Rob Bell, author and former pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville, Mich., has made waves again. In 2011, in his book Love Wins, Bell neatly disposed of hell and in essence the uniqueness of Christ’s claim to be the only way to God (see John 14:6 and Acts 4:11-12 for the truth). Now Bell has publicly come out in favor of gay marriage. He is quoted as saying, “I am for marriage. I am for fidelity. I am for love, whether it's a man and woman, a woman and a woman, a man and a man. I think the ship has sailed and I think …we need to affirm people wherever they are.”* Bell went on to say that Christians would have to either “die or adapt.”* I’m not sure how literal his statement was intended to be, but the death of the true church or those individuals who oppose same-sex marriage are not too far out of the realm of possibilities today in the United States of America.
So what is up with this? Or how about the antics of Joel Osteen or any other prosperity preacher? It is painfully obvious that the Church already has or is in the process of embracing a new gospel—a different gospel than what was originally delivered to us. Richard Niebuhr was right when he stated that we now believe in a “God without wrath bringing people without sin into a kingdom without judgment through a Christ without a cross.”**
However, we have been called “to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3). We are to be the “church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15). Now is not the time to be accepting and approving of lies because we have believed another lie—that we can’t love others as Christ commanded unless we are “tolerant” (accepting and approving) of other points of view. We need the brains and guts to clearly discern and articulate the truth, and the heart to love people enough to rescue them without condemnation from the sin that keeps them in opposition to the King and will eventually lead to their eternal destruction.
(* excerpted from http://www.worldmag.com/2013/03/first_hell_now_marriage.)
(** excerpted from http://www.tlogical.net/biojohngill.htm .)
So what is up with this? Or how about the antics of Joel Osteen or any other prosperity preacher? It is painfully obvious that the Church already has or is in the process of embracing a new gospel—a different gospel than what was originally delivered to us. Richard Niebuhr was right when he stated that we now believe in a “God without wrath bringing people without sin into a kingdom without judgment through a Christ without a cross.”**
However, we have been called “to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3). We are to be the “church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15). Now is not the time to be accepting and approving of lies because we have believed another lie—that we can’t love others as Christ commanded unless we are “tolerant” (accepting and approving) of other points of view. We need the brains and guts to clearly discern and articulate the truth, and the heart to love people enough to rescue them without condemnation from the sin that keeps them in opposition to the King and will eventually lead to their eternal destruction.
(* excerpted from http://www.worldmag.com/2013/03/first_hell_now_marriage.)
(** excerpted from http://www.tlogical.net/biojohngill.htm .)
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