Today, we finish Chapter 3.
While reading the section of Chapter 3 titled "Labels", I could identify with the things Bell was saying, because I've experienced what happens when people turn the word "christian" from a noun to an adjective. Bell's definition of "christian" as a noun says "A person who follows Jesus. A person living in tune with ultimate reality, God. A way of life centered around a person who lives."
It's very dangerous to turn the word "christian" into an adjective because of all the limitations that come with it. Let me give you a few examples I thought of while reading.
-When I attended Indiana Wesleyan University, I worked at the college radio station. I think it would be safe to say most of the student body like the more popular CCM music (Steven Curtis Chapman, Newsboys, etc). However, there were people out there who liked the "louder" stuff (MXPX, Stavesacre, etc). So, when I was the program director and general manager of the station, I did my best to include all styles of music. Unfortunately, we would get calls from people who didn't like the louder stuff and questioned how "christian" it was based ONLY on the style of the music!!!
-When I was in my first band, I was trying to get a show at my church. I had to get it approved, of course, so I went to the church business meeting and stated my case. We had already played there once before, so I thought it would just be a formality...how wrong I was!! One woman kept interrogating me on how "christian" and "spiritual" we were. I felt like I was in an episode of "Law and Order" and I was in one of those tiny interrogation rooms with one light hanging over my head. Think about that for a minute...just because my band didn't call themselves a "christian" band, some people were suspicious of us (despite the fact that I was the Preacher's kid and the youth leader at the time).
Read what Bell says:
"This happens in all sorts of areas. It is possible for music to be labeled Christian and be terrible music. It could lack creativity and inspiration. The lyrics could be recycled cliches. That 'Christian' band could actually be giving Jesus a bad name because they aren't a great band. It is possible for a movie to be a 'Christian' movie and to be a terrible movie. It may actually desecrate the art form in its quality and storytelling and craft. Just because it is a Christian book by a Christian author and it was purchased in a Christian bookstore doesn't mean it is all true or good or beautiful. A Christian political group puts me in an awkward position: What if I disagree with them? Am I less of a Christian? What if I am convinced the 'christian' thing to do is to vote the exact opposite? Christian is a great noun and a poor adjective."
Bell says (and I believe it) that even if something is labeled "christian", we can't just blindly accept it. We have to do what Peter says in I Peter 5:8 (be alert) and what Paul says in I Thessalonians 5:21 (test everything and hold on to the good). Bell even asks people to do that to his book!!
"Do that to this book. Don't swallow it uncritically. Think about it. Wrestle with it. Just because I'm a Christian and I'm trying to articulate a Christian worldview doesn't mean I've got it nailed. I'm contributing to the discussion. God has spoken, and the rest is commentary, right?"
Just like there are things out there labeled "christian" that aren't true, there are things out there that are true but not "christian". Bell explains how this works by talking about how Paul would quote Cretan prophets and Greek poets. He would read them, study them, analyze them, separate the light from the dark, and use what was true to point people to Jesus.
Bell says, "It is as if Paul is a spiritual tour guide and is taking his readers through their world, pointing out the true and the good wherever he sees it."
As christians, we need to be spiritual tour guides...looking for ways to point out the existence of God in places where people say they can't find it.
Bell: "Have you ever heard missionaries say they were going to 'take Jesus' to a certain place? What they meant, I assume, was that they had Jesus and they were going to take him to a place like China or India or Chicago where people apparently didn't have him. I would ask them if people in China and India and Chicago are eating and laughing and enjoying things and generally being held together? Because if they are, then Jesus, in a way that is difficult to fully articulate, is already present there. So the issue isn't so much taking Jesus to people who don't have him, but going to a place and pointing out to the people there the creative, live-giving God who is already present in their midst."
It reminds me of something my dad says a lot in his prayers...we don't need to ask God to be with us...because He's ALREADY with us!!!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
"Velvet Elvis"-DAY SEVEN
I am now reading Chapter Three of "Velvet Elvis" (Movement Three-True)
Chapter Three starts with author Rob Bell describing times when he's been in awe of God. They've ranged from the extraordinary times (the birth of his son), ordinary times (attending a U2 concert when he was 16), and in the low points of life (seeing the compassion of a person caring for a dying friend).
I could relate to everything Bell was saying. I remember those times in my life when I was in awe of God.
I remember standing on a beach in Charlevoix, Michigan watching a sunset over Lake Michigan.
I remember how I couldn't stop crying when my first son was born.
There was that time just a couple of days ago when my wife and I were cleaning the house. My son came up to us, put one of his arms around each one of our legs and said, "MOMMY!!! DADDY!!" It made my wife want to cry.
I must confess that I had a really hard time thinking about experiencing the awe of God in a low point, but something came to mind today. I remember when a woman everyone called "Mom Rogers" passed away unexpectedly. I sat there during the funeral crying my eyes out. This was a woman I loved and respected, and it was hard to think that she was gone. During the service, they gave people a chance to stand and share some memories. I got up there and told a story about her, and as I finished my story, I could smile because I knew that someday I was going to see her again. That gave me hope.
Check out what Bell says about God's presence:
"According to the ancient Jewish worldview, God is not somewhere else. God is right here. It is God's world and God made it and God owns it and God is present everywhere in it."
"I've heard people tell stories about something powerful that happened and then at the end of the story say, 'And then God showed up!' As if God were somewhere else and then decided to intervene. But God is always present. We're the ones who show up."
Bell goes on to say that if the world is God's and everything in it (Psalm 24:1), then truth (God's truth) can be found in anything. Believe it or not, someone who doesn't even believe in the one true God can say something that can be claimed as God's truth!!
Bell talks about how Paul did this in the book of Acts:
"He (Paul) is...trying to explain to a group of people who believe in hundreds of thousands of gods that there is really only one God who made everything and everybody. At one point he's talking about how God made us all, and he says to them, 'As some of your own poets have said, we are his offspring.' He quotes their own poets. And their poets don't even believe in the God he's talking about. They were talking about some other god and how we are all the offspring of that god, and Paul takes their statement and makes it about his God. Amazing."
This actually reminded me of when I used to go to Granger Community Church. One Sunday, the message was actually about how one can find God's truth in the strangest places! One of the examples they used was the song "Dead Man's Rope" by Sting...who is a Buddhist.
