Love Wins: But Does The Book?

There has been a hue and cry over a new book by Rob Bell – Love Wins. In the book it appears that Rob takes an almost universalistic approach to the issues of evil, punishment and Hell (a theological position that holds that ultimately everyone goes to heaven and that hell is empty). The book has climbed to third on the Amazon best selling list this week largely due to the uproar among evangelicals.

I have stayed away from the controversy until now because I have not read the book and unlike a number of leading theologically reformed pastors I don’t think I should address a book that I haven’t read. BTW it appears that at least part of the problem is that Rob is perhaps more of an Arminian then a Calvinist in his views.

What I can address is the swirl of issues that are related to the book that includes marketing, pastoring, the emerging church and theology.

First regarding marketing I can’t think of a better way to generate sales then to create controversy. Regardless of claims of innocence to this charge Rob Bell is a very smart guy. There is no way that he couldn’t know that the press releases; excerpts of the book and video clips to say nothing of the subject would cause controversy. My hat is off to his publisher for a great marketing campaign! Rob will be making a lot of money from the book sales!

But this brings me to my second concern, pastoring. As a pastor we are supposed to keep an eye on the unity of the body and care for the body. I don’t see a lot of that (from either side) in this fiasco. Part of this is due to the third issue I have the emerging church and their use of deconstructionism in Bible study. I have no problem with this as a way of getting to the truth but I think we need to arrive at the truth from time to time. And not just ask questions or create controversy a la Brian McLaren.

I sat in unbelief watching a youtube video of Rob Bell being interviewed on MSNBC and had to shake my head over Rob’s lack of concrete answers, but not surprised at his approach. A number of years ago I had the opportunity of being at a symposium where McLaren was speaking and where a Q&A session was set up after his talk. The discussion was lively and the natives were riled up but McLaren never actually engaged them or answered any of their questions. After the meeting I commented to people around me that getting Brian to take a position was like trying to nail Jell-O to the wall! It appears that Rob Bell is cut from the same cloth, as are many emerging church leaders.

I applaud the questions; in fact I have had many of the same ones myself. But sometimes that answers are available. It’s just that we often don’t like the answers! Yes, some questions are unknowable or are paradoxes or even conundrums. We shouldn’t ignore these subjects. God wants us to wrestle with them and from time to time we even find answers or at least partial answers.

And this brings me to my final issue, theology. A scholar once defined theology as establishing the extremes and searching for the middle. What constitutes orthodoxy vs. heterodoxy over the centuries has caused great debate. Defining who Jesus is and what he is made up of (two distinct natures both God and human) took centuries and several ecclesiastical councils to come to a majority decision on.

Reformed theology or Calvinism did not evolve until the 16^th Century and Arminianism was a response to the excesses of Calvinism (although many of the theological thoughts had been a part of orthodox Christianity from the 1^st Century).

Even the idea of Universalism has roots in the church back to the Middle Ages. The idea of the ability to escape hell was known as purgatory in the Roman Catholic Church. As an evangelical I reject this teaching but I still believe that many Roman Catholics will be in Heaven with me if their faith is in the finished work of Christ (I just believe that they will go directly to heaven).

Is theology important? Absolutely! And with this controversy we are witnessing some of the reasons why! Your theology gives you a grid work for answering life’s questions and for understanding how to approach God. Does God allow us to question him? You bet ya! Just read the book of Psalms or even the book of Job. God is fine with our questions but just remember that He might have some questions for you, too!

Is this an issue that needs to be debated and discussed? I think it is appropriate, but to carry on a “discussion” via social media or even traditional media is childish. Further the topic is too large and too important to be chopped up into sound bites.

I look forward to reading Rob Bell’s book but I’m not sure that I will discover any answers in it. He seems to be long on questions but woefully short on answers. Answers are to be found in Christ and in His Word. Allowing the Bible to interpret the Bible is always a great place to start!

Pastor Val

Catch and Release

If reality TV had been around back in the first century they would have filmed The Most Dangerous Catch on location at Lake Galilee. Fishermen went out in very small boats on one of the most dangerous lakes of the world. The Sea of Galilee was infamous for fast and furious storms that would whip down from and through the surrounding mountains onto the sea and create incredibly dangerous storms with little warning. This is the location of much of Jesus teaching and where he found a number of his early disciples. When Jesus trained his disciples he chose men from a variety of occupations. Perhaps one of the best-known occupations was a fisherman.

