Moore to the Point of Rob Bell

Moore to the Point of Rob Bell

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I have just finished reading Dr. Moore's "The Blood-Drained Gospel of Rob Bell"  on his blog (Moore to the Point) tonight. 

Rob Bell's disdain for the Gospel runs deeper than I was aware of originally. 

In my "Bells Hell" post, I discussed the corrupted account of Christian history that Rob Bell presents so that he can have an avenue to deliver a non-canonical Gospel account.  In my post, I discussed the way that Bell discounts the significance of the resurrection. Bell claims that resurrection stories, for example, were so common that no one basically would've been impressed with a reiteration thereof.  New Testament era people, as Bell claims, had heard so many resurrection stories that the act of being resurrected would fail to differentiate Jesus from all of the other gods of antiquity that had done as much at earlier dates, etc.

Not being content with corrupting the Gospel account to the degree that he has already done thus far, Bell continues with his heretical campaign in his new book.  As Dr. Moore reports, Bell now has moved on to attack the blood of the Lamb.  


Bell claims that the blood of the Lamb (you know the blood that cleanses us of our sins?), is nothing more than a metaphor that the Bible uses as a literary tool so that the culture at the time would be able to understand sin, guilt and atonement.  Bell goes on to say that most people today do not live in a society that offers blood sacrifices  to gods and therefore, the meaning is lost on us.  


As has been noted on this blog before, Bell is notorious for changing the meaning of terms and with this, we should not be surprised that Bell would try to de-emphasize the blood of the Lamb.  Bell  also has proclivities for changing the history account and therefore, it should not surprise us that Bell claims that the early Biblical account of blood is a rip off from pagan accounts.  


To stand in correction, Dr. Moore rightly points out that the blood atonement of Christ is a prehistoric account and not a metaphor.  Moore continues and reminds us that the blood is the life of the animal and was understood to be so in a reverent account. 


Moore also goes on and continues to give additional significant accounts of the blood as how it is portrayed in the Bible and with this, it is worth reading his blog to get a more detailed description that he is better at providing than I am.  

The main point that I want to emphasize here is how Bell continues to discredit and devalue everything that is orthodoxy.  All of Christianity hinges on the resurrection and for Bell to make any attempts to devalue it as he's done in the past, is an attack upon the very faith itself.  Similar to the resurrection, the blood is also intrinsically linked to the cornerstone of the faith.  Without the blood atonement of Christ, we have no forgiveness of sins.  Bell continues with his attack against Christianity through his attack on the blood.  Bell wants the forgiveness of sins but he doesn't like the judgment that is intrinsically linked with it.  

Perhaps, it is his disdain for all-perfect judgment, that gives Bell reason to attack the blood of the faith;

By removing the blood language, the language of sacrifice, we remove what it means to sing with the redeemed of all of the ages, “for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation” (Rev. 5:9). If you remove the blood from the doorposts of Egypt, all that’s left is judgment. The same thing happens when you remove the blood from the gospel.

Jesus offends us with our own blood, reminding us that what runs through our veins will one day run cold. He tells us then that in order to live, we must be united to the life-blood of another, a blood spilled for rebels like us. Jesus’ blood speaks a better word than Abel’s. It tells us precisely what Bell would like us to ignore: God is just and judgment is sure.  - Dr. Russell Moore

Let us not be ashamed of the Gospel.  Let us embrace the amazing resurrection of Christ that the philosophers in Athens were amazed at hearing about because it was so unique to anything that they had ever heard of before. Let us embrace the blood of the Lamb that cleanses us of our sins and rescues us from the judgment and wrath of God.  

The Gospel is such a beautiful account of God's loving attributes, it's ashamed that Rob Bell fails to see the all perfect love that wins - the all perfect love that redeems us by grace through faith in Christ Jesus!

May it all be for His glory,

W. 

How Do You Account For the Hope That Is In You?

How Do You Account For the Hope That Is In You?

"but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect," -1 Peter 3:15

In addition to having the good fortune of authoring a blog, I also have a YouTube channel listing various videos; sermons, videos that are apologetic in nature, videos that warn of false teaching as well as videos that address the account of creation.  In response to videos, I often have an opportunity to deliver the Gospel to atheists that freely offer their criticisms of God, Jesus, the Bible, Christians, our account of creation, as well as our position as it holds to abortion.  Over the course of time, I hear a whole assortment of questions and arguments that the "well intentioned" atheist keeps in his/her toolbox of rhetoric.

One of the questions I'll occasionally get, addresses the hope that I have in Christ.  I'm asked a variant of the question that asks, how do I know that I am worshiping the true religion and not a false one?  The question of this nature will typically have a post-modern spin on it that presupposes that there is not a way I can be assured of the hope that I have in me because; 1.) there's no way for me to know the truth, or 2.) religion is relevant, the truth of one religion is as valid as the truth in another religion.  Arguments that claim that I can't know the truth will usually take a spin in the direction that claims my information cannot be validated the same as scientific data and therefore is null and void.  


Another argument that I get pertaining to truth is that I can't trust my senses.  Arguments that take on the spin of relevancy will insist that the teachings of Mohammad and Buddha are as relevant as the ones we received from Christ.  Some of this heretical rhetoric will deviate from true historical figures and instead argue in mythical terms; saying that Jesus is a mythical figure that is no different from the Greek gods of Cronos and Zeus.  The truth of Christ, in other words, is no more valid than that of the Greek gods of antiquity (that didn't exist).  