Check out some of the lyrics:
If you're walking to escape, to escape from your affliction
You'd be walking in a great circle, a circle of addiction
Did you ever wonder what you'd been carrying since the world was black?
You see yourself in a looking glass with a tombstone on your back
Walk away in emptiness, walk away in sorrow,
Walk away from yesterday, walk away tomorrow,
Walk away in anger, walk away in pain
Walk away from life itself, walk into the rain
All this wandering has led me to this place
Inside the well of my memory, sweet rain of forgiveness
I'm just hanging here in space
Now I'm suspended between my darkest fears and dearest hope
Yes I've been walking, now I'm hanging from a dead man's rope
With Hell below me, and Heaven in the sky above
I've been walking, I've been walking away from Jesus' love
Chapter Three...to be continued. Thanks for reading!
Chapter Three starts with author Rob Bell describing times when he's been in awe of God. They've ranged from the extraordinary times (the birth of his son), ordinary times (attending a U2 concert when he was 16), and in the low points of life (seeing the compassion of a person caring for a dying friend).
I could relate to everything Bell was saying. I remember those times in my life when I was in awe of God.
I remember standing on a beach in Charlevoix, Michigan watching a sunset over Lake Michigan.
I remember how I couldn't stop crying when my first son was born.
There was that time just a couple of days ago when my wife and I were cleaning the house. My son came up to us, put one of his arms around each one of our legs and said, "MOMMY!!! DADDY!!" It made my wife want to cry.
I must confess that I had a really hard time thinking about experiencing the awe of God in a low point, but something came to mind today. I remember when a woman everyone called "Mom Rogers" passed away unexpectedly. I sat there during the funeral crying my eyes out. This was a woman I loved and respected, and it was hard to think that she was gone. During the service, they gave people a chance to stand and share some memories. I got up there and told a story about her, and as I finished my story, I could smile because I knew that someday I was going to see her again. That gave me hope.
Check out what Bell says about God's presence:
"According to the ancient Jewish worldview, God is not somewhere else. God is right here. It is God's world and God made it and God owns it and God is present everywhere in it."
"I've heard people tell stories about something powerful that happened and then at the end of the story say, 'And then God showed up!' As if God were somewhere else and then decided to intervene. But God is always present. We're the ones who show up."
Bell goes on to say that if the world is God's and everything in it (Psalm 24:1), then truth (God's truth) can be found in anything. Believe it or not, someone who doesn't even believe in the one true God can say something that can be claimed as God's truth!!
Bell talks about how Paul did this in the book of Acts:
"He (Paul) is...trying to explain to a group of people who believe in hundreds of thousands of gods that there is really only one God who made everything and everybody. At one point he's talking about how God made us all, and he says to them, 'As some of your own poets have said, we are his offspring.' He quotes their own poets. And their poets don't even believe in the God he's talking about. They were talking about some other god and how we are all the offspring of that god, and Paul takes their statement and makes it about his God. Amazing."
This actually reminded me of when I used to go to Granger Community Church. One Sunday, the message was actually about how one can find God's truth in the strangest places! One of the examples they used was the song "Dead Man's Rope" by Sting...who is a Buddhist.
Check out some of the lyrics:
If you're walking to escape, to escape from your affliction
You'd be walking in a great circle, a circle of addiction
Did you ever wonder what you'd been carrying since the world was black?
You see yourself in a looking glass with a tombstone on your back
Walk away in emptiness, walk away in sorrow,
Walk away from yesterday, walk away tomorrow,
Walk away in anger, walk away in pain
Walk away from life itself, walk into the rain
All this wandering has led me to this place
Inside the well of my memory, sweet rain of forgiveness
I'm just hanging here in space
Now I'm suspended between my darkest fears and dearest hope
Yes I've been walking, now I'm hanging from a dead man's rope
With Hell below me, and Heaven in the sky above
I've been walking, I've been walking away from Jesus' love
Chapter Three...to be continued. Thanks for reading!
Friday, May 14, 2010
"Velvet Elvis"-DAY SIX
I'm finishing up Chapter 2 today.
When I continued reading this chapter, it became very clear to me that Rob Bell likes a "community" concept when it comes to reading and studying the Bible. He says the Bible was written in communities, and in the days before the printing press was invented, people read the Bible in groups (since it was rare for someone to be able to afford their own copy of The Bible).
The first thought that came to mind while reading this was one of the purposes found in Rick Warren's book "The Purpose Driven Life"...COMMUNITY. It's good for Christians to gather together in a community for fellowship and the studying of God's word. Small groups is a great way to do this. We stress the importance of small groups at my church, and there are many others out there that do the same.
In addition to the "community" concept that existed in the early days of "The Church", in today's society, people do a lot of reading and studying of the Bible on their own. It does work for some people, but that's not the only way to do it.
Bell seems to prefer community when it comes to studying the Bible. Read what he says:
"Perhaps this is why the Bible can be confusing for some the first time they read it. I don't think any of the writers of the Bible ever intended people to read their letters alone. I think they assumed that people who were hearing these words for the first time would be sitting next to someone who was further along on her spiritual journey, someone who was more in tune with what the writer was saying. If it didn't make sense, you could stop the person who was reading and say, 'Help me understand this."
Lord knows how many times I've done that. Whenever I've read something in the Bible I didn't understand, I would talk to my dad. He's been in the ministry for over 30 years now, and he has a terrific ability to explain something I didn't understand and have it make sense (thanks, dad...I'll probably be e-mailing you a lot more once you move away...be ready...hehe).
And now it's time for..."Rob Bell Was Taken Out of Context!!"
Read this quote from page 67 of the book:
"This is part of the problem with continually insisting that one of the absolutes of the Christian faith must be a belief that 'scripture alone' is our guide. It sounds nice, but it's not true."
As you may have figured out, critics of Bell take that quote and misinterpret it to make it sound like Bell denies the authority of the Bible. However, once again, they've completely ignored the footnote that goes along with that statement:
"I understand the need to ground all that we do and say in the Bible, which is my life's work. It is the belief that creeps in sometimes that this book dropped out of the sky that is dangerous. The Bible has come to us out of actual communities of people, journeying in real time and space. Guided by a real Spirit."
