ROB BELL IS NOT THE ANTICHRIST PROBABLY. A Survey of Current Issues

Transcription

1 ROB BELL IS NOT THE ANTICHRIST PROBABLY A Survey of Current Issues OUTLINE 1. Kinds of Christians 2. Current Issues a. Postmodernism b. Postmodern hermeneutics c. Relevance and authenticity d. Social Justice e. Anti- historical (recent history) f. Questions or opposition to i. Legalism, holiness, sanctification ii. Orthodoxy g. Pentecostal Theology i. Baptism in the Holy Spirit ii. Initial evidence iii. Missiology iv. Ecclesiology v. Education 3. Movements and people a. Missional church b. Emerging church c. Emergent church d. Hipster church e. Neo- Calvinists f. Church planting 4. Rob Bell 5. Challenges NOTES 1. Kinds of Christians a. Fundamentalists: read Bible, write rigid religious rules, mad, separatists b. Evangelicals: read Bible, read philosophy and current events, think, write theology, relational, irenic c. Pentecostals: read Bible, think, experience, write theology and music, do evangelism and missions (Acts 1.8) d. Charismatics: read Bible, read current events, experience, feelings, mystical (Acts 10-15), worship, Body life Rob Bell is not the Antichrist Probably. Copyright Gordon L. Anderson 5/1/11 Page 1

2 e. Liberals: read Bible, read philosophy, think, reason, synthesize, write own feelings as theology f. Emerging church and various sub- sets i. Conservatives: read Bible- philosophy- history- theology, think, experiment, create, accept authority of Scripture, end up orthodox ii. Liberal: read Bible- philosophy- history- theology- art- culture, think, experiment, create, accept authority of own conclusions, end up liberal 2. Current Issues a. Postmodernism i. Modernism: Comte s law of 3 stages a. Religion b. Philosophy c. Science 2. Truth is determined by science, empiricism, reason, and logic a. Alfred Ayer b. Ludwig Wittgenstein 3. Texts have meaning and can be understood (E. D. Hirsch) 4. Absolute truth exists (as determined by science and logic) ii. Postmodernism: 1950 present and into the future 1. Modernism failed 2. Reject science and logic as trustworthy determiners of truth 3. Truth is relative 4. Art, image, feelings replace text, science, logic 5. Deconstruction: texts cannot be understood and have no meaning (Jacques Derrida) 6. Reader centered hermeneutic: the meaning is not in the text, but what the text comes to mean to the reader, that is, what it means to me b. Postmodern hermeneutics i. Texts cannot be understood because they are bound in culture and language ii. Texts are relative and meaningful only to the original culture iii. Meaning changes over time iv. The reader determines the meaning in the text v. Diminished view of inerrancy, infallibility, and authority of Scripture vi. Shift from propositional to narrative vii. Experience and feelings inform the meaning of the text viii. Diversity and variety are good ix. Deviation from the norm is OK x. Perversity may only be diversity xi. Orthodoxy is unclear, uncertain, time and culture bound Rob Bell is not the Antichrist Probably. Copyright Gordon L. Anderson 5/1/11 Page 2