At least with this view of mythical proportion, however, there's not a bias that criticizes the truth of antiquity.  I actually encounter critics that imply Christianity lacks legitimacy, saying that it is a religion that comes from desert tribesmen that lived thousands of years ago.   It's amazing that it does not occur to these critics that their argument is a logical fallacy.  Being a tribesman, for example, has no bearing on a truth that is revealed. Occupation, in other words, has no bearing on the validity of a truth that has been "revealed" by God.  Also, The amount of time that elapses has absolutely no bearing on the validity of truth.  Truth does not have an expiration date the same as you will find on a carton of milk. 

The host of arguments used to question the Christian about the hope that we have in Christ varies in flavor but not in spirit.  At the heart of questions that have been discussed thus far is not one of true academic inquiry but one of judgment.  Atheists are full of condemnation that they wish to bestow upon God and it is in their heart's content to do this through various avenues; one of which is through their inquiry that is performed in the fashion of a trial lawyer.  If you do not believe me, review my encounters that I have had with them and see how they insist to put God on trial with their blind accusations made out of hate. 


The truth found in scripture can save lost men.  Somehow the truth of scripture, however, eludes the atheist.  It is highly improbable that truth is going to be found in attempts to quote mine.  As a result, the atheist remains ignorant and blind of the good news of the Gospel.  In spite of my consistent reiteration of the work that Christ has done on the cross, they insist on putting God on trial for crimes of inhumanity.  In their eyes, they see all of the people that God killed in the Old Testament and are completely oblivious to all of the ones saved in the Book of Acts.  They fail to see that the wages of sin is death and that hell is a just consequence delivered by a holy and righteous God.  They fail to see there's good news in the atonement work of Christ that He fulfilled on the cross so that we may live.  Unfortunately, they also fail to see that the same work of Christ that saved a wretch like me can also save them.


It is my hope that in spite of blindness, that lost men may come to be saved by God's grace.  The most prominent way of fulfilling the Great Commission is to deliver the Gospel.  When delivering the Gospel, however, we are often asked about the hope that we have in us and in this, we should embrace 1 Peter 3:15 and be ready to give our account in any given time.  


I have been recently asked how I know that I can trust my senses and that I'm not worshipping a false religion.


I gave the following response;


1.) I have Moses and the Prophets that announced the coming of my Savior. When my Savior did come, He fulfilled what was prophesied about Him. So, in other words, There was a revelation given in history. The likelihood of one person fulfilling all of the prophesies as accounted by numerous men over considerable periods of time is more than an incidental quark that some desert tribal men got lucky with when they "made it all up".


2.) Unlike all of the false religions in the world, my Savior has an empty grave and a resurrection that has been verified by numerous eye witnesses. This testimony is discounted by scoffers, however, they fail to recognize that the account that we have today would be held admissible in a court of law today. Check out my RC Sproul video - "Why believe Christianity".  Sproul in this video is quite right in his assessment, Muhammad and Buddha are dead. Jesus, however, lives and has left behind an empty tomb.


3.) Jesus' enemies never denied His miracles; one of the things he did, so you would "believe". If anyone had a reason to discount miracles, it would be the Pharisees and Sadducees, in which, they never did deny his verified accounts of his many miracles.


4.) I have the Gospel, the power of God for salvation to anyone who will believe, first to the Jew and also to the Greek. Faith comes by hearing and hearing comes by the word of Christ in which I have heard and believed. When I believed, God renewed my heart. He ripped out my heart of stone and gave me a heart of flesh. He gave me a new nature - that only God can do. I have been changed! Praise God who saves lost men like me.


I by no account profess that this explanation is as comprehensive as it could be, etc.  At the same time, however, this apologetic could be abbreviated or expanded upon in contingency of context.  I also suspect that my explanation will mature as I grow in cognitive and spiritual maturity.  


I would love to hear from you.  Please by all means, give your account of the hope that you have in you if you had to present this to a skeptic with an agenda.

May it all be for His glory,

W. 

David Platt - What Happens to Those Who Never Hear the Gospel

David Platt - What Happens to Those Who Never Hear the Gospel

Commentary on Challies' Review of Rob Bell's "Love Wins"

Commentary on Challies' Review of Rob Bell's "Love Wins"

As promised, here is a response to Tim Challies' book review of Rob Bell's new controversial book; "Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived".  

Most of you know by now, if you are reading this post, Bell's book has been the center of attention since February 26th, when Justin Taylor published a blog post (based on Bell's promotional material) announcing Bell as a universalist.  As a result of this post, the controversy about Bell has been discussed/debated/argued extensively via blogs and Twitter.  Some do so in the name of perserving orthodoxy while some do so in the hope of perserving Bell's name.  Still yet, there are others that do so in a desperate attempt to unravel Bell's discombobulated message and gain a fragment of coherent meaning that might be camouflaged in a mist of ambiguity.  Irrespective of what has been said thus far, Bell has remained silent and has made no public attempt to defend his name, his theology or his book.  Perhaps Challies' review of this controversial work will reveal a brilliant revelation from Bell.

If you haven't done so yet, for the sake of clarity and as a means to gain familiarity, I highly recommend for you to read Challies' review before reading this commentary.

First of all, Tim Challies and Aaron Armstrong are to be commended for writing a well thought out and coherent review of this yet to be released book.  Thank you for clearing up some much sought after information that has been difficult to obtain outside of a review of this nature.

Challies' and Armstrong's review, for me, substantiated a lot of what I have already discussed in previous posts.  Namely, Bell insists on asking a series of questions as a means to instruct.  Unfortunately, however, instead of shedding light on the subject matter at hand, Bell seems to only bring more confusion.  Challies and Armstrong bring out the point that Bell's questions do lead to an end and are more than academic inquiry.  Through Bell's questions, we do see Bell latching onto the concept that God is love and He has good news for us.  Bell's understanding of God and His good news, however, differ from orthodox teaching.  Bell uses orthodox terms but he re-defines them as a way of reconciling unpleasant concepts that are not palpable to him.  Bell, for example, never denies that there is a hell but cannot accept that a loving God would send someone there for eternity.  Bell makes an argument that the Greek word "aion" that is used in the Bible to indicate that hell is for eternity also carries with it the meaning of "age", "period of time" or "intensity of experience".  