Think about it this way...ANY person can read the Bible, but that's not enough. We also need to LIVE IT OUT. We also need to have faith in God (Hebrews 11:6), and we need to trust in God to guide our lives and not try to control things ourselves (Proverbs 3:5-6).
One final quote from Bell from Chapter 2: "When we take the Bible seriously, we are taking God seriously. We believe that the same God who was at work then is at work now. The same God in the same kinds of ways. The goal is not to be a 'New Testament church.' That makes the New Testament church the authority. The authority is God who is acting in and through those people at that time and now these people at this time."
Next week: Chapter Three (Movement 3-True).
Thanks for reading.
When I continued reading this chapter, it became very clear to me that Rob Bell likes a "community" concept when it comes to reading and studying the Bible. He says the Bible was written in communities, and in the days before the printing press was invented, people read the Bible in groups (since it was rare for someone to be able to afford their own copy of The Bible).
The first thought that came to mind while reading this was one of the purposes found in Rick Warren's book "The Purpose Driven Life"...COMMUNITY. It's good for Christians to gather together in a community for fellowship and the studying of God's word. Small groups is a great way to do this. We stress the importance of small groups at my church, and there are many others out there that do the same.
In addition to the "community" concept that existed in the early days of "The Church", in today's society, people do a lot of reading and studying of the Bible on their own. It does work for some people, but that's not the only way to do it.
Bell seems to prefer community when it comes to studying the Bible. Read what he says:
"Perhaps this is why the Bible can be confusing for some the first time they read it. I don't think any of the writers of the Bible ever intended people to read their letters alone. I think they assumed that people who were hearing these words for the first time would be sitting next to someone who was further along on her spiritual journey, someone who was more in tune with what the writer was saying. If it didn't make sense, you could stop the person who was reading and say, 'Help me understand this."
Lord knows how many times I've done that. Whenever I've read something in the Bible I didn't understand, I would talk to my dad. He's been in the ministry for over 30 years now, and he has a terrific ability to explain something I didn't understand and have it make sense (thanks, dad...I'll probably be e-mailing you a lot more once you move away...be ready...hehe).
And now it's time for..."Rob Bell Was Taken Out of Context!!"
Read this quote from page 67 of the book:
"This is part of the problem with continually insisting that one of the absolutes of the Christian faith must be a belief that 'scripture alone' is our guide. It sounds nice, but it's not true."
As you may have figured out, critics of Bell take that quote and misinterpret it to make it sound like Bell denies the authority of the Bible. However, once again, they've completely ignored the footnote that goes along with that statement:
"I understand the need to ground all that we do and say in the Bible, which is my life's work. It is the belief that creeps in sometimes that this book dropped out of the sky that is dangerous. The Bible has come to us out of actual communities of people, journeying in real time and space. Guided by a real Spirit."
Think about it this way...ANY person can read the Bible, but that's not enough. We also need to LIVE IT OUT. We also need to have faith in God (Hebrews 11:6), and we need to trust in God to guide our lives and not try to control things ourselves (Proverbs 3:5-6).
One final quote from Bell from Chapter 2: "When we take the Bible seriously, we are taking God seriously. We believe that the same God who was at work then is at work now. The same God in the same kinds of ways. The goal is not to be a 'New Testament church.' That makes the New Testament church the authority. The authority is God who is acting in and through those people at that time and now these people at this time."
Next week: Chapter Three (Movement 3-True).
Thanks for reading.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
"Velvet Elvis"-DAY FIVE
Chapter 2 (Movement 2-Yoke)
"Sometimes when I hear people quote the Bible, I just want to throw up."
I'm sure critics of Rob Bell have tried to use that quote against him in the past. However, if you read further into Chapter 2 of "Velvet Elvis", you'll see that Bell is referring to people who misinterpret scriptures to support their own agendas. Think about this...there was a time when people used scriptures in the Bible to defend slavery!!
Here's another example. My parents had friends a long time ago who took the verse in 2 Corinthians 6:14 that says "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers", dropped the phrase "with unbelievers", and used the remaining verse ("be ye not unequally yoked together...") to justify their claim that interracial marriages were a sin!!
I think I'm starting to feel queasy!!!
The fact of the matter is the Bible is an open-ended book and needs to be interpreted. The goal a Christian should have when doing this is to get as close to the intended meaning as possible.
Read what Bell says about the ancient rabbis:
"Now the ancient rabbis understood that the Bible is open-ended and has to be interpreted. And they understood their role in the community was to study and meditate and discuss and pray and then make those decisions. Rabbis are like interpreters, helping people understand what God is saying to them through the text and what it means to live out the text.
Different rabbis had different sets of rules, which were really different lists of what they forbade and what they permitted. A rabbi's set of rules and lists, which was really that rabbi's interpretation of how to live the Torah, was called that rabbi's yoke. When you followed a certain rabbi, you were following him because you believed that rabbi's set of interpretations were the closest to what God intended through the scriptures. And when you followed that rabbi, you were taking up that rabbi's yoke.
One rabbi even said his yoke was easy (Matthew 11:30).
The intent then of a rabbi having a yoke wasn't just to interpret the words correctly; it was to live them out. In the Jewish context, action was always the goal. It still is."
Bell says that a lot of rabbis would teach about the "yoke" of "a well-respected rabbi who had come before them." However, there were those times when a rabbi would come along and say that he had a new interpretation of the Torah. Other people would question the validity of what this rabbi was saying and wonder how anyone could tell that what he said was the truth. Bell describes how a rabbi's teachings were validated:
"One of the protections for the rabbi in this case was that two other rabbis with authority would lay hands on the rabbi and essentially validate him. They would be saying, 'We believe this rabbi has authority to make new interpretations.' That's why Jesus' baptism was so important. John the Baptist was a powerful teacher and prophet who was saying publicly that he wasn't worthy to carry Jesus' sandals.
"And a voice from Heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." (Matthew 3:17)
A second voice affirmed Jesus' unique calling. The voice of God. Amazing."
I'll continue talking about Chapter 2 at another time, but let me say this...if you plan on reading "Velvet Elvis" for yourself...be prepared to read these chapters more than once...there's a LOT going on!!! *lol*
Thanks for reading.
"Sometimes when I hear people quote the Bible, I just want to throw up."