It was by the lakeside that Jesus called at least four of his twelve Disciples. Andrew and his brother Peter as well as James and his brother John were successful fishing captains who upon the invitation of Jesus became close followers of Jesus. It was here that Jesus told them that he would not change their occupation as much as he would redirect their choice of catch from fish to men.

Matthew 4:18-21 (NIV)
¹⁸ As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.
¹⁹ "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."
²⁰ At once they left their nets and followed him.
²¹ Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them,

I got to thinking about what usually happens after a catch is landed. Usually it is taken to a market place where it is sold and eventually eaten. But not so when the catch is men, especially when we are dealing with Jesus fishing fleet.

You see Jesus could be considered the very first conservationist because he taught and practiced a “catch and release” program. The goal of Jesus fishermen was to catch men train them to be fishers of men and then release them back into the sea so that they in turn can catch others and continue the process of bringing people into the Kingdom.

It’s kind of a shame that so many of us are so poor at fishing today. Our catch at times is very thin. Perhaps we consider the catch and release process to more of a recreational activity that we can choose whether to participate in or not rather then a responsibility. Maybe we don’t understand the tools necessary to fish although there are any number of actable ways of fishing. But I think the main problem is that we are failing to even fish at all.

So let’s get busy fishing, after all the rewards are eternal!

Pastor Val

Thinking Inside the Box

Like me, many of you have been challenged to think outside the box and there are good reasons to consider things that are not the norm. Someone once said that a rut is a grave with the ends removed. Being in a box can make us feel trapped or imprisoned. But we all have been exposed to new thinking and new ways of doing things that have proved disconcerting at the time and yet have become a part of our daily lives.

Rotary phones gave way to push button phones to cordless and finally wireless phones. Wireless phones are becoming smart phones and smart phones that connect to the web and can do as much as a personal computers. But with each change has come a learning curve. (Think programming VCRs to record or the complexity of home entertainment centers where you have multiple sources of input for your TV etc.) So there are good things that come with being outside of the box. Technology can be one of the things where by we gain positive things and unfortunately negative things as well. Think of how the Internet can be an awesome tool for learning or a scourge for people fighting the addiction of pornography.

In my teaching I encourage people to be willing to step out of their box (think comfort zone) and be willing to accept the fact that God’s box is much bigger then the box conservative worshipers usually confine themselves to. This is still true but is it also possible that there are times when he wants us to stay in our box or more specifically in the box of God’s choosing (think will)? Is it possible that there is a possibility where sticking with the status quo is not only appropriate but also right? For both conservative and progressive followers of Christ I believe the answer is YES!

When we decide that God’s boundaries are too confining and we feel smothered by his rules we often long for freedom. We forget or perhaps have never learned that with love comes restraints and true freedom is confining (in a good way!). Think of a train. A train is designed to run on a track as long as it stays within its purpose it is free to travel as far and as fast as it can. It can travel to many different destinations. But take the same train and allow it to have a mind of its own and further let it decide to take a different path then the tracks laid down for it and we call the results a train wreck. The train can’t travel too far without tracks underneath it. A train that has jumped the tracks is considered to have been derailed and unable to reach its planned destination.

³² I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.

Psalms 119:32 (NIV)

We are never more free than when we are doing exactly what we were designed to do!

If we were to take a look at the history of the nation of Israel we would see that again and again they rebelled against the track, the path that God had laid out for them and the result was never a happy experience. Read through the Old Testament book of Judges and you will read of a cycle of rebellion and derailment of a people followed by redemption and a time of peace and prosperity.

They would forget their God. As a result of their living outside of God’s box (think will) God allowed their enemies to rise up and subjugate the nation until they returned to the paths of God and than he would bring a champion to lead them to victory and peace for a generation or so until they one again chose to again think outside of the box. Check out Psalm 78 or Psalm 106 for recount of a nation of people who thought outside of the box only to eventually scamper back into the safety and comfort of the box.

Are we commanded to consider new approaches to proclaim an unchanging message by expanding our box to God’s box? YES!

Are we commanded to obey God’s commands and live within God’s box? YES!

So here’s to the tension of living both in and out of the box!