With Bell's linguistic yoga that he performs with the Greek word "aion", he seems to neglect the fact that context should be used as a method of deriving correct usage/meaning.  I love Challies' argument stating that we would not be so quick to jump at the alternative meaning, given what the word would yield if we used it in John 3:16;

"For God so loved the world that He sent His only Son so that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have life for a period of time."

I doubt Bell would embrace this interpretation either. Bell has a theology of social justice where we are not God's stewards but His partners. It wouldn't be very encouraging if we were to only enjoy this privilege for a "period of time".  Together, instead, we are going to make the world a better place and in this better place, hell is “a word that refers to the big, wide, terrible evil that comes from the secrets hidden deep without our hearts all the way to the massive, society-wide collapse and chaos that comes when we fail to live in God’s world God’s way” (p. 95).

I'm not going to reiterate Challies' and Armstrong's entire post because they can summarize Bell's book in it's entirety much better than I.  There are, however, two more things I would like to address before I end this post.

First, if you will please recall, in other posts I have published; I discussed Bell's proclivity to alter and re-write history on his terms.  It appears that he has not lost his affinity to corrupt the historical account.  In Bell's book, he continues to insist that history has been altered and differs from the version that we have today.  Please consider Challies' account of this phenomenon; 

Jesus’ story has been hijacked by a number of different stories that Jesus has no interest in telling. “The plot has been lost, and it’s time to reclaim it.” (Preface, vi)

A staggering number of people have been taught that a select few Christians will spend forever in a peaceful, joyous place called heaven, while the rest of humanity spends forever in torment and punishment in hell with no chance for anything better…. This is misguided and toxic and ultimately subverts the contagious spread of Jesus’ message of love, peace, forgiveness, and joy that our world desperately needs to hear. (ibid)

Irrespective of being exposed to Bell's irreverence that he has for history, I still have major issues with his criminal assault.  It's almost like the man is a victim of delusions of grandeur in which I don't know if I should feel sorry for him or be mad at him for the act of evil he consistently practices.  If you note from my Bell's Hell post, Bell has an agenda for altering history.  Bell has to alter history as a way of negating the current gospel account so that he can substitute it with his own account.  As previously mentioned numerous times in Bell's gospel, God is great and He wants all men saved; how great would He be, however, if He lost some to hell?  God must, in the end, save all men in order for Him to illustrate His ultimate love and grace that are intrinsically linked to His attributes.

Finally, I'd like to take an opportunity to directly answer the questions that Challies' post on his blog that he doesn't necessarily address in a direct manner;

"The questions you probably want answers to as you read this review are these: Is it true that Rob Bell teaches that hell doesn’t exist? Is it true that Rob Bell believes no one goes to hell? You’ll just need to keep reading because, frankly, the answers aren’t that easy to come by."

1.)  Is it true that Rob Bell teaches that hell doesn't exist?

No, it's not true.  Unfortunately it is widely held that all universalists deny the existence of hell altogether. This is not true.  Some universalists do not deny the existence of hell but deny that it lasts for eternity.  Rob Bell can believe in hell and still be a universalist.  If you read Challies' post, you will see that Bell does not deny hell but re-defines it, the same as he does with most orthodox terms; it's the only way he can pass off his heretical teaching so that it may have a look of legitimacy.

2.)  Is it true that Rob Bell believes no one goes to hell?

No, it's not true the Rob Bell believes that no one goes to hell.  As previously stated, Bell can accept that people go to hell and still be a universalist.  According to Challies, however, Bell's hell is void of God's wrath and fire so it fails to meet the criteria listed in orthodox teaching.

I hope that this post may prove to be somewhat helpful to anyone that reads it.  I may post more responses to Bell's work in regards to his new book, it all depends on where the spirit leads me.  As much as it pleases me to see evangelicals step up to bat and defend doctrine, it also at the same time concerns me that all of the hoopla that has given Bell so much publicity will probably sell an untold volume of books for him.  God is good though and in spite of Bell's insistence to alter history so that he may present a different gospel, I am seeing where others are taking this as an opportunity to post on such topics as hell and universalism.  May these posts be used to glorify God and edify the Saints.  God has an uncanny ability to make good things spring from evil events.  This current event is no different and in no way negates God's sovereignty.  Perhaps this issue will force the churches that have been avoiding the topic of hell like the plague to finally give credence to this biblical teaching that is as much as a part of God's word as the parts in the Bible that are not offensive to our carnality.

Grace and Peace,

W.

What Are Bell's Early Reviews Saying?

What Are Bell's Early Reviews Saying?

With all of the speculation as to what is in Rob Bell's controversial book, "Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived", it will be interesting to see what the early book reviews have to say.  As reported in a previous post, Tim Challies' review will be out by Wednesday or Thursday so this brief summary will be in reference to the reviews that have been posted on Scott Dixon's "The Tenth Leper" blog as well as what Greg Boyd reports in his recent post.  I will probably post a separate post in response to Challies' soon to be released post in the next day or so.