I'm sure critics of Rob Bell have tried to use that quote against him in the past. However, if you read further into Chapter 2 of "Velvet Elvis", you'll see that Bell is referring to people who misinterpret scriptures to support their own agendas. Think about this...there was a time when people used scriptures in the Bible to defend slavery!!
Here's another example. My parents had friends a long time ago who took the verse in 2 Corinthians 6:14 that says "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers", dropped the phrase "with unbelievers", and used the remaining verse ("be ye not unequally yoked together...") to justify their claim that interracial marriages were a sin!!
I think I'm starting to feel queasy!!!
The fact of the matter is the Bible is an open-ended book and needs to be interpreted. The goal a Christian should have when doing this is to get as close to the intended meaning as possible.
Read what Bell says about the ancient rabbis:
"Now the ancient rabbis understood that the Bible is open-ended and has to be interpreted. And they understood their role in the community was to study and meditate and discuss and pray and then make those decisions. Rabbis are like interpreters, helping people understand what God is saying to them through the text and what it means to live out the text.
Different rabbis had different sets of rules, which were really different lists of what they forbade and what they permitted. A rabbi's set of rules and lists, which was really that rabbi's interpretation of how to live the Torah, was called that rabbi's yoke. When you followed a certain rabbi, you were following him because you believed that rabbi's set of interpretations were the closest to what God intended through the scriptures. And when you followed that rabbi, you were taking up that rabbi's yoke.
One rabbi even said his yoke was easy (Matthew 11:30).
The intent then of a rabbi having a yoke wasn't just to interpret the words correctly; it was to live them out. In the Jewish context, action was always the goal. It still is."
Bell says that a lot of rabbis would teach about the "yoke" of "a well-respected rabbi who had come before them." However, there were those times when a rabbi would come along and say that he had a new interpretation of the Torah. Other people would question the validity of what this rabbi was saying and wonder how anyone could tell that what he said was the truth. Bell describes how a rabbi's teachings were validated:
"One of the protections for the rabbi in this case was that two other rabbis with authority would lay hands on the rabbi and essentially validate him. They would be saying, 'We believe this rabbi has authority to make new interpretations.' That's why Jesus' baptism was so important. John the Baptist was a powerful teacher and prophet who was saying publicly that he wasn't worthy to carry Jesus' sandals.
"And a voice from Heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." (Matthew 3:17)
A second voice affirmed Jesus' unique calling. The voice of God. Amazing."
I'll continue talking about Chapter 2 at another time, but let me say this...if you plan on reading "Velvet Elvis" for yourself...be prepared to read these chapters more than once...there's a LOT going on!!! *lol*
Thanks for reading.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
"Velvet Elvis"-DAY FOUR
Today, we conclude Chapter 1.
After spending some time talking about how living the Christian life should be like jumping on a trampoline (with the springs representing doctrines and beliefs that shape a belief system), Bell then moves on to those people who practice what he calls "Brickianity". This is where someone stacks their beliefs and core doctrines like bricks to create a wall. There's no room for discussion on what bricks (or doctrines) are placed on the wall, because if one brick gets pulled out of the wall...the whole thing crumbles.
Bell uses an example of a videotape he watched where a man who gives lectures on the creation of the world told the audience that if they denied that the world was created in 6 twenty-four hour periods, then they were denying that Jesus died on the cross!!
This is the major problem with "Brickianity". Anyone who practices this is telling people that if they want to follow Christ, it has to be done THEIR way instead of God's way. There's a whole bunch of rules and regulations that go along with it...there's no freedom!!
I’m convinced that ministers who waste their time and energy bashing other ministers are believers in “Brickianity”. They believe that ALL Christians should live according to how THEY think things should be done. They’re creating God in their own image when they should be spending more time asking God to mold them in HIS image!!
What about John 8:36??-"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." This isn't talking about living recklessly or sinfully. This is talking about salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Because of what He did, we are free from the legalistic traditions that some Christians use to try and suck the life out of us.
I remember when I attended Granger Community Church. Senior Pastor Mark Beeson used to always say that the definition of Religion was "DO" (you have to do certain things to be right with God). The definition of Relationship was "DONE" (Jesus did it all by his death and resurrection so we could receive His salvation and have a meaningful relationship with him). I don't know about you, but I prefer a relationship with Jesus where I don't have to worry about being struck by lightning or being greeted with a condescending pointed finger everytime I screw up (which is often).
Consider what Bell says: "The first Christians announced this way of Jesus as 'the good news'. That tells me the invitation is for everybody. The problem with 'Brickianity' is that walls inevitably keep people out. Often it appears as though you have to agree with all of the bricks exactly as they are or you can't join. Maybe you have been outside the wall before. You know exactly what I'm talking about."
Christianity is not some exclusive club where you have to meet certain requirements to join. All Jesus asks for is for you to receive his gift of salvation, tell others about Him, and do the best you can to be a Christ-like example. We're not going to get it right all of the time, and throughout the Christian walk, we are going to have questions about why things happen the way they do...which leads us to the next part of Chapter 1.
Bell continues on by saying that questions are an important part of the Christian life. We can't be scared of them and run away from them. It is NOT wrong to question why we believe what we believe. Jesus never told us to check our brains at the door. Asking questions shows that we're willing to admit we don't have all the answers, and we're not afraid to let God be God.
In the footnotes of "Velvet Elvis", Bell says this: "David Rylaarsdam from Calvin Theological Seminary makes a great point about questioning God: In Job 42:7, God indicates that He is angry with the questions of Job's three friends, which is paralleled in the gospels when the religious leaders try to trap Jesus with their questions. But Job's friends and the Pharisees had a smug sense of arrival about their theology. The psalmists, by contrast, demonstrate humility about their understanding of God, and their questions arise out of the context of faith (even if it is weak faith mixed with much doubt). So the psalmists are able to ask even tougher questions of God than the Pharisees: "My God, My God, you said you would not forget your children, and now you're hiding your face from me. I don't get it! Where are you? I'm getting hammered here. Why?"
