Jesus is the Reason

Part 1, The Pernicious Problem of Warrant Theology

This is a series devoted to drawing attention to a widespread and pernicious theological habit. I shall coin a name for this theological tendency. We will call it "warrant theology."

By "warrant" I mean the justification, reason, cause, rationale or basis for making a claim or taking action. Like we see in a police warrant, the warrant states the justification/reason/cause for your arrest. Similarly, if you draw a conclusion from some observations, we can ask: Is your conclusion "warranted" by the evidence? That is, is your conclusion justified and founded upon good reasons?

So, what is "warrant theology"? 

Warrant theology uses the logic that "Jesus is the reason" for doing something. Jesus as warrant. Jesus as justification, reason, cause, and rationale. We do X in the world "because of" Jesus.

The reason warrant theology is so pernicious is that, most of the time, it works. For followers of Jesus, Jesus is the reason we do everything in life. So, what's the problem here?

There are many related ways to describe the potential problems with warrant theology. A common problem is that warrant theology can tempt you into mistaking the means for the end. This is the problem I'll most focus on. 

When we say "Jesus is the reason" what, exactly, are we saying? We could be saying that Jesus is the end, the telos, the target and the goal. We are doing X to move toward Jesus. We are imitating Jesus. We are conforming to the image of Jesus. This is good. Jesus as "end."

But the phrase "Jesus is the reason" could also imply that Jesus is being used, not as the end, but as the means, as the justification for doing X. This framework--Jesus as means toward an end--is much more problematic.

Here's a crude example. Let's say you want something in the world. You want to make money. You want to become successful. You want to get a divorce. Now, to justify this to yourself and others, you need a reason, a justification, a warrant. And so, we use Jesus. Jesus legitimizes our pursuit of what we want. 

Consider the Prosperity Gospel. Is Jesus being used as end or means in the prosperity gospel? That is, is the pursuit of wealth a Christlike goal and end? Or is Christ being used as a religious justification for the pursuit of wealth?

Consider Christian Nationalism. Is Jesus being used as end or means in Christian Nationalism? That is, is the pursuit of political power a Christlike goal and end? Or is Christ being used as a religious justification for the pursuit of political power?

I hope these examples illustrate the point. Of course, Jesus is the reason Christians do everything in the world. But there is some ambiguity in that phrase "Jesus is the reason." Is Jesus my goal? Or is Jesus being used as justification for something I want?