I’ve recently been reading a book on spiritual disciplines entitled “Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, by Donald Whitney. One of the disciplines that this author stresses is memorization and meditation. These two things I have greatly neglected in my spiritual life. I’ve memorized verses in AWANA and Sunday School, but I’ve never memorized simply for my personal benefit and growth in my relationship to God and my battle against sin. This author emphasizes that a few key Bible verses are not enough. He references Ephesians 6, where it talks about the sword of salvation, that is the Word of God, the Bible, in saying that one of the reasons we fail in many spiritual battles is that we are ill-equipped for battle:
“The Word of God is the ‘sword of the Spirit,’ but the Holy Spirit cannot give you a weapon you have not stored in the armory of your mind. Imagine Yourself in the midst of a decision and needing guidance, or struggling with a difficult temptation and needing victory. The Holy Spirit rushes to your mental arsenal, flings open the door, but all He finds is a John 3:16, a Genesis 1:1, and a Great Commission. Those are great swords, but they’re not made for every battle.” (Whitney 44)
So I decided to equip for battle. But simply putting to memory is just not enough. I want to meditate on it day and night, like the Psalmist in Psalm 119. I want to have these swords polished and sharpened for the days that they are needed. One of the important things in starting out on memorization is to find verses that will pertain to your struggles. I picked Ephesians 4:29 as my first verse to memorize. I struggle with saying things that are stupid, or mean jokes, or taking things too far. So, I decided to memorize a verse that would remind me to not do these things. Below is the verse, and my meditations on it.
“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”
Ephesians 4:29
The first thing I noticed when I meditated on this verse was the usage of the word “Corrupting”. This word appears to be important, it describes the type of talk we should stay away from. Some translations use the word “unwholesome” or “harmful” (the version above is the ESV), but I like the word corrupting. The word suggests that there was something that worked, something that was good, and then got messed up somehow. It implies that the sin of “harmful” talk is something that has corrupted what was good. This shows us the attitude we should have toward Christianity. The Bible is not about do’s and do not’s, it is about restoring what sin has corrupted, the human soul. Only God can slowly restore what has been corrupted, first through the shedding of blood (Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross), Salvation, and then the work of the Holy Spirit, Sanctification. This verse deals with the second aspect, the Holy Spirit will help us throw off any corrupting talk from our mouths.
The next phrase in the verse is also interesting: “but only such as is good for building up”. This leaves no doubt about what kind of talk is corrupted: something that tears down. How hard is it to always build up? This seems like an impossible command if you look at it like always having to complement, or always having to be cordial. It doesn’t mean what you say always has to be nice, or soft. Building someone up can sometimes be hurtful for a while to the other person. Wouldn’t you say that a parent being stern with his son after he has stolen something from the market is a good thing. What about the best friend who tells her friend to break up with her boyfriend because he is not a christian? These situations are not compliments, but they are building up. Building up can be done in so many ways other than compliments, that is where the second part of this phrase comes in.
“...as fits the occasion...”. Another great phrase. We must be sure that our building up fits the occasion. Whether we need to be stern, kind, loving, tender, tough, brotherly, fatherly, motherly, self-controlled, angry, or any other attitude is reflected by the occasion. We must be sure our building up fits the occasion. How do we know if it fits the occasion? If it is helpful. Some translations say “profitable for building up”. This might emphasize the point better; we must build up in a profitable way. I think the best way we can prepare for this is to pray that the Holy Spirit might give us wisdom to discern profitable building up in all sorts of occasions we might find ourselves in. (See James 1)
Why do we do all this? “...that it may give grace to those who hear.” We should build up to show grace. Grace is a most unusual thing, an amazing and glorious thing! Jesus showed us the most amazing grace in history with His death and resurrection, all to redeem us from our sin. For nothing we did; we did not deserve it to any extent. We were lost, ugly in our sin, whores and slaves to unrighteousness, a dead people. God loved us however, and he saved us from ourselves. He showed us the most amazing grace that has ever and will ever exist. This is the beauty of Christ. We are recipients of a Divine Grace that we do not deserve, why should we not pass along this great gift through our mouths. Let no corrupting talk come out of the mouths of those who have been given a grace that has restored their souls! Give grace because you have received it! What a beautiful way to talk, what a beautiful way to live, what a beautiful Savior to give us the chance!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Picking Flowers
Most people would agree that parenting is defined in the large crimes of a child; I would disagree. Now, sure it takes great parenting to deal with the times you find pot in a ziplock bag under her pillow, or a Playboy magazine under his bed, but these moments might never come if you are a champion parent in the small crimes. My dad taught me this lesson one Sunday in early April.