3 xii. Judgments based on orthodoxy are judgmental xiii. Orthodoxy is irrelevant, antiquated, and wrong c. Relevance and authenticity i. Reality replaces pretense ii. Being in touch with life and culture are highly valued iii. Being yourself is authentic and valued iv. Authenticity produces effectiveness v. The traditional church is pretentious, inauthentic, and ineffective d. Social Justice (compassion ministries, humanitarian aid) i. Compassion is Christ- like and part of the divine mandate ii. Must meet human need for food, water, clothing, shelter, medical care iii. Must accompany evangelism, discipleship, church planting iv. Could turn out to be another version of 20 th century social gospel v. Danger: compassion replaces evangelism vi. Resources 1. Charles Sheldon, In His Steps 2. Walter Rauschenbusch, Theology for the Social Gospel (1917) e. Anti- historical sentiments i. Against fundamentalism, legalism, judgmentalism ii. Angry, sarcastic, mocking, disrespectful of recent church life iii. Value new, novel, innovative, current iv. Against recent history, revere ancient history (it is old enough to be new and novel) v. Reject traditional rules, regulations, conventions vi. Question/reject orthodoxy f. Question/reject orthodoxy i. Jesus as the only name ii. Pluralism replaces exclusivism iii. Affirmation replaces judgmentalism iv. Compassion replaces evangelism v. Follower of Christ replaces being born again vi. Relevant replaces sanctification, holiness vii. Sin is redefined viii. Hell, punishment, consequences eliminated ( reset mentality) ix. Universalism replaces few there be that find it g. Pentecostal theology i. Baptism in the Holy spirit 1. Third wave: miracles without tongues 2. Questions: what about tongues without power, evangelism, and character? 3. General spirituality replaces Baptism in the Spirit 4. Delayed evidence Rob Bell is not the Antichrist Probably. Copyright Gordon L. Anderson 5/1/11 Page 3

4 5. How does the progressive work of the Spirit and the full consummation of the baptism relate to an instant experience? ii. Ecclesiology 1. What about the fold offices given to the church? 2. A/G credential categories are hard to find in the Bible a. Credentialed minister b. License to preach c. Ordained minister 3. What is the value of a credential? iii. Missiology 1. Are missionaries apostles? If not, what are they? 2. Who are the leaders: apostle, elder? 3. Are humanitarian aid workers deacons? iv. Education 1. The young are confused about Pentecostal theology and practice 2. The young are abandoned when they graduate from the youth group, picked up again if they get missionary appointment, but in between, are on their own 3. Worship and youth activities have replaced Christian education 4. Level of Bible illiteracy is disturbing 5. What will the world be like in 2020? 6. Winning postmoderns is much like winning Muslims: language, culture, values, background 7. What kind of person will it take to be effective? 8. What kind of preparation will it take? 9. What about quality versus quantity? 10. What do we learn from Stalingrad and Bin Laden? 11. What are the relationships between Master s Commissions, Church Based Bible Institutes, District Schools of Ministry, and the Residential Colleges? 12. Cost factors a. It costs about $100, for a missionary to learn a language b. It costs about $24,000.00, total, for a needy student with merit to get a college education c. Missionary support pays for language school d. Ministry students pay for their own education and often graduate with debt e. Credential track scholarship fund Rob Bell is not the Antichrist Probably. Copyright Gordon L. Anderson 5/1/11 Page 4

5 3. Movements and people a. Missional model of the Church i. Missio dei means sent of God ii. All Christians are sent - apostolic iii. Critiques and replace the old fashioned attractional model as too narrow, closed, clubby, judgmental, isolated, irrelevant, ineffective iv. Go into the world and relate to it v. Be like the world? vi. Church is life, not services vii. Services may be counterproductive viii. The Gospel and Our Culture Network: An organization that provides resources on how to enter into and change culture ix. Leaders: Tim Keller, Ed Stetzer, Alan Hirsch x. Resource: Lesslie Newbigin b. Emerging Church i. 9 practices 1. Identify with the life of Jesus 2. Transform secular world 3. Communal living 4. Welcome the stranger 5. Serve with generosity 6. Participate as producers 7. Create as created beings 8. Lead as a body 9. Take part in spiritual activities ii. Not Emergent or Emergent Village iii. Disillusioned with modernism iv. Critical of modern church, traditionalism v. Non- judgmental vi. Move from religion to spirituality vii. Leaders 1. Dan Kimball: Vintage Faith Church, Santa Cruz, CA 2. Mark Driscoll: Mars Hill Church, Ballard, WA c. Emergent Church, Emergent Village i. More creative/radical than Emerging Church ii. Mad, sarcastic iii. Accept Christianity but not Christendom iv. Sarcastic toward modern church, evangelicalism, traditionalism v. Post- modern literary theory (McClaren taught English) vi. Postmodern worldview and hermeneutic vii. Emphasis on contextualization viii. Accept both/and Rob Bell is not the Antichrist Probably. Copyright Gordon L. Anderson 5/1/11 Page 5

