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{"id":9145,"date":"2013-08-02T15:14:40","date_gmt":"2013-08-02T20:14:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/standingonmyhead\/?p=9145"},"modified":"2013-08-02T15:14:40","modified_gmt":"2013-08-02T20:14:40","slug":"a-non-theistic-christian-priest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/standingonmyhead\/2013\/08\/a-non-theistic-christian-priest.html","title":{"rendered":"A Non Theistic Christian Priest?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

The new dean of Washington\u2019s National Cathedral identifies himself here<\/a> as a \u201cnon theistic Christian.\u201d I came across some of these agnostic or atheist priests while I was an Anglican. I remember one of them preaching this long winded sermon comparing his own agnosticism to the dark night of the soul.<\/p>\n

The problem I have is that I can see their point. If religion is no more than being good, why have a God? Why is God necessary? If you\u2019ve removed all the miraculous from religion, weeded out all that Son of God, Virgin Mary stuff and relegated Jesus to \u201cjust a very, very good person\u201d then why bother with God?<\/p>\n

This is the end point of liberal Protestantism: atheism. Long ago they got rid of the authority of the church. About 100 years ago they began to get rid of the authority of the Sacred Scriptures. Along with that they got rid of the supernatural. What was left? Only feeble good works and subjective spirituality, and if religion is no more than good works and subjective spirituality why bother with the subjective spirituality except to make oneself feel good? For that matter, why bother with the good works except to make oneself feel good?<\/p>\n

\u201cOh! The good works are good in and of themselves!\u201d Are they? Who says so and why? Why should it necessarily be \u201cgood\u201d to help another person? You see where we\u2019re going with this. The end point of liberal Protestantism is atheism.<\/p>\n

The only reason why they all don\u2019t take the same view of Dean Hall is because they won\u2019t think their position through completely or they are unable to.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"