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                            Rediscovering Propositional Truth:
     Overcoming Legalism, Sentimentalism, Superstition, and Mysticism
          (COPYRIGHT 1994 by William T. Brewer, All rights reserved)
              [Comments encouraged via e-mail to [e-mail]]

Consider a couple of news items from opposite ends of the Christian spectrum.   A
group of blue-collar believers becomes convinced God is coming soon.  Acting
under what they believe to be divine guidance, they strip off all their clothes and
go roaring across the countryside on their way to meet Jesus, only to crash their
car and wind up in police custody.  Next, consider a group of white-collar church
leaders who embarrass their followers by gathering together for a sexually
suggestive milk and honey communion session with the goddess Sophia.  These
strange occurrences are not isolated and disconnected.  Instead, they are
symptomatic of a common problem that aggravates a general decline in Christian
influence.  Christianity in Crisis by Hanegraaff, Charismatic Chaos by MacArthur,
and Against the Protestant Gnostics by Lee offer important insights, but they do
not get to the heart of the matter.

To a great extent, Christianity has lost influence in Western culture because it has
embraced a different kind of truth that makes such antics possible, acceptable,
and to some, even praiseworthy.  The reasons are complex:
 - The church has absorbed the secular world's celebration of "private truth" as
   the cure for materialistic despair.
 - Evangelicals exalt "personal truth" in reaction to the discredited dogmatism
   of traditional religion.
 - Charismatics seem to venerate their own emotional states as private
   revelations from God.
 - Both the secular and the sectarian worlds routinely confuse objective facts
   with private meanings.
In combination, these influences have displaced the notion of objective truth in
preference for a subjectivity that is rightly disdained by those outside the
church.  The resultant equation of truth with personal desires, fears, needs, and
experiences is best described as sentimentalism, superstition, and mysticism
rather than true religion.  A false cure is a return to the dogmatism and legalism
of past generations.  The real remedy is to rediscover the propositional truths
that were "once delivered to the saints."   To do so, we must clearly distinguish
true spirituality from experiential, dogmatic, legalistic, sensual, and occult
substitutes so we can rise above these inferior "spiritualities" with their trivial
"truths" and doubtful ways of "knowing."

[Graphic entitled "Hierarchy of Truths"]

What is truth?  Most people do not appreciate the urgency of this question and are
unprepared to answer the modern-day versions of Pilate's all-important question.
Since life offers many competing truths, which one is "truer" when competing
truths collide?   For example, the response to evil, pain, and suffering on one level
may be, "I can endure all things through Christ who strengthens me," but on
another level, the actual experience may truthfully be, "Why me? Why now?"  To
overcome such conflict, we must recapture the legacy of propositional truth that
is our Christian heritage.

[Table entitled "Five Kinds of Truth"]

Propositional truth is conveyed by a special kind of proposition that expresses
the will of its proposer in value-charged words.   Such words are essential to
human thought, communication, and spirituality.  The ability to form propositions
separates humans from animals and is the essence of God's image within mankind.
Propositions are the media through which God and man truly communicate, the
only sources of meaning, and the markers that separate emotions from fleshly
feelings.  Since they are authentic reflections of the "proposer's" personality,
knowing God's propositions is an inescapable prerequisite to knowing Him.

God's propositions are the foundation of the Christian faith, and like a wedding
vow, are intended for belief, not debate.  Their veracity rests solely on His power,
authority, will, and integrity.  Consider the following:
 - The world was created by a proposition  "Let there be light . . . "
 - Disbelief of a proposition caused the Fall  "You shall surely die"
 - The promise to Abraham was a proposition  "Go into a land . . . "
 - God attributes righteousness based on belief in His propositions
 - We overcome the world by believing a proposition  "Jesus is the Son of God"
 - The Holy Spirit came to reveal and confirm propositions
 - We "try the spirits" propositionally
 - The only way we can truly know God is by knowing His propositions
 - We cannot truly "accept Jesus" while rejecting His propositions

The burning bush was a tremendous experience for Moses, but he didn't know
what it meant until God told him its significance.  Such enlightenment was needful
because facts have no objective meaning apart from the propositions God attaches
to them.  If God had not spoken, Moses would have affixed his own meaning to the
fiery phenomena and most likely, would have missed the whole point.  After all, a
burning bush in the middle of the desert could more easily be a message from hell
than from heaven.  The point is that people, being spiritual creatures, naturally
impose meaning on facts and experiences with either implicit or explicit
propositions.  In a similar fashion, God has imposed His meaning on the cosmos
(from atoms to zodiac) via propositions.  The difference is that ultimate meaning is
measured only in terms of His propositions.  As Ashleigh Brilliant notes, "Believing
in something makes no difference unless God also believes it."

