Rob Bell is getting some heat these days, and I'm not going to weigh in on everything the guy has said. But this teaching on the meaning of Jesus as a Jewish Rabbi is worth watching whether you think he's a heretic or a hero.
There are things Rob Bell teaches that have enriched my faith, and there are things I do not agree with. I think Rob Bell's greatest contribution - besides his obvious gift for teaching - is that he gives us permission to question. And I don't think that is a bad thing, though many churches discourage it. I don't believe that anyone understands it all or has all the answers, God has continued to reveal more of Himself throughout human history. The Roman Catholic Church certainly insisted that they had all the answers when Martin Luther had a revelation of salvation through grace and nailed his theses on the door of the church at Wittenberg. God expected us to discern the spirits and we should not be afraid to listen to what teachers have to say and hold on to what is a blessing and release that which our spirit tells us is untrue. In the end, it is all between you and Jesus - we are born alone, we die alone, and only God knows what is in our hearts. When I see Evangelicals making videos to condemn other believers and putting them on YouTube it saddens me, and I don't think it pleases God either. If somebody asks them what they think of a particular teaching, fine... but to appoint themselves as a judge and jury is too much like the Inquisition for me - being done in the name of religion, but not from God. It seems to me that the people Jesus condemned were the self-righteous religious people - the Pharisees and the Sadducee who were all about their own status and controlling others... much like the ones putting themselves on YouTube today. I am not saying that Rob Bell is correct - he has come up with things lately that I heartily disagree with - but even being put in the position of determining what is Biblical and what is not is a learning process and I think God wants us to mature and be able to discern for ourselves and not just be spoon fed by others all our lives.
Good Stuff
ReplyDeleteThere are things Rob Bell teaches that have enriched my faith, and there are things I do not agree with. I think Rob Bell's greatest contribution - besides his obvious gift for teaching - is that he gives us permission to question. And I don't think that is a bad thing, though many churches discourage it. I don't believe that anyone understands it all or has all the answers, God has continued to reveal more of Himself throughout human history. The Roman Catholic Church certainly insisted that they had all the answers when Martin Luther had a revelation of salvation through grace and nailed his theses on the door of the church at Wittenberg. God expected us to discern the spirits and we should not be afraid to listen to what teachers have to say and hold on to what is a blessing and release that which our spirit tells us is untrue. In the end, it is all between you and Jesus - we are born alone, we die alone, and only God knows what is in our hearts. When I see Evangelicals making videos to condemn other believers and putting them on YouTube it saddens me, and I don't think it pleases God either. If somebody asks them what they think of a particular teaching, fine... but to appoint themselves as a judge and jury is too much like the Inquisition for me - being done in the name of religion, but not from God. It seems to me that the people Jesus condemned were the self-righteous religious people - the Pharisees and the Sadducee who were all about their own status and controlling others... much like the ones putting themselves on YouTube today. I am not saying that Rob Bell is correct - he has come up with things lately that I heartily disagree with - but even being put in the position of determining what is Biblical and what is not is a learning process and I think God wants us to mature and be able to discern for ourselves and not just be spoon fed by others all our lives.
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