Did Youth Triennium emphasize experience over Jesus? An analysis by Tracee D. Hackel Layman Correspondent Friday, September 4, 1998  Five
teen-agers sat silently, thinking over the most important thing they
would take home from the 7th Presbyterian Youth Triennium. One young
woman spoke up eagerly, “I will go home more willing to tell people
about my faith in Jesus because I know 6,600 others who aren’t
afraid to say they love Jesus.” The others agreed. Surely it is good that young people are excited about Jesus, but such excitement must not excuse sloppy theology. While she may not have known it, this participant captured, in that little phrase “my faith in Jesus,” a major theological theme of the Triennium. Songs like Deep Down which asked, “Do you love your Jesus?” and had participants respond, “Yes, I love my Jesus!”, along with small group exercises that challenged the historicity of Jesus Christ, and labeled Paul’s letters, “an extensive statement of personal faith,” reinforced the belief that one person’s idea of Jesus is as valid as another’s. The most serious theological flaw Triennium is the world’s largest gathering of Presbyterian and Reformed youth; but this theology is neither Reformed nor Biblical. Reformed theology is clear; it is the historical person and work of Jesus Christ that saves. At root, Christianity is based on a fact of history, not our own ideas. Paul’s letters are not a “statement of personal faith,” they are a statement of the truth about Jesus Christ. Underlying this “personal Jesus” theology is perhaps the most serious theological flaw plaguing not only Triennium but the Church, especially its youth ministry: the elevation of experience as the only judge of truth. This thinking undermines biblical Reformed theology by abandoning the Bible in favor of human experience. “Lighthouses” were explained to our International Delegates as the small groups where they would share their experiences.“This,” said the staff person closing their orientation, “is how Jesus Christ comes into focus.” During a worship drama the actors ask how the light will come. Another responds, “I don’t really know that yet....” Jesus appears later and tells people to look for him in worship, small groups, and fellow participants. He finishes by telling participants to “look for me in the faces of others, I will be calling you.” What is missing here, as it was in our Lighthouse sessions, is any reference to the Bible. Reformed theology has always placed high value on having one’s calling confirmed by fellow believers, but never void of the mandate to test it by Scripture.  Experience
over Word The emphasis on experience over Word was evident from worship plans which included only three sermons. However, “experience” was created at the expense of clear Biblical teaching. The first drama/multi-media presentation began as a voice off-stage read the first two verses of Genesis and large screens were lit with images of violence and destruction. These images continued as the voice-over proclaimed that in the beginning the world was a lonely, violent place with darkness in every crevice: pollution ... racism ... divorce ... suicide ... greed ... intoler- ance ... etc. “As far as God could see darkness covered everything. “Then God said ‘NO MORE! Let there be light!’ And there was light and the light was good!” At these words the auditorium filled with blinding light, the actors changed into bright colors, golden streamers unfurled across stage, a large rainbow colored star-symbol ascended the back stage wall, and the actors turned toward the star with hands upraised. Such a powerful display communicated a strong message to participants, as was evidenced by one young man in our Lighthouse who, during a word association, answered “God” with “made a mistake,” and “creation” with “messed up.” In placing sin and darkness in the context of Genesis 1, the Triennium staff did what generations of Reformed theologians have been careful to avoid. They made God the author of evil and removed from ourselves any responsibility for the sorry state of the world. In the interest of a powerful dramatic presentation careful theology and proper biblical order were sacrificed. In addition, Jesus was portrayed as a weak messenger of the “light” who was “here to listen,” and when his calling was refused, cried out, “Why can’t they understand me?” The crucifixion was not portrayed as “for us” but “by us,” as the same actors who refused to heed Jesus’ call nailed him to the cross. This understanding was developed in such a way that it failed to distinguish between Law and Gospel. 'Your perception of justice' In our Lighthouse study of Isaiah 59, we were asked the question, “How does your perception of justice relate to the story of crucifixion told today?” One of the students asked whether or not the leader meant to say “justification.” The death of Jesus was “explained” as a social injustice, the execution of an innocent man. On Sunday morning, those who were held up to the audience as people ‘living in the light’ included Martin Luther King, Jimmy Carter, Mother Theresa, Ghandi, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Princess Diana of Wales. Salvation, according to this presentation, does not have to do with faith in Jesus Christ, inasmuch as it has to do with working for social justice in the world. Reformed theology has always taught the importance of being Christians in the world, but the Gospel is not primarily about doing good, that is about doing the Law; the Gospel is, first and foremost, about the good done for us by Jesus Christ.  The
message of the Triennium Sunday’s worship ended with the preacher making the point that when we let our light shine we “give permission to others to let their light shine.” What is more, “We have been liberated from places of fear and darkness and our presence automatically liberates others.” Here in sum was the message of Triennium. Springing off of the Isaiah 60:1 text “Arise, shine, your light has come,” the constant emphasis was on the “your.” It is our light, an internal and subjective experience, that changes the world. This is a blatant misinterpretation of Isaiah, who is referring to the Messiah, Jesus Christ, “the light of the world,” an objective reality. The only liberator according to the Bible and Reformed theology is Jesus Christ, who alone has the power to free people from fear and darkness, not by his mere presence, but by his atoning work on the cross. Triennium was a lot of fun, but there are more important things than entertainment. These young people are not only our future church leaders, they are our present church. We made promises to them when they were baptized that we would teach them to know Jesus Christ, not my Jesus Christ, but the Jesus Christ. In light of such vows made before Almighty God we ought to expect not only the administration of our youth conferences to be solid, but the theology as well. Tracee D. Hackel is a student at Dubuque Theological Seminary. |
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| Underlying this “personal Jesus” theology is perhaps the most serious theological flaw plaguing not only Triennium but the Church, especially its youth ministry: the elevation of experience as the only judge of truth. This thinking undermines biblical Reformed theology by abandoning the Bible in favor of human experience. |  |
| Tracee D. Hackel | |
| Reports and photos of the Youth Triennium from the PC(USA) web site | |
| See related story: Presbyterian Youth Triennium a ‘life-changing experience’ | |
| Editorial from the September/October issue of The Presbyterian Layman | |
| The Presbyterian Layman, current issue | |
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