The meaning of a fact is not always apparent because facts spring forth from the
material world while meaning originates either in the mind of man or the  mind of
God.  This is a critical point because confusion of facts with meaning is a common
mistake.  Consider the alleged genetic link that supposedly inclines affected
people toward homosexuality.  This "fact," even if true, would not overturn the
Biblical view of homosexuality because the existence of a genetic link would not
"mean" anything by itself.  It could be used to justify either acceptance of the
gay lifestyle or its suppression to prevent exploitation of people with genetic
weaknesses.  In other words, the right or wrong of homosexuality does not exist in
the fact of a genetic link but in the mind of man (moral relativism) or the mind of
God (moral absolutism).   (Similarly, the real meaning of Holy Spirit baptism does
not lie in a sensible or mystical event but in the inspired proposition being
affirmed by the experience.  Thus, we can see why the Holy Spirit did not fall on
Cornelius until Peter finally grasped the proposition God intended.)

The need for higher truths is irresistible because the more basic sensible and
mystical truths cannot directly impart meaning, be taught, be believed, or be
obeyed.  Sensible truth is ultimately meaningless in being limited to the
apprehension of  "physical knowledge" through fleshly perceptions.  Its truth
value does not extend beyond whether a fact actually exists or an experience
really "happened." Mystical truth has similar limitations besides being based on
the doubtful ability of man to apprehend that which is imperceptible to both the
senses and the intellect.  Thus, neither mystical nor sensible truth can be the
object of instruction, belief, or obedience without resort to some type of higher-
level truth.  In the absence of divine revelation, this search for meaning
necessarily results in a confusing and disappointing assortment of "isms."

[Figure entitled "Truths in Actions"]

Propositions impose meaning on facts and connect experiences with ULTIMATE
CONCERNS, resulting in worldviews or "ideologies."  Ideologies are inescapable
because ultimate concerns are unavoidable.  Nothing is truly meaningful unless it
has an ideological connection.   Here are some examples of ideological questions
raised in the NT:
 - John 18:38 "What is truth?"
 - John 9:2 ". . . who sinned, this man or his parents  . . .?"
 - Matt 22:17 ". . . . Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"
 - Acts 10:47 "Can anyone keep these [Gentile] people from being baptized . . .?"
 - Matt 8:27  . . . "What kind of man is this? . . . ."
 - Matt 9:11  . . . "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
 - Matt 12:10  . . .  "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"

[Text box entitled "Ideology"]

Christianity differs from lesser ideologies in resting on a truly ultimate concern:
 - The Fact:  The NT testifies that Jesus Christ is the Son of God
 - The Ideology:  2 Cor 10:5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that
   sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every
   thought to make it obedient to Christ. (NIV)
False ideas, however, give ideology a bad reputation by labeling the wrong facts
as ALL IMPORTANT!  Consider the following:

[Table outlining varirous ideologies]

Ironically, high intelligence often leads to bad ideology.  Perhaps intellectuals
have so
much cerebral energy they relish the challenge of making inferior ideas seem
plausible
to others.  Regardless of motive, brilliant men such as Freud, Marx, and Darwin
have
wrought much misery in making absurd theories appear reasonable to millions of
people.  But quick thinking is not a substitute for sound thinking  it's no good
being
the faster runner if only the slowest person knows the way.  Similarly,
intelligence
cannot compensate for the stupefying effects of a false ideology  reality has a way
of
eventually reasserting itself.  If an ideology does not consider principles woven
into the
fabric of the cosmos, its adherents will, in a way, be at war with the Creation  a
battle
even the most brilliant person cannot win!

