Velvet Bell 3: The Need for Innerancy and Conversations Surrounding it

In Bell's chapter entitled "Jump" he is trying to establish that the experience of following Christ is more important than the doctrines of Christ, this is helpful to his central theme that theology can be "repainted" because there are things that are more important. He concludes that the doctrines are not Jesus and worshiping the doctrines is faulty. I consider this a slight of hand. The doctrines should not be dismissed or changed in light of other Christian truths such as virtuous behavior. Consequently, Bell chooses doctrine that seems existentially inconsequential. Later, we will see that Bell forecasts an objection in which he calls "Brickianity." What is "Brickianity?" It is any attempt to systematize Christian doctrine. I will deal with the failure of this hypotheses later. Without doctrine how do we follow Christ? He says they are important, but he implies that they are not necessary to follow him: "The springs (doctrines) help make sense of these deeper realities that drive how we live every day. The springs aren't God. The springs aren't Jesus. The springs are statements and beliefs about (emphasis original) our faith that help give words to the depth to the experience in our jumping (experience) [pg.22]." So the experience precedes the doctrine which are descriptive of human experience, not truths about God. He explains that some doctrines, such as the trinity, are all well and good but people experienced Christianity just fine before they were developed. See? It's a mere formulation, we don't actually need it, we just need to jump. Interesting that he chose one of the more difficult doctrines to grasp as opposed to doctrines that have a greater clarity to the weight of his argument and how it would affect the Christian faith. Also, he chose a doctrine that appears to have little baring on our daily lives, but, once one begins to think systemically about it then it has a great deal to do with how we live, but that's "Brickianity" and ought to be rejected (Captain Ad Hominem rears his head again amidst other fallacious arguments against systematics). So the springs (doctrine) we are told are not the point, but it does not follow from this that they are dispensable, which is the inference he is attempting to carry over. The truth is we can't "jump" without them AND we must "jump." It is important that we live the life we are called to in light of the truth about who God is, the doctrines are the conclusions from the revelation God has given us. They are not mere words. They are indispensable, otherwise even our best efforts will fail in regard to how we ought to live as it relates to humanity, Christianity, Jesus, God, and the truth. In some sense the doctrines are God, they are Jesus. God is a trinitarian being and since we are commanded to worship him in spirit and in truth we need not shy away from what is revealed. By the way, is there a more poignant existential process prescribed in scripture other than worship? How is this done properly without true doctrine?

On pg.26 Bell begins his attack on systematics. He chooses an obscure preacher (I commend Bell for not using his name) who claims that not taking the Genesis account of the six days of creation literally meant one could not believe in the cross. I agree with Bell that the connection seems vague. What did this guy mean? Was he saying that foisting your own interpretation on one text gives allowance for one to do it to all portions of scripture? Perhaps. Anyone would have to agree that this is, by its self, an unclear argument at best (like much of Velvet Elvis) and a bad argument at worst (like much of Velvet Elvis). Bell continues, undaunted, using what most, even from the Evangelical tradition, would agree is a bad argument. Why would Bell choose a bad argument as the foundation for his opposition to the side that argument represents? Let's think about this... Maybe he has a weak argument himself? If you have a bad argument it would shine much brighter compared to an even worse one. Let's see if this is the case. He claims that systematic theology is like a brick wall and that if you even question part of it the wall begins to collapse. This is very far from the truth, there is no doctrine within historic Christianity that cannot be "questioned." I respect his fear of this being the case, but it just isn't so. There is no problem with asking questions and having doubts, as I have stated earlier. But there is a place for convictions. We hold to doctrine we struggle with even if we have doubts because we are being honest with ourselves. We have to be this way. Ephesian 4:14 "So that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes."

