{"id":31031,"date":"2022-09-10T15:14:07","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:14:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/the-solution-to-americas-theological-salad-bar\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T15:14:07","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:14:07","slug":"the-solution-to-americas-theological-salad-bar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/the-solution-to-americas-theological-salad-bar\/","title":{"rendered":"The Solution to America\u2019s Theological Salad Bar"},"content":{"rendered":"
Dan Gold photo – Unsplash <\/p>\n

By Paul Petersen<\/p>\n

Imagine watching 10 Americans move down a salad bar of theological beliefs. When picking leafy greens, seven select the spring mix\u2013\u2013three greens in one. But as they move down, you notice two of the seven pick out the spinach, saying, \u201cIt\u2019s a good addition but not really<\/em> salad.\u201d Several more extract the iceberg saying, \u201cIt doesn\u2019t do anything for your body.\u201d The other three put no greens on their plate, claiming greens are not essential to a salad. <\/p>\n

Their choices reflect the 2020 State of Theology\u2019s findings that 72% of Americans agree that \u201cThere is one true God in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.\u201d Yet 52% of Americans claim, \u201cJesus was a great teacher, but he was not God\u201d and 59% agree \u201cThe Holy Spirit is a force but is not a personal being.\u201d Perhaps 7 in 10 Americans aren\u2019t quite so orthodox.<\/p>\n

72% of Americans agree that \u201cThere is one true God in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.\u201d Yet 52% of Americans claim, \u201cJesus was a great teacher, but he was not God.\u201d Click To Tweet <\/p>\n

The group continues moving down the line, where more options await, but selections get more divisive. Half of the group adds tomatoes, at which the others roll their eyes. When the same half chose carrots, they received a verbal castigation. Once they decided their dressings, groups were ready to divide into factions\u2013\u2013ranch versus vinaigrette. <\/p>\n

It might not surprise many that a narrow majority of Americans (51%) agree that \u201cSex outside of traditional marriage is a sin\u201d and \u201cAbortion is a sin.\u201d Those in dissent of these and other \u201ctraditional\u201d ethics say, \u201cReligious belief is a matter of personal opinion; it is not about objective truth\u201d (54%). In America, it\u2019s possible to pick and choose our beliefs out of a \u201ctheological salad bar.\u201d But why?  <\/p>\n

Relativity at the Salad Bar<\/strong><\/h3>\n

After the 10 in the buffet line of beliefs made their plates, you ask a few questions. First, you ask, \u201cHow did you make your salad?\u201d Five of the individuals raise their hands and indicate, \u201cWe were given a pamphlet at the start of the line that told us how to make the right salad, and we followed the instructions.\u201d<\/p>\n

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A few others indicate that they received the pamphlet and took some of the ideas that seemed right to them but departed from the instruction when it didn\u2019t seem to fit together right. The other members acknowledged that when offered the instruction book, they politely declined, saying, \u201cThis was a salad bar after all. We are free to make the salad that seems right to us.\u201d When you follow up this statement asking, \u201cHow did you know that you would create the right salad?\u201d they conclude, \u201cWell, everyone knows the right salad for them.\u201d <\/p>\n

When asked about their beliefs toward the Bible, nearly half of Americans indicated, \u201cThe Bible is 100% accurate in all that it teaches,\u201d and also agreed \u201cThe Bible has the authority to tell us what we must do.\u201d At the same time, an increasing number of Americans (48%) agreed with the statement, \u201cThe Bible, like all sacred writings, contains helpful accounts of ancient myths but is not literally true.\u201d In 2014, 41% agreed with this statement, growing to 44% and 47% in 2016 and 2018, respectively.  <\/p>\n

This budding skepticism towards the place of the Bible correlates with the finding that two-thirds of Americans agree, \u201cEveryone sins a little, but most people are good by nature.\u201d Applied to beliefs, this suggests Americans assume that people will make the right choices and believe the right things for them given the right conditions. Human nature is sufficient to guide us into personal truth. Thus, at the salad bar of beliefs, objective claims about God or morality violate the fundamental principle that life is a salad bar, and you are the rightful creator of your plate. <\/p>\n

