The Inevitable Consequence of Forsaking Sola Scriptura: Union Seminary Embraces Buddhism and Hinduism
If one didn’t know any better, one would think that a place called Union Theological Seminary would be something at least tangentially related to Christianity. In fact, one might even be inclined to believe that this place would center its teachings on sound theological principles grounded in the Bible. But one would be wrong. In reality, Union Theological Seminary has devolved into a sideshow of theological eccentricities and apostate teachings. Once founded in the 19th century as an institution that aimed to prepare ministers and laypeople to serve God, the seminary is now more akin to a spiritual circus where the trapeze acts of worldly ideologies swing high above the sawdust floor of diluted faith.
To grasp the full extent of this spiritual devolution, one only needs to look back to the rise of figures like James Cone, the father of Black Liberation Theology. Cone's teachings, rife with a blend of Marxist ideology and spiritual platitudes, eventually completely erased the gospel from this school only to replace it with temporal concerns and social agendas. This break from traditional, biblical theology was just the next step in a seismic shift that paved the way for what the institution has become today—a breeding ground for every anti-Christian teaching under the sun.
And let's not overlook the seminary’s current ringmasters, like Cornell West, a professor whose queer theories and Marxist manifestos leave a veritable stench on the name of Christ. West, and others like him at Union, have championed all of these ideologies that are antithetical to the even the most baic teachings of Christianity—ideologies that question the very nature of God, the authority of Scripture, and the essence of the Gospel. The damage is incalculable.
The reality of it all is this—Union Theological Seminary is a glaring billboard advertising the consequences of theological waywardness. Union Theological Seminary is what happens when the gospel is relegated to the footnotes, when the Bible is twisted to conform to the fashions of the day, and when the eternal is sacrificed at the altar of the immediate. It is an institution that has become so consumed with the modern zeitgeist that it has forgotten the eternal truths that should be its very foundation.
Let's start with a gem from professor John J. Thatamanil's recent article, Healing desire: Hindu and Buddhist wisdom for our post-truth predicament, where he states that "We have come to believe that we can know the truth without paying any price." The sweet aroma of post-modernism—where the relentless pursuit of "your truth" is allowed, so long as it doesn't involve the actual truth of Scripture.
In Thatamanil's worldview, knowledge is inextricably linked to spirituality—just not the Spirit of God, mind you, but the fickle spirit of the world. "By disregarding spirituality, by refusing to take up the practices, experiences, purifications and ascetic exercises necessary, moderns refuse to see that subjects must become other than what they are in order for us to know rightly," he writes. So, in essence, we should abandon the doctrine of sola fide—justification by faith alone—and rely on "purifications" and "ascetic exercises" to achieve truth. I can just picture the slow clap from Martin Luther and John Calvin.
And speaking of grave matters, let's not forget the great "plant-worship" repentance ritual that Union Theological Seminary so bravely led a few years ago. Yes, confession to plants. You see, when you forgo the sufficiency of Scripture, this is the sort of enlightening activity you find yourself knee-deep in—spiritual dialogues with ferns and ficuses. One can only imagine the rich theological discourse taking place. "Dear Basil, forgive us for we have sinned. Lead us not into herbicide but deliver us from weeds. Amen."