Well, he wasn't very nice to that poor little fig tree that didn't have any figs, lol.

Liberal theology, by definition, began to prosper in the hearts and minds of theologians after the great Renaissance period in Europe. Tremendous learning in university settings spurned an academia that taught "great things." This gave way to what historians called the Enlightened period and all its scientific, medical, and technological advancements. All this to bring us to today in 2021.

What is liberal theology? It is churchmen who themselves picked and chose what they believe of the Bible. Prior to the liberalists, the Bible was always deemed to be Inspired and Inerrant in it's canonical form, (with schisms between Protestants and Roman Catholics over 7 books). The Didache is authenticated and one of the earliest books of the early church and is honored by a great many historical theological scholars also.

Here we are today. The faithful await and anticipate Jesus' 2nd Coming to judge the living and the dead, as is promised as Christ's own spoken and recorded Gospel message. We are thus still in whats known as the intertestimental age, better known as the Church Age, begun at Pentecost (Acts 2) just as Jesus had promised Peter. The ekklesia (gathering) is a vital part of the Christian faith and will be until Christ returns. If it were not, Christ wouldn't have commissioned it with such clarity.

In response to liberal theologian churchmen, who picked the portions of Scripture they agreed with (the same mentality us humans are now marinated in.... "you know what I'd do if I were God...", many pastors and preachers vehemently tried to combat the liberalism by swinging too far the other way and preaching the Bible as a means to an end (how to book), or dam_nation, or _ell fire. All the liberalists and those opposed were people just like us. Many were people, trying to sort out infinity with their finite minds and most we think had good intentions, but it just hasn't gone as well as any of them expected.

Why?
There is a component of the Christian ekklesia, the church - not as a building - but as a group of people created by the Triune God that was Christ's Misseo Dei. Christ's mission. Christ did not come to judge (the 1st time) but to be a shepherd and a savior. Pretty simple but then humans get into the fray and start to define, what is a shepherd, and what is a savior, and do we even believe there was a God-man and then the spears come out. You don't need to be a Christian to bring spears to a fight. You need to lay them down to be a Christian.

I hold a dispensational theology and simply put, I like many, believe there have been dispensations, or outpourings (revelations) from God to STOP us humans from destroying more than we already destroy. I hold there were 7 such times and Christ's coming was certainly one of them.
Each dispensation comes with mandate from God and a responsiveness due from the faithful as part of God's Creation - Redemption - Restoration narrative (Bible)

People were fighting before Christ.
People still fight.
No temple or synagogue was perfect before Christ.
No church has been perfect after Christ.
People had false theologies before Christ (especially about the Messiah).
People still have false theologies.
People did what was right in their own eyes before Jesus.
People still most often do what is right in their own eyes.

I'm glad for the chance to make our own choices with a rationing brain. Thank you Lord for that crafting.
When I get to heaven, I might check out the film that tells us why He allowed all the headache that accompanies personal choice.
Glad God does on the one hand, but sorta wish He didn't on the other.

Don't blame God for the doings of people and don't fall for the Prince of darkness' lie that the church was never anointed. Stay at home. Study your Bible. Find God yourself. Never forget every heretic in the Christian Church history had Bible verses to back "their" ideas up. The ekklesia is where we can reproof and correct one another (2 Tim 3:16) so we need each other.

If that weren't true, why then was Christ so explicit in setting up His Church until He comes again?
The Church was anointed by Jesus and ushered in by the same power that rose Him from the grave. The Holy Spirit.
We are the body of Christ and there's a whole wonderful doctrine of it but simply said we are the body of Christ and Scripture is explicit in that body being an ekklesia: an assembly.
Same as in Heaven.
The purpose is even the same according to Scripture; to display God's Mercy, Grace, and Wisdom (Rom 9:23-24; Eph 1:4; 2:7-10; 3:10; 4:11-13; Matt 29:19-20; Phil 2:15; Col 1:22 and more.
Church is where we get to practice "loving one another(s)" amongst sinners!
It ain't easy and sadly the Western church in recent centuries has become even more and more like culture = "what's in it for me and what do I like" worship rather than how it was commissioned.
But good things are on the move in quite a few churches to return to the orthodox worship and reasoning for why Jesus built His Church.

By the way, this help is for believers, not the unbelievers. It's all foolishness to unbelievers as Paul told believers often.

I kinda look at it like a trappers convention. Trappers all gather, one bond in common, all with different views, but all trappers. Some fighting breaks out sure. But not too many get killed.
Pride is the sin that rears up. Or envy maybe. And trappers conventions have this also. So does Tman.
To say the Church, or a Christian, is to be white as snow is to listen to the whispers of the wrong team. Those with the dark jerseys and their legions are many.

When Christ comes again, we'll get the perfect answers but until then we do the best we can.

Blessings,
Mark

Mark: That may be one of your best post, thanks for your time.

X2 Mark. Excellent post! Thank you for taking the time to share!

Liberalism infected most of the mainline denominations in this country decades ago. Someone mentioned John R. Rice in a thread a while back. He was in the forefront of fighting what was referred to many years ago as "modernism".

I have a dear friend, an elderly man who is a retired Methodist pastor who couldn't explain the gospel if his life depended on it. He graduated from Yale Divinity School. These churches are dead and serve as little more than social gatherings for those with itching ears. Women and gays in the pulpit, denying the inspiration of scripture, denying the virgin birth, the ecumenical movement...

Maybe I'm simple minded but when it comes to the things of God and His word it all boils down to one simple question. Yes or No

If Yes, then He is absolute and infallible, PERIOD. He cannot be God otherwise.

If No, then disregard and carry on without giving it a second thought.

But as we can all clearly see that is not how we humans interact with the very idea of God and His word.

I actually have more respect, and much pity, for the true agnostics who chose the latter. At least they answered the question.

Most seem to go through life claiming an answer while by action demonstrating they do not hold to the answer. Whether it be the liberal theologian who says yes but tries incessantly to inject fallibility into the word or the atheist who actively mocks that which he denies.

Thank you Chancey for judging me fairly and accurately. I strive to do the same to others for the most part.

Jarhead