So eventually we have to come down on a position instead of a perpetual Cartesian evaluation like the one endorsed by Bell. In fact, my warning to Christians that may be influenced by him is that he is the kind of deceiver Paul is talking about. He is subtly, yet assuredly, eroding foundational truths in hope to gain an audience. Should I believe what he said on the back cover of his book that he is only contributing to the conversation? It seems to me that he is trying to replace it. He is substituting a version of Christianity that is incompatible with the tenants of scripture. He has his qualifications, but they are contradictory afterthoughts that are attempts at masking his epistemological Post-Modernistic thought. In the current argument he is trying to displace the need for epistemic chains that are necessary in a progressive revelation which is what the bible is. How would Bell reconcile Genesis with John 1? If I say, "denying that all things were created through Jesus is robbing Genesis of its completed message?" would I then be a "Brickianity" proponent? If that is so then the Apostle John was a proponent of "Brickianity" as well. The truth is Bell is just out of touch with the bible because of the synthetic process in which he approaches it. He wants to find a synthesis between modern American attitudes and Christianity, even the essential parts of it, rather than questioning the mode of thought that is against the truth of the message of the bible. I find it interesting that he does not want modern culture to change at all, it is only the bible that must take the heat. This is a clear cut case of needing to be very careful when others approve of us, for it can be a gauge for sinful compromise. Some compromises are acceptable and debatable but if those who are spreading the message are not being persecuted in some form, even in a small way, the bigger danger to be concerned with is that the true message is not getting through. A Christian can not live the life God has commanded and not be persecuted in some form from great to small and if we are not being persecuted we are in danger of a compromise that is an abandonment of the gospel, an abandonment of Jesus. Yes, I embrace "Brickianity" despite the fact that there are those on my side that have bad arguments, but Bell has more in common with bad argumentation and abandonment of the faith. I will gladly be bad at arguing as long as I uphold the faith. I mentioned in the introduction that the reviews of Bell's book that were negative were unfair. The reason for this is because Bell presents an argument against the virgin birth as an example of his problem with approaching the bible and Christianity systematically. The reviewers would attribute this argument to Bell directly without mentioning the fact that he says later that he actually believes and affirms the virgin birth. It was not fair to approach this section of the book this way. Bell can question the virgin birth because he has already established that he does not find doctrine necessary to begin with. Since the virgin birth is only doctrine, then it does not matter if it is incorrect. So what the reviewers should have been picking up on is that Bell offers an argument against a historical claim and then never offers a response, even though there are very good responses to the argument he supposedly does not believe. Although, I must admit that one writing a book for the cause of Christianity and then not defending an attack on it strikes me as very peculiar. I can only speculate on his motives, but I think he thinks the argument is persuasive. In fact, he goes much further in his example than he needs to to make his point. He questions the strength of the Christian message because of what he considers a weak tenant. He asks how Christianity can really be strong if by needing to defend a single notion of it the whole thing hangs in the balance. If one does not systematize (or to put it another way "be logical") then one does not need to worry about defending it. This is a catch-all apologetic, the claims are merely doctrinal, not historical, doctrine is subservient to the experience of being in touch with "the depth of reality." Reality, for Bell, is now pure transcendental and esoteric. History is irrelevant, doctrine is benign. Christianity is secure in the truths of raw reality after one begins to follow and the rest can be "repainted" as it were, for the sake of a culture that is rejecting the message. There is no need for logic in Bell's Post-modern version of Christianity. Let me offer an illustration from my side of the theological fence to give an idea of Bell's perspective. I do not doubt that some who embrace a Young Earth perspective, do so because they see it as apologetically advantageous in regard to evolution. If there is not enough time then evolution could not take root. As a result, they begin to attack dating methods and marshal evidence from Genesis for theological support and so on. As I have stated many times on this blog, I love apologetics, but it never precedes theology. If our apologetic ideas are in conflict with our theological convictions then they are potential answers at best but we should be honest that we think that they are not likely answers. Even that last sentence has me unnerved a little and were it not for John Feinberge making a convincing case of "defense versus theodicy" I would go all the way and say flat out reject apologetics that are in conflict with theology. But, nevertheless, this is what Bell is doing, if Christianity is about a "deep" or "mysterious" or any other word one can conjure for "too much for words and reason" then one needs no defense for historic errors. This is similar to those who reject inerrancy: "a perfect God spoke to us about his perfection through a book full of errors and contradictions, but he's perfect. You'll see if you just read it. All the big stuff that could be errors, no, God will work through it. Sure everything in it could be an error, but don't think about that, the deeper reality will somehow be revealed." This is the kind of thinking prevalent in Theosophy, Ariosophy, and other views that spawned all kinds of problems in world history because good, well-intentioned people chose not to think, they just committed. It was the commitment that mattered, the intent, not the results. Even if they did think, their better reason was overridden by their commitment. And here we arrive at an irony, by committing without critical thought one ends up making ANY commitment valuable. If there is no inerrancy but it is still the word of God, well then, what other errors could be deeply true? Just do them and they will make themselves clearly perceived as true. Don't think, just commit. Commit to acting out Christianity without the doctrine you will get in touch with a deeper reality; just commit to reading the bible it will be true despite logical errors, just commit to following Teutonic principles you will live them out to be true, just commit. There is no line of demarcation! Why? Because that is what the bible is: God's line of demarcation for humanity. That is where we find our definitions not in some mysterious nexus of truth that goes beyond reason. Otherwise, humanity is the line of demarcation, what has history demonstrated is good about that? If God has not spoken, and done so clearly, then do we need God for anything more than a backup plan? Why should we believe anything about God or a god if he has not made himself known and set boundaries for us? G.K. Chesterton said, "The problem with not believing that there is a God is not that people will believe in nothing- it is that they will end up believing anything." I would take that a step further and say that if God has not revealed himself, in history, in doctrine, and in consistency, then we are free to believe in anything as well. It is not just a matter of if there is a God, it is a matter of if one can know God. I'm really not talking about agnosticism here, I am talking about God being everything he is and at least being everything he has revealed himself to be. And if he is perfect then he was perfect in revelation and in history where he has acted. These people fear making the evidence testable, so they stack the deck because they think God has failed even though they would never put it in those words. They think their weak arguments are his arguments, they are sorely mistaken. Is it me, or do the promises of the deep realties of the universe, or Jesus showing reality at its rawest, and all the promises about God really speaking to us even through contradictions and stacked dismissals of historical claims starting to sound like hollow, anthropomorphic babble? This gets me to the two problems with Bell and the fulfillment of a promise I made in the introduction: 1) The need for historical fidelity from God's revelation per his impeccable attributes and 2) the rejection of inerrancy leading to the collapse of the Christian worldview, as its clarity is marginalized amidst a plurality of alternatives that can compete for emotive commitment. Notice that all of this is testable, one does not have to resort to stacking the deck if one is willing to be honest in their pursuit of truth.