I was nine or ten, a kid. We lived in a town called Apple Valley, my dad was the pastor of a small Baptist church. You’re probably picturing some town in Vermont with hills filled with the scent of freshly grown apples as a cool wind blows north from the orchard. You would be wrong. The name Apple Valley is a lie. Located in California’s Mojave Desert, probably the only Apple tree in Apple Valley was grown by an eighty-something lady in her last years. The San Gabriel mountains separated us from the palm trees and beaches of Southern California; we were the nowhere outside of somewhere. Instead of wooded hills we had fields of dirt and sand filled with tumble weeds and Joshua Trees. Nothing green grows in Apple Valley except by costly irrigation and constant care by a green thumb. Flowers are rare.
On a particular April Sunday the service had contained my youthful energy to a breaking point. Once the final song had been sung, me and my gang trotted out of the sanctuary into the spring sun. I had three main friends back then. Tim was the tall one in the group; he had black hair and a five o’clock shadow by the time he was ten. Kevin was skinny and was the fastest, also the most full of energy. Kev could run a mile and not even return winded. Troy had a hilariously high pitched laugh and was the rebel of the group. I was the hands down leader of our little group; I usually came up with the things we would do to fill up time.
That particular day we just sat in the front of the church building. The church’s concrete courtyard was surrounded by a blacktop parking lot on one side and the upside-down dixie cup-like church building on the other. Flanking the entrance doors were two squares of dirt, supported about three feet from the ground by four walls of stone slabs. On these small walls is where we found ourselves that Sunday; probably talking about Star Wars.
Temptation entered our little minds when the desert wind began blowing across the courtyard. Like the apple to Eve was a strong desert wind to four bored boys. A weird trick of architecture created a swirled wind against one side of the church. If you threw something into this whirlwind, whatever you threw swirled up to the heavens before flying out to desert. We had plenty of time to kill before our parents finished their after-church conversation hour, so we began looking for things to throw.
Now to understand the depth of our rebellion you have to know two things. First, remember what I told you before; we lived in a desert where green things are discouraged. Two, you have to know Ray Harris.
The first thing you noticed about Ray Harris was that he was big. Maybe over 350 pounds. He had a grey and black peppered beard that might have belonged to Abraham, and his breath always stank. His voice was deep and raspy when he taught the mysteries of Revelation to my Sunday School class. Ray Harris was a great and old man. He cleaned and gardened the Church and the Christian School for next to no salary, or maybe for free; I can’t remember. What I do remember is the many times I would be in my dad’s office and hear Ray coming in from watering what plants the church had, heaving his bad breath all over the hallway. Everyone in the church loved Ray Harris.
Going back to that windy Sunday afternoon in April. Ray had just planted beautiful pink and purple flowers around the single bushes that grew in either plot of the dirt flanking the church doors. He had probably spent his whole Saturday afternoon crouched over, the desert sun beating down on his old body, raking those plots of dirt into submission. The same plots of dirt that four bored boys sat around after church, looking for something to throw into the gusty wind. The flowers were the obvious choice; bright so you could easily follow their flight and light enough that the wind could easily give them wings to fly away. I can’t even remember if I had a second thought about Ray Harris, or about his hard labor or his lost Saturday; I just picked those flowers right out of their prepared soil. The flowers did indeed take off on the whirlwind, swirling around and around and around until flying high into the cloudless sky and disappearing towards the mountains. We picked and picked those flowers till nothing was left of Ray Harris’s handy work but a few roots and tilled soil.
And that was it, I thought.