[Figure illustrating the "Stupefying Effects of False Ideologies"]

Popular culture is filled with superficial ideologies because it has lost the
assurance of
"knowing" and a sense of objective truth that comes with the "fear of God."  A
healthy,
reverent fear of God is traceable to His immanence (interest) in His Creation and
His
transcendence (existence apart and beyond the Creation).  Working together,
these
attributes guarantee an ultimate justice that will be inescapable.  Interestingly,
God's
immanence and transcendence also provide strong philosophical assurance that we
can
truly "know" objective truth.  For God, in His immanence, made man so He can
communicate with him.  And God, in His transcendence, possesses objective truth
to
impart to man.    Otherwise, God would not hold us responsible; but in asserting
our
accountability, He thus affirms our grasp of reality.

Knowing God is based on a oneness of mind, desire, and will.  God's propositions
are
the key while persuasion is the process.  Not knowing God is a moral issue, not a
problem of aptitude, technique, or philosophy.  Since God is all powerful, He is
capable
of truthfully revealing Himself to His Creation.  (Revelation is, despite the claims
of
mystics and spiritualists, not difficult for either God to do or for man to
comprehend.)
By creating man in His own image, God bestowed on man a likeness sufficient for
communication with Him.  God is spirit, so we must know Him spiritually (not
mystically, not sensibly) through His propositions which convey "spiritual truth"
from
His mind to ours through persuasive words intended to inspire faith in us.
Although
propositional truth is foundational to the Christian faith, popular Christianity
often
minimizes its importance to avoid legalism and dogmatism.

A fine but important distinction separates dogma from propositional truth.  Dogma
results when uninspired men see themselves as administrators, interpreters, and
arbitrators of God's Word.  As an illustration, consider again the vows between
bride
and groom.  Although such vows are intensely propositional, the effect would be
dogmatic if the relationship between wedding partners depended upon the
opinions and
actions of intermediaries.  Thus, dogma at its best may be a kind of third-party
propositional truth.  At worst, it may have little or no basis in the mind of God.

[Figure illustrating dogma versus propositional truth]

Dogma seems oppressive because it is someone else's truth.  In contrast,
experiential
truth seems so much more vital and important because it is our own truth  the
reality
we experience as "true" based on personal understanding, intuition, and insights
discovered by introspection, self-analysis, and self-awareness.  Although its
appeal may
be strong, the content may be totally false.  Consider the following comparison of
experiential and propositional truth from Jeremiah:

[Comparison of experiential verses propositional truth]

By association, dogmatism and legalism provide fashionable and powerful
rationalizations for the rejection of propositional truth because they frequently
appeal to
the "Word of God" for authority.  However, they fall short even when pursuing the
right rules because they do so for the wrong reasons in using God's propositions
for
private or institutional purposes.  Thus, the real truth may be an unresolved
corporate
or individual alienation from God.  Descent into legalism and dogmatism begins
with the
transformation of propositional truth into impersonal principles and then into
mindless
rules.  The remedy is to. . .
-    appreciate God's propositions as the expression of His "person,"
-    strive to do the things God would do for the reasons He would do them, and
-    and recognize the ultimate indivisibility of spirit from truth.

[Figure illustrating the indivisibility of spirit and truth]

Sentimentalism is based on an inordinate love of the familiar.  It creates an
environment
where bad ideas can flourish, focuses on intentions rather than consequences, and
blurs
moral distinctions.  Despite the warm fuzzy images, sentimentalism can be cruel,
divisive, inconsistent, enslaving, hypocritical, lawless, egocentric, and
self-centered.
Sentimentalism is not concerned with objective truth; but instead, uses feelings as
the
test of truth.  "Feel good" sectarianism and "feel good" secularism are the fruits
of a
sentimentalism that is twice removed from truth in confusing comfortable feelings
with
sincerity and then confusing sincerity with truth.  The solution is to view feeling
as an
unreliable test of truth for fallen creatures in a fallen Creation.  Combining right
feelings with right actions is a worthy goal, but true spirituality is frequently
demonstrated in conflict with sentiments.  Although feelings are natural, useful,
and
necessary, they are not the measure of true godliness.  For physical creatures in
a
natural world, sentiments are powerful and unavoidable, and for this reason, they
offer
a convenient and tempting substitute for true spirituality.

Superstition is based on an inordinate fear of the unknown that may be mixed with
a
desire to find, avoid,  use, or control God and fate.  It's similar to sentimentalism
in
being an experiential approach to truth and reflects the natural state of fallen
man
apart from God's propositional truth.  "Testifying" is a modern-day religious
example
of superstitious practices that frequently pass for high spirituality.  Astrology is
a
secular example.  The alternative to superstition is to confess faith in God's
propositions
rather than our own.  We need not interpret everyday events to discover a hidden
path
that will protect us from evil, pain, and suffering.   There is no mysterious will of
God
that we must discover through some non-Biblical means to be pleasing to Him.

