His purpose and mission. Christians must be aware of the challenges to their faith and speak out – not to tell others who are atheists what to believe, but to simply state with conviction why YOU believe Jesus was the Messiah and died for our sins. In other words, all Christians should equip themselves to know and understand why they believe what they believe. Here is the basis for my faith. Then ask – what is the basis for YOUR faith in secular humanism? I feel painting liberals as pagans does not allow a meaningful conversation to even start. I personally don’t think it is the right approach.
Cheers,
LoneStarJeffe
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Jason — Theological liberals are indeed full of contradictions. They claim to be Christians but disagree with Jesus on most key issues and they simultaneously try to affirm and deny him.
Jeffe — I think the author wasn’t after proponents of abortion and such in general but the “Christian” leaders who advance these causes in contradiction to the Bible. These are the people who masquerade as angels of light but aren’t Christians at all. I think the strategy you outlined is good but the audience is different.
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Neil,
I hope you are right that lib. Christianity and the Emergent Village go the way of the “Macarena” (I laughed at this 90’s reference! Good stuff.). It sure is alluring to the young, I’ll tell you that. Even if it doesn’t end up getting huge, seems to me like a wide swath of evangelicals are at least being influenced by the EV movement (example: moving away from proclamation of the gospel in evangelism towards a strong emphasis on “social justice” as evangelism. The problem isn’t so much as emphasising social justice. The problem is the lack of emphasis on proclamation of the saving Gospel message.).
I’ve written something on this. Find it
here
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Jeffe,
In the rural area where I live, atheists are not yet acceptable. Therefore, these people become Methodists.
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Hi Neil,
This is really a great article illustrating how the battles never really change. When it comes to spiritual warfare, it’s always wrapped in a new package, but it’s the same old battle.
I don’t think liberal Christians will accept this at all. As has been pointed out, they like to think of themselves as progressive. I’m sure there were some in the camps of Baal that claimed to be progressive over that ancient, Hebrew God YHWH. After all, YHWH had all those stinkin’ laws to get in the way of our fun and self expression… blah, blah blah.
Blessings
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@Neil:
Very informative. I used to think the left (progressives) were harmless, just misinformed, but they are dangerous because they offer a false sense of security and enable people like Richard Dawkins in their machinations.
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Many Libs claim to be atheist as lonestarjeffe said but they simply believe the tenets of baal worship as stated while denying the existence of baal/satan/god. The contradiction does not bother them as they have lost the power to reason logically.
redneck preacher
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One does actually see a lot more of this “progressive” Christianity.
It shouldn’t surprise us as it is warned to us in the Bible that we will be surprised in the end who are really Christians.
People want their God but to live their own way and that is in direct contrast to what the Bible teaches.
On the subject of abortion, my pastor said something yesterday that made me think of you, Neil. Perhaps you’ve heard in before…
He said he looked at one of those bumper stickers recently where it read, “It’s a child not a choice.”
Even though the person was assuredly pro-life, he suggested a modification to the bumper sticker, “It’s a child, you already MADE your choice.”
What do you think, a better idea?
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Barbara, that is even better!
Timothy, you are right about how they probably went through the same rationalization process back then. They repressed the knowledge of YHWH and made up their own rules, which just happened to support their fantasy of sex without consequences.
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Hi Neil,
LOL @ SST!
As far as the article, all I can say is WOW. Its a little of the pot calling the kettle black if you ask me. Could you expand your comment a little in reference to denying Jesus yet affirming him at the same time?
You always have the most thought provoking stuff!
Be BLESSED!
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Hi Mizclark,
What I meant is that these folks claim to be Christians yet deny so many things about him — his divinity, his word, his view of the Old Testament, his views on marriage, his exclusivity (that’s one of their biggest errors, where they claim He is not the only way to salvation and that other religions are equally valid paths) and more.
Happy New Year!
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This was a thought provoking article. I don’t know if I agree with everything you say about progressive liberal Christians… as I know some who truly are in love with Jesus… would you agree that there are those progressive liberal Christians who are Biblically based? Or is one size fits all?
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Hi Ketch — thanks for visiting and commenting. Good question about the liberal Christians. I am sure that many are in the “saved and confused” category, in that they have truly placed their faith in Christ but aren’t passing along his truths very well (as we may all do at times). But the article applies to their leaders and many of the theologically liberal bloggers I know of (those who should no better and refuse correction and still teach the opposite of Jesus on way too many counts).
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Saved but confused…that’s an interesting way of putting it and one of the main reasons I can no longer call myself a Christian! Even you have to admit the true believers are no longer in the majority.
The Christian Church has become too politically correct in an effort to make people believe under gentle force. He warned us this would happen (Matt.24) but as usual MAN has his own ideas about life and truth.
Jesus was endowed with secrets man had not seen since the days of the first Patriarchs. He enbraced the glory Adam abandoned…the very image of GOD!
Instead of embracing and recieving the image rightly we choose to seek a plastic surgeon! All that wasted money on a charlatan and GOD’s image is FREE!
Something so simple, has baffled us for centuries…
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“Infants would then be burned alive as a sacrificial offering to the deity.”
Today they are still burned – but instead of fire, they’re burned with a saline solution.
Sacrificing our children on the altar of convenience.
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Meanwhile we live in a day and age when all the Sacred Scriptures of the entire Great Tradition of Humankind are freely available to anyone with an internet connection.
And all the great philosophical writings too.
Plus the greatest art and poetry too.
And somehow in the face of that your dim-witted narrow-minded provincial point of view is the arbiter of what is True, Real and Beautiful.
I find very little evidence of the great calling of Jesus to love the lord thy God with all thy mind heart and soul on your web-site.
Just a narrow-minded nit-picking bigotry masquerading as “righteousness”.
Each of us is responsible to bless all others. Therefore, bless everyone and everything with every action, every thought, and every breath.
It is not possible to bless another by presuming a position of “righteous” superiority for yourself or inferiority on the part of another.
Be in God. See all in God. In this manner, worship and love and serve ONLY God, by worshipping God in, as, and through everyone and everything. Only this expresses the process that IS True Religion.
All equally require Divine Compassion, Love, and Blessing, the thread of Communion with the Divine made certain and true and directly experienced. All.
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Hi John,
Thanks for the ironic and judgmental rant.
P.S. Your “Jesus never existed” site had a bad url. Don’t bother re-posting, though. Just for the record, the vast, vast majority of historical scholars, including skeptics, agree that a person named Jesus really lived and was killed on a Roman cross, that his followers believed he rose from the dead and that a man named Paul went from persecuting the faith to spreading it, and that he wrote most of the letters attributed to him in the Bible.
When that many experts agree on something, we have a term for those views: Facts.
Those facts don’t necessarily prove Christianity, but they soundly refute the “Jesus didn’t even live,” and “Christians have blind faith” arguments and more.
More here – http://www.risenjesus.com/challenge/frameSet.html
All the best to you,
Neil
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