Once the fun of flowers and wind had been exhausted, we probably played tag or some such game till our parents took us one by one into vans and SUV’s back to our homes. I was taken home in our green van without having a second thought of my crime. The Sunday afternoon then progressed normally: football and food. Until, that is, my dad asked me the question. I don’t know if he noticed the flowerless garden or someone saw us in the act and ratted us out. All I know is that my innocent Sunday was disrupted by the question my father asked me: “Did you pick the flowers out front of the church today?”
I was truthful. The story spilled out of my mouth; from picking to whirlwind I told all. I don’t know if any of my friends got in any trouble over the flower incident, but I sure did. My dad rarely got mad at me, rarely. I didn’t get in trouble much, but I got in trouble that Sunday. I believe it was the last time I was ever spanked.
It wasn’t that I had picked and thrown flowers, that wasn’t the crime; it was that I had picked Ray Harris’s flowers and thrown them. Respect. It was all about respect. My dad wanted me to have respect for everyone I ever met. Ray Harris had worked hard at those flowers, and I had destroyed them for my own pleasure. I had placed my interests above Ray Harris’s. That little flower picking was an expression of a selfish soul. My dad saw this and put a stop to it. Put other’s needs ahead of your own and respect others; these values my dad made sure I remembered.
For years afterward I wondered why my dad was so heated over such a small thing. He never got mad at me, but something about that flower incident got him worked up. Later, though, I recognized the beauty of my dad’s parenting; he solved big problems at little times. My dad understood that if I could respect something as small as Ray Harris’s flowers, I could respect my mom enough to be back by curfew; I could respect my teachers enough to do my best in class; I could respect myself enough to decline an offered bag of weed. My dad understood this. Ray Harris’s flowers may have saved me from many a sinful path.
Parents listen up: enough small crime lessons learned, and the big crimes might never come.
I was nine or ten, a kid. We lived in a town called Apple Valley, my dad was the pastor of a small Baptist church. You’re probably picturing some town in Vermont with hills filled with the scent of freshly grown apples as a cool wind blows north from the orchard. You would be wrong. The name Apple Valley is a lie. Located in California’s Mojave Desert, probably the only Apple tree in Apple Valley was grown by an eighty-something lady in her last years. The San Gabriel mountains separated us from the palm trees and beaches of Southern California; we were the nowhere outside of somewhere. Instead of wooded hills we had fields of dirt and sand filled with tumble weeds and Joshua Trees. Nothing green grows in Apple Valley except by costly irrigation and constant care by a green thumb. Flowers are rare.
On a particular April Sunday the service had contained my youthful energy to a breaking point. Once the final song had been sung, me and my gang trotted out of the sanctuary into the spring sun. I had three main friends back then. Tim was the tall one in the group; he had black hair and a five o’clock shadow by the time he was ten. Kevin was skinny and was the fastest, also the most full of energy. Kev could run a mile and not even return winded. Troy had a hilariously high pitched laugh and was the rebel of the group. I was the hands down leader of our little group; I usually came up with the things we would do to fill up time.
That particular day we just sat in the front of the church building. The church’s concrete courtyard was surrounded by a blacktop parking lot on one side and the upside-down dixie cup-like church building on the other. Flanking the entrance doors were two squares of dirt, supported about three feet from the ground by four walls of stone slabs. On these small walls is where we found ourselves that Sunday; probably talking about Star Wars.
Temptation entered our little minds when the desert wind began blowing across the courtyard. Like the apple to Eve was a strong desert wind to four bored boys. A weird trick of architecture created a swirled wind against one side of the church. If you threw something into this whirlwind, whatever you threw swirled up to the heavens before flying out to desert. We had plenty of time to kill before our parents finished their after-church conversation hour, so we began looking for things to throw.
Now to understand the depth of our rebellion you have to know two things. First, remember what I told you before; we lived in a desert where green things are discouraged. Two, you have to know Ray Harris.