Bell uses Genesis 18:16-33 to illustrate how believers in God have been asking questions forever. "God tells Abraham what he is going to do with Sodom and Gomorrah...Abraham thinks God is in the wrong and the proposed action is not in line with who God is, and Abraham questions him about it. Actually, they get into a sort of bargaining discussion in which Abraham doesn't let up. He keeps questioning God. And God not only doesn't get angry, but he seems to engage with Abraham all the more. Maybe that is who God is looking for-people who don't just sit there and mindlessly accept whatever comes their way."
"Central to the Christian experience is the art of questioning God. Not belligerent, arrogant questions that have no respect for our maker, but naked, honest, vulnerable, raw questions, arising out of the awe that comes from engaging the living God."
A Christian life is supposed to bring joy and freedom. Things won't be easy...God never promised that life was going to be a cakewalk. However, He promised us the peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7).
I want a RELATIONSHIP...not religion!!!
After spending some time talking about how living the Christian life should be like jumping on a trampoline (with the springs representing doctrines and beliefs that shape a belief system), Bell then moves on to those people who practice what he calls "Brickianity". This is where someone stacks their beliefs and core doctrines like bricks to create a wall. There's no room for discussion on what bricks (or doctrines) are placed on the wall, because if one brick gets pulled out of the wall...the whole thing crumbles.
Bell uses an example of a videotape he watched where a man who gives lectures on the creation of the world told the audience that if they denied that the world was created in 6 twenty-four hour periods, then they were denying that Jesus died on the cross!!
This is the major problem with "Brickianity". Anyone who practices this is telling people that if they want to follow Christ, it has to be done THEIR way instead of God's way. There's a whole bunch of rules and regulations that go along with it...there's no freedom!!
I’m convinced that ministers who waste their time and energy bashing other ministers are believers in “Brickianity”. They believe that ALL Christians should live according to how THEY think things should be done. They’re creating God in their own image when they should be spending more time asking God to mold them in HIS image!!
What about John 8:36??-"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." This isn't talking about living recklessly or sinfully. This is talking about salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Because of what He did, we are free from the legalistic traditions that some Christians use to try and suck the life out of us.
I remember when I attended Granger Community Church. Senior Pastor Mark Beeson used to always say that the definition of Religion was "DO" (you have to do certain things to be right with God). The definition of Relationship was "DONE" (Jesus did it all by his death and resurrection so we could receive His salvation and have a meaningful relationship with him). I don't know about you, but I prefer a relationship with Jesus where I don't have to worry about being struck by lightning or being greeted with a condescending pointed finger everytime I screw up (which is often).
Consider what Bell says: "The first Christians announced this way of Jesus as 'the good news'. That tells me the invitation is for everybody. The problem with 'Brickianity' is that walls inevitably keep people out. Often it appears as though you have to agree with all of the bricks exactly as they are or you can't join. Maybe you have been outside the wall before. You know exactly what I'm talking about."
Christianity is not some exclusive club where you have to meet certain requirements to join. All Jesus asks for is for you to receive his gift of salvation, tell others about Him, and do the best you can to be a Christ-like example. We're not going to get it right all of the time, and throughout the Christian walk, we are going to have questions about why things happen the way they do...which leads us to the next part of Chapter 1.
Bell continues on by saying that questions are an important part of the Christian life. We can't be scared of them and run away from them. It is NOT wrong to question why we believe what we believe. Jesus never told us to check our brains at the door. Asking questions shows that we're willing to admit we don't have all the answers, and we're not afraid to let God be God.
In the footnotes of "Velvet Elvis", Bell says this: "David Rylaarsdam from Calvin Theological Seminary makes a great point about questioning God: In Job 42:7, God indicates that He is angry with the questions of Job's three friends, which is paralleled in the gospels when the religious leaders try to trap Jesus with their questions. But Job's friends and the Pharisees had a smug sense of arrival about their theology. The psalmists, by contrast, demonstrate humility about their understanding of God, and their questions arise out of the context of faith (even if it is weak faith mixed with much doubt). So the psalmists are able to ask even tougher questions of God than the Pharisees: "My God, My God, you said you would not forget your children, and now you're hiding your face from me. I don't get it! Where are you? I'm getting hammered here. Why?"
Bell uses Genesis 18:16-33 to illustrate how believers in God have been asking questions forever. "God tells Abraham what he is going to do with Sodom and Gomorrah...Abraham thinks God is in the wrong and the proposed action is not in line with who God is, and Abraham questions him about it. Actually, they get into a sort of bargaining discussion in which Abraham doesn't let up. He keeps questioning God. And God not only doesn't get angry, but he seems to engage with Abraham all the more. Maybe that is who God is looking for-people who don't just sit there and mindlessly accept whatever comes their way."
"Central to the Christian experience is the art of questioning God. Not belligerent, arrogant questions that have no respect for our maker, but naked, honest, vulnerable, raw questions, arising out of the awe that comes from engaging the living God."
A Christian life is supposed to bring joy and freedom. Things won't be easy...God never promised that life was going to be a cakewalk. However, He promised us the peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7).
I want a RELATIONSHIP...not religion!!!
Friday, May 7, 2010
"Velvet Elvis"-DAY THREE
I'm continuing Chapter 1 of "Velvet Elvis" by Rob Bell.
I ended my last blog entry with a quote with Bell talking about how people have had a hard time talking about God since "God is bigger than our words, our brains, our worldviews, and our imaginations." He continues the chapter by referring to Moses and how his idea of having no shape or form was a "revolutionary" concept in his day.
"In Moses' day, the way you honored and respected whatever gods you followed was by making carvings or sculptures of them and then bowing down to what you had made. These were gods you could get your mind around. Moses is confronting people with an entirely new concept of what the true God is like. He is claiming that no statue or carving could ever capture this God, because this God has no shape or form."
Bell says this idea of God having no shape or form and having no limits was an idea that carried on through The Bible. When Moses asked God what His name was, God simply said, "I am." Throughout history, people have interpreted this in different ways ("I will be who I will be" or "I always have been, I am, and I always will be.") When God said "I am", He could have been telling us that an attempt at understanding Him completely is futile.
"The moment God is figured out with nice neat lines and definitions, we are no longer dealing with God. We are dealing with somebody we made up. And if we made him up, then we are in control. And so in passage after passage, we find God reminding people that he is beyond and bigger and more."
Next week, I will continue talking about Chapter one and what Bell calls "Brickianity".