6 ix. Has no statement of faith because creeds divide x. Leaders 1. Brian McClaren: A Generous Orthodoxy 2. Tony Jones 3. Doug Pagitt: Solomon s Porch, Mpls, MN, GLBT group in his church d. Hipsters i. Postmodern Christians who have adopted the hippy lifestyle ii. Distrust the man, society, iii. Young, white, angry rebels iv. Cool, odd, different, counter- cultural v. Sensational: drink, smoke, drugs, swear vi. Tattoos, retro out is in vii. Connect with indie culture, art, music viii. Social justice ix. Publications 1. Relevant 2. Risen 3. Image x. Resource: Brett McCracken, Hipster Christianity e. Neo- Calvinists - orthodox i. Mark Driscoll: a Calvin, not a Calvinist, hipster? Emerging? sensational ii. Bill Hybels: Reveal, changing from seeker sensitive to discipleship iii. Rick Warren: Evangelical, warm to Pentecostals iv. Ed Young: 24,000 in church, majority of staff are A/G, believes in tongues, warm to Pentecostals v. John Piper: Calvinist, missions, non- cessationist f. Church planting i. Acts 29: started by Mark Driscoll ii. ARC: Association of Related Churches 1. Started by Billy Hornsby and Greg Surratt 2. Popular with young A/G church planters and pastors 3. Has planted almost 200 churches iii. Church Multiplication Network 1. Assemblies of God 2. Steve Pike 3. A/G wants to start 4,000 churches 4. Rob Bell a. Mar s Hill Bible Church, Grand Rapids, MI b. Velvet Elvis, Sex God, NOOMA, Love Wins c. Appears to believe i. Universalism and ultimate reconciliation: all will be saved ii. Pluralism: many roads to salvation Rob Bell is not the Antichrist Probably. Copyright Gordon L. Anderson 5/1/11 Page 6

7 iii. Exclusive/non- exclusive name of Jesus: He has many names iv. Hell is a state of being, not a place in time and space v. Mocks the wrath of God as something that should be reported to the authorities vi. A God of wrath who creates hell is unbelievable and unbearable vii. New version of 20 th century Protestant liberalism viii. Resources 1. D. A. Carson, Becoming Conversant with the Emerging Church 2. Kevin DeYoung, God is Still Holy and What You Learned in Sunday School Is Still True, the gospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung 5. Lessons and Challenges a. The new movements and leaders are to be taken seriously b. These new ideas are a tsunami, not a blip on the radar screen c. This plays well with a huge new choir that wants to hear these songs d. The young who lead and make up these movements are asking new questions in new ways e. Old answers answered in old ways are ignored f. Fundamentalistic answers and attitudes are dead g. Biblical authority and orthodoxy are at stake h. Some of the new leaders and followers are nothing more than redesigned liberals trying to look Christian they are irretrievable i. Most of the new leaders and followers are very smart, and have a great desire to be truly Christian j. Most of the new leaders and followers have true Christian values i. Love God and your neighbor ii. Connect with the lost iii. Meet needs iv. Build the Kingdom k. We need to listen to the critics they may be the only ones telling us what we need to hear i. Church as a club ii. Church as an escape from the world, evangelism, missions, church planting, being salt and light l. The church must envision the year 2020 i. What will it be like? ii. What must we do to be effective? iii. How can we preach the gospel in a neo- pagan world? iv. How do we keep our own young in the faith? v. How do we prepare the next generation to live and lead in the years ahead? Rob Bell is not the Antichrist Probably. Copyright Gordon L. Anderson 5/1/11 Page 7