The first thing you noticed about Ray Harris was that he was big. Maybe over 350 pounds. He had a grey and black peppered beard that might have belonged to Abraham, and his breath always stank. His voice was deep and raspy when he taught the mysteries of Revelation to my Sunday School class. Ray Harris was a great and old man. He cleaned and gardened the Church and the Christian School for next to no salary, or maybe for free; I can’t remember. What I do remember is the many times I would be in my dad’s office and hear Ray coming in from watering what plants the church had, heaving his bad breath all over the hallway. Everyone in the church loved Ray Harris.
Going back to that windy Sunday afternoon in April. Ray had just planted beautiful pink and purple flowers around the single bushes that grew in either plot of the dirt flanking the church doors. He had probably spent his whole Saturday afternoon crouched over, the desert sun beating down on his old body, raking those plots of dirt into submission. The same plots of dirt that four bored boys sat around after church, looking for something to throw into the gusty wind. The flowers were the obvious choice; bright so you could easily follow their flight and light enough that the wind could easily give them wings to fly away. I can’t even remember if I had a second thought about Ray Harris, or about his hard labor or his lost Saturday; I just picked those flowers right out of their prepared soil. The flowers did indeed take off on the whirlwind, swirling around and around and around until flying high into the cloudless sky and disappearing towards the mountains. We picked and picked those flowers till nothing was left of Ray Harris’s handy work but a few roots and tilled soil.
And that was it, I thought.
Once the fun of flowers and wind had been exhausted, we probably played tag or some such game till our parents took us one by one into vans and SUV’s back to our homes. I was taken home in our green van without having a second thought of my crime. The Sunday afternoon then progressed normally: football and food. Until, that is, my dad asked me the question. I don’t know if he noticed the flowerless garden or someone saw us in the act and ratted us out. All I know is that my innocent Sunday was disrupted by the question my father asked me: “Did you pick the flowers out front of the church today?”
I was truthful. The story spilled out of my mouth; from picking to whirlwind I told all. I don’t know if any of my friends got in any trouble over the flower incident, but I sure did. My dad rarely got mad at me, rarely. I didn’t get in trouble much, but I got in trouble that Sunday. I believe it was the last time I was ever spanked.
It wasn’t that I had picked and thrown flowers, that wasn’t the crime; it was that I had picked Ray Harris’s flowers and thrown them. Respect. It was all about respect. My dad wanted me to have respect for everyone I ever met. Ray Harris had worked hard at those flowers, and I had destroyed them for my own pleasure. I had placed my interests above Ray Harris’s. That little flower picking was an expression of a selfish soul. My dad saw this and put a stop to it. Put other’s needs ahead of your own and respect others; these values my dad made sure I remembered.
For years afterward I wondered why my dad was so heated over such a small thing. He never got mad at me, but something about that flower incident got him worked up. Later, though, I recognized the beauty of my dad’s parenting; he solved big problems at little times. My dad understood that if I could respect something as small as Ray Harris’s flowers, I could respect my mom enough to be back by curfew; I could respect my teachers enough to do my best in class; I could respect myself enough to decline an offered bag of weed. My dad understood this. Ray Harris’s flowers may have saved me from many a sinful path.
Parents listen up: enough small crime lessons learned, and the big crimes might never come.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Rob Bell Conversation
I’m currently having a very intense conversation with one of my old youth leaders about a controversial pastor Rob Bell, I though I would show you. Below are both my and his letters without edit:
Mike-Hey Andy, this is Mike, I have been researching Bells ministry and I have some serious issues with his ministry. I just finished reading his book Velvet Elvis (I dont know if you have read it?) He writes " I embrace the need to keep painting, to keep reforming, By this I do not mean cosmetic, superficial changes like better lights and music, Sharper graphics, and new methods with easy to follow steps. I mean theology, the beliefs about God , Jesus, the Bible, Salvation the future."
SCARY,
He also writes " Heaven is full of forgiven people, Hell is full of forgiven people Heaven is full of people Jesus died for Hell is ffull of people Jesus died for, the difference is how we choose to live"
If going to heaven or hell isnt based on forgiveness but on how we choose to live isnt that salvation by works? that does directly opposes Christ. Why he came and what he did on the cross and above all else lies to people about what salvation is, which is a free gift from God that we do nothing to gain or earn and do not deserve. And that belief can lead people to Christ on the last day and he says to them "depart from me I never knew you" because they spend there lives working to earn Gods favor.
