What Leaving Pietism Feels Like | Theocast

The Goalpost-Shifting Logic of Pietism

Say, pietism within the realm of the Christian life constantly moves the goalposts. As soon as you are in this sermon series and the application is greater this or better that or more affections around this, you move on to the next series and it's a new thing.

Justin Perdue. Yeah, it's Linus and Lucy in the football. You run up with all your gumption, you go to kick it, and the ball is moved. You're almost depressed. Another thing I would say, the reason why pietism dies a slow and painful death is essentially like this.

Learning to Live on the Other Side of the Road

I think we have some listeners in the UK and our dear brethren over there drive on the other side of the road. Imagine moving to the UK if you're in the States or vice versa. You have to completely switch everything that you are used to.

Right turns are now treated like left turns, and left turns are now treated like right turns. I would imagine for those of you who are listening who have had this experience, as you approach your new vehicle in your new country, you got to the wrong side every time.

Pietism is like that. When you are coming out of it, you have a very clear set pattern. It's almost like a reward system. You have trained your brain that if I do this spiritual activity to this level, I will receive this kind of reward.

If I have my quiet time devotionals to this degree and have these sorts of feelings, today will go well for me. If I do not, God will be punitive towards me or God is backing away from me, backing out of His commitment.

Relearning the Christian Life Without Performance Logic

We often think that it's like a mirror image with God. As I back away from God, He backs away from me. That is what a pietistic brain teaches. To reemphasize, why it's a slow and painful death is because you are relearning how to drive a vehicle that you've been in before, which is the Christian life.

But it's completely on a different side.