Bill's Comments

When I was in high school, I would go to church camp for a week every summer. It was a wonderful time. Part of the program was classes that met every day to explain more deeply major concepts in the church's belief structure. I particularly remember the series on sin, in particular the so-called Seven Deadly Sins--Pride, Envy, Anger, Covetousness, Gluttony, Lust, and Sloth. One statement stuck out more than others--presumptuous sin was unforgivable. This is sin that is committed knowing at the time it is sinful, under the presumption that one will be forgiven afterwards.

Presumptuous sin ignores the admonition to always strive to do what is right. Forgiveness requires contrition, and a desire to not repeat the sinful acts. Presumptuous sin cannot be contrite, because one knows ahead of time that what is to be done is wrong, therefore one is not sorry for doing it. It also violates the desire not to repeat the act, because one is planning to do it. One could rename it pre-meditated sin.

Most preachers could wax rhapsodic on this theme, but I want to talk about a parallel concept that is never mentioned--presumptuous salvation. Presumptuous salvation is the assumption that by doing certain things one will be saved and go to Heaven. In effect, it is saying, "I can buy my way to Heaven," not necessarily with material goods, but with outwardly virtuous actions. It is a Christian version of Muslims' thinking that death by martyrdom is an automatic Go To Heaven card. During the Crusades, Christians thought in a similar way--go on the Crusade, kill the unbelievers, rescue Jerusalem from the non-Christians and thereby go to Heaven.

It is akin to the behavior attributed to the Pharisees, a formulaic way of living that required highly regulated behavior, to guarantee being ritually pure. Today we can see it in many Christian denominations with strong proscriptions on certain behavior--smoking, drinking, gambling--on the grounds that they are inherently sinful, and requirements for certain other behavior such as full-emersion baptism. These become a rigid code that is taken as a guarantee of reaching Heaven.

This type of thinking removes the need to actually have to be aware and judge one's thoughts and behavior. Virtue is doing right for the sake of doing right. This is doing right (as defined by the church leadership) for the goal of getting into Heaven.

It goes to motive, as the lawyers would say. There is no virtue in turning the other cheek, if the whole time one is resenting the first slap and wishing one could retaliate. Virtue is in genuinely not wanting to retaliate but feeling sad for all involved, understanding that retaliation simply leads to a worse situation. (BTW, this does not mean there should never be retaliation, but that is a whole other post.)

The most public form this takes is the person that takes the approach that as long as one is baptized, and professes to believe in salvation through Jesus crucifixion, then one is automatically saved. There is a bumper sticker that reflects this--"Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven." But the subtext here is actually presumptive sin--I am forgiven so I can sin again.

Along with this attitude of presumptive salvation, is the idea that anybody else who does not fit the formula is not saved. This is a great error by my judgement. It strikes me as totally inconsistent to state that God is loving, benevolent, and forgiving, generous with His grace.....but, only if you believe exactly as I do and act exactly as I do. From my viewpoint, a lot of Christians will have a big surprise coming when they die. Who makes it to Heaven will depend not on the minutia of behavior, but on one's attitudes. There will be non-Christians, and even atheists in Heaven, because they were genuinely virtuous people, and there will be many Christians missing, because they substituted presumptuous salvation for actual virtue.