So far, I'm really liking what Bell has to say, and I have seen nothing contrary to God's word. Have a great weekend, and thanks for reading.
I ended my last blog entry with a quote with Bell talking about how people have had a hard time talking about God since "God is bigger than our words, our brains, our worldviews, and our imaginations." He continues the chapter by referring to Moses and how his idea of having no shape or form was a "revolutionary" concept in his day.
"In Moses' day, the way you honored and respected whatever gods you followed was by making carvings or sculptures of them and then bowing down to what you had made. These were gods you could get your mind around. Moses is confronting people with an entirely new concept of what the true God is like. He is claiming that no statue or carving could ever capture this God, because this God has no shape or form."
Bell says this idea of God having no shape or form and having no limits was an idea that carried on through The Bible. When Moses asked God what His name was, God simply said, "I am." Throughout history, people have interpreted this in different ways ("I will be who I will be" or "I always have been, I am, and I always will be.") When God said "I am", He could have been telling us that an attempt at understanding Him completely is futile.
"The moment God is figured out with nice neat lines and definitions, we are no longer dealing with God. We are dealing with somebody we made up. And if we made him up, then we are in control. And so in passage after passage, we find God reminding people that he is beyond and bigger and more."
Next week, I will continue talking about Chapter one and what Bell calls "Brickianity".
So far, I'm really liking what Bell has to say, and I have seen nothing contrary to God's word. Have a great weekend, and thanks for reading.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
"Velvet Elvis"-DAY TWO
I am currently in the middle of Chapter 1 of "Velvet Elvis" by Rob Bell (or, as he calls it, "Movement One-Jump").
Bell begins the chapter by saying that EVERYBODY in this world has a belief system. Even those people who say they don't believe in anything...that's STILL a belief system.
"What often happens is that people with specific beliefs about God end up backed into a corner, defending their faith against the calm, cool rationality of others. As if they have faith and beliefs but others don't. But that is not true."
Bell states that the question is not who has faith and who doesn't. The question is what do we put our faith in. He goes further and states that everybody's belief system is based on influences in our lives (parents, teachers, etc.). Even people who say they're not influenced by religion and think for themselves STILL got that perspective from someone else!!
He uses a humorous story about jumping on a trampoline with his son to explain how statements and beliefs about the Christian faith are like springs on a trampoline. Like springs on a trampoline, when one "jumps" (or as I interpret it...live their lives), these "springs" (or system of beliefs) "help make sense of these deeper realities that drive how we live everyday."
One of the examples of a "spring" that Bell uses is the belief of "The Trinity". Read VERY CAREFULLY what he says:
"This doctrine is central to historic, orthodox Christian faith. While there is only one God, God is somehow present everywhere. People began to call this presence, this power of God, his "Spirit". So there is God, and then there is God's Spirit. And then Jesus comes among us and has this oneness with God that has people saying things like God has visited us in the flesh (John 1:14). So God is one, but God has also revealed himself to us as Spirit and then as Jesus. One and yet three. This three-in-oneness understanding of God emerged in the several hundred years after Jesus' resurrection. People began to call this concept the Trinity. The word trinity is not found anywhere in tbe Bible. Jesus didn't use the word, and the writers of the rest of the Bible didn't use the word. But over time this belief, this understanding, this doctrine, has become central to how followers of Jesus have understood who God is. It is a spring, and people jumped for thousands of years without it."
Now, critics of Bell have taken that statement and used it to make the claim that he denies the authority of the Trinity. BUT WAIT!!! While I was reading, I noticed at the end of the sentence there was a footnote. I turned to the back of the book, found the footnote, and it said this:"
"This fact, of course, doesn't make the doctrine any less true. It's been true all along; people just 'recently' discovered it."
A-HA!!!! So, Bell does NOT deny the authority of the Trinity. He's just saying that it was not called "The Trinity" until much later.
So...why would Bell wait and mention that in the BACK of the book in the footnotes? I have a theory about that. I truly believe Bell wanted to see if people who were reading/studying the book would actually DIG DEEP and see if they would check the footnotes...or if they would just take his quote in the front of the book, misquote it, and use it for their own agendas.
I must admit it felt REALLY good to discover this.
I close this blog entry with another quote from Bell concerning the use of "springs":
"Once again, the springs aren't God. They have emerged over time as people have discussed and studied and experienced and reflected on their growing understanding of who God is. Our words aren't absolutes. Only God is absolute, and God has no intention of sharing this absoluteness with anything, especially words people have come up with to talk about Him. this is something people have struggled with since the beginning: how to talk about God when God is bigger than our words, our brains, our worldviews, and our imaginations."
I'll be looking more into that as I continue to read "Velvet Elvis". Stay tuned!
Thanks for reading.
Bell begins the chapter by saying that EVERYBODY in this world has a belief system. Even those people who say they don't believe in anything...that's STILL a belief system.
"What often happens is that people with specific beliefs about God end up backed into a corner, defending their faith against the calm, cool rationality of others. As if they have faith and beliefs but others don't. But that is not true."
Bell states that the question is not who has faith and who doesn't. The question is what do we put our faith in. He goes further and states that everybody's belief system is based on influences in our lives (parents, teachers, etc.). Even people who say they're not influenced by religion and think for themselves STILL got that perspective from someone else!!
He uses a humorous story about jumping on a trampoline with his son to explain how statements and beliefs about the Christian faith are like springs on a trampoline. Like springs on a trampoline, when one "jumps" (or as I interpret it...live their lives), these "springs" (or system of beliefs) "help make sense of these deeper realities that drive how we live everyday."
One of the examples of a "spring" that Bell uses is the belief of "The Trinity". Read VERY CAREFULLY what he says:
"This doctrine is central to historic, orthodox Christian faith. While there is only one God, God is somehow present everywhere. People began to call this presence, this power of God, his "Spirit". So there is God, and then there is God's Spirit. And then Jesus comes among us and has this oneness with God that has people saying things like God has visited us in the flesh (John 1:14). So God is one, but God has also revealed himself to us as Spirit and then as Jesus. One and yet three. This three-in-oneness understanding of God emerged in the several hundred years after Jesus' resurrection. People began to call this concept the Trinity. The word trinity is not found anywhere in tbe Bible. Jesus didn't use the word, and the writers of the rest of the Bible didn't use the word. But over time this belief, this understanding, this doctrine, has become central to how followers of Jesus have understood who God is. It is a spring, and people jumped for thousands of years without it."