Historical Fidelity: A Prerequisite

Despite the ad hominem attack on systematic theology I will show that if the virgin birth did not happen in history it would have a catastrophic consequence for the Christian worldview. If one could prove that Jesus was not born of a virgin Christianity would collapse. Bell infers that Christianity could not be very strong if it relied so heavily on a proposition to be true. I don't mean this to be a put-down but, NO DUH! No truth claim is strong if it's false. Christianity is not claiming to be the best option among many, or even the strongest one among many, its claiming to be the only one. It is a truth claim about the way the world is. If its claims are false then it is false. Since when was truth measured in strength? Truth tests may be able to fall under this category, but not truth itself, unless he is assuming it is strong in regard to equal (in the ontological sense) yet competing truth claims. Truth claims are only as strong as the truth they represent, which is to say that they also have no real strength unless they correspond with what is actually true. If the claim is false then there is another singular truth and no strength hides behind the falsehood to defend it it is just a falsehood that goes down with the ship. If the claims of Christianity are false then there is another singular truth and Christianity is just a falsehood. The thing is that God is the truth according to Christianity. He cannot lie, in him is no deceit. His word is truth. If what is written about him is false, then he has not effected the supposed revelation concerning him. If he has not affected a truth claim then it is false, all of it. Even if it were to happen to brush against some truths. Why? Because God cannot deceive, he is not going to allow something that is the revelation about himself to contain falsehoods concerning him. How could it claim to be his word? At best, it could only be man's word and all claims, no matter what feeling we get when we read them, could be false. It follows logically from his attributes that the bible is either his truth and all facets are true and not a human construct. If any of it is a human error or otherwise all of it could not be the word of God, it could only be claiming to be, and a false claim at that; for in God there is no error. Bell says what if the virgin birth was put there for the benefit of Pagan beliefs of the time [pg.26]. Then reject it and go involve yourself in what ever pleasure you want and call that searching for the deeper realities of the universe because Accommodation Theory (information to make a proposition desirable rather than stating what is true) is still lying. The bible says God cannot lie, what cult was that put in there for? What can I possibly believe about it if it has lies and errors? How can I even know he does not lie? I can't, because the potential for error equates to probable agnosticism. You see, if it is possible that it is mistaken then it is possible that it is a lie despite mystical claims about feeling its the word of God, if its possible its mistaken then it is more rational to remain agnostic toward its claims rather than being emotionally committed to them despite reason (for more on this fallacy read my post "House on Faith"). One area where I will happily concede to Bell's point: Christianity is weak if its truth claims are false, so weak that the whole thing would be a lie and we are the most pathetic, pitiable people on the planet if its false. I have studied the bible a long time and I am confident that this is not the case. The good news is that the apostles didn't need a one-size-fits-all apologetic to placate public opinion in their day, they were brave and willing to die for the truth that has been preserved for us today. God in his perfection has given us his inerrant word. His perfection ensures its historical authenticity, (it does not prove it, that's a different claim) that if it is his word then it is true for it is the manifestation of his will for humanity to know. So I conclude that Bell's attempt to marginalize historical truth claims of scripture is unsuccessful, and at worst it could leave some to intellectually abandon the faith. Christianity is either the truth or it collapses under the weight of its own postulates. It boils down to this, the bible forces us to either reject it and accept any or maybe all other truth claims or accept it and reject everything else, there is no middle ground nor need for "repainting."

The Vitality of Innerancy

One criticism that has been levied at Evangelicals is that we are guilty of an "I'm right your wrong" theology. That our theology is without the life that Christ commands us to live. I see several problems with this approach to our position(s). Each individual is accountable to God for their behavior, and each leader of the church is at a higher level of accountability. I fear that this criticism is made by many who have virtually no contact with Evangelicals. Behaving as a Christian, if we are honest with what we read in scripture, should lead all of us to grieve at our lack of action. In Fact, James commands us to grieve, to humble ourselves from our lack of action. No Christian, liberal or otherwise, can truly say they are doing enough, and are further we are being arrogant to point the finger at anyone in this regard. Indeed, they are condemning/judging in a way that the bible explicitly prohibits. Many of them criticize us for not siding with one theologian or another, E.P. Sanders vs N.T. Wright for example. And we sometimes do the same, are we not all one in Christ? This question leads me to a reflection that I am forced to make, does not the bible set boundaries for what a Christian is? And if this is the case and my liberal friends reject the core of the gospel, then I am forced to judge (in the discerning sense not the condemning sense) that only those who are in Christ are one in Christ. For a different gospel is no gospel at all. So where do we need to logically do battle? At the existential level of living the love of Christ which no man can measure and each must face God on his or her own? Or at the scriptural level which is our guide for determining what God has revealed to us? I think the latter. Is it not now reasonable to ask the question, who is right and who is wrong in their approach to scripture? This is far from the "I'm right your wrong" accusation that is foisted onto the debate. Rather, it is the most reasonable course of action. And if some of us, like Bell, wish to say that it is not inerrant, or imply that inerrancy is trivial (his position is hard to know even though he commits to the virgin birth he undermines) then the acts of scripture demanded of us are logically trivial and irrelevant as well. So, inerrancy is too important to not investigate. And therefore I will endeavorer to flesh out the issue as it stands today in light of Bell's attempt to trivialize it for the sake of action. It is not a matter of whether I or any Evangelical is right, it is a matter of whether the revelation we are conforming our lives to is what it claims to be.

Preconditions

In Norman Geisler's first entry in his systematic theology series he does an excellent job highlighting the specifics that need to be discussed before engaging in good theology. Other theological writings are excellent as well, Erickson and Grudem come to mind, but they don't put the same level of detail on the preconditions, although I'm fairly sure they would agree with most of Geisler's positions concerning preconditions. I will keep this chain of thought brief, but we need to go through it to see the reasoning behind the value of inerrancy. I will not be offering a defense of these positions, my aim is purely descriptive and light on polemics.

