Idolatry of Excellence

If the most devastating behavioral characteristic within modern Fundamentalism is its tendency to empower loud consciences, its most subtle characteristic is an idolatry of excellence. While a student at Bob Jones University in 2005, all the music students were required to read a pamphlet on the school's philosophy of music education. A key premise of the booklet lay in a unique interpretation of Philippians 1:9-11. According to BJU, the "knowledge and discernment" under discussion aided Believers to "approve what is excellent" on an aesthetic level, with the result that more elevated aesthetic tastes made us more "pure and blameless." By implication, mature believers were those who acquired higher tastes for classical music. By further implication, the popular musical styles of the day were disgusting to God and had to be avoided. Upon any common sense understanding of the passage, this interpretation is absurd and not supported by any legitimate theological position. Paul clearly intended to encourage the Philippian Believers to grow in their love and knowledge of Christ so that their maturity in loving others and applying pure doctrine would bring glory to God. This assumption that our spiritual maturity is attached to our more improved aesthetic tastes is a quiet, yet widespread opinion held within Fundamentalism.

Fundamentalism betrays an idolatry of excellence in another way by demanding that Believers bring their very best to God, their King. God deserves our reverence, Fundamentalism says, and we show our reverence by coming into his presence with well-prepared (classical) music while wearing attire that we only ever otherwise see at a formal business dinner. (Note: there is nothing wrong with formal attire, and there was a day in American history where formal apparel was expected at most social functions. Additionally, it is a culturally accepted tradition that ministers might choose to dress formally while bringing the Word of God to a congregation.)

Dressing formally in church is a freedom to all Believers, and we may joyfully exercise that right. But dressing formally never turned God’s head in our direction, and by upholding that formal dress be the unspoken official dress code of the church, Fundamentalism has elevated the white-collar culture to a place of ill-deserved prominence. There is nothing inherently sinful about the white-collar culture in the US; the problem is that an entire brand of Christianity insists upon bringing a white-collar culture into their church in a vain effort to reverence their King.

           

To prevent confusion about what our King in Heaven desires, Christ began His sermon in Matthew 5 with the rhetoric of a king before His subjects. In declaring blessing upon a certain group of people, God in the Flesh declared His favor toward them. Christ proceeded to bestow favor upon the "poor in spirit." If our King in Heaven bestowed favor upon those who did their very best, then Fundamentalism would be correct. Instead, our King quite clearly favors a different group, those who are spiritually poor. King David, as an earthly king bowed in brokenness before his Heavenly King, reflected this truth during his confession of immorality: "For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; You will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." There is only one display of excellence that pleases our King, and it is not anything we can muster. Jesus Christ is the One and Only true display of excellence this world will ever see, and our King wants nothing more than to see us recognize our spiritual poverty and be clothed in the excellence of Christ. We reverence our King by exalting Christ. By thinking that our dress, standards, and artistic choices earn God's pleasure, we betray a theological error suggesting that God can be pleased with anything that we do by our own efforts. 

           

Fundamentalism might verbally downplay their white-collar church environments as resulting from personal preferences. Yet when the overwhelming majority demographic in every county of every state in the United States is middle and lower class, any active or passive endorsement of a white-collar culture in our churches creates the perception that God loves suit-and-tie, cultured, classical-music-loving, professional white collar people. White-collar churches successfully reach their own and bestow an unwelcome atmosphere to all other demographic types. 

           

Our King came to earth for one purpose and one purpose only: to reach a spiritually and physically poor human race and salve our souls with His most excellent righteousness. If anyone on this earth ought to feel favored to come before the King of the universe, they are those who are spiritually destitute. If there is anywhere on earth where all the spiritually sick and destitute of the earth ought to be able to run to the arms of Jesus Christ, it is the Church.

An unfortunate by-product of idolizing excellence above Christ is the desire to heap up and hoard pious living. Fundamentalism has (in some places) followed a Benjamin Franklin style of sanctification where spiritual virtues (fruit of the Spirit) are adopted and perfected. This form of sanctification perceives that spiritual maturity is God's form of personal enrichment for church members. Fundamentalism has become a refuge for people who want to be left alone to nurture their hobby of Spirit-filled living. Nothing could be farther from the heart of God Who gave us Christ that we might expose our Spirit-regenerated affections to the nations.

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