He also uses bad historic info and tries to imply that the new Testament writers conformed there theology to fit in with pagan religions of there time to make "there God" more appealing to the people of that time and in that way justify himself rewriting theology.
He also qoutes Joshua "They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys". than he questions the Bible "God was with Joshua when he killed all those women and children? is God really like that? what does a thinking person do with a story like that?"
he qoutes Matthew "I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heave, and whatever you loose on earh will be loosed in heaven".
and than translates this verse "WHat he is doing here is significant. he is giving his followers the authority to make new interpretations of the Bible. He is giving them permission to say "Hey we think we missed it before on that verse, and weve recently come to the conclusion that this is what it actually means".
is that rediculous or what? this also directlly opposes Jesus, changing Gods word because "we missed it before"? He said in an interview in Christianity Today "we are discovering the Bible as a human product rather than a divine fiat" and his wife in the same interview said " I used to know what the Bible meant now I have no idea what most of it means and yet life is so much bigger"
dude I could go on and on but I will stop.
see ya Mike
Me-Dear Mike,
i have to start this by saying two things very clearly; one, i am not a die-hard fan of rob bell and will not defend him to the grave, yet i think we are to fast to make small theological issues a base for bashing men who are trying to reach people for the faith. Many great theologians had bad theology in one area or another; Martin Luther thought the bread and wine of communion physically turned into the body and blood of Christ when a priest prayed over them; in fact, this belief caused him to have much conflict with other reformers. Origen thought that there were errors in the Bible that God wanted us to discover and correct ourselves. Pelagus believed it was possible for a human to be perfect, and Christ was an example of that. I don't know if these views tempered with these men's faith in Christ, only God knows that, but these men did some great things for God with what we would say is slightly faulted theology. Two, i'm not trying to be mean or disrespectful in anyway with these messages, i'm just stating my point. If i ever seem to cross the line, please let me know.
Now, on the point of changing theology, there is not doubt it has changed over the course of history. Early church fathers didn't address several key doctrines we have today, such as the trinity. In fact, many held what we would consider today heretical theology. Such as the ransom to satan theory, which states that satan owns all human souls, and Jesus' death was a payment to satan; that is obviously not in the bible. Again, God is the one who judges the heart; i do not know how much these beliefs affect rob bell's heart. But theology has definitely been effected by time. remember that, although the bible was done being written in the first century, the holy spirit always lives, and can give new illumination to any he wishes. By illumination i mean from the already written word of God, the Bible; i am no Joseph Smith. One of my theology professors observed that God normally tends to work in jagged, hard to see lines, rather than straight, foreword lines; why else would he use biblical writers to write the bible, instead of just making it fall from heaven. Jesus spoke in parables so that "those who had ears would hear"; he purposely made it confusing to weed out the unfaithful! All that to say that the theological views most evangelicals hold today are not necessarily what christians held throughout history. So be careful to critic bell when he says we may view God differently than we did before, i would add however, provided that this new view is upheld by scripture. This doesn't mean we throw out everything we believe; just that we must not be closed to learning something about God in the Bible that we didn't know before. That is my view, at least, and maybe that is what rob bell was trying to say.
Now, heaven and hell is a tricky thing, because we don't have a lot on either in the bible. Hell is obviously not a good place, a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth; and heaven is obviously a good place, in the Glory of God. The debate over limited atonement, however, can be seen since John Calvin, even before. Did Jesus die for just believers's sins, since that is all that his atonement pays for; or did he die for all sins, and only some accept? I tend to explain my view like this; Christ's death is sufficient for all, efficient for some. meaning, Jesus's death was for all, but is only accepted by some. Now i think saying there is forgiven people in hell is going too far, and would disagree with bell there, but how we live is a HUGE indicator of which of these two extreme places we end up. Remember James, where it says faith without works is dead. What saves us is faith in Jesus Christ, too often faith is thought of as a one-time thing. a prayer, that is what saves us. Completely wrong! it is faith! i think many people that say the sinner's prayer will be in hell. Faith and Love for Christ are expressed through our lives. Of course we confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and have faith, but these things, if sincere, will propel us to live differently. The bible talks repeatedly of worthless sacrifices of "religious people" (1 Samuel 15, Hosea 6:6, 8:13, all thru the gospels with the pharisees, etc.), God looks at the heart. We are not working to achieve God's forgiveness, we accept it, and out of love and faith we obey what God commands. Maybe Rob Bell meant something completely different than what i said, if so tell me, but that is at least something to think about.
