Pragmatism: Archenemy of Theology
Since the kingdom of God is "of God," it is a theological issue, affecting our very understanding of God Himself. Therefore, before delving into the important subject of the kingdom of God, it is necessary to discuss a philosophical concept called "pragmatism," popularized by American philosophers C.S. Peirce and William James, which has proved to be extremely harmful to the study of God, including the study of the kingdom of God. While this book is not about pragmatism, pragmatism must be exposed as fallacious before this book can go on.
What is "pragmatism"? Webster's New World Dictionary defines pragmatism to be "a method or tendency in philosophy ... which determines the meaning or truth of all concepts and tests their validity by their practical results." Thus pragmatism is first a philosophical method that "determines the validity of something by its practical results." Norman Geisler sums it up this way, that pragmatism says, "It works, therefore it is true." [1]
What does pragmatism have to do with the kingdom of God? Pragmatism replaces the authority of the Word of God, for establishing the truth about God (including truth about His kingdom), with the authority of the practical results of an experience for establishing the truth to live by, leading people to seek truth via practical experience rather than the Bible.
An example of pragmatism in society is the testimony, "I gave up Christianity because it didn't work for me." But absolute truth about God should not be abandoned just because "Christianity" doesn't appear to "work" in one's life. Although personal testimonies of genuine change in a Christian's life after conversion are God-glorifying, "Christianity is true, regardless of what works, and the propositions that support its truth are not based on personal testimonies" [2] about "how Jesus changed my life." "Pragmatism is no test for truth." [3]
A second definition of pragmatism in Webster's New World Dictionary is, "The quality or condition of being pragmatic." Pragmatic means: "Concerned with actual practice, everyday affairs, etc., not with theory or speculation; practical." Pragmatism emphasizes being concerned with practical, everyday affairs of life, how one should live, rather than such topics as what God and His kingdom are like. Thus pragmatism is the philosophy that leads people into thinking that matters of practical living are "much greater than" correctly understanding the biblical doctrine of the kingdom of God:
PRACTICAL LIVING >> THE DOCTRINE OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD
Pragmatism often manifests during evangelistic efforts in this response of the unbeliever: "All religions teach the same thing." Indeed, all religions teach about how we are to live our lives on this earth. But religion without the true and living God is just that, "religion," and ultimately deceives one into the pit of hell.
We see a pragmatic attitude in much of Christendom as well: "I came to Christ to get my life together. I saw that Christ worked for others and I figured he might work for me too. Practical Christian living is all God and I care about. The Bible is just a guidebook God gave us to show us how to live." But coming to "Jesus" as a self-improvement program is not the reason to "become a Christian." Getting saved from the penalty of sin and getting reconciled to God, all by Christ's death on the cross, is the reason one "becomes a Christian" by a predestined act of God. If improving one's lifestyle was the reason to become a Christian (if pragmatism was valid), one might as well go after any "higher power" that comes along that will "work." A person who is only concerned with getting their life together, reading the Bible as a "guidebook" for how he or she should live, who only values the "application" in a sermon, lacks the desire to learn about and know the true God by studying the Bible - all they care about is "practical Christian living". If this be the case, a false conversion has likely taken place - they are not saved! The gospel, the knowledge of God, and the kingdom of God are of little interest to them unless they can manufacture something within these topics that will "apply to their life," some "practical principle of holy living."
The "Christian" pragmatist will not hesitate to approach God's Word irreverently, taking a scripture out of context, to practically apply it to his or her life using allegory, "spiritualizing" the text, etc., regardless of what God actually intended to communicate in the scripture. This practice allows the person to make a scripture mean anything he or she wants it to.
An example cited by John MacArthur illustrates the practice:
An extreme example of the perils of allegorizing was the young couple that came to one of our assistant pastors to get counseling about their marital problems. He began talking with them, and after about thirty minutes he asked them,
"Why did you ever get married? You are miles apart!"
"Oh" said the husband. "It was the sermon the pastor preached in our church."
"And what was it?"
"Well, he preached on Jerico."
"Jerico! What does that have to do with marriage?"
"Well, he said that God's people claimed a city, marched around it seven times, and the walls fell down. He said if a young man believed God had given him a certain young girl, he could claim her, march around her seven times, and the walls of her heart would fall down. So that's what I did, and we got married."
"That can't be true," said our assistant pastor. "You are kidding aren't you?"
"No, it's true," said the husband. "And there were many other couples who got married because of the same sermon! [4]
The above is an illustration of "eisogesis" (taking a Scripture out of context), and in this instance, pragmatism is the motivation behind the eisogesis. The practice of eisogesis is a sure way to come up with false teaching. The historical account found in the Bible concerning Jerico has nothing whatsoever to do with marriage. In the instance cited above, applying the Jerico event to marriage actually led to troubling circumstances in the "practical lives" of those who had succumbed to pragmatic eisogesis!
