Moralism, Cheap Grace vs Cruciform Love – Bradley Jersak

Dietrich Bonhoeffer What is Moralism? Moralism is NOT merely the desire to live a moral life. Moralism is a compulsion to justify oneself and to judge others.  Moralism replaces living faith and a desire for God with an emphasis on who is included in or excluded from one’s in-group. It prohibits and requires behaviors based on the moral judgments of my religious community or ideological brand.  Moralism often pits holiness against love, pretending that an ethic shaped by love, mercy and grace compromises holiness, truth and justice. However, Jesus taught no such division. He described being “perfect as ...