Also, Paul definitely used the greek's religion to explain the gospel to the athenians at mars hill in acts 17:16-34. Now, he didn't change any salvation doctrine to do so, but he did say some things that seem a little odd. Yet God used it and it worked, because some said they would listen to more about this new message. Saying, though, that they did it to make God "more appealing", is completely wrong, God is the most appealing thing in existence, and doesn't need help from the apostles. Plus, God does the work to call Christians anyway, the human really does nothing but be used by God. That is wrong on bell's point.
Also, i think that Mrs. Bell's comment is, honestly, ridiculous. A healthy believer should always be learning more about God and the bible, wanting knowledge of there redeemer. God does not want to be mysterious, he wants us to love him, because he first loved us. It is out of his love, he wishes us to love. Why would he send Jesus if he wanted to be a mystery.
anyway, i hope this has helped you, please send me back your thoughts.
Wishing California weather is treating you better than Chicago weather is treating me,
Andy Smith
I’ll keep you posted on our conversation.
Mike-Hey Andy, this is Mike, I have been researching Bells ministry and I have some serious issues with his ministry. I just finished reading his book Velvet Elvis (I dont know if you have read it?) He writes " I embrace the need to keep painting, to keep reforming, By this I do not mean cosmetic, superficial changes like better lights and music, Sharper graphics, and new methods with easy to follow steps. I mean theology, the beliefs about God , Jesus, the Bible, Salvation the future."
SCARY,
He also writes " Heaven is full of forgiven people, Hell is full of forgiven people Heaven is full of people Jesus died for Hell is ffull of people Jesus died for, the difference is how we choose to live"
If going to heaven or hell isnt based on forgiveness but on how we choose to live isnt that salvation by works? that does directly opposes Christ. Why he came and what he did on the cross and above all else lies to people about what salvation is, which is a free gift from God that we do nothing to gain or earn and do not deserve. And that belief can lead people to Christ on the last day and he says to them "depart from me I never knew you" because they spend there lives working to earn Gods favor.
He also uses bad historic info and tries to imply that the new Testament writers conformed there theology to fit in with pagan religions of there time to make "there God" more appealing to the people of that time and in that way justify himself rewriting theology.
He also qoutes Joshua "They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys". than he questions the Bible "God was with Joshua when he killed all those women and children? is God really like that? what does a thinking person do with a story like that?"
he qoutes Matthew "I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heave, and whatever you loose on earh will be loosed in heaven".
and than translates this verse "WHat he is doing here is significant. he is giving his followers the authority to make new interpretations of the Bible. He is giving them permission to say "Hey we think we missed it before on that verse, and weve recently come to the conclusion that this is what it actually means".
is that rediculous or what? this also directlly opposes Jesus, changing Gods word because "we missed it before"? He said in an interview in Christianity Today "we are discovering the Bible as a human product rather than a divine fiat" and his wife in the same interview said " I used to know what the Bible meant now I have no idea what most of it means and yet life is so much bigger"
dude I could go on and on but I will stop.
see ya Mike
Me-Dear Mike,
i have to start this by saying two things very clearly; one, i am not a die-hard fan of rob bell and will not defend him to the grave, yet i think we are to fast to make small theological issues a base for bashing men who are trying to reach people for the faith. Many great theologians had bad theology in one area or another; Martin Luther thought the bread and wine of communion physically turned into the body and blood of Christ when a priest prayed over them; in fact, this belief caused him to have much conflict with other reformers. Origen thought that there were errors in the Bible that God wanted us to discover and correct ourselves. Pelagus believed it was possible for a human to be perfect, and Christ was an example of that. I don't know if these views tempered with these men's faith in Christ, only God knows that, but these men did some great things for God with what we would say is slightly faulted theology. Two, i'm not trying to be mean or disrespectful in anyway with these messages, i'm just stating my point. If i ever seem to cross the line, please let me know.
