I just posted this message to the Study Circle list (not a Baha'i-focused list):
The emphasis on orthodoxy (right beliefs) over orthopraxy (right behavior) can be traced to the fact that Pauline Christianity was, for various historical reasons (Constantine, etc.), successful over its primary competitors: Hebrew (or Jamesian) Christianity and Gnostic Christianity. Nonetheless, orthopraxy, or works, has continued to be regarded as a condition for salvation by the vast majority of Christians. Unfortunately, especially in the United States and Australia, fundamentalists and neo-evangelicals, who globally constitute only a tiny percentage of Protestants, have tried to claim ownership of the term "Christian" and to exclude those who do not conform to their revised (1875-1914) interpretation of the Bible. Clearly, according to the New Testament, works are essential to salvation. Sadly, fundamentalists and neo-evangelicals, based on a convoluted approach to Martin Luther's anti-Jamesian perspective on the relation of faith and works, have, first, misconstrued Paul's references to "faith" as meaning belief without works and, second, misconstrued Paul's references to works as referring to the behaviors of Christians (when Paul was clearly referring to what he regarded as the self-righteous works of the Pharisees). Faith *is* works. Suppose one goes to a physician and claims to have faith in her or his expertise. Then, when the physician recommends a course of treatment, the patient declines. Did that patient have faith in the physician? Faith is not something which is merely an evidence of faith, though that is also a valid statement; faith *is* works. There can be no salvation apart from living a spiritual life. What I have said is obviously not as comfortable or secure to the fundamentalist or neo-evangelical looking for an "easy believism" or instant Christianity. However, it is biblical. Mark A. Foster * http://MarkFoster.net http://CompuServe.m.foster.name ---------- You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://list.jccc.net/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=bahai-st news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public)
