Cafeteria Christianity

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Cafeteria Christianity is a derogatory term used by some Christians to label individual Christians or Christian churches who, they believe, select which religious doctrines they will follow, and which they will not. [

The term has no status in official Catholic teachings. However, the practice of selective adherence to the magisterium of the church has been repeatedly condemned through the teaching of the Popes:

*In a homily delivered on April 18, 2005, Pope Benedict XVI clarified the relation of dissent to faith: [] However, the Council did retain the prohibitions against eating meat containing blood, or meat of animals not properly slain, and against "fornication" and idol worship. [Karl Josef von Hefele's [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf214.viii.v.iv.ii.html Commentary on canon II of Gangra] notes: "We further see that, at the time of the Synod of Gangra, the rule of the Apostolic Synod with regard to blood and things strangled was still in force. With the Greeks, indeed, it continued always in force as their Euchologies still show. Balsamon also, the well-known commentator on the canons of the Middle Ages, in his commentary on the sixty-third Apostolic Canon, expressly blames the Latins because they had ceased to observe this command. What the Latin Church, however, thought on this subject about the year 400, is shown by St. Augustine in his work Contra Faustum, where he states that the Apostles had given this command in order to unite the heathens and Jews in the one ark of Noah; but that then, when the barrier between Jewish and heathen converts had fallen, this command concerning things strangled and blood had lost its meaning, and was only observed by few. But still, as late as the eighth century, Pope Gregory the Third 731 forbade the eating of blood or things strangled under threat of a penance of forty days. No one will pretend that the disciplinary enactments of any council, even though it be one of the undisputed Ecumenical Synods, can be of greater and more unchanging force than the decree of that first council, held by the Holy Apostles at Jerusalem, and the fact that its decree has been obsolete for centuries in the West is proof that even Ecumenical canons may be of only temporary utility and may be repealed by disuser, like other laws."] Beginning with Augustine of Hippo ["Contra Faust", 32.13] , many have seen a connection to Noahide Law, while some modern scholars [For example: Joseph Fitzmyer, "The Acts of the Apostles (The Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries)", Yale University Press (December 2, 1998), ISBN 0300139829, chapter V] reject the connection to "Noahide Law" () and instead see as the basis. See also Old Testament Law directed at non-Jews and Leviticus 18. The modern debate over the definition of "fornication" and whether or not it includes "Leviticus 18" is part of the Homosexuality and Christianity debate.

References

ee also

*Biblical law in Christianity
*Antinomianism
*Legalism (theology)
*New Covenant
*Hermeneutics
*Humanistic Judaism
*Red-Letter Christian
*Cherry picking
*Cultural Mormon
*Sunday Christian
*Lapsed Catholic
*Sabbath in Christianity
*Bibliolatry
*New Wine into Old Wineskins
*Dual-covenant theology

External links

* [http://www.christianpost.com/article/editorial/322/section/moralistic.therapeutic.deism--the.new.american.religion/1.htm Moralistic Therapeutic Deism - the New American Religion]
* [http://www.churchofgoddfw.com/monthly/cafeteria.html COG article on Cafeteria Christianity]
* [http://www.christring.org/pastorruss/CafeteriaChristianity.htm Pastor Russ Reese on Cafeteria Christianity]
* [http://www.concernedcatholics.org/cafeteria.htm Cafeteria Catholics]
* [http://www.madisoncatholicherald.org/2005-10-27/spirituality.html Madison Catholic Herald: Cafeteria Christians]
* [http://www.stlukeorthodox.com/html/innews/sodomy.cfm St. Luke Orthodox Church: Sodomy and Cafeteria Christians]
* [http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=4314 Pope Benedict decries cafeteria Catholicism]
* [http://uscatholic.claretians.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5810&news_iv_ctrl=1282&abbr=usc_&JServSessionIdr001=wvef3ctvl1.app14b U.S. Catholic Magazine: Cafeteria Catholics]
* [http://jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=245&letter=N&search=New%20Testament#700 Jewish Encyclopedia: New Testament: For and Against the Law]
* [http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Cafeteria+Catholics+don't+need+to+get+in+line-a020102579 Cafeteria Catholics don't need to get in line] by Jack Rathschmidt, O.F.M. Cap.
* [http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/religion/jan-june08/pope_04-15.html PBS NewsHour: Papal Visit Prompts Reflection on U.S. Catholic Identity] : "DAVID GIBSON: That we're all cafeteria Catholics, essentially, you know, and that has been kind of the label that's been applied to Catholics in the United States. And I think it's fair enough. It's kind of a pejorative label, but I think people, also, from left to right, to use those kinds of crude labels, I think people do pick and choose to a great degree the teachings that they want to emphasize."