It strikes me that, amid all the hype and hoo-hah this week surrounding a certain authorRead the rest., we need to remember that promise. Teachers -- true and false -- come and go; they have done so for centuries, and few have made any lasting mark, let alone those who write paperback potboilers. But the church has survived; the gates of hell shall still not prevail; and the church will be built. Yes, we must defend the truth, with learning, passion and fortitude; but we should remember that the battle is not won through our efforts, and we must not be caught up in overestimating the importance of the present moment. After all, how many `defining moments' do we hear about in a typical year? And how many of such moments truly define anything at all?
If we really believe Matt. 16:18, I would suggest that we will not panic with every wind of false doctrine which comes our way, nor will we be intimidated by astronomical sales figures for bad books or tickets to hear false preachers. We will rather focus on what we should be doing: humbly preaching and teaching and believing the word. Sometimes, I suspect the over-the-top panic and outrage of the orthodox when faced by the latest challenge are really functions of self-importance and an impoverished doctrine of God. They seem to imply that our age is unique, the future of Christianity really does depend solely on us, and the church is really jeopardised by the latest heterodox blockbuster.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Calm Down a Little Concerning Rob Bell
Carl Trueman with his always interesting take on things:
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2 comments:
I agree to a point. I think there is a healthy reaction for Christians to take, because as Rob Bell's ideology won't last forever, it will have an impact on people's salvation now. It will probably move some people away form saving faith in Christ. That saddens me, and I think is worth trying to prevent.
Ultimately God is sovereign and Bell won't pull away anyone who wouldn't have been pulled way by the next guy's bad theology; however that shouldn't keep us from speaking out against it and acknowledging it as wrong. And, I do agree that we shouldn't overreact, but that's a tough line to draw.
Thanks for your thought-provoking posts!
I agree that we shouldn't over-react, but we shouldn't under-react either. There needs to be a clear message of the rejection of Bell's gospel from conservative bible scholars, pastors and teachers.
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