As the above example illustrates, pragmatism and eisogesis that lead to false teachings tend to lead to still greater harm. We read in Ephesians 4:14 that the winds of false teaching toss to and fro and carry about immature believers instead of building them up towards a mature understanding of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God (Eph.4:13, 15). In 1Corinthians 3:1, an immature believer is contrasted with a "spiritual" (mature) believer, which "spiritual" believer is said in 1Corinthians 2:15 to have the ability to "judge [or discern] all things," or as Hebrews 5:14 puts it, "have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." However, an immature believer, who cannot "judge all things," who cannot "discern between good and evil," is a sitting duck for deception, especially about God and what is "of God," since he or she lacks the discernment to tell what is true and what is error. An immature believer who ends up being deceived is a sure candidate for a spiritual disaster. In mathematical terms ("=>" = "leads to" or "fosters"):
PRAGMATISM + EISOGESIS => FALSE TEACHING => IMMATURITY => LACK OF DISCERNMENT => DECEPTION => DISASTER
The only sovereign God has allowed pragmatism to enter the "evangelical" church. The common scenario is that an important truth that would edify the Body of Christ if taught is de-emphasized in favor of another, possibly erroneous "truth" on the basis that it seemingly "works" when applied to everyday situations. Inevitably, this other "truth" causes harmful side effects to the Body of Christ. If the desired result is apparently accomplished via the application of the other "truth," the teachers of the "truth" become inoculated from receiving doctrinal correction under the premise that "it worked, therefore it is true." Three examples of pragmatism in the church today are:
1) DESIRED RESULT: SALVATION OF THE LOST ("CHURCH GROWTH", "REVIVAL")
The arminian [5] leadership of a local church observes that not many people seem to be getting saved. "Just preaching the gospel doesn't work," they conclude. Looking around them, they see other congregations growing at a fast rate. "What are they doing?," they ask. "Well, those people in Chicago focus on showing unbelievers what the Christian life is really like, that `it works'." Other fast-growing movements enthusiastically hold conferences in a nearby city, explaining that their "church growth" is the result of Signs & Wonders, demonstrations of "the kingdom of God" which soften the unbeliever's heart to receive the "gospel of the kingdom" they preach. Still others appeal to experience in Argentina, noticing that Christian "unity," accompanied by the "casting out of territorial spirits," seems to be very effective at affecting a "revival." So one, or even all three of these "Church growth principles," end up being adopted and practiced, and the "faith [that] comes by hearing, and hearing by the spoken word of God" (Rom.10:17), "the gospel of Christ" which is "the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes" (Rom.1:16), is de facto ditched. The result: A church that holds "seeker services," preaching the gospel of the wonderful Christian lifestyle, preaching that "the kingdom of God is here!," working false miracles along side another gospel, and overlooking the doctrinal errors of others in the city in order to "unify" with them and "bind/cast out the territorial spirits" together. Convinced that "it works, therefore it's true," they refuse to hear doctrinal correction from Christians who plead with them from the Word of God, and instead they rationalize their false teachings by attempting to make them look biblical via eisogesis.
2) DESIRED RESULT: DRAWING CLOSER TO GOD
Previously involved with a church that emphasized logical thinking and sound Bible teaching, the believer/church leader discovers there is a whole area of "the Christian life" they have been missing out on: Experiencing the presence, power, and gifts of "the Holy Spirit." Why did they miss out? "I was victimized by a western worldview that put God into a box. Using my logical mind to think critically led me into unbelief and caused me to miss out on experiencing God." Suddenly, they enter another church with, "CHECK YOUR SOUND MIND HERE (IF YOU WANT TO EXPERIENCE GOD TODAY)" de facto written on the front door. Not wanting to "quench the Spirit," they now assume that God is the author of everything that comes their way. Moreover, if these experiences end up drawing the person "closer to God," the conclusion is "This must be of God; look at the fruit." With logical thinking and doctrinal discernment thrown out the window, deception is made room for. Correction of the false teaching that accompanied the experience is excused under the premise, "It drew me closer to God, therefore it's OK [i.e., the apparent end justifies the means]."
3) DESIRED RESULT: HOLY LIVING
The Bible commands Christians to be holy in all their conduct (1Peter 1:15). It is also learned from the Bible that Jesus died to set people free from sin to be holy (Rom.6:23) in all their conduct. However, when pragmatism becomes the emphasis, the primary, legal reason for Jesus physically dying on the cross for sin, "the just for the unjust" (1Peter 3:18), justifying the sinner from the demand of the law (physical death, hell) by God's grace through their faith in Jesus' work on the cross, appeasing God's wrath against sin that the sinner may be reconciled to God, is then put to the back of the mind or outright replaced with the teaching that Jesus died (exclusively, it seems) to save people from their sinful lifestyle. Next, the person begins trying to live out the truth that Jesus died to "break the power of sin" in their life, and fails again and again to attain the desired state of practical holiness. Not understanding the gospel of grace (it was not emphasized nor embraced because holy living seemed more important), feelings of guilt ("condemnation") set in; good works, "self-esteem," "getting into God's presence," and/or reading the Bible or other "devotional" books to attain a higher state of spiritual consciousness so that they won't feel bad nor sin anymore, is then sought after to "cope" with the guilt - an endless cycle results. Perhaps the person may feel they are doing a little better for a while; self-righteousness and prideful attitudes arise. Correction of false teaching about God is not received since they believe that a holy lifestyle is all that matters.
In each case, pragmatism is the mindset that opens the Christian up to deception about God, what gospel He wants them to believe, and how He wants them to think and act. Pragmatism is appealed to to excuse or rationalize teachings the Bible doesn't teach. Pragmatism is no test for truth. Pragmatism doesn't work. It's a stronghold that exalts itself against the knowledge of God (2Cor.5:10). It must be cast down if the Church is to grow "up into Him who is the Head - Christ - " (Eph.4:15).
[1] Norman L. Geisler & Ronald M. Brooks, Come, Let Us Reason (Baker, 1990),
p.103.
[2] Ibid., p.103.
[3] Ibid., p.14.
[4] John MacArthur, Charismatic Chaos (Zondervan, 1992), p.90.
[5] The false teaching that it is ultimately up to man to "choose God" (i.e. believe in Christ) by his own free will, which "free will" it is thought can be persuaded by any means that will "work" towards the end of "a decision for Christ." For an excellent refutation of arminianism, see John MacArthur's book, Ashamed of the Gospel (Crossway Books, 1993).