It is by Steven Furtick the pastor of elevation church in north carolina.
Going to Northwest University, a Christian Bible College, I see my peers constantly drawing lines in the sand about ridiculous theology, that often times has no purpose besides belittling the name of Christ.
Why do we scoff at the views of our peers? It honestly doesn't come from a place of love.
There is much more disrespect flashing through the classrooms of my Christian theology classes than there was at my secular school's philosophy class.
In a discussion of the whole Rob Bell debate my friend put it best:
"Instead of ministering to people, we read each others books and debate over them" - Pastor Jordan Abina
Sometimes its easier to find the love of Christ outside of a church than inside.
Theology is Sometimes Good, but Love is Always Better
What about all the talk in the bible about false teachers? I agree with what you guys are saying but at the same time there should be some accountability about what is taught to people.
ReplyDeleteI believe love should be a defining characteristic of Christians to everyone.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I believe we should also hate the things God hates.
Not many people should desire to be teachers, for they will be judged more strictly.
I wonder, did the makers of this video know that they are being guilty of the very thing they are opposing? It may just be a sarcastic way to bring about the point, but I wonder how else would a person tell people that their views do not matter?
I've become a lot less critical of other pastors since starting and stopping a church. Furthermore, when other's get critical, I think they've missed the point.
ReplyDeleteThe point is my unchurched friends don't have any idea who Rob Bell or Mark Driscoll are and wouldn't give a shit if they did. However, they would hey would like to know God is real and see him demonstrated through sacrificial love in me.
I think it's much easier to criticize and debate theology than actually just love.
Greg, this is the response I posted on another blog that we talked about this morning. I post it here for anyone else who may want to contribute to this discussion. This is in regards to the promo video:
ReplyDelete"We’ve got to reserve judgment until the book comes out, for sure. But at the same time, Rob’s video HEAVILY hinted at Universalism. He asked, sarcastically, “Gandhi’s in hell? Really?”
Well, we can’t say for certain because we’re not God, but yeah, he probably is. Yes, you do have to believe in Christ to “go to Heaven.” Scripture makes that clear. If we stray from that, we’re straying into something that is not a “Christian” faith. It’s something else. That was my fear when I watched the video. But again, let’s reserve judgment until the book comes out. If our fears are realized, then yes, there does need to be a public rebuke and correction of Bell from Christians and Christian leaders."
Sometimes, the most loving thing we can do for a fellow Christian is to rebuke and correct them if they have strayed into false teaching. That's not being a "hater." That's being a true "brother" or "sister." (But trust me, I know all about the hating that goes on at Christian universities!)
How does this video show love? Maybe I'm missing something, but I can't see it.
ReplyDelete