Cafeteria Christianity
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] and 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 oneself 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.
Bible teaching against cafeteria Christianity
The Bible quotes Jesus as saying:
But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Matthew 4:4 (KJV)
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.