-God

All things that begin to exist have a cause. The universe began to exist. The best explination for the cause is God. There is a God. This God interacts with our universe in which he created. Otherwise we have left Theism and adopted Deism. Is this "Brickianity?" Based on Bell's problems with the Young Earth creationist's postulates I imagine he would have to say yes. But if God does not interact with his creation then how does he communicate with it? The act of communication constitutes interaction in the world. So the logical links once denied, no matter how moral one may claim doing so is, leads us to a theological and existential impasse. Lest we deny logic and enter into Nihilism (ironically one could make the case that this is where Post-Modernity should lead) we must conclude that this God does interact or all bets are off. At that point any statement about God is as viable or detestable as any other statement because no matter what the case, if he has not made himself known, there is no legitimate claim to what he is like. Remember when I talked about a misguided pluralism? But is pluralism the best induction from Deistic claims? Perhaps Atheism makes more sense than pluralism? Perhaps Agnosticism is a more reasonable option? But if God has spoken, then we have very clear lines of demarcation, we have a distinctive God.

-The Bible

If the bible is God communicating to man in a more specific way than nature then it needs to be internally consistent. Why would this be? Aside from the fact that contradiction is a rational way to conclude falsehood, the claims about God in the bible must be presented to us in this logical consistency that all humans need. There is nothing wrong with desiring a reasonable account of God. This does not mean that there are not matters that are difficult to understand or even accept. If the scripture says that God is good, then we see passages that say he is evil, then we would have a very good reason for questioning what we could know about this God from the text that claims to represent him. If it says he is good and we see events that appear evil, does it follow that God is evil? Well, that depends on the specific text doesn't it. It is not enough to conclude contradiction based on a surface view of the text. Context and hermeneutics is where the real battle for inerrancy is fought. So, there is no real reason to believe that the bible is the word of God if there are real contradictions unless we appeal to some circular argument like "when people read it they conclude that it is the word of God!" I have bad news for people that say that, Muslims, Jews, and a host of other religious perspectives could make the same claim. That's the way circular arguments work, just plug in your favorite proposition and presto! Your argument sounds valid even though it isn't. What if scripture talks about itself? What should we conclude. If God cannot lie, and scripture explicitly states that his word is truth, then do we have to have the actual word "inerrancy" for that to be a reasonable conclusion that the bible is indeed inerrant? No more than the trinity I would say. So as it turns out, if the virgin birth is not true there is a lot more on the line than Bell would have us believe.

- A Common Error

One thing the opponents of inerrancy mistake is the difference between inerrancy and dictation method. It is not the best conclusion that God takes over an author and uses them as a robot to dictate what he wants. This misunderstanding has led many to have much higher expectations of the scripture than is logically necessary. What we demand of any text is the kind of innocent-until-proven-guilty approach to scripture that is fair. Shelby Spong in his writings critiques the bible by saying that the sun is referred to as "rising." But the earth rotates around the sun, why would the bible report it as "rising?" Because the bible uses everyday, common language. In fact, we today still say that the sun "rises." Demanding that the bible be a scientific text is coming from an assumption of Dictation Theory and is being used to diffuse inerrancy. God did not deny the authors their perspectives nor their personalities. If the scripture had said that the sun rotated around the earth then they would have a case because it would be the author's perspective misleading the reader and therefore could not possibly be considered inerrant. However, it is my contention that there is no such instance in scripture. So, the bible uses common verbiage and there are estimations and round numbers. A plenary model of dictation allows for the author to retain their own personalities and speak at a human level to others in everyday language. This fits the data better and given that God uses agencies (angels, natural forces, humans, big fish) often it should not be a surprise that this is the case in regard to the dictation of scripture. So inerrancy is retained even if scripture describes an army with round numbers or a bowl without using pi. As long as the measuring method worked (which is the case in the latter example, a skeptic could do what is instructed and find that it works) who cares if the number uses modern measuring methods, there is still no real error. Another fallacy is that inerrancy is a reaction to modern liberalism, incorrectamundo. It can be dated, in a formulaic sense, as far back as Augustine event though he didn't use the actual word. In fact, there is a historical lineage that can be traced in church history that are still great defenses of inerrancy. Has it been a hotter issue due to recent developments in biblical criticism? I would concede that, but that is far from being the hasty dogmatism our opponents would have us believe. Some say that inerrancy as being applied to the original manuscripts is a retreat in light of problems in the bible. Not true. The earliest manuscripts do reveal that there have been late additions to our copies, however, it is curious to me that there has been no evidence of subtractions or significant divergence. What best explains that? Certainly not the retreat and regroup method we are accused of. It seems that copyists did make errors, but as earlier MSS is uncovered the more confident we become in autograph inerrancy. But is that really so hard to believe? That the originals contained no errors? The only hard part to believe is the concomitance between the texts and miracles. The study of scripture will clear up the former and the denial of the later seems odd for one who embraces Theism. For Deists I would submit that your wasting your time claiming the bible teaches you anything about God, your more logical conclusion is at the feet of Atheism for their is no significant difference between the two other than vacuous postulates.

