Ecclesiological Deism

The particular doctrinal mindset that allows Jack Crabtree to make his outrageous but not original claims is something I would call ecclesiological deism. It's a view I think he shares (to his chagrin, if he knew it) with many groups in contemporary Christendom. Basically, ecclesiological deism is the idea (implicit or explicit; both forms exist) that after Jesus instituted the Church, God stepped back and let His people sort things out for themselves.

Probably the most common source of this view is a misunderstanding of the apostolic age. If you think the Holy Spirit supply was simply cut off after the death of the last apostle, thus introducing an era of practical materialism, ED would make sense. Also, if our salvation depends primarily on knowledge, then it would make sense that we'd be fully responsible to apprehend it on our own through the exercise of our intellect and reason.

What any view leading to ED fails to acknowledge, however, is that the Church doesn't belong to Christians, but to Jesus Christ through the agency of the Holy Spirit for the Father's good pleasure and glory. The Church is not primarily a physical entity (though it has a physical element or manifestation), but a spiritual one. How else could Paul speak of it as the Body of Christ, the Bride of Christ, or the Temple of the Holy Spirit?

The implication for Jack's case is clear: if the Church is simply an invisible collective of people each striving for truth on their own recognizance, then of course he can reach the proper view of doctrine all by himself. If, however, the Church is the Body of Christ as maintained throughout the centuries by the Holy Spirit, his claims become a lot less plausible.

This isn't to say that no bad doctrine will ever creep into the Church. Because while the Holy Spirit is our guide and helper, we're also sinful human beings who don't always use our reason to the glory of God. It is to say that 2000 years of Christians haven't gotten the Gospel wrong. This isn't an intellectual cop-out: unless we think Christ abandoned His people to their own devices at the ascension, we have to understand that He left us with provisions against the complete loss of biblical truth in the form of His Spirit.

Perhaps Jack's ecclesiological deism results from his abandonment of the Trinity. People like Brian McLaren who hold similar (if not identical) beliefs seem to be influneced more by semi-Pelagian ideals and an overemphasis of common grace (both of which Jack seems to embrace as well). The temptation to elevate human beings beyond their due is a perennial problem, both within the Church and outside it. All we can do is renew our efforts to preserve the truth passed down to us from our spiritual forebears under the auspices of God's Holy Spirit.