Starting off with a brief summary of what can be surmised from Dixon's posts pertaining to Bell's book can best be viewed in today's post that Dixon has published.  Dixon goes on about how hard it is to interpret what Bell is exactly trying to communicate/advocate.  Although Boyd's post doesn't appear to be as neutral as Dixon's, he agrees with Dixon about Bell being an ineffective communicator but tries to put a positive spin on it;

"First, Rob is first and foremost a poet/artist/dramatist who has a fantastic gift for communicating in ways that inspire creativity and provoke thought. Rob is far more comfortable (and far better at) questioning established beliefs and creatively hinting at possible answers than he is at constructing a logically rigorous case defending a definitive conclusion."

So as it can be seen through these two views, if you are going to read Bell's book as a means to acquire a hard definite theological ideology that will shape your worldview, then you are going to be more than disappointed in Bell's book.  If you are, on the other hand, looking for witty banter that offers a plethora of questions that focus and center on questioning conventional and orthodox teaching then Bell's book is what you've been looking for and will be the ticket.

Bell's book has stirred a lot of controversy.  Some would argue that it isn't Bell's book that has stirred the controversy but instead Justin Taylor's blog piece about a book that hasn't been published yet.  To be fair about it, Taylor didn't really comment on Bell's book but on the promotional literature and video that was put out as an endorsement of Bell's book.  If the literature is accurate then Bell's book should be about putting hell on trial and examining what a loving God would do with the fate of every person that has ever lived.  Boyd, however, says that Bell's book is about the beautiful character of God;

"Rob’s book really isn’t about the population or duration of heaven or hell. It’s mainly about the unfathomably beautiful character of God revealed in Jesus Christ and therefore about the unfathomably good nature of the Good News."

Before you get all too giddy about  Boyd's statement that Bell's book is about the good news, recall my Bell's Hell post where I reiterate Bell's gospel proclamation.  Bell's gospel IS NOT the traditional rendition delivered in orthodox teaching.  Bell has a disdain for orthodoxy and it is seen in not only his rhetorical questions that his book is inundated with but also in his man-centered gospel.  According to Bell, you are the good news as opposed to the biblical teaching that you earned death through your sin and Christ offers propitiation through His crucifixion for anyone who believes and has faith in Him.  According to Bell, all people have to do in order to see the resurrection is to look to you.  Bell's attempt to take our focus off of Christ as a means to put ourselves in the spotlight is blasphemous to say the least.  

I suspect, however, that Boyd was not referring to Bell's definition of the Gospel as he has stated earlier but as to what Bell's "good news" is in this current book.  You see, Bell likes to play with terms and re-define them.  Dixon says that Bell never outright denounces orthodox terms but re-defines it.  Dixon then goes on to talk about Bell's confusion that he has about salvation and how he shows this through yet another plethora of questions that offer more confusion than clarification.  My response to this is shouldn't a minister offer clarity and not leave behind more confusion than one started off with in the first place?  I know Bell gets all sorts of accolades for his brilliant teaching but where is the genius in a pedagogy that breeds discombobulation?

I'm going to wrap this up for now but before I leave; I will say that from the different posts I have read about this book and from the liberal mindset/post modern worldview that Bell's supporters advocate in defense of this book, that Bell would argue (even though he might not outright say it) that a loving God would not send anyone to hell forever.  Rev. Dr. Serene Jones, president of the Union Theological Seminary, had this to say in defense of Bell;

"Jesus' message was that the love of God is stronger than anything we can do -- and the forgiveness of God is stronger -- so why would that God be torturing people in some made up hell?" she said.

Considering that Dr. Jones is a post Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School, I am astonished at this argument that is void of any real understanding of the issue at hand.  Dr. Tim Keller offers one of the best commentaries about hell than I have ever seen.  This is only a portion of a larger article but in spite of that, it offers insightful considerations that you may want to consider if you are tempted or swayed to argue that sending people to hell is beyond God's nature;

"In Romans 1-2 Paul explains that God, in his wrath against those who reject him, 'gives them up' to the sinful passions of their hearts. Commentators (cf. Douglas Moo) point out that this cannot mean God impels people to sin, since in Ephesians 4:19 it is said that sinners give themselves up to their sinful desires. It means that the worst (and fairest) punishment God can give a person is to allow them their sinful hearts' deepest desire.

What is that? The desire of the sinful human heart is for independence. We want to choose and go our own way (Isaiah 53:6.) This is no idle 'wandering from the path.' As Jeremiah puts it, 'No one repents . . . each pursues his own course like a horse charging into battle. (8:6)' (We want to get away from God-but, as we have seen, this is the very thing that is most destructive to us. Cain is warned not to sin because sin is slavery. (Genesis 4:7; John 8:34.) It destroys your ability to choose, love, enjoy. Sin also brings blindness-the more you reject the truth about God the more incapable you are of perceiving any truth about yourself or the world (Isaiah 29:9-10; Romans 1:21.)

What is hell, then? It is God actively giving us up to what we have freely chosen-to go our own way, be our own "the master of our fate, the captain of our soul," to get away from him and his control. It is God banishing us to regions we have desperately tried to get into all our lives. J.I.Packer writes: "Scripture sees hell as self-chosen . . . [H]ell appears as God's gesture of respect for human choice. All receive what they actually chose, either to be with God forever, worshipping him, or without God forever, worshipping themselves." (J.I.Packer, Concise Theology p.262-263.) If the thing you most want is to worship God in the beauty of his holiness, then that is what you will get (Ps 96:9-13.) If the thing you most want is to be your own master, then the holiness of God will become an agony, and the presence of God a terror you will flee forever (Rev 6:16; cf. Is 6:1-6.)" 

May everything we do be in the honor and glory of God,

W.  

Bell Being Exposed Sooner than Anticipated

Bell Being Exposed Sooner than Anticipated

The criticism, "You haven't even read it yet" that is frequently held against Rob Bell's critics will soon be over with sooner than originally anticipated.  ABC News announced recently that Bell's publisher is releasing the book on March 15th as opposed to the original March 29th scheduled release date.

