Only One Mediator
The call to discernment in the Christian life is rarely as simple as labeling some ideas “good” and others “bad.” It requires patiently asking what truth something contains and what error it smuggles in. It’s less like stamping passports and more like sorting jelly beans to find the black licorice ones—whether (correctly) to enjoy them or to throw them away. One of the books I’ve been reading recently is about spiritual trauma, and I’ve found myself doing a lot of that sorting. I want to discuss one example, because it highlights a real issue I’ve seen in the Christian world. The book argues that one cause of spiritual trauma is telling people they are intrinsically bad and helpless to change, and therefore must look outside themselves for rescue. This, the author claims, instills guilt and helplessness that inevitably leads to victimization. On the face of it, this denies the gospel. Scripture teaches that we are sinful. Not inherently in our creation, but now by nature as children of...