Now, critics of Bell have taken that statement and used it to make the claim that he denies the authority of the Trinity. BUT WAIT!!! While I was reading, I noticed at the end of the sentence there was a footnote. I turned to the back of the book, found the footnote, and it said this:"
"This fact, of course, doesn't make the doctrine any less true. It's been true all along; people just 'recently' discovered it."
A-HA!!!! So, Bell does NOT deny the authority of the Trinity. He's just saying that it was not called "The Trinity" until much later.
So...why would Bell wait and mention that in the BACK of the book in the footnotes? I have a theory about that. I truly believe Bell wanted to see if people who were reading/studying the book would actually DIG DEEP and see if they would check the footnotes...or if they would just take his quote in the front of the book, misquote it, and use it for their own agendas.
I must admit it felt REALLY good to discover this.
I close this blog entry with another quote from Bell concerning the use of "springs":
"Once again, the springs aren't God. They have emerged over time as people have discussed and studied and experienced and reflected on their growing understanding of who God is. Our words aren't absolutes. Only God is absolute, and God has no intention of sharing this absoluteness with anything, especially words people have come up with to talk about Him. this is something people have struggled with since the beginning: how to talk about God when God is bigger than our words, our brains, our worldviews, and our imaginations."
I'll be looking more into that as I continue to read "Velvet Elvis". Stay tuned!
Thanks for reading.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
"Velvet Elvis"-DAY ONE
I've started reading "Velvet Elvis" by Rob Bell. Rob is the founder of Mars Hill Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is also a lightning rod for controversy. In the Sunday School class I'm in at my church, we watched a DVD from Brannon Howse, where he spend quite a bit of time criticizing Bell and calling him out for his false teachings. One book he mentioned by name was "Velvet Elvis".
So, I decided to get the book out of the library and read it for myself.
After reading the introduction, here's what I'm getting out of the book:
Bell starts by talking about a Velvet Elvis he has in his basement and asks the reader the following question: What if the artist told other artists there was no more need to paint because his was the "ultimate painting".
Using this question, Bell says "Followers of Jesus, like artists, have understood that we have to keep going, exploring what it means to live in harmony with God and each other."
In other words, he's saying that as the times change, people need to find newer, innovative ways to spread the UNCHANGING Gospel of Jesus ("Times change. God doesn't, but times do").
Bell uses the example of Martin Luther and his "revolutionary" concepts from 500 years ago..."He insisted that God's grace could not be purchased with money or good deeds. He wanted everyone to have their own copy of the Bible in a language they could read. He argued that everyone had a divine calling on their lives to serve God, not just priests who had jobs in churches."
The idea of being "culturally relevant" kept popping into my head while reading this introduction. It's what they do at Granger Community Church (a TERRIFIC church in northern Indiana). I went there from 2000-2004, and it was great to see the church use the culture around them to teach God's word (and YES...it WAS Biblical teaching).
I also thought of I Corinthians 9:22-"I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some." (NIV)
Bell basically sums up the chapter by saying in order to keep the truth reforming, "we can't be making copies of the same painting over and over." We have to "take what was great about the previous paintings and incorporate that into new paintings."
What worked for the parents may not work for the children. I love listening to hymns (sometimes more than the modern worship stuff that I hear on radio or in the church). However, not everybody is going to be into that. Some people may come to Jesus at a rock concert where the band members scream like crazy and have tattoos up one arm and down the other. The point is...THE SAME METHODS DO NOT WORK FOR EVERYBODY!!
If you're not compromising the Gospel of Jesus, then there's no problem with reformation or innovation in the methods that are used. I think that sums up what Bell is trying to say in the introduction, and I have no objections.
Stay tuned...tomorrow I will dive into chapter one. I will tell you this...I have proof that Bell has been completely taken out of context when it comes to his alleged rejection of the trinity!!! You'll have to wait until tomorrow, though, to find out!! *LOL*
Thanks for reading!!
So, I decided to get the book out of the library and read it for myself.
After reading the introduction, here's what I'm getting out of the book:
Bell starts by talking about a Velvet Elvis he has in his basement and asks the reader the following question: What if the artist told other artists there was no more need to paint because his was the "ultimate painting".
Using this question, Bell says "Followers of Jesus, like artists, have understood that we have to keep going, exploring what it means to live in harmony with God and each other."
In other words, he's saying that as the times change, people need to find newer, innovative ways to spread the UNCHANGING Gospel of Jesus ("Times change. God doesn't, but times do").
Bell uses the example of Martin Luther and his "revolutionary" concepts from 500 years ago..."He insisted that God's grace could not be purchased with money or good deeds. He wanted everyone to have their own copy of the Bible in a language they could read. He argued that everyone had a divine calling on their lives to serve God, not just priests who had jobs in churches."
The idea of being "culturally relevant" kept popping into my head while reading this introduction. It's what they do at Granger Community Church (a TERRIFIC church in northern Indiana). I went there from 2000-2004, and it was great to see the church use the culture around them to teach God's word (and YES...it WAS Biblical teaching).
I also thought of I Corinthians 9:22-"I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some." (NIV)
Bell basically sums up the chapter by saying in order to keep the truth reforming, "we can't be making copies of the same painting over and over." We have to "take what was great about the previous paintings and incorporate that into new paintings."
What worked for the parents may not work for the children. I love listening to hymns (sometimes more than the modern worship stuff that I hear on radio or in the church). However, not everybody is going to be into that. Some people may come to Jesus at a rock concert where the band members scream like crazy and have tattoos up one arm and down the other. The point is...THE SAME METHODS DO NOT WORK FOR EVERYBODY!!
If you're not compromising the Gospel of Jesus, then there's no problem with reformation or innovation in the methods that are used. I think that sums up what Bell is trying to say in the introduction, and I have no objections.
Stay tuned...tomorrow I will dive into chapter one. I will tell you this...I have proof that Bell has been completely taken out of context when it comes to his alleged rejection of the trinity!!! You'll have to wait until tomorrow, though, to find out!! *LOL*
Thanks for reading!!