In addition to this, more and more people appear to have an advance copy of Bell's book and they are releasing reviews in advance of the books release date.  As mentioned in my Bell's Hell post, Scott Dixon of The Tenth Leper blog is periodically releasing reviews of Bell's book.  I read Dixon's blog today and in today's post, he informs us that Greg Boyd also has an advanced copy as well as having a blog post where he discusses the book after having read it.  Last but not least, Tim Challies announced on Twitter today that he will be coming out with a book review of "Love Wins" either on Wednesday or Thursday (this week).  

There is more to come on what these reviews actually have to say in another post.

Grace & Peace,

W.   

Mithra? Attis? Really, Rob Bell?

Mithra?  Attis?  Really, Rob Bell?

Apologist, James White, addresses the charges of one Rob Bell that claims early Christians borrowed or ripped off accounts from Helenistic mystery religions like Mithra and Attis and attributed said accounts to Christ making Mithra and Attis an archetypal Christ.

This video is a wonderful supplement to the recent Bell's Hell post.  I posted that article before I had an opportunity to watch this video.  White reiterates and substantiates a lot of the information that is in the Bell's Hell post and at the same time, provides enough additional information to make this video a must watch.

Bell's Hell

Bell's Hell

A couple of years ago, a friend of mine introduced me to a theological concept that I had never heard of before; Universalism.  I remember reading a link that he sent me written by someone that had embraced this concept and had posted a paper about it on Scribd.  

I remember the paper was a rather lengthy explanation as well as including several biblical passages and rationale for his un-orthodox belief.  For those that do not know, universalism is the belief that, in the end everyone gets saved or receives salvation.  I am by no means an expert and at the time I read my friend's article, I was not even familiar with any variations of this belief.  I do remember, however, the paper that I read on Scribd didn't say that persons wouldn't ever go to hell; only that they wouldn't stay there for eternity.  The paper I read, made a correlation between the symbolic imagery of fire associated with hell in orthodox teaching with the fire that a smelter uses to extract impurities from metal.  It appears, according to this belief from the paper that I read, that sinners have a set amount of sin in them and if said sin could be extracted then an individual would be sanctified.  Through sanctification, the newly cleansed person would be worthy of attaining salvation and gain admittance into Heaven.  


If you really want a more detailed and a more authoritative look into Universalism, I strongly recommend for you to start your search with a visit to the CARM site.   There you will learn the basics about universalism as well as different variations pertaining to it as well.  For the purpose of this article, my reference to universalism is in regards to Christian Universalism.  In Christian Universalism, Jesus died for everyone's sins and in this act salvation is available to everyone.  A just and loving god cannot or would not damn sinners to eternity because this act would be void of love.  God, instead, offers salvation through Jesus irrespective of having faith in Jesus.  For those that have faith, they avoid hell altogether.  For those that do not have faith in Jesus, they go to hell for a period of time.  It is in the afterlife that god eventually brings sinners to repentance, etc.  


If you do not keep up with the current events that take place in Christendom, you may be unaware of the controversy that surrounds Rob Bell and his new book.  Rob Bell is a Wheaton College graduate, the Harvard of Christian schools as CNN puts it, and pastors a non-denominational Christian Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan called Mars Hill .  CNN describes Bell as "a pastor and author who has achieved rock star status in the Christian world".  


Irrespective of attaining the status of a rockstar pastor or not, Bell has stirred up quite a controversy in the land of Christendom with the announcement of his new book that is called "Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived".  In this book, Bell puts hell on trial and examines the afterlife.  The book description from Amazon is as follows;

"Fans flock to his Facebook page, his NOOMA videos have been viewed by millions, and his Sunday sermons are attended by 10,000 parishioners—with a downloadable podcast reaching 50,000 more. An electrifying, unconventional pastor whom Time magazine calls “a singular rock star in the church world,” Rob Bell is the most vibrant, central religious leader of the millennial generation. Now, in Love Wins: Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived, Bell addresses one of the most controversial issues of faith—the afterlife—arguing that a loving God would never sentence human souls to eternal suffering. With searing insight, Bell puts hell on trial, and his message is decidedly optimistic—eternal life doesn’t start when we die; it starts right now. And ultimately, Love Wins." 

Shortly after the announcement of Bell's book, Justin Taylor of the Gospel Coalition, responds with a blog piece, "Rob Bell: Universalist?" This blog post, needless to say, has sparked a dialogue and in some cases, a heated debate pertaining to Rob Bell. CNN reports that on the Saturday that Taylor's article was published, Bell reached the status of being the top ten in trending topics on Twitter; a status that is rare for theological debates to reach on Twitter, etc.

Some people argue that it isn't fair to judge a book before it has been released.  To be fair to Justin Taylor, however, his response was mostly directed at a promotional video that Bell has put out for his book and not the book that hasn't been released yet.  It is also presumptuous for us to believe that Taylor, a VP editorial at Crossway, does not have access to the book in its entirety and has read enough of the book that he is indeed qualified to make statements thereof.  

In further defense of Bell, others argue that the promotional video is mostly void of making any authoritative statements in which Bell mostly asks questions for effect.  Proponents of this viewpoint then commonly ask, is it wrong to ask questions?  They purport that Bell is only asking the questions that many others are also asking in hope of finding answers.