Pastor Val

Happily Ever After

Most of us here in America grew up with fairy tales that started with “Once upon a time” and end with “and they lived happily ever after!” As kids we were sold on idolizing this concept of finding the perfect person, falling in love with them, they would complete our lives and we would be happy forever.

Hollywood has made a fortune developing this model. This time of year there are always lots of new movies that portray life as a fairy tail. You know girl meets guy who is discovered to be the perfect match and after a tortuous journey end up with each other and they live … (You know the rest) BTW You can substitute the girl with a guy who meets a girl, etc. And while it makes for great entertainment (especially for many gals) in the end it’s still just a fairy tale. The problem is that we have begun to believe the dream is reality.

Most couples who have been together for any length of time know that reality rarely lives up to the fantasy. In fact many people go through life constantly being disappointed with the relationships that they develop. None of these relationships live up to the Hollywood myth. In fact the last step in the “ever after” scenario is that if first you don’t succeed, try, try again!

If reality doesn’t live up to the hype, what should relationship reality really look like? Well God’s plan for relationships is exactly the same as fantasy only different! God’s plan begins with becoming the person God wants you to be. Too often we want the other person to complete us when in reality it’s God who changes us into the person that we should be. We begin this process by walking in His love. This love is unselfish and seeks to put others first, starting with God.

The next step is to fix all of our hope on God. Too often we expect someone to fix all of our problems when in reality no one other then God and ever fix us. God wants us to allow Him to change us into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. The final step in this relationship prescription is that if and when failure occurs, repeat the process again!

So for those of you who are single and looking for a relationship – please realize that God loves you and wants to be the one that loves you and the one who can be everything you will ever need. And for those of you who are in a relationship, only God will never fail you. No one else is perfect. He is the only one who will truly complete you. Only He can fill the vacuum in your soul.

So this Valentine’s Day remember that the only way you can live happily ever after is to live it God’s way!

Love

Pastor Val

Stop the Blindsiding!

This weekend America celebrates its greatest secular/religious holiday – Super Bowl Sunday. As Americans we love our football. This got me thinking about what we can learn from this game. There are number of things that I discovered.

Worshipers, err fans at this event are really into the event. They seem to have no problem entering into the festivities. One rarely sees someone just quietly sitting and not participating.

Participation is necessary if you are going to win the game.

Fans watch the action from the stands but the real activity in on the field.

Practice is mandatory to execute the game plan properly

Dedication will be rewarded

Every member of the team is important. Every member of the team has a contribution to make to the final results.

The most important player on the field is the one calling the plays. He is the quarterback. While everyone one else is important for the team to win without a ball handler any team is going to be in trouble. Just remember the Bears playoff game when they were down to their 3^rd string QB for the last half of the game that they lost to the Packers.

The next most important player on the field is the offensive left tackle.

Why you ask? Because his job is to protect the quarterback’s blindside! You see most quarterbacks are right-handed and they typically can’t see someone coming from their left side. They need someone to protect them so that they don’t get blindsided.

Tick off your left tackle and you might not like the results. Your protection detail might be less aggressive in protecting your backside.

Sometimes the left tackle simply gets beat by the opponent. In the church we call the opposition the Devil.

Pastors can often be considered the play-callers in their church and they need someone to protect them on their left side to keep them from being blindsided! That’s what boards are for.

They are supposed to be your offensive line helping to protect their playmaker. When they fail to do their job the quarterback can be taken out, not only for the play but sometimes for the rest of the game or even the rest of the season. Kind of like what happened to the Lions this season.

Pastors make sure that you work and pray with your offensive board and train together to enact God’s game plan for your team.

And Board members make sure that you have your pastor’s back. Pray for him; work with him. If necessary bench him or even trade him if he isn’t accomplishing the game plan. But no matter what he has done no one ever deserves to be blindsided.

Rooting for my team this Sunday!

Pastor Val

The Goldilocks and the Three Bears

There once was a couple who visited a Large mega-church. They had heard about how inviting and open. It was a place where people seeking to learn more about God could come and explore his claims and study his teachings, a place where all were welcome and people were accepting of new people.

The church offered a number of services over the weekend. Several of the services were very full and new faces not unusual. But the early service was less well attended and our Goldilocks couple decided to visit this service.