Cultural Impact on Belief Systems<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It helps to know what<\/em> most Americans believe, but even more so, we must grasp ho<\/em>w Americans believe, if we might engage them with the truth. Those cultural Christians who attend church on Christmas and Easter can select orthodox-looking statements about God on a survey. Still, their approach to knowledge prepares them to depart from Christian teaching further down the salad bar line. A culture that ingests \u201cBe yourself\u201d will also absorb \u201cBelieve yourself.\u201d  <\/p>\n

It helps to know\u00a0what\u00a0most Americans believe, but even more so, we must grasp\u00a0how Americans believe, if we might engage them with the truth. Click To Tweet <\/p>\n

A few hundred years ago, \u201cLife is a salad bar\u201d could not have been plausible when geographical distance, social hierarchies, and the variable authority of nature would not allow for the unhindered expression of who you discover yourself to be. Today\u2019s culture emphasizes that any identity is attainable. The modern world is one where nearly any possibility seems achievable given the right technology, enough money, and a community that will affirm the lifestyle or beliefs you\u2019ve chosen for yourself. How could anyone, including God, claim to know the right path for every individual? <\/p>\n

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See also  The Power of the Ordinary Moments<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Engaging with Others at the Salad Bar<\/strong><\/h3>\n

How then do we engage those at this theoretical salad bar? In social media posts and other portrayals of public discourse on ethics and beliefs, one typically witnesses an exchange that looks like people speaking two different languages. To a modern individual, \u201cThe Bible prohibits homosexuality\u201d deserves little respect because it is built on a false assumption\u2013\u2013the necessity of external authority for human and personal flourishing. If a Christian fails to recognize this alternate take on knowledge, their well-reasoned argument falls on deaf ears.<\/p>\n

Few individuals today give thought to how they construct their belief system, but therein lies an opportunity. Click To Tweet <\/p>\n

Few individuals today give thought to how they construct their belief system, but therein lies an opportunity. The next time you find yourself in a spiritual conversation, whether with a Christian or non-Christian, try respectfully responding to their claims with, \u201cWho gave you that idea?\u201d or \u201cWhere did you hear that?\u201d You will inevitably receive a puzzled look because the question implies that they received the idea from outside themselves. Culture curates theological and ethical taste buds, whether we realize it or not. A salad bar allows freedom to choose only from the ingredients that were placed there by the restaurant. So, who determines which beliefs culture offers?  <\/p>\n

\u201cWho<\/em> gave you that idea?\u201d points to the relational nature of knowledge. Beliefs develop in the context of community as we learn who to trust. As a parent, I refuse to use a lie at my child\u2019s expense or as a means of coercing obedience. I want them to know I can be trusted and have their best interests in mind, but not every child experiences this from family, friends, or educators. Our world forms skepticism towards those around us through many avenues. It fosters the attitude \u201cDecide for yourself what is true.\u201d Yet followers of Christ\u2013\u2013who are not more intelligent than the world but lit by the light of Christ\u2013\u2013can engage others in conversation about how<\/em> to believe and who <\/em>to believe.<\/p>\n

Jesus is not just an idea to discuss; He is a person whom we trust. Click To Tweet <\/p>\n

Each person chooses to trust someone\u2019s ideas. Jesus is not just an idea to discuss; He is a person whom we trust. If we can respectfully and humbly learn how to discuss what makes someone a trustworthy source, perhaps our conversations about beliefs, ethics, and authority might look different. Our efforts must build trust in the person of Christ, the one whom the Bible reveals.<\/p>\n

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Paul Petersen<\/h2>\n

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Paul serves college students in Boulder Colorado with The Navigators and alongside his wife Aimee and two daughters. He is also pursuing a ThM at Dallas Theological Seminary.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n