75 Words

You Decided, I Wrote - Again

This time we ended up with a 2-2-2 tie.

And like baseball, tie goes to the runner (writer). 

I chose:

 Expositional Study:  Write an exposition on the Book of Haggai. The exposition should include: a statement of the overall message, an outline of the book based on the overall message, and a brief explanation of each paragraph as the message is developed in the argument of the text. Obviously comments cannot be made on every verse in the book but all significant statements should be dealt with in your brief explanations.

You can download it here ---> Download BookofHaggai

The book is a great reminder of how obedience to God brings his presence and with it, his blessings. 

 

Mormonism and Evangelicalism

Honestly, I knew Fuller trends to a more progressive view of theology and culture than I could align myself with. 

This article written by their president shows that progression.

"Those of us who have made the effort to engage Mormons in friendly and sustained give-and-take conversations have come to see them as good citizens whose life of faith often exhibits qualities that are worthy of the Christian label, even as we continue to engage in friendly arguments with them about crucial theological issues."

1. There are plenty of Atheists, "whose life of faith often exhibits qualities that are worthy of the Christian label..." Thankfully, they won't be taking that label, no matter how broad and culturally savvy Mouw wants to make it. They're not taking the label because they don't follow Christ. Neither do Mormons...at least not the same Christ the Bible teaches.

2. One of the biggest problems with this article is that it makes Christ somehow trans-belief, trans-religion figure that can be found in equal amounts of truth in religions other than Orthodox Christianity. For example: Matt 5:17-19. If what Jesus is saying is true of the Bible, then what the Mormons believe about Joseph Smith, their continuing revelation of their elders, and the Book of Mormon being supreme above the Bible isn't compatible with Jesus says about the Bible and what the Bible says about Jesus.

Mormons aren't Christians.

And, it's ok.

It's cheap to score political points at the expense of ones religious beliefs.

And,

It's theologically irresponsible to try and syncretize Christianity and Mormonism for the sake of Evangelicalism.

It only ends up as a disservice to Evangelicalism.

 

Seeing the Signs?

Mark 8:12

1. I love how Jesus "sighed deeply." It's funny to imagine Jesus' physical reaction to the Pharisee's and their questions. It's also great to see the personality emerge in Jesus. I sometimes forget he was human as well as divine.

2. This question takes place just after Jesus fed 4000 people. 4000 people with 7 loaves of bread and some fish. Yeah, but I'll still be needing your divine license and registration Mr. Messiah. 

3. It's crazy that so many people walked, talked, ate with, touched, and saw Jesus yet didn't believe.

4. After reading through the Gospels it becomes clear that God intended seeing to be secondary and believing through faith to be primary.

 

Fare Well Rob Bell -- Love Wins Wrap Up

 

Chapter 1; Chapter 2; Chapter 3; Chapter 4; Chapter 5; Chapter 6; Chapter 7

**Note, this is longer than 75 words. Way Longer.

The 75 Words summary:

It's ok to have an opinion on a book without reading it.

I was tainted before I read the book.

Love Wins is not a systematic theology.

It avoids the hard texts and difficult issues.

Bell's freedom isn't really freedom.

Satan has to be reconciled.

Does everyone accept what is offered?

Bell is no Luther.

Heretic or False Teacher? I’m punting on this one. You’ll get no ill-advised tweet expelling Bell from fellowship here. If you want that, you can go here. 

Reckless pastor, irresponsible preacher.

Read the book. It'll be good for you.

 

Preliminary Thoughts

It’s ok to have an opinion about the book without reading it. We do this all the time. Do you read every article your pastor reads?

Do you read every page of commentary that your pastor cites?

Do you read every word of the book your pastor quotes?

My point is this; you don’t have to read a book to know what it is about.

The same applies for this book. There are more than enough reviews, good and bad, from which to form an opinion.