Some Examples of Attacks on Scripture to Infer the Falsehood of Inerrancy

I am going to deal with some "problem passages," as our opponents refer to them, to show how far they will go to imply that the doctrine of innerancy is not viable or valid. In almost all cases, and, in fact, none come to mind otherwise, the problem does not lay simply on inerrancy but on hermeneutics. The most extreme attacks are usually a case of very poor interpretive efforts. Although, it must be said that some objections are reasonable, albeit still faulty in their conclusions, but, nevertheless, one could see why even someone who is committed to inerrancy could scratch their head wondering how to justify it in light of difficult passages. Keep in mind that when I say "difficult" I don't mean "problem passages" which is a pseudonym for falsehood (in the camp that attacks inerrancy, they do not want to say "incorrect" or "false" they say "problem passages," this is fairly gutless in my opinion, if its false be honest and call it that); I mean interpretively difficult to understand. The justification for these difficulties are not "stretches" to fit the inerrancy paradigm. Rather, they are the best way to understand difficult passages. I will demonstrate that it is more reasonable to hold to inerrancy than otherwise and that its opponents are in danger of being false teachers. And if this should be the case, whether it be the position of a self proclaimed prophet, pastor, denomination, or anyone in a teaching/authoritative position, then one should consider a change despite the hardships that could result. I am not saying that in order to be a Christian one must embrace inerrancy (I'm certain the thief on the cross had not developed any doctrine in this regard), although I think eventually they would, rather a person in a position of authority in the church is held to a higher level of accountability. In regard to eventually embracing inerrancy, I would remind the skeptic that within the epistemic chain that logically leads to inerrancy from scripture that Luke 8, the parable of the seed, is about believing the word of God and being saved. This passage itself is not about inerrancy but it is part of the broad understanding of the word of God and Evangelicals have a duty to warn other Christians, regardless of denomination, to embrace it. One of the arguments against Christians in regard to the study of science is that if we presume a God it will smother material inquiry. I think that this is a false accusation. In fact, I think one could make the case that the opposite is true, but for the sake of argument I will say that it is obvious that it is not necessary for a Christian to stop all inquiry as a result of faith. I would like to ask the skeptic of inerrancy, do you inquire further when interpreting "problem passages?" Or do you have a defense already built in that necessarily limits your hermeneutical efforts? I very rarely hear a critique of the defense of passages that the skeptic will point out. It seems their perspective prevents them from good hermeneutical depth. Another problem that keeps the skeptic from looking harder at the text is a pragmatism that claims that inerrancy is dangerous because it may cause a person to fall from the faith once they discover the "problem passages." Fist off, it is far more dangerous to stop our inquiry or efforts to harmonize seemingly conflicting passages for we would not arrive at correct understanding, I need not go on in regard to just how dangerous that can be but there are plenty of examples from history to support me here. Second, the doctrine of inerrancy is not central to the faith in the same way as affirming the virgin birth or the resurrection. I believe that a person can go their whole life not completely comprehending the book of Revelation and still hold to inerrancy. The pragmatic concern is that the minister should advance a proper perspective of the doctrine of inerrancy trusting God to work things together for good, rather than appealing to a mysticism that an omniscient God speaks through contradiction, and then concluding inerrancy as false for the sake of the sensitivities of the saints. Lastly (and this will add to my point):

2 Peter 3:15-18

And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

We are to take care and to grow with confidence in the word of God. If we are not trying to twist it and we are trying to understand it, although it is difficult, we will grow in grace and knowledge. Peter does not claim that the difficulties of understanding tough passages absolves us from our responsibilities to understand them, rather we are to do the work required to understand, not fret that difficulty will lead to departure from the faith. We are personally accountable for our efforts in this regard. Am I saying that being a Christian requires the hard work of study? Absolutely, we should meditate on the law of God night and day, we must conform our minds despite what the Rob Bells would have us believe.

I have now set us up for a demonstration of the types of passages that are being used to show contradiction when actually there is no problem. Again, I can see that some cases are tough to wade through, but we have no excuse for ignoring and dismissing them. I will pick from the most famous "problem passages" and offer hermeneutical commentary.

-The Death of Saul

1Samuel 31:4-5

Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and mistreat me." But his armor-bearer would not, for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it. And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him.

2Samuel 1:1-10

After the death of Saul, when David had returned from striking down the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag. And on the third day, behold, a man came from Saul’s camp, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. And when he came to David, he fell to the ground and paid homage. David said to him, "Where do you come from?" And he said to him, "I have escaped from the camp of Israel." And David said to him, "How did it go? Tell me." And he answered, "The people fled from the battle, and also many of the people have fallen and are dead, and Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead." Then David said to the young man who told him, "How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?" And the young man who told him said, "By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and there was Saul leaning on his spear, and behold, the chariots and the horsemen were close upon him. And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called to me. And I answered, 'Here I am.' And he said to me, 'Who are you?' I answered him, 'I am an Amalekite.' And he said to me 'Stand beside me and kill me, for anguish has seized me, and yet my life still lingers.' So I stood beside him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the armlet that was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord."

Do these two passages constitute the end of inerrancy as we know it? Let me ask a question, does something seem different between the two passages? First, what is the genre of 1Sam ? History. What is the genre of 2Sam? History. What is the history of 1Sam? It is an account of the death of Saul. What is the history of 2Sam? It is an account of an account of the death of Saul. That is why verse one says "After the death of Saul..." furthermore, the account is from an Amalekite, could this be problematic? I remember the first time I read this and thought, "If this guy turns out to be a trouble maker his testimony about the death of Saul could be questionable." I was giving the opponents of inerrancy way too much credit because only 3 verses later we see this:

2Samuel 1:13-16

And David said to the young man who told him, "Where do you come from?" And he answered, "I am the son of a sojourner, an Amalekite." David said to him, "How is it you were not afraid to put out your hand to destroy the LORD’s anointed?" Then David called one of the young men and said, "Go, execute him." And he struck him down so that he died. And David said to him,"Your blood be on your head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, 'I have killed the LORD’s anointed.'"