It's not wrong to ask questions.  In fact, we know from 1 Peter 3:15 that we are to make a defense and be quick to give a reason for the hope that lies within us.  If we are to be in the position to offer answers then it stands to reason that we should ask questions if it is used to advance our knowledge of the hope that we have in Christ.  Critics of Bell's use of questions in his presentation are quick to point out that it is rhetoric and its intended use is deployed as a method of instruction. I tend to fall, however, in the camp of the critic.  I don't buy for one minute that Bell is simply asking rhetorical questions for the sake of stimulating thought.  For those that want to insist that asking questions in of itself is innocent and has no real consequence or lacks the powers of insinuation then I challenge you to try this with your wife.  The next time you see your wife, rhetorically ask your wife a series of questions that addresses the issue as to if you really love her and examine her reaction.  Tell  her that you ask yourself everyday you come home from work if you love her and that you ask yourself if you are happy and if you should stay committed to this relationship and see if she's just assuming that you are playing the academic devil's advocate or if you're trying to propagate another message altogether.  Let me know how that turns out for you.

Is it possible that all of this hysteria or panic over Bell being a Universalist is premature given that we don't know what is in the book that is yet to be released?  Some skeptics are saying that they suspect that there are going to be a lot of people that are going to owe Bell an apology once the book is released.  This may be true but at the same time I'm at a loss as to why there are so many people that truly appear to be so shocked that Bell could be a Universalist.  It's not as if an assessment on Bell is taking place in a vacuum.  There are numerous reports of Bell and his theology.  There are numerous reports that warn of Bell being a "dangerous false teacher."  

In Rob Bells "Gospel" Presentation Critiqued, Bell not only gives an atrocious and libel account of the history of Christianity but gives a corrupt account as to what constitutes the Gospel.  Bell, in this presentation of deconstructionism, espouses the same lies that is most often heard from atheists as opposed to a pastor from the pulpit.  Bell claims that the early Christians borrowed or ripped off accounts from Helenistic mystery religions like Mithra and Attis and attributed said accounts to Christ making Mithra and Attis an archetypal Christ; accounts such as, being born of a virgin, being born on December 25th, the resurrection as well as dying to pay for the sins of his followers.  Bell goes on to argue that the resurrection story is not unique.  Bell claims that someone giving the account of the resurrection at the time the early Apostles were evangelizing would've been met with, "so what?" because they've heard all of this before, etc.

In contrast to Bell's account of history, renown historian and Christian Apologist, Edwin Yamauchi, explains in Lee Strobel's book, "The Case for the Real Jesus" that Mithraism did not show up as a religion of practice until the middle to late second century. The timing, in other words, is off if the early Christians were to use the account of Mithra as a template for Christ.  As far as Mithra's birth story is concerned, Mithra was born of a rock and not a virgin.  Like Jesus, Mithra was born naked but unlike Jesus, Mithra was born fully grown and posses a cap upon birth.

 As far as being born on December 25th to link Jesus with Mithra, we don't know the date that Jesus was born per the Bible not giving us the date.  Celebrating December 25th is tied into the Roman Emperor Aurelian setting this date for a sun god celebration per the Winter Solstice.  When Constantine came to power, Christians began celebrating Christmas on December 25th circa 336 A.D.  Constantine prior to becoming a Christian was accustomed to celebrating on this date when he participated in sun god worship.  He now set this date for Son God worship.  I highly suspect that if Rob Bell put forth a serious study of the history that he presents his Christian congregation with then he too would have been aware of the historical account that contradicts his teaching.  At the very least, he could have warned his congregation that the historical account he was about to present was refuted by academic scholars as opposed to presenting it as the authoritative truth.  

The Christian faith as a whole rests on the resurrection and Rob Bell carelessly tries to negate its significance by downplaying its unique account in history.  Unlike Christ, Mithra didn't sacrifice himself, he killed a bull.  There is no historical account of Mithra's death.  If Mithra didn't die, then it goes without saying that this mythical god could not even possibly have anything in resemblance of a resurrection story.  According to Ronald Nash, the same goes for Attis.  According to scholars, there is not a resurrection account in any of the Hellenistic mystery religions.  Yet, at the same time, Rob Bell is trying to tell us that there is nothing unique about the resurrection.  If the resurrection account was as common as Bell makes it out to be then it is fair to ask why Paul wasn't challenged with this when he preached to the philosophers in Athens (Acts 17:16-21).  Instead, Paul was said to be a

"proclaimer of strange deities,"--because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection."

Can you imagine why this could have been said of astute philosophers of Athens if resurrection accounts were as common as Rob Bell makes them out to be?

Rob Bell not only has a strange account of history but one of the Gospel as well.  In "Rob Bell's Gospel Presentation Critiqued", as previously mentioned, Bell says the Gospel is the good news that God hasn't given up on the world.  This in of itself is not the best description  I have heard but it's not exactly heretical either.  The Gospel is the good news; the word "Gospel" means good news.  Bell is adding to the definition and although it seems innocent enough, I always have a red flag go up if something is being added to the all sufficient word of God.  Bell, however, is a spin master and it quite frankly wouldn't be his style to say something as conventional as the word "Gospel" means "good news."  No, for Bell, it has to have some extra bit of revelation.  The Gospel is good news and if one wanted to take a loose interpretation of it, I suppose that it is fair enough to say that it is good news because God hasn't given up on the world.  Wouldn't it, however, be more accurate to say that the Gospel is good news because as a sinner, you earned death (for the wages of sin is death) and instead of giving you what you deserved (hell), God gives grace and saves through faith in Christ Jesus that paid for your sin-debt when He was nailed to a tree?  Perhaps Bell wouldn't say something like this because according to Bell, Jesus is not saving us from God's wrath, He is saving us from our sins, our mistakes, our pride, etc. 

 Perhaps Bell wouldn't present a reiteration of the Gospel in a similar fashion as mine because according to Bell, "you" are the good news.  You "are the gospel".  What?  I"m the gospel??  What in the world is Bell talking about?  

