Christian Freudom

No, that's not a misspelling. It's a clever phrase Carl Trueman develops in a characteristically winsome manner in a recent article for Reformation21 online. He begins by discussing the complexity of human motivation, and that sometimes even in "serious" theological discourse we can see Freud's insights at work. For example, a person writing a very critical appraisal of dispensational eschatology might also be trying to free himself from the clutches of his fundamentalist upbringing by exposing the shaky doctrine he was taught as a child. Next, Trueman goes to point out that many young Reformed folk have adopted practices they consider "Christian freedom" but are in fact only strong reactions to a legalistic background. Drinking or smoking then becomes the classic expression of Christian liberty. Here's part of the conclusion (I recommend reading the rest for yourself!):

"In closing, it is perhaps worth mentioning the most famous foul-mouthed Christian beer drinker of them all: Martin Luther. It is a well-known fact that his language was rough and ready, frequently obscene, and that it became more extreme and offensive the longer he lived. Over the years, scholars have wrestled with the reasons for this, from his dysfunctional relationship with his father to his chronic constipation to his desire to present himself as a man of the common people. Certainly, the extremity of his vocabulary raises all manner of interesting psychological questions. But what is interesting is that – to my knowledge – Luther does not make his foul-mouth the test case of Christian freedom and maturity; and beer drinking is only the most trivial instance for him of such liberty. Indeed, Luther actually emphasizes rather different elements in his understanding of Christian freedom...."