In 1Sam Saul's armor-bearer feared killing God's anointed (despite Saul's flaws) in 2Sam the Amalekite should have had the same reaction but did not and this tipped his hand to David. So 2Sam is a historical account of a false account. Negative correlation: 1Samuel's account is correct about Saul's death. There is no contradiction between the texts.

-The Death if Judas

This and the angels at the tomb are probably the most famous.

Mathew 27:5

And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and went and hanged himself.

Acts 1:17-19

For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry."(Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)

This is a passage where I would not blame a Christian to scratch their head in bewilderment. This is not a simple matter of hermeneutics, but that and trying to achieve harmony between the texts. It is important to keep in mind that we do not attempt to arrive at harmony despite the text unless we want to be eisegetical in our approach and that would be a big problem. An example of this is that some may have speculated that someone came by and cut Judas's stomach open while he hung. This is foisting something onto the text that is not there. It comes from being too hasty to exonerate the text in the name of inerrancy. Falling headlong is too closely related to his bowels gushing out for this to be the best case. The best way to approach these two texts is to employ an abductive methodology and ask which scenario best fits the data we have.

1) Is it possible that this is a contradiction? Sure it is. I'm willing to admit that. It is a possibility. One says he hung and one reports a fall then him bursting open. But let us ask another question, is contradiction the only possible answer to the problem? The Greek makes it clear that Judas indeed hung himself in the traditional sense of the word, however, it does not say that he was successful in that endeavor. It may be assumed by the author that he died unless there were other factors like: not needing full disclosure of the events for they may have already been principally known by the author's audience (more on this in a moment). The Acts account doesn't explicitly say that he died either. I'm not saying he lived and is hiding with Elvis and Michael Jackson in the basement of a Free Mason lodge in Prattville, AL or anything like that. What I am arguing for is that it is possible, given the vague nature in regard to the death in both accounts, that one could be focused on his death while the other is focused on how his blood spilled out and is not attempting to be comprehensive in regard to how he died. Or, as I alluded to earlier, one may not give the full account with the expectations that the receiver would have been able to fill in the blanks that were needed to be fleshed out in the other report. So "Hanged himself" would assume he died and perhaps in the Acts account his body was found after fallen from the branch and Luke was focused on the fulfillment of the prophecy because he had been found with his middle burst and his bowls exposed. Is this approach just as possible as the one that screams contradiction? Sure it is, due to the vague nature of the accounts in regard to his death the one desiring to find a contradiction has no advantage over the one who holds to inerrancy. Because inerrancy is not the most central doctrine then we are within our right to hold to it even though it is possible that this is a contradiction.

2) But we are not done yet. I believe that through use of abductive technique (primary axiom of western scientific methodology) we can show that not only is it possible that it is not a contradiction, but that harmony is the best explanation for the data we have on hand and that appealing to contradiction falls short of explaining all of our available information. D.A. Carson, not exactly a liberal scholar, says that Mathew was written to Jews and that the purpose is unclear. The destination is also unclear. The best guess seems to be to equip Jews for evangelical purposes. But Carson concludes that this is a guess, the only thing that is certain is that it is intended for Jews who were perhaps living in the area where Mathew wrote it, or for a collective of Jews. I wonder if they would have been ignorant of the events that took place in Jerusalem. I find that to be very hard to believe. Mathew and Acts were written around the same time plus or minus five years. Now, focus in on the Lucan account in Acts, "And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem." So the event of Judas's death was famous. "Everyone knew about it" was probably hyperbole for "this was famous." If Mathew was written to Jews who would have traveled to Jerusalem every year (Acts and Luke written by AD 90 at the latest) and likely had family living there and it would not be outlandish to assume that some may have even come from there, just exactly how descriptive does Mathew have to be for an event of such magnitude? Even if Judas didn't die due to the hanging it would not have mattered. Perhaps he went to hang himself and the branch gave and he split open, then dies. Whatever the case, given that the event was well known and likely well known among those Mathew was writing to, they would have detected that Mathew had a conflicting account. Yet, if you know anything about the canonization process, we are sitting here with a copy that spread very quickly through the early church along with Acts. Why would they do this if they had a contradiction? They likely wouldn't. They didn't have a contradiction they had a vague account from Mathew because everyone knew the gory details. Who was Luke writing to? Theophilus, for a more orderly account to supplement what he had been taught. Luke was showing how the process of replacing Judas took place and explained, in my opinion, what made the event famous: A grizzly scene that fulfilled prophecy in reference to the account Luke was giving which was the replacement of Judas. So I ask, is contradiction the most plausible conclusion based on the available data? I would say no. The scenario I laid out seems to fit the data with a higher level of plausibility than contradiction; for the early spread of the letters that eventually became the bible we have is best explained by a degree of present knowledge of those receiving the letters. It is likely they would have rejected one of the accounts if they were false, or at least edited one to make the well known event more clear, but that wasn't necessary as an allusion to the event was enough to bring the memory of the event to mind, therefore it is far more plausible that the harmony between the two texts is indeed the case and contradiction is simply not warranted. When it comes to the two death accounts it is possible that there is a contradiction, but given the context and our understanding of transmission of the texts in the early church, the abductive method does not favor a conclusion of contradiction. The data is best understood in a harmonious manner.

I will deal with the angels at the tomb and finish up my discussion on inerrancy in the next post.