According to Bell, when others want proof of the resurrection, all that they should have to do is to look to us.  They should look to us because we are the good news, we are the gospel and we are the resurrection.  Bell saying this with pretty music in the background sounds like he is delivering love to his audience.  Pretty music, however, does not save and Bell's gospel has us exalting ourselves because he would have others looking at our deeds as opposed to the work of Christ performed on the cross.  Bell would have others looking to us instead of Christ.

With all of the background that has been presented in reference to Rob Bell and the controversy pertaining to his new book, please allow me to leave you with an important piece of information.  Scott Dixon, also known as "SaltyDawg" on Twitter has a website called "The Tenth Leper".  Somehow, Mr. Dixon has received an early copy of Rob Bell's book and in response to all of the controversy in regards to Bell's book, has decided to publish an early book review.  It was my intention to address the content of this book review in this post.  I had not, however, anticipated that this piece would be as long as it has turned out to be, etc.  In light of additional information that still needs to be examined, I will end this post here with the hope of addressing the content of Mr. Dixon's review in an upcoming post.

For the meanwhile, please visit The Tenth Leper and read the book reviews that have been posted thus far and by all means please return to this blog for a follow up post.  

In the love of our Heavenly Father, 

God bless.

W.

Fighting for the Faith - Rob Bell - Love Wins Critique

Fighting for the Faith - Rob Bell - Love Wins Critique

In light of the Rob Bell controversy pertaining to his new book, "Love Wins, Heaven, Hell and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived" or more accurately, in response to Bell's promotional video for the book - here is a critique via Fighting for the Faith.

May it all be for His glory,

W. 

Rick Warren @ 2010 Desiring God Conference

Rick Warren @ 2010 Desiring God Conference

This post is behind times.  It is a day late and a dollar short.  

This video on Lane Ch's YouTube channel contains the Rick Warren presentation that he gave at the 2010 Desiring God Conference.  Due to various family needs that required attention, Warren could not make the conference in person.  Even for those that do not care (or even know) about the controversy the ensued hereafter John Piper invited Rick Warren to the 2010 DGC, this video serves as an illustration as to the make up of Warren's theology.  


Warren's presentation is played in it's entirety with frequent breaks via commentary from Chris Rosebrough from Pirate Christian Radio.  

  

Grace & Peace,

W. 

Why Does the Bible Mention Unicorns?

Tying into the phenomenon of change that takes place within the realm of language, this video illustrates how "unicorn" is used throughout the Bible and how today's word usage is a source of confusion, etc.

John Lennox - 2 Scratches vs 3.5 Billion Letters

John Lennox - 2 Scratches vs 3.5 Billion Letters

World views drive our perception and unfortunately this holds to even the disciples that bow and pay homage to the god of "chance and necessity".  


Below is a wonderful illustration that Dr. John Lennox provides to illustrate the hypocrisy that passes off as academia today. 

May it all be for His glory,

W. 

What is the Bible About?

What Is the Bible About?

My last piece was a response to a church window that I had seen with a slogan that simply read, "People Matter Most".  My response included a discussion pertaining to the role of the church and how people fit into the economy of God.  My assertion was that people do matter but from scripture, we can't conclude that people matter most.  In the economy of God, it is having a heart after God that matters most, the value of people is derived from the importance that they have to Christ.

In this video, Tim Keller does a wonderful job explaining that everything in the Bible points to Jesus.  Contrary to popular belief, Jesus is found in both Old and New Testament.  This video does a nice job at pointing out this illustration.

People Matter Most

People Matter Most

If you read my piece on language from a couple of weeks ago, then you were briefly introduced to some of the idiosyncrasies of language.  Words have meaning but their meanings may change over time.  When I was a kid, for example, "a man of discriminating taste" would carry along with it the connotation of someone that had mastered the art of differentiation.  Today, however, racial overtones associated with "discrimination" may inject a connotation with the word that you may not want to relay - if you were simply trying to say, for example, that someone was familiarized with the finer things in life.

When I went to church back when I was a kid (circa 5 yrs old), I had not developed an elaborate theological portfolio yet but there was one thing that I did know; Church is all about God.  Unlike language, theological concepts should not change irrespective of the Church's goal of meeting ever changing needs in the community.  Jesus is the same today as He was yesterday.  God doesn't change and His word doesn't change.  God's word is not like shifting shadows that are here today and gone tomorrow.  Given my presupposition (Church is about God) that I've had since I was a child, can you imagine to my surprise when I noticed a church window that read, "People Matter Most"?

To be honest, I actually took a double look when I saw the church window.  I thought to myself, "People Matter Most?", I thought the church was about God?  If the Church is about God then doesn't it stand to reason that we should instead say "God matters most"?  For the purpose of presenting a visual for this piece, I took a picture of the "slogan" and continued to contemplate the purpose of the church. 

Let's not, however, assume that the biblical acumen of a five year old child can be relied upon.

What does the Bible say about the church? 

When Paul addressed the Corinthian Church in the 1 Corinthian epistle, he introduces an analogy where he compares the body of the church (body of congregants) to the body of Christ.  Paul tells the Corinthian Church that they are all members of one body.  Each body member (congregant) has specific jobs/roles in the kingdom of God the same as members of the body, i.e. ears, hands, elbows, etc. have specific jobs to perform in the body of Christ. 

Paul never says that all jobs have equal worth but stresses that all job functions are important. All have not been appointed to being an apostle, prophet or teacher, nevertheless, having a lower tiered job function does not alienate anyone from being a member of the body just the same. The ear, for example, isn't any less a part of the body because it's not an eye; if the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be?