Getting there early the new couple walked into a nearly empty auditorium that seated thousands and walked down one of the aisles and sat down. A few moments later another couple came in and sat down behind them. Greetings were exchanged and the Goldilocks were informed that they were sitting in this couple’s seats. Even though the auditorium was empty the wife was upset over someone sitting in their’ seats. Other couples came in and were upset that the Goldilocks were messing things up.

So the next week even though the Goldilocks didn’t feel very welcome they came back and chose to sit in the row in front of their previous week’s seats only to be informed that they were again sitting in someone’s seat. The third week they chose another row only to experience the very same thing.

On the fourth week the Goldilocks chose to sit on the other side of the auditorium. They got there early and sat down to enjoy a cup of coffee. Again they were one of the first in the auditorium and watched as one of the three bears came charging down the aisle to get “their seat” and watched as the first of the bears saved seats for the other two bear couples in the other rows. Then they stood guard over the saved seats until their friends got there. The Goldilocks were amused and a little sad at the bears. They didn’t feel very welcomed at all. And they their experience didn’t agree with what they heard from the platform.

The next week the Goldilocks didn’t go back to church and never ever fully connected with God.

The story you just read was not a fairy tale. It actually happened to my wife and I. The only part that was fiction was that we are still attending the Large church as we wait on the Lord to open a new ministry. We understand that what is said from the pulpit is hard to live out in the pews (or auditorium seats).

But what about visitors who are seeking to connect to God or reconnect with God? Are they being greeted with open arms or are they hearing bears complain about people being in their seats. Are we the light of the world or are we bears hibernating this winter and grumpy when people bother us by attending our church and sitting in our chairs?

I’m Pastor Val and this seat is just right!

Prince of Peace

Tonight we celebrate the birth of Jesus called the Christ. His birth was foretold by prophets of old and announced to shepherds on a hillside. Many were longing for the coming of this child and most missed his arrival. Yet he came as promised and he brought with him the promised peace that Isaiah spoke of in his prophecy.

⁶ For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷ Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. Isaiah 9:6-7 (NIV)

Peace is an amazing gift and one that is often misunderstood and perhaps under-appreciated in this day. We believe that it is the cessation of work or war or economic strife or personal turmoil. Yet with the coming of the Price of Peace we still have these things. Could it be that because his kingdom of now and not yet has not fully been established that we don’t have the peace we so desperately long for? Or is it that we don’t understand the full implications of the peace that Christ brought to us? I believe the answer is yes!

The full implementation of the peace of God will not fully be implemented until our King returns and his kingdom is fully established. But I also know that he has given us peace that we don’t understand and I hope today to help each of us understand it a little better.

When Jesus left after his resurrection he gave us peace ²⁷ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27 (NIV)

So what does this peace look like? The promise of God’s peace is wrapped up in our understanding the Hebrew word shalōm. This term has a wide range of connotations (well-being, health, prosperity, security, soundness, completeness wholeness, harmony, and salvation) and could apply to an equally wide range of contexts: the state of the individual (Ps 37:37; Prov 3:2; Is 32:17), the relationship of man to man (Gen 34:21; Josh 9:15) or nation to nation (e.g., absence of conflict—Deut 2:26; Josh 10:21; 1 Kings 5:12; Ps 122:6, 7), and the relationship of God and man (Ps 85:8; Jer 16:5). Additionally it is still used as an expression of greeting (peace and grace), farewell (peace be with you) and in church settings as a benediction (go in peace).

The nature of this gift of peace brought by Jesus may be easier to explain by stating what it is not. It is not an end to tension, an absence of warfare, domestic tranquility, nor anything like the worldly estimation of peace (Luke 12:51–53; John 14:27; 16:32, 33; although with the full implementation of the Kingdom all of these will be true). Currently its presence may, on the contrary, actually disturb existing relations, being a dividing “sword” in familial relations (Matt 10:34–37). Jesus’ gift of peace is, in reality, the character and mood of the new covenant of his blood which reconciles God to man (Rom 5:1; Col 1:20) and forms the basis of subsequent reconciliation between men under Christ (Eph 2:14–22).

Peace is also one of the fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5:22), which is the goal of the Christian’s dealings with others (Rom 12:18; 14:19; Heb 12:14, etc.), and marks our identity as a “child of God” (Matt 5:9).

This is the greater peace our King came to bring us and this is the peace that is available to all who are willing to accept this gift from God.

Merry Christmas

May you know the true peace of God this Christmas Season!

Pastor Val