Sermon: The Eternal Sabbath John 5:1-18

John 5:1-18 "The Eternal Sabbath" from Travis Sheehan on Vimeo.

Anything you can do to help me improve is appreciated. If there is something I didn't mention or you felt should have been emphasized more please mention. Thanks. I hope you enjoy.

Velvet Bell 2

Post Modernists like to cover their bases, but in the end they contradict themselves and cause confusion. If you call them on it, they will appeal to a mysticism, or deny the veracity of logic, while they use it in the midst of their denial. Bell has covered his bases and contradicted himself repeatedly. He has also engaged in multiple fallacies. He tried to make it sound like the changes he wants to bring to Christianity are not critical and within orthodoxy, however, his admission that his changes are to be theological must still be considered to be his effort since it is the clearest position he has. I am clearing up enigmatic passages in light of clear ones in this regard (funny, when trying to interpret an ancient text it would seem like something someone would have to do frequently, but a text written in 2005? It just shows how poor his argumentation is). His example of art was a false analogy rendering his argument of the importance of change hallow. Of course, even if he had a good analogy it would have made little difference; someone that uses analogies as their primary argumentation is probably coming from a weak position to begin with. He has yet to establish why Christianity needs to change (sound like Shelby Spong?) His attempt at using the Reformation as warrant for change displayed a lack of historical knowledge at best or deception at worst. Chapter One of Velvet Elvis, entitled "Jump," is enlightening. We learn a lot about Bell's thought process and convictions. Another element of his Post Modern thought comes to light and, as expected, it is a tour de force in contradictions. If the air campaign of WWI represented thought and the Germans are contradictions and logical fallacies, then Rob Bell is the Red Baron. Okay, I probably shouldn't poke fun at the guy but the whole book is so absurd I can't bring myself to respect the work. He is not a dumb guy, that's obvious, he is just blinded by his own agenda. This is not meant to be a put down to people who have followed his teaching, but they must know he has fooled them, he is a false teacher. They should not let pride keep them from rejecting such false teaching.

Bell goes through the effort of explaining that faith is something that all people have. We are all following some kind of teaching which means we are following "somebody." He implies that those who approach someone of faith in God in a cool, rational way is implicitly denying that they have faith. This is a false dichotomy. Faith and reason are not mutually exclusive propositions. Also, Bell is dismissing the rationality of the opponent in an ipso facto manner, the person of faith is not absolved of defending it rationally just because the person arguing with them has some form of faith of their own. Again, the question is about internal consistency of a given belief because beliefs require a different criterion to be deemed warranted than knowledge. There is no logical problem with a person having issues with faith, even if they don't a faith of their own. Additionally, someone may reject what they were taught and actually go in the opposite direction, not in the equivocal sense or even in an analogously direct sense, but just live a life different from which those who would seem to have been influential. For example, some who were raised in Christian households may have great respect for their parents but are tripped up by theodicy and thus answer the question with Atheism, their overall life experience is contributing, and sometimes even internally competing, for answers to questions. I agree that everyone adopts assumptions and beliefs, but faith is not always about following someone, they have experiences and thoughts as well. Are they now following their parents teaching? You may be able to make a case that they are indirectly, but for Bell, to follow is implying faith and not rationality, this is not entirely the case. As my illustration demonstrates, it may be rationality that actually contributes to their beliefs more than those one would expect them to follow. So, Bell's effort to dismiss rationality, or at least minimize it, from the conversation over faith is unfounded and it will become more clear why he wants this to be the case in short order. He does explain that some have a perspective that they are following their own ideas, but concludes that they are wrong, they are following someone or something no matter what they say. It is typical for him to tip his hat to "something" late in the conversation, his premise has been about following someone. Remember: he has to cover his bases. Some people are following ideas and I assume he would say those ideas are formed by consensus. My question would be, then what is Christianity? Is it not more than ideas? Is it not more than a communal commitment passed down to condition others? If not, then it is one of several options, then, by all means, repaint away, for it could not be the truth, at best it could be a possible truth. But if it is the truth, then argue for it as the truth. I believe it was Jesus who said he was the truth (which Bell quotes shortly). By the way, he was completely different from those who should have conditioned him. The fact is, ideas are far more complex than mere communal contribution and conditioning, they involve static, a priori logic, and sometimes there indeed is a give and take involving culture and community, as bell says himself, but does not see fit to apply to his own arguments, "there is more." Post-modernists don't believe in truth, so in this regard Bell has been consistent. Bell makes the question "Who is living rightly?" and puts it against the question of "who is right?" The real question, the one Bell is avoiding at all costs, is: what is the truth? This is the only question that really matters. Christianity is not merely an existential philosophy as Bell supposes. It is an answer to the ultimate question, it is the truth, because he is the truth. Which do you want, a way to live a good life, or the truth? If Christianity is only a way to be "in sync with the universe at its deepest levels [pg.21]." and not the truth, then what are we doing here? To be fair to Bell, perhaps he is trying, in his own way, to say its the truth, but there is a rational element which he is dismissing (again, he has his reasons which he will make clear). When I was an agnostic I was looking for answers, not a new lifestyle, the answers would determine my lifestyle. This nominalizing of reason is typical of faith leaders who come from a weak position. I believe he recognizes that his position is weak in the face of skeptics, and he's right, so he does what someone in a compromised position usually does, he obfuscates by appealing to a enigmatic mysticism and uses question laden verbiage ("universe at its deepest levels," what in Jar Jar Binks does that mean?), additionally, as he has done already and will do again in the next section, I'll be discussing his attempts at red herring by padding his side of the argument with moral fervor to make opponents seem morally misguided when attempting to critique his position. These are the attributes of a weak argument and the summit of Bell's reasoning. A point that I will make continually in my critique is this, does Rob Bell's attempts to convey the Christian message that is reflective of the authors of the bible? Is he really biblical? Does he have an apostolic attitude toward matters of faith? I will quote one verse here and let you decide for yourself if Velvet Elvis is of a godly effort, Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool."

