This story leaves out all the relevant details. At some point, the author became carnal minded, but at no point does he ever tell us of his personal struggles against his own personal sins. Are we simply to assume that the author never stole, destroyed another’s reputation, lied, coveted, played around with porn, ate to extreme excess, ignored his brothers in need, nursed hatred in his heart, drank excessively, used drugs on occasion, moved in with his girlfriend… and this is to say nothing of the hundreds of more obvious or more subtle sins!

There is no personal moral dimension to his story. He passes over this in silence and presents his whole case as though it were purely a matter of the head. I don’t believe him. All the important details have been sanitized out of his story.

I don’t think any church or person could make me lose my faith. I’ve suffered too much and struggled through too much, holding onto Jesus for that. However, one thing that could make me leave the Church is most churches love for the world and all the worldly pleasures and riches it has to offer them. This causes them to look at other people through the eyes of the World and not through God’s. Many Christians judge people by how high a degree they hold, what kind of car they drive, how big a house they live in, the brand of clothes they wear….. need I go on. Sadly some Christians don’t see the difference between Christ and us mere Christians with all our faults. Many Christian’s have saddened me or hurt me by their attitudes (and I am sure I have done the same), but it makes me love Christ even more, because He has always been there for me. My prayer is not that He takes away my difficulties, but that He will purify my heart and renew my Spirit, so that I will see and love all people as He does. I want to share their sufferering as well as their joy. I also pray to find a Church where His love reigns, even though it may not be perfect.

I’m an ex fundamentalist myself, I also abandoned the faith for a brief period
of time after being unable to reconcile my faith with the world and my own
feelings. But God called me back and opened up new worlds for me that I
never guessed were His. I think Nathan is rejecting a picture of God that is
not accurate, through my brief period of being an agnostic I could not say bad
things about Jesus or picture him in the same boat as the Christianity I
learned about and rejected. I hope he has time to grow out of his depression
and heal, I think he needs time to work things out. His comments about the
students at Liberty University resonate with how I viewed things as a
fundamentalist – the secular and spiritual are 2 separate domains and we
are expected to minimize the secular and live mostly in the spiritual. Everything
is under scrutiny of being unChristian, this is what the Internet Monk calls
“wretched urgency”. This is one of the hardest things to get rid of, as of now
I see no distinction between secular or spiritual, everything is spiritual and
God delights in the mundane and simple joys we have.

“What I am saying is the we are not doing our job in discipleship. This is just one of thousands who tell the same story. It is not just that this story is being told, but that it is becoming much more frequent as people divorce themselves from their former folk religion that was never really a true representation to begin with.“

People divorcing themselves from their former folk religion (which they erroneously thought was a true representation) is a good thing.

I actually think there are three parts at work here: One, the gospel delivery. Two, the ones doing the discipling and instruction from Scripture. Three, the unregenerate individual who has a faulty idea of what the Gospel is and who hasn’t fully submitted their heart and their sins over to God.

“Hope that make sense.”

Yes I guess it make sense
I don’t believe this fellow was saved but if he was why should he have to hunt for information , teaching and discipleship. It should be readily available this is true .

Cadis,

“Do you really think discipleship would have changed this outcome?”

No, not necessarily, anymore than I think evangelism is going to save someone. But from a human standpoint we, as Christians, are under mandate and intrinsic compulsion to be faithful with the discharge of the entire Gospel. The Holy Spirit determines the outcome.

What I am saying is the we are not doing our job in discipleship. This is just one of thousands who tell the same story. It is not just that this story is being told, but that it is becoming much more frequent as people divorce themselves from their former folk religion that was never really a true representation to begin with.

Hope that make sense.

Micheal
Sorry I know your mission Michael, The title “Reclaiming the mind” sums it up and I’m with you all the way but you miss with these letters from leavers, Your not right here.

“Folks but we need to wake up and understand our disparate condition due to the lack of true balanced discipleship. Quit acting as if we have no responsibility to lead people through intellectually tough issues. Quit acting as if we have it all figured out. Focus on the essentials. Show some grace. How could this person have gone to a Christian school and have no idea what Christianity is really about? God help us!”

Do you really think discipleship would have changed this outcome?
I’m not buying it. I have every gripe about legalism and rotten attitudes from professing Christians of every denomination as this guy.I don’t like liberal living hypocrites either. I went to a Christian school, I hated youth group meetings , oh sooooo phony those sickening sappy sweet smiling fundamental brats. Those pious praying grannies with thier condesending attitudes.They drove me away from God! really? that powerful?
My Father struggled with these issuses as a Baptist pastor and we grew up within that struggle, so I understand. But no-one is responsible for you rejecting God but you .
If these leavers wanted to know they would have sought it out. Dug for it like treasure. I mean really he has access to the internet. The problem is he isn’t hungry, living things eat or die. You can’t disciple someone who wants out. I know within his setting in his life somewhere someone could have addressed his issues.
and I sure would like your definition of fundamentalism.

A response to my friend and fellow recovering ex-fundamentalist

From a different perspective, this period of time could be a very good thing for Nathan.

CMP is a 5-point Calvinist. I.e., you can’t leave behind what you never truly had.

Therefore, if Nathan “left Christianity”, it can be theologically argued that he’s really leaving behind his false understanding of what it means to be a disciple of Christ, i.e., a follower who actively trusts, worships and praises the Triune God as his Lord and Savior, and if he leaves behind his distorted understanding for a true saving faith in Christ, then this has been a most excellent journey for Nathan and one in which God receives Great Glory!

So let’s not wring hands in mealy-mouth despair, but just continue to pray in thanks for God’s joyful sovereignty.

And with regards to Nathan being used by God to bring others to Christ or to help others grow in their walk with God, isn’t Matthew 7:22-23 a potentially scary passage?

Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

Charles: “What would cause Nathan to seek ‘happiness for…others?’”

Because he chooses to. Because he wants to be that kind of person. Or if he’s like me, he’s sufficiently stubborn to live a moral life without God just to prove it can be done.

“A man’s ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeeded be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death.” – Albert Einstein

Certainly, with true Christianity the motive is supposed to be love of God, not merely fear and greed. But if you think about what is going on with this love, if it’s detached from the fear and greed, it’s quite similar to learning to live a moral life without God. The only difference is the love of God versus the love of mankind as the driving emotion.

(And also the veracity issue…)

Consider Moses’ offer for God to blot him out of His book in Exodus 32:32. On the one hand, this makes the Bible more noble than most atheists like to admit. But on the other hand, do Christians criticize Moses for acting illogically? It’s not so different from an atheist laying down the only life he has for a friend.