H. L. Mencken was surrounded by Obedience Boys and Girls while he was growing up. His name for them was Puritan. Their example to him was not one of emulation but a self-righteousness that bred revulsion:
The service that [Anthony Comstock] performed, in his grandiose way, was no more than a magnification of humble Y.M.C.A. secretaries, evangelical clergymen, and other such lowly fauna. It is their function in the world to ruin their ideas by believing in them and living them. Striving sincerely to be patterns to the young, they suffer the ironical fate of becoming horrible examples. I remember very well, how, as a boy of ten, I was articled to the Y.M.C.A.: the aim was to improve my taste for respectability and so curb my apparently natural flair for the art and mystery of the highwayman. But a few months of contact with the official representatives of that great organization filled me with a vast loathing, not only for the men themselves, but also for all the ideas they stood for. Thus, at the age of eleven, I abandoned Christian Endeavor forevermore, and have been an antinomian ever since, contumacious to holy men and resigned to Hell. Old Anthony, I believe, accomplished much the same thing that the Y.M.C.A. achieved with me, but on an immeasurably larger scale. He did more than any other man to ruin Puritanism in the United States. When he began his long and brilliant career of unwitting sabotage, the essential principles of comstockery were believed in by practically every reputable American. Half a century later, when he went upon the shelf, comstockery enjoyed a degree of public esteem, at least in the big cities, half way between that enjoyed by phrenology and that enjoyed by homosexuality. It was, at best, laughable. It was, at worst, revolting. (“Souvenirs of a Book Reviewer,” Prejudices: Sixth Series)
Of course, the take away is not to throw in the towel and join Mencken’s antinomian team. It is rather to consider what happens when you tout sanctity in such a public and implicitly self-sanctimonious way. Perhaps the path of sanctification lies less in calling attention to yourself as an advocate of it and than in living a quiet and peaceful life.
Old Life 
I like this post except for the end. That is because I don’t see the solution in being a closet Puritan as described here. For the closet Puritan described here doesn’t love the world as God did as described in John 3:16. Rather, the closet Puritan isolates oneself from the world and does so while, perhaps, taking a Bible verse or two out of context. For the opposite of the Puritan described above is not becoming a closet Puritan, but it is being open about one being a sinner like everyone else. And one doesn’t have to embrace antinomianism to do so.
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“Perhaps the path of sanctification lies less in calling attention to yourself as an advocate of it and than in living a quiet and peaceful life.”
But would this not stifle the impulse to rent the Lorraine Motel and showily conferencize?
http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/our-time-to-speak
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Cw,
Yep.
#Yo
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Curt, why doesn’t a closet Puritan simply shut up about his own righteousness?
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D.G.,
Not being a closet Puritan, I wouldn’t know. But perhaps some who focus on living quiet and peaceful lives could tell us.
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Curt, mum’s the word.
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I’m not sure why the morally degenerate should have a field day while those who are offended by such degeneracy – because they see that it is not degeneracy but righteousness might benefit a nation, a society – remain on the sidelines, mum.
The issue is how to speak out for decency without becoming sanctimonious. Christ seemed to manage it, so perhaps we should try modelling Him with humility.
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David, of course, a difference exists between sanctity and decency, right. Though the way that Thabiti Anyabwile associates protesting with genuine faith, maybe the resolve for visible faith always collapses the saint’s obedience and social holiness.
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The Gospel, when accurately proclaimed and taught, will cause reaction from the self-righteous and sanctimonious- think the stoning of Stephan, Paul at Ephesus, or Acts chapter 13: 13-52. Nowadays, it is those who want to keep our attention focused on our progress in sanctification and the “work of the Spirit” rather than the Gospel who get most testy when their theology is challenged.
“There are many false gospels and only one true gospel. There are many different ways to be “legalist”. Either you are a legalist or you are not.
The only way NOT to be legalist is to know that the law demands perfect righteousness and that the gospel joyfully explains how Christ satisfied that demand for the elect. One certain result of the righteousness earned by Christ is that the elect will believe this gospel and not any false gospel.
The workers who came before the the judgment in Matthew 7 were sure that their works were enough. They don’t know if their works (even though helped along they think by the Holy Spirit) are satisfactory.
They were not antinomians and they were not insincere. They probably believed in election also (or at least the unconditional right of Israel to the land!). But instead of pleading a Christ who got done a perfect righteousness, they pleaded their “sanctification”
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Curt: For the closet Puritan described here doesn’t love the world as God did as described in John 3:16.
That is the funniest line of the year, still a week to go. And just WHO do you suggest loves the world as God did in John 3:16????????????????????????
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Anyabwile’s post is over the top and irresponsible, sloppy and lacking in careful consideration of the conclusions that will be reached by many. And it wasn’t written weeks ago in the fires of passion, it was posted this week.
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The issue is how to speak out for decency without becoming sanctimonious. Christ seemed to manage it, so perhaps we should try modelling Him with humility.
The way Anyabwile does? Where?
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The Lorraine Motel has been made into the Museum of Civil Rights, from the slave ships right to the very spot of the murder of MLK.
Did the tour back in 2000 while on a file in the Delta, Graceland in the afternoon.
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“the aim was to improve my taste for respectability and so curb my apparently natural flair for the art and mystery of the highwayman.”
Sounds like what Doug Sowers is on patrol looking for…
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Comstock
The Baylys must love this guy. Imagine how he would he would have policed blog comments.
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