Christless Christianity: Dutch Style

H. Richard Niebuhr famously skewered the liberal Protestantism of his day with this distillation of its message:

A God without wrath brought men without sin into a kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross.

Seven decades later, some Dutch clergy are taking it to the next logical level: a God without existence brings men without beliefs into a kingdom without hope through the ministrations of a Christ without a life.

What would have functioned as a parody of liberalism a generation or two ago is now a tragic, pathetic reality. Abraham Kuyper must be spinning in his grave.

Thankfully there are still many thousands in the Netherlands who have not bowed the knee. Pray for them — and for revival in their homeland.

1 thought on “Christless Christianity: Dutch Style”

  1. Just after reading this, I ran across some prescient words of B.B. Warfield in his essay on “Calivinism Today”. Writing of the repudiation of supernaturalism in salvation in “modern naturalism”, he saw it resulting in

    a naturalistic religion, which says, “Hands off” to God— if indeed it troubles itself to consider whether there be a God, if there be a God, whether He be a person, or if He be a person, whether He can or will concern Himself with men.

    Full essay here:

    http://www.the-highway.com/caltoday_Warfield.html

    Quote is in the 8th last paragraph. (Or use CTRL-F!)

    David Reimer

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