Now, on the point of changing theology, there is not doubt it has changed over the course of history. Early church fathers didn't address several key doctrines we have today, such as the trinity. In fact, many held what we would consider today heretical theology. Such as the ransom to satan theory, which states that satan owns all human souls, and Jesus' death was a payment to satan; that is obviously not in the bible. Again, God is the one who judges the heart; i do not know how much these beliefs affect rob bell's heart. But theology has definitely been effected by time. remember that, although the bible was done being written in the first century, the holy spirit always lives, and can give new illumination to any he wishes. By illumination i mean from the already written word of God, the Bible; i am no Joseph Smith. One of my theology professors observed that God normally tends to work in jagged, hard to see lines, rather than straight, foreword lines; why else would he use biblical writers to write the bible, instead of just making it fall from heaven. Jesus spoke in parables so that "those who had ears would hear"; he purposely made it confusing to weed out the unfaithful! All that to say that the theological views most evangelicals hold today are not necessarily what christians held throughout history. So be careful to critic bell when he says we may view God differently than we did before, i would add however, provided that this new view is upheld by scripture. This doesn't mean we throw out everything we believe; just that we must not be closed to learning something about God in the Bible that we didn't know before. That is my view, at least, and maybe that is what rob bell was trying to say.
Now, heaven and hell is a tricky thing, because we don't have a lot on either in the bible. Hell is obviously not a good place, a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth; and heaven is obviously a good place, in the Glory of God. The debate over limited atonement, however, can be seen since John Calvin, even before. Did Jesus die for just believers's sins, since that is all that his atonement pays for; or did he die for all sins, and only some accept? I tend to explain my view like this; Christ's death is sufficient for all, efficient for some. meaning, Jesus's death was for all, but is only accepted by some. Now i think saying there is forgiven people in hell is going too far, and would disagree with bell there, but how we live is a HUGE indicator of which of these two extreme places we end up. Remember James, where it says faith without works is dead. What saves us is faith in Jesus Christ, too often faith is thought of as a one-time thing. a prayer, that is what saves us. Completely wrong! it is faith! i think many people that say the sinner's prayer will be in hell. Faith and Love for Christ are expressed through our lives. Of course we confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and have faith, but these things, if sincere, will propel us to live differently. The bible talks repeatedly of worthless sacrifices of "religious people" (1 Samuel 15, Hosea 6:6, 8:13, all thru the gospels with the pharisees, etc.), God looks at the heart. We are not working to achieve God's forgiveness, we accept it, and out of love and faith we obey what God commands. Maybe Rob Bell meant something completely different than what i said, if so tell me, but that is at least something to think about.
Also, Paul definitely used the greek's religion to explain the gospel to the athenians at mars hill in acts 17:16-34. Now, he didn't change any salvation doctrine to do so, but he did say some things that seem a little odd. Yet God used it and it worked, because some said they would listen to more about this new message. Saying, though, that they did it to make God "more appealing", is completely wrong, God is the most appealing thing in existence, and doesn't need help from the apostles. Plus, God does the work to call Christians anyway, the human really does nothing but be used by God. That is wrong on bell's point.
Also, i think that Mrs. Bell's comment is, honestly, ridiculous. A healthy believer should always be learning more about God and the bible, wanting knowledge of there redeemer. God does not want to be mysterious, he wants us to love him, because he first loved us. It is out of his love, he wishes us to love. Why would he send Jesus if he wanted to be a mystery.
anyway, i hope this has helped you, please send me back your thoughts.
Wishing California weather is treating you better than Chicago weather is treating me,
Andy Smith
I’ll keep you posted on our conversation.
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