 

Having said that, I should say that I read numerous reviews on Love Wins prior to actually reading the book. As a result, I came to the book with my own notions of what was inside which made objectivity difficult.  Also, this is not an attempt at systematic theology. Bell uses this book to counsel those in his flock, and those in wider evangelicalism, regarding the fate of mankind. This is why this book is so dangerous. No normal church member will pick up a copy of Grudem or Ryrie to read through their works on salvation. It is far more likely, however, that the normal church member will read this book and will probably identify with the same angst and questions raised by Bell. Ultimately Bell is unable to provide clear and Biblical answers to the myriad of questions (over 300) that he is able to muster.

Onto some issues: 

1. Avoiding the hard texts. Bell does a seemingly fantastic job compiling all the scriptures that have the words “all”, “saved”, and “loved.” With these texts he shows the breadth and depth of the offering of reconciliation towards mankind. The underlying problem here is that he doesn’t deal with Romans 9. You absolutely cannot approach the concept of salvation adequately without addressing Romans 9. Bell avoids Romans 9 because it would shorten the book by about 7 chapters. This kind of deliberate and willful avoidance of difficult texts and conclusions is at best intellectually dishonest and at worst outright biblical fraud. 

2. Freedom isn’t really freedom. Love Wins is predicated on the idea that we are free to love or not love God. Bell seems to contend that we’ll have that choice after death.  After seeing God and his love, Bell argues, we’ll succumb to it and live with God forever. The problem with this is that if we have freedom, our choices matter and a choice to reject God would logically result in our separation from him, forever. Bell’s freedom isn’t really freedom because it is a foregone conclusion that we will eventually succumb to the love of God. There is no freedom there. The result is a cruel God who allows all of humanity to suffer pain, sorrow, cancer, war, inequity, injustice, and evil for the span of their lives here on earth only to ultimately love them to Heaven after death. It’s one big cosmic joke. 

3. Satan gets reconciled. This is another one of those issues that Bell doesn’t address. If God loves everything he created and if everything has been reconciled or will be reconciled to him, Satan ultimately has to be reconciled. If Satan isn’t reconciled then there is a possibility that God’s goodness and beauty couldn’t overtake the darkness of Satan. This, obviously, is a problem for Love Wins that Bell doesn’t address.

4. Offering vs. Acceptance. Love Wins does a great job of showing how wide and deep God’s love is for his creation. The problem is he does a shoddy job in showing how quickly, often, and deeply we reject our Creator. In Love Wins, the assumption is that we all end up accepting the offer. That conclusion, unfortunately, isn’t biblical. (John 3:36)

5. A lesser Jesus and a wasted sacrifice. In attempting to answer the question “Why can’t everyone end up in heaven? “ Bell denigrates the cross and takes away the need for Christ and his sacrifice.  If everyone eventually responds to God’s love and beauty, there is no need for Christ or the cross. In Love Wins there is no need for the scourging, the ripped out beard, the public scorn, the crown of thorns, the nails, or the spear…it is useless and not central to the reconciliation of God and man. Jesus is now a man of sorrow for a completely different reason. The price paid by Christ is for everyone, even if you reject it, you’ll ultimately be saved by it. By the way, this conclusion is not in the book, but it is, in fact, the end conclusion of Love Wins theology.

6. Heretic or False Teacher? I’m punting on this one. You’ll get no ill-advised tweet expelling Bell from fellowship here. If you want that, you can go here. 

7. Reckless pastor, irresponsible preacher. This is what came across most vividly as I read this book. Bell is reckless, deliberately so, with God’s word. This is the most frustrating thing about this book. I can appreciate the question asking and the desire to move people closer to God but not at the expense of basic bible study methods. His disregard for context or correlation of Scripture is maddening. Those reading this book with a basic biblical knowledge will ask the question, “Well, what about when the Bible says ____?” or “Is this passage even talking about ______?” It’s those folks who lack the basic biblical knowledge (read:lots and lots of people) who will read this and accept its faulty premise and unsustainable conclusions as biblical truth. Bell’s abuse of Scripture is more than enough to consider him a reckless pastor and equally irresponsible preacher.

Conclusion

Love Wins was challenging precisely because Bell asks you to struggle with the nagging and terrible truth that not everyone ends up in Heaven reconciled to God. We should all be confronted with that truth and our response should be hearts that are heavy for the lost. We should be on our knees weeping and pleading for the hearts of the lost to be turned. You should read (read:borrow) this book and be challenged. You may not love it but you'll find your theology tested and you'll likely find yourself more appreciative of what God did to reconcile you to him. I did, and for that, thanks go to Rob Bell and Love Wins.