[Figure comparing superstition with true religion]

Mysticism is based on the importance of knowing the "unknowable" through
direct,
ineffable, and super-sensible knowledge.  Mystics pursue "soul knowledge"
through a
"higher consciousness" that transcends ordinary sensible and intellectual truth
to
achieve "karma" or union with God or the cosmos.  Mysticism assumes the soul can
acquire knowledge independently of mind and senses; and most important, it
asserts
that such knowledge is ALL IMPORTANT!   This latter point is crucial.  We cannot
deny the existence of truth that is beyond human comprehension; however, the
apprehension of such truth is not the goal or process of Christian life.
Nevertheless,
mysticism has held wide influence from ancient mystery religions to the modern
New
Age Movement.  Some examples are as follows:

[Figures showing the nature of mysticism]

Occultism--     Pagan mysticism
Cabalism--      Jewish mysticism
Transcendentalism--     Philosophic mysticism
Psychic Monism--   Metaphysical mysticism
Theosophy--     Buddhism for the Westerner
Zen Buddhism--  Buddhism in the "fast lane"
Yoga--          Hindu mysticism a la exercise
Inner Light--   Quaker mysticism
Christian Science--     Mary's mysticism
Sacramentalism--   Catholic mysticism
Astrology--     "Heavenly" mysticism
Taoism--        Chinese mysticism
Sufism--        Islamic mysticism
Martial Arts--  Sports mysticism
Rosicrucians--  Egyptian mysticism for Westerners
Scientology--   Hubbard's mysticism
Shamanism--     Medicine-man mysticism
New Age--       MacLaine's mysticism
Gaia--          Environmental mysticism

Mysticism runs through all types of belief systems, including Christianity, and
converges
on common themes.  Typical claims are. . .
 - God is the world and the world is God;
 - Ultimate reality is impersonal, amoral, and "seamless;"
 - Dissolving the illusive distinctions of this material world by suppressing the
   personality and intellect is the key to realizing pure existence with God or the
   cosmos;
 - Union with God makes history, time, space, death, good, and evil meaningless
and
   unreal; and
 - Jesus was just one of many higher beings pointing to the Oneness with God that
is
   the real truth behind all religions.
Since all of these claims are highly propositional, mysticism uses the mystery of
super-
sensible truth to fool its adherents into accepting false propositions without
examination.

The last "ism" for discussion, scientism, achieves the same deceptive end in a more
mundane fashion by using sensible truth as its ideological launching point.  In
brief,
scientism is the application of scientific principles to answer non-scientific
questions.
The power of scientism is traceable to our confidence in science and our confusion
over
its limits.  When properly applied, science deals with facts, not meaning; thus it
can
never give us the meaning of an atom or the purpose of the universe.  Although
science
is very good at linking effects with their causes ad infinitum, no chain of facts, no
matter how long, can reveal the meaning of an event.  Since facts and meaning
have
different sources, science can never achieve meaning through the accumulation of
more
and more facts.  Accordingly, science and religion use opposite techniques in the
search
for their respective truths.  Science takes things apart (reductionism) to discover
factual
truth while religion puts things together (holism) in its pursuit of ultimate truth.
When
scientists pontificate on matters of meaning, they are practicing "scientism" by
using
their status as scientists to answer questions which science by definition cannot
address.
Scientism is especially prevalent in the field of psychology which has attained the
status
of a secular religion and still struggles for full recognition as a scientific
discipline.