To further place the roles and purposes of the congregants and the church into context, Paul goes on to say that you can give away all of your possessions, feed the poor and sacrifice your body but all of it is meaningless if it is without love.  Paul ends his letter by telling us that the resources or gifts of the Church will fade.  Gifts of prophecy and knowledge will be done away with and tongues will cease, for example, but love never fails.  Out of faith, hope and love, in the economy of God, the greatest of these is love.

The church, in other words, is the collection of believers acting as members of the body of Christ.  God has appointed some for some jobs and others for other jobs.  Notice how Paul, however, said that you can feed the poor but if you don't have love, it is meaningless. Paul's not saying that people do not matter but at the same time, he's also not saying that people matter most. In God's economy, the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul and mind but the second one is like it; 

‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’

To keep matters in perspect, consider that James says that pure or undefiled religion is to take care of widows and orphans in their afflictions and that faith without deeds is dead.  Jesus also tells us in the parable of the Good Samaritan, in the book of Luke, for us to do the same as the man that shows mercy toward his neighbor in need.  As instructed from scripture, we care for people by and through taking care of widows and orphans in need, showing mercy towards our neighbor (in need) as well as loving our neighbor as we do our-self.  Our faith, in other words, should act in accordance with our deeds.  In our faith, we become imitators of Christ.  People matter, not because of any intrinsic value that they have but because they matter to Christ.  We love people because Christ loves people.  It is His Gospel that saves!  It is In the life that He gives us that we should die to ourselves;

"and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf."

2 Corinthians 5:15

If we only exude love for others in accordance to others' intrinsic value, then surely we would would fall short of loving everyone.  Surely, just as well, would we fall short of loving everyone if we were to love others in our own strength.  Out of the love that Peter had for Christ, he promised to die for him prior to Jesus' capture.  In that same love/zeal, however, he feared the consequences of knowing him and denied Him three times. When Christ perfects us in love, however, He removes fear and frees us from bondage.  When Christ perfects us, we receive a new nature and we have a heart to be pleasing to Him.  People do not matter most, having a heart after God matters most.  God is spirit and He must be worshiped in spirit.  What better can there be for the interest of man than to be in God?  Is it not God that gives life?  If you being as evil and wicked as you are know how to give good gifts, then  how much more does our Heavenly Father know to give to us?  Let us rejoice and be glad that people do not matter most.  If people were to matter most then what is pleasing to them would matter most.  And what is pleasing to them?  A recent Barna poll inquiring about New Years Resolutions describes what is at the top of priorities that people have for themselves;

"When it comes to the types of resolutions people make, Americans not surprisingly focus on self-oriented changes. Among those planning to make resolutions, the top pledges for 2011 relate to weight, diet and health (30%); money, debt and finances (15%); personal improvement (13%); addiction (12%); job and career (5%); spiritual or church-related (5%); and educational (4%). Personal improvement responses included being a better person; giving more; having more personal or leisure time; organizing their life or home; and having a better life in general."

God is spirit and He must be worshiped in spirit.  The priorities that we have in our carnal nature denies the Kingdom of God glory and raises up carnal sinful man in place of what God desires.  I am so glad that people do not matter most.  I am so glad, instead, that God in His glory has decided to saved a stubborn stiff neck people that would reject Him as the corner stone if it were in their sovereignty to do as much.  Praise Him who died on a cross so that we may live in Him.  Praise Him that gave us grace and mercy as opposed to what we earned for the wages of sin is death.  

Before I conclude, please allow me to appeal to pastors of flocks.  Please rest in Him.  Rest in His word and do not be ashamed of it.  Do not be ashamed of the word that gives life.  Do not be ashamed of the author of our salvation.  I watched an interview on Penn Jillette yesterday that was very disturbing.  Penn Jillette is a part of Penn & Teller, the magicians/comedy team the performs all sorts of weird tricks.  

Jillette is an atheist.  Jillette is extremely vocal about his beliefs and his disapproval of God and the Bible.  Jillette claims that it was reading the Bible that made him an atheist.  In the interview that I watched, however, I noticed that he also said that he had parents that made him go to church.  He had a youth pastor that was very hip and relevant.  He dressed in cool clothes and "he would play Jim Morrison songs and the Beattles".   When Jillette asked questions about the Bible, his youth minister could not answer his questions.  It escalated to the point to where the youth minister called Jillette's mom and dad and politely asked them to stop sending Jillette to Sunday school.  According to Jillette's account, he was converting the class to atheism, etc.  

Although Jillette's atheism cannot be entirely blamed on his inept youth minister, it does say something about our modern churches.   Appealing to the youth via tactics that are designed to entice and allure is not only void in scripture but serves as an insufficient testimony in the hope that we have in Him.  Pastors, clergy, and ministers are not asked to be infallible theologians but at least provide some sort of guidance that has root in a credible apologetic.  At least provide a witness for the hope that you have in Him.  At least seek guidance in a weak area that you cannot deliver therein.  Pastors, do your flock right by being a worthy shepherd.  

In closing, the word of God instructs his flock to care for people the same that He cared for us. Resting in God's word is the most loving thing you could possibly do for another human being.  By resting in God's word, you will care for the orphan, widow and neighbor that is in need.  God is spirit and He must be worshiped in spirit.  Take on the spirit of God and love your neighbor.  Let us all be a testimony and give a reason for the hope that we have in Him.  Relevancy does not save men.  Let us be grounded in the word, the good news that brings with it salvation to all who believes.  Let us praise God for loving us first as well as pray for those that are determined to earn death if they are not found in Him.  

God bless you all.  People do matter for we are the gift that the Son is going to give to the Father but it is Him whom is the Alpha and Omega - for whom all things were made by and for Him.

May it all be for His glory,

W.