Same Old Song And Dance -- Love Wins (Chapter 7)

Chapter 1; Chapter 2; Chapter 3; Chapter 4; Chapter 5; Chapter 6

"Forgiveness is unilateral.

God isn't waiting for us to get it together,

to clean up, shape up, get up-

God has already done it." (p.189)

 

It's clear in Scripture that forgiveness is offered to all through Christ. Rom 6:23

It's also clear that not everyone accepts that offer of forgiveness. John 3:36

It's also clear that for us to be free, there have to be results from our choices.

Scripture makes these results clear in Heaven and Hell.

 

Stay tuned for some final thoughts.

Young Padawan Still He Is -- Love Wins (Chapter 6)

Chapter 1; Chapter 2; Chapter 3; Chapter 4; Chapter 5

 

Jesus Christ is The Force.

Huh?

Yeah, The Force. From Star Wars.

Whaa?

Seriously, he's mystical and permeates everything.

.......

He is the way, the truth, and the life...but you don't have to know him.

We're not talking about the same Jesus.

My Jesus saves. the. world. everyone.

So, we're all free to have no choice but to be saved.

Well, God's love is too beautiful to ignore.

So, why did Christ have to die the death he died?

Dude, Jesus is The Force.

....

Eminem Reveals His Christianity -- Love Wins (Chapter 5)

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

I needed a break.

I was tired of reading the same old stuff.

So, I started reading Eminem and his lyrics.

Guess what I found?

Dude is a Christian.

Check out his lyrics.

"We’re the ones who made you" - A spectacular reference to the Trinity.

"But you ain’t leaving no more, Daddy you’re mine" - A beautiful recognition of the Abba Father.

"'u r the one, u r the one, u r the one, ooh oooh." - Expression of unrestrained worship.

"I think I love you, baby." - More fragrant worship towards baby Jesus.

"Daddy it’s me, help mummy her wrists are bleeding." - Prayers for healing.

"It would be a different world for me." - A recognition of the transforming power of a life in Christ.

(murmers, whispers)

huh?

(louder now)

well, no I didn't find them all in one song.

(groaning)

but he said all those things, in that same word order.

(racuous yelling)

why would contex matter?

(pitchforks and lanterns emerge)

That's just it really.

The same way I made Eminem a Christian,

Rob Bell makes Paul a universalist.

Bell shows no care (or ability) for,

Context

Or,

Consistency.

What makes this book truly dangerous is,

the implicit denial of Biblical consistency

which leads to 

the denegration of the cross,

a purposeless crucifixion of Jesus,

and ultimately,

the toppling of God and his sovereignty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rally Round Sovereignty, Pocket Full of Shells -- Love Wins (Chapter 4)

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

 

Romans 9:14-15

Lets not confuse this chapter with anything other than an assault on God's sovereignty.

Yet, it's interesting, he doesn't deal with Romans 9.

He deals in the Psalms and OT Prophets and dabbles in the NT.

Yet, it's interesting, he doesn't deal with Romans 9.

He asks questions like "Does God Get What He Wants?"

Yet, it's interesting, he doesn't deal with Romans 9.

 

He deliberately and selectively avoids the answer in Romans 9:19-24

God does what he wants, with who he wants.

So That,

We, as objects of mercy, may know the riches of His glory.

 

Ignoring God's truth doesn't invalidate God's truth.

Pruning vs. Punishment -- Love Wins (Chapter 3)

 

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Matt 25:46

"eternal/everlasting punishment" - NIV, NLT, ESV, NASB, ISV, GWT, KJV, AKJV, ASV, BIBE, DRB, DBT, ERV, WBT, WEB

"a period of pruning" - Rob Bell

"a time of trimming" - Rob Bell

"an intense experience of correction - Rob Bell

Bell's translation of "κόλασιν" as pruning or trimming or correction is rooted in a usage by Hippocrates in the 5th Cent. B.C. (LSJ)

The problem is by the time the NT is written, it doesn't have that meaning. The word is used twice as a noun Matt 25:46 and 1 John 4:18 and twice in its verbal form Acts 4:21 and 2 Pet 2:9; all translated as punishment or punish. (BDAG 555)

Here's why this is important:

1. Bell intentionally and selectively chooses to translate this word as it was used some 500 years before Christ and ignores the NT usage to make his point.

