Cafeteria Christianity

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Cafeteria Christianity refers to the practice of deciding for oneself which parts of the Bible to accept, as one might select certain foods in a cafeteria while rejecting others.[1] This implies that the person is a Christian in name only and, while believing in a deity, does not adhere to any particular creed of Christianity - perfering to decide for themself how to express their faith. Other terms include "salad-bar Christianity" and "cherry-picking Christianity."

This practice is particularly common among liberal denominations, which cite only those passages which show Christ's forgiveness and mercy, but not His justice, in order to deny the existence of Hell and the necessity of faith for redemption. Matt. 7:1, "Judge not, that ye be not judged" is quoted out of context particularly often for this purpose. Likewise, they selectively ignore passages which refute evolution, condemn abortion, make statements about the role of women that refute modern feminist dogmas, and conflict with other liberal views. Liberal Christians are also fond of citing Scripture selectively in order to rebuke only someone else's sins.

However, cafeteria Christianity is not limited to the left side of the political spectrum. There are examples of people who profess to be conservative Christians, and who are later found to have ignored Biblical scripture in their own lives, such as those who have committed adultery, or who have participated in a homosexual lifestyle.

Espousing cafeteria Christianity invalidates a person's Christian witness. If a self-proclaimed Christian does not take the entire Bible seriously, unbelievers will assume that they need not do so, either. A cafeteria Christian can even endanger the faith of others by spreading false doctrine as though it were genuine Christianity.[2]

Bible teaching against cafeteria Christianity

The Bible quotes Jesus as saying:


Note: "every word," not "some words." The counterargument of many cafeteria Christians is that the word of the authors of certain parts of the Bible is not necessarily the word of God. However, absent evidence that a certain passage of the Bible is not God's Word (e.g., Paul's explicit statement that he is expressing a personal view), that counterargument is circular, as it assumes the propriety of cherry-picking the Bible in order to justify cherry-picking the Bible.

Confusion as to just how literally Biblical texts should be taken abounds, even amongst those who generally accept the Bible to be the word for God. Few would argue, for example, with the statement: 'However, the bible cannot be interpreted literally, if this was the case then rebellious children would be killed: Deuteronomy 21:18-21. Also, Women may not speak in church: Cor 14:33-36. The bible is not a collection of dogmatic and strict rules, it is a book of God that promotes compassion, faith in God, truth, and love.'[3]

Proof texts

A common tactic used by cafeteria Christians is reliance on proof texts. A proof text (sometimes spelled prooftext) is a short passage from Scripture that is cited, typically out of context, to support a doctrinal position that the Bible when read as a whole may not support.[4] When cafeteria Christians are confronted with Bible verses that contradict the results of their prooftexting, they typically ignore such Bible verses. If they do respond, they switch quickly from "The Word of God is the Word of God, and it says what it says" to "Yes, that's what it says, but what it means is ...."

See also


  1. "Cafeteria Christianity," from the Church of God - DFW
  2. How to Spot a Cafeteria Christian
  4. Definition of Christian Terms - Prooftexting