Now we turn to the question of how different types of truth affect everyday faith
and
practice.  For example, having "faith in faith" and "hope in hope" are common
manifestations of experiential truth in action.  In contrast, the propositional
perspective
is quite different.  God does not attribute righteousness based on our imagination
but on
belief in what He proposes.  The following comparisons further illustrate the way
different approaches to truth translate into different religious perspectives:

Three Views of the Church:
   Propositional:   A fellowship of the "Word" based on shared propositions
   Sentimental:   A fellowship of the "Spirit" based on a shared experience
   Mystical:   A fellowship of the "Church" based on a shared leadership

Three Views of the Bible:
   Propositional:  The Bible conveys God's propositional truth to all generations
   Sentimental:  The Bible is useful in inspiring apostolic experiences in the post-
   apostolic church
   Mystical:  The Bible must be read in traditional language to ensure  a super-
   sensible effect on hearers who may not even understand the words

Three Views of the Lord's Supper:
   Propositional:  A memorial to the foundational proposition of Christianity
   Sentimental:  A "Love Feast"
   Mystical:  A "re-sacrifice" of the literal body and blood of Jesus

Three Views of Baptism:
   Propositional:  An act of faith
   Sentimental:  An act of the Spirit
   Mystical:  An act (sacrament) of the "Church"

Three Views toward Meditation:
   Propositional:  Reflection on God's propositional truth
   Sentimental:  Examination of one's feelings to discover truth
   Mystical:  Union with God by emptying oneself of mind and emotion

Three Ways to Say  "Amen":
   Propositional:  Affirmation or appropriation of God's propositions
   Sentimental:  A religious "cheer"
   Mystical:  An incantation

The preceding distinctions may not seem too important, but the ultimate outcome
of following inferior approaches to truth can be startling.  Consider again the
opening illustrations.  Those who would believe that God wants us to go on a
naked car ride or participate in goddess worship have discarded propositional
truth for something quite different.  In practice, the promises of greater
spirituality from dogmatism, legalism, sentimentalism, superstition, and mysticism
are far different from the realities.  The contradictions are many.  In varying
degrees and combinations, they promise . . .
 -  genuine, profound truth but deliver subjective, trivial, unreliable truth
 -  real knowledge but deliver invincible ignorance
 -  greater meaningfulness but deliver meaninglessness
 -  "higher consciousness" but deliver "lower consciousness"
 -  a firmer foundation but deliver speculation
 -  deeper spirituality but deliver sensuality
 -  greater unity but deliver division, lawlessness
 -  transcendence but deliver bondage to the elements of this world
 -  freedom from legalism but deliver dogmatism based on unexamined
    propositions
 -  god-centeredness but deliver self-centeredness
 -  a more personal god but deliver emotional idolatry
 -  greater fellowship with God but deliver claims of godhood

False spiritualities are as pervasive as the air we breathe.  We can never escape
them completely, but that is not the point.  The key is to recognize them as pseudo
spirituality and allow propositional truth to reign over sentiments, superstitions,
and mystical experiences.  To do this, Scripture must always be the standard.
This means giving the Holy Spirit proper credit for "once delivering the faith"
and resisting the temptation to extend His work into the post-apostolic church by
making it super-sensible (mystical) or sensational (confusing it with normal human
emotions and psychology).

Injection of mysticism and sensationalism into contemporary religious thought and
practice is an accurate measure of our Biblical misunderstandings.  By ignoring
legitimate discontinuity with the apostolic church, we have
 -  mystified otherwise explainable passages,
 -  engaged in self-delusion to force-fit NT phenomena into today's
    environment,
 -  practiced "double-speak" to dispose of thorny contradictions between then
    and now, and
 -  expanded the Christian faith into a yoke that is neither easy nor light.
Net result has been a caricature of true spirituality and NT Christianity.

A firm, coherent understanding of the nature of man, history, life, death, etc.
imparts a special charisma that suggests right answers and right actions in real-
life circumstances.  Acceptance of propositional truth effects a "born again"
transformation in people who have truly rejected inferior truths and false
ideologies.  Thus, the Holy Spirit effectively dwells in those who have a well-
examined, deeply held Christian worldview, thereby giving them a clearer vision
into the perplexities of human existence.  Rediscovering the propositional truth
that makes all of this possible will not be altogether pleasant.  On the downside,
we may discover we are not as "spiritual" as we once thought, being mostly
creatures of religious conditioning rather than people of religious conviction.  The
good news is that we will recognize and better appreciate our moments of true
spirituality.  To escape pseudo-spirituality and find the real thing, we must. . .
 -  distinguish the enduring essence of NT Christianity from the temporary
    details surrounding its origin.
 -  be more fully persuaded by God's Word,
 -  give ourselves permission to wholeheartedly act on His propositions,
 -  focus our emotional energy by habitually framing our everyday experiences
    in terms of His Word, and
 -  reject the false spiritualities that so frequently pass for pure religion.