2. This type of selective proofing is rampant in Love Wins and it seriously underminds Bells credibility as a teacher and calls into question his faithfulness to God's word.

 

Hell is real and eternal.

Contrary to Chapter 3,

Reject Christ and you will tragically end up in real, eternal punishment.

"And thats it."

 

 

Catch Him If You Can -- Love Wins (Chapter 2)

 

Chapter 1

This chapter was decidedly longer and filled mixed definitions, poorly constructed arguments, and questionable (at best) exegesis (that'd be generous). I thought it was interesting how his argument flowed, so I've included it for your entertainment.

*Note* It's long, so skip to the bottom for a few last thoughts.

Paintings of the cross creep me out.

Giant crosses don’t hang in the air.

Heaven is somewhere else.

No one looks good in a white robe.

Hell is a long church service.

Heaven can’t be heaven unless my family is there.

Does Heaven float?

Matthew 19

Keep the commandments

Leave the donkey in the hole?

We’ve used “eternal life, treasure, and heaven” wrong, since forever.

Answers are in questions, duh.

Jesus didn’t come to tell people how to go to heaven. Huh?

Ages

A little Koine Greek word study.

OT Prophets also agree there are ages.

Heaven is on earth, literally.

Everybody includes the multieverything.

The world to come would make a racist miserable.

The “day of the Lord” will be crazy.

God judges the world on behalf of the oppressed.

Justice and Mercy make out for a bit.

The Jewish people were only concerned about then, not eternity.

Rich guy needed to get rid of greed and be a part of heaven now.

What does Heaven mean to Jesus?

Jews in the 1^st century revered the name of God.

I get emails that prove people do today as well.

Heaven means God.

Heaven and earth aren’t together yet.

Heaven and earth will be the same place.

There are no mansions in heaven.

Scratch the streets of Gold as well.

Crown wearing is absurd.

Possessions are nouns.

Matthew 19 (cont, but with no more Scripture)

Because we’ll have water in Heaven, we need to dig wells now.

Green living is biblical.

Matthew 19, should give away his riches so he can be closer to God.

If I waste time playing video games, that’ll be my heaven.

Heaven is “peace, stillness, serenity, and calm.” (No reference given)

Heaven has sharp teeth. They devour greed, coveting, and the like.

Jesus wasn’t concerned with who gets in and who doesn’t.

We won’t know everything in Heaven, that’s just speculation. (No reference given)

Flames in Heaven

People who think they know him won’t be let in.

Heaven is full of the unexpected.

Single mom vs. the movie stars; Who gets in first?

Jesus saves an insurgent…wait, no, remembers…sorry.

Heaven is now and not yet.

Jesus was all about Heaven being now. 

Ages.

Some more Koine Greek. (still no sourcing)

Eternal isn’t about time.

Eternal life starts now.

We live in 3-D! (shocking truth)

Wait there maybe as many as 11-Dimensions. (no source)

Our experience is like playing a piano with oven mitts.

We’re wearing a hazmat suit, underwater, with gravel in our mouths.

Heaven is now and somewhere else.

Heaven is here and sometime else.

Paint that, Mr. Artist!

 

A Few Last Thoughts:

1. Bell uses the word "pastor" a lot in this chapter. It's helpful to remember that he's a pastor, not a theologian.

2. In a similar vein, it's clear that this book was written to answer questions from his congregation. His intentions were good. It's the execution and the conclusions that end up sinking the book and ultimately Bell.

3. Bell offers no coherent, scripturally supported view of Heaven. What's worse, he diminishes basically the whole Gospel of John and verses like John 3:16, 14:6 (among many others) by offering no means to obtain or enter "the age to come."

This isn't a great way to start a book on Heaven/Hell.

Tomorrow.

Chapter 3, Hell.