Are end-times issues really none of our business??-PART TWO
Since my post yesterday, I had a friend write me and ask me (in a nutshell), if we're not supposed to worry about end-time prophecy, then what do you do with Matthew 24?
Well, here's what I found in Matthew 24:36-44
36"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
Now, let's re-visit something Warren says in "The Purpose Driven Life":
Speculating on the exact timing of Christ's return is futile, because Jesus said, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." Since Jesus said he didn't know the day or hour, why should you try to figure it out" What we do know for sure is this: Jesus will not return until everyone God wants to hear the Good New has heard it. Jesus said, "The Good News about God's kingdom will be preached in all the world, to every nation. Then the end will come." If you want Jesus to come back sooner, focus on fulfilling your mission, not figuring out prophecy.
I really don't think Warren is telling people not to talk about the end times. I don't think he's telling people not to stay alert and look for warning signs. I think what he's trying to say is if we get so hung up on trying to figure out the exact date of Jesus' return, we are being distracted from our purposes here on earth...one of them being Evangelism. We need to tell other people about Jesus so they're not going to Hell.
I do believe that we need to pay attention to the signs and the events going on in the world, such as the earthquake in Haiti or the recent flooding in the U.S. They are not PUNISHMENT from God. They're just a sign that this world isn't getting any better, the end is coming, and we need to be ready.
However, I don't think Warren ever says, "just ignore all these things." He's saying despite these things, do not try and pinpoint when Christ's return will be. It's so easy for Christians to see this bad stuff happening, give up their mission on Earth, and just sit there and do nothing while waiting for Christ's return.
Warren is simply telling us that Christians need to continue our mission on Earth, which will bring more people to Jesus and more people to Heaven when he does return.
Thanks for reading.
Well, here's what I found in Matthew 24:36-44
36"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
42"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
This is very similar to what's being said in Acts 1:7
Now, let's re-visit something Warren says in "The Purpose Driven Life":
Speculating on the exact timing of Christ's return is futile, because Jesus said, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." Since Jesus said he didn't know the day or hour, why should you try to figure it out" What we do know for sure is this: Jesus will not return until everyone God wants to hear the Good New has heard it. Jesus said, "The Good News about God's kingdom will be preached in all the world, to every nation. Then the end will come." If you want Jesus to come back sooner, focus on fulfilling your mission, not figuring out prophecy.
I really don't think Warren is telling people not to talk about the end times. I don't think he's telling people not to stay alert and look for warning signs. I think what he's trying to say is if we get so hung up on trying to figure out the exact date of Jesus' return, we are being distracted from our purposes here on earth...one of them being Evangelism. We need to tell other people about Jesus so they're not going to Hell.
I do believe that we need to pay attention to the signs and the events going on in the world, such as the earthquake in Haiti or the recent flooding in the U.S. They are not PUNISHMENT from God. They're just a sign that this world isn't getting any better, the end is coming, and we need to be ready.
However, I don't think Warren ever says, "just ignore all these things." He's saying despite these things, do not try and pinpoint when Christ's return will be. It's so easy for Christians to see this bad stuff happening, give up their mission on Earth, and just sit there and do nothing while waiting for Christ's return.
Warren is simply telling us that Christians need to continue our mission on Earth, which will bring more people to Jesus and more people to Heaven when he does return.
Thanks for reading.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Are end-times issues really none of our business??
On his Worldview Radio website, Brannon Howse makes the following statement:
"Rick Warren states in his book The Purpose Driven Life that end-times issues are really none of our business. Really? What does God say about this?"
Well, I thought I'd find that out for myself.
Acts 1: 6-8 (NIV)
6So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"
"Rick Warren states in his book The Purpose Driven Life that end-times issues are really none of our business. Really? What does God say about this?"
Well, I thought I'd find that out for myself.
Acts 1: 6-8 (NIV)
6So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"
7He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.
8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
Here's the section from "The Purpose Driven Life" that Howse is calling into question:
When the disciples wanted to talk about prophecy, Jesus quickly switched the conversation to evangelism. He wanted them to concentrate on their mission to the world. He said in essence, "The details of my return are none of your business. What is your business is the mission I have given you. Focus on that!"
Speculating on the exact timing of Christ's return is futile, because Jesus said, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." Since Jesus said he didn't know the day or hour, why should you try to figure it out" What we do know for sure is this: Jesus will not return until everyone God wants to hear the Good New has heard it. Jesus said, "The Good News about God's kingdom will be preached in all the world, to every nation. Then the end will come." If you want Jesus to come back sooner, focus on fulfilling your mission, not figuring out prophecy.
So, in my humble opinion...if you take what The Bible says in Acts and compare it to what Warren says in "The Purpose Driven Life"...they are the SAME THING. I really have no idea why Howse would take issue with this. Christians shouldn't be concerned with knowing all the details of Christ's return (such as the date, time, etc). We should be more concerned about The Great Commission and The Great Commandment. I believe that's what Warren was trying to say, and I see absolutely nothing that contradicts what's being said in the scriptures.
Thanks for reading!
This blog was born out of a Sunday School class I'm participating in at my church. The class is about how one can develop a Biblical Worldview (the materials are written/taught by Brannon Howse).
In yesterday's class, Howse called out leaders of what's called the "Emergent Church" for mixing new age philosophies with Christian principles.
To be more specific, he was HIGHLY critical of Rob Bell, Bill Hybels, Brian McClaren, Leonard Sweet, and Rick Warren (Howse labeled them all "false teachers").
I'm going to study things for myself and see what the truth is. That's the primary reason for this blog.
However, in an attempt to not make things TOO heavy, I'll post some light-hearted stuff as well (for example, my thoughts on American Idol--Crystal Bowersox all the way!).
Thanks for reading.
In yesterday's class, Howse called out leaders of what's called the "Emergent Church" for mixing new age philosophies with Christian principles.
To be more specific, he was HIGHLY critical of Rob Bell, Bill Hybels, Brian McClaren, Leonard Sweet, and Rick Warren (Howse labeled them all "false teachers").
I'm going to study things for myself and see what the truth is. That's the primary reason for this blog.
However, in an attempt to not make things TOO heavy, I'll post some light-hearted stuff as well (for example, my thoughts on American Idol--Crystal Bowersox all the way!).
Thanks for reading.
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