The Third Law of Mainline Protestantism

The Third Law of Mainline Protestantism June 16, 2014

The above is based on the earlier meme image I created for the “Third Law of Theology” which states that “For every theologian there is an equal and opposite theologian.” I made it in response to some comments made by a mainline Protestant on Facebook about mainline Protestants, which reflected a different experience of this broad and diverse tradition than my own. And that, of course, is precisely what the above is intended to illustrate – the range of viewpoints among mainline Protestants is surely so diverse that it reflects the entire spectrum of Christianity. And that is potentially both a strength and a weakness.

With there having been so many famous mainline Protestants, I had a hard time deciding whom to choose to illustrate the contrast. But two figures who represent a rejection of vs. involvement in the seeking of military solutions seemed as good a choice as any. If N. T. Wright did not have such a strong Evangelical bent, I suppose that I could have made one with him and John Shelby Spong. But denominationally that contrast would work just fine.

What other figures could be included in such a meme, to indicate the contrasts in and diversity of mainline Protestantism?


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