He attempts to say that the way in which one lives is not a matter of rationality or blind faith, it is just an existential reality that one must deal with. One must ask how he has arrived at the conclusion that there is a way in which one ought to live? I can tell you one thing, it is not merely a way and that is all, he got there by reason, and don't look now, but he is offering a cool, calm rationality about the way in which one should live. He expects his list to be self evident in regard to this being the way in which one ought to live: generously, forgivingly, compassionately, peacefully, wisely, and honestly. Of course these are admirable qualities. With his red herring deployed he can effectively shut down conversation as one is distracted by avoiding looking like a barbarian. The idea is that if you can be the first to be on the side of these attributes then your opponents may have to appear to be opposed to them. Who wants to be opposed to that list? Not me, I want to take part in all of those things as well. So do many Atheists that I know. In fact, many can take part in them even if they don't follow Jesus, so why include the list? It is advantageous to his argument. Bell claims that this is not about being superior to any other religion, rather it is part of a process that makes one more in tuned with reality. Cannot anyone say that they have done these things? At least at some point and to some degree? And is not a legitimate question from the skeptic at this point something along the lines of, "I don't believe that there is a God or Jesus and I do these things as part of my lifestyle, so, of what advantage is Jesus to me?" Bell's argument seems to be a refurbished version of "Only Christians can do good things." He just doesn't say it in so many words. Without a teleological or eschatological direction to good works they are fairly benign, Jesus offers us something beyond good works, they are good works with purpose. If there is no God one can do preferable works, how is Christianity any better if there is no way to actually do good works in the eyes of God? So Bell has gotten the cart in front of the horse. In light of the holiness of God no works are considered good, there must be a payment for sin before one can offer a good work that leads to an ultimate good conclusion, salvation is tethered to good works and reveals God's righteousness. Is this the position of the bible?

-Romans 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."

Salvation is found in belief, not in works. This serves as a good caution for trying to change or "repaint", as it were, what is expressed so clearly.

-1 John 1:8-10 "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleans us of all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."

If we deceive ourselves in regard to sin, then we make him out to be a liar. How is this possible? If we lie then he is not in us so how is it possible that we would make him out to be a liar if he is not in us? Is that not a contradiction? No one can come to saving faith unless he fist confesses he has sinned. No amount of good works can replace that. So all of Bell's moralizing doesn't replace the problem of sin. A believer, one who is truly saved, must logically confess that they are a sinner to begin with. They would not dismiss this fact if they were a believer, for their hope is based on a need, the need of salvation from an outside source: God's righteousness. So, if they have come to that understanding then why would they say they don't sin? They wouldn't and that is John's point: they wouldn't. If they ever do they have not known what God has offered on the cross.

-Psalm 14:3 "They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does goo, not even one."

-Isaiah 64:6 "We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment."

Paul picks up on Psalms and demonstrates that no one can say they are really doing good. They may do things one would call good, but nothing good enough to warrant righteousness in the eyes of God who is the perfect judge. So what of Bell's contention that Jesus' ministry was meant to be followed to be in tune with the universe? It seems painfully short of what the bible actually teaches. We are in tune with our natures which is to sin and when we see that, then we can become in tune with God, until then we deceive ourselves. I am always leery about the prophets of altruism because while it is possible to do things that can be seen as good, if we say we are doing good enough, then we become the judge and we are dismissing our own sin. Experience tells me that all sin and as one I consider a mentor says, "It speaks to the bible's authenticity." (if your interested in looking at the bible's analysis on sin as revealed in the world read Romans 1 and I offer a commentary on this in my Faith Class section called "Faith Class: Already and Not Yet").

-Romans 5:6-11 "For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation."

This passage basically says it all. I believe that Rob Bell is misguided and distorts the beauty of the gospel when he says that the virtuous acts of Jesus are meant to bring us into harmony with the deepest levels of the universe without mentioning sin. He offers an incomplete picture that could easily lead one to believe that it is the virtuous behavior itself that accomplishes the goal he is setting out. Only after one comes to Christ can a virtuous life be properly lived out. Keep in mind the word "proper" anyone can and has done the virtuous thing Rob Bell listed, but not anyone can do them with the correct teleology, that can only be done by someone who knows they are not good to begin with. I find it ironic, like many truths.

So I must disagree with Bell that the question is "Who is living rightly?" Because the skeptic will raise his hand and say "Me," or even maybe, "By faith I believe its me." Remeber in the introduction I mentioned that if you start trying to refine the foundations of a worldview those changes make it suseptable to attack? Now that Bell has changed the question to one of how one ought to live rather than God's demands (which is the question the bible is more concerned i.e. Nicodemus) someone could say "Well, it seems a dictatorship could make one live this way," or, "Islam seems to get pretty good results in this regard." Remember when I mentioned a misguided plurality? A better question would be, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" or "Compared to God's holiness can anyone be good?" And, as predicted, Bell appeals to a mysticism, "Over time when you purposely try to live the way of Jesus, you start noticing something deeper going on... [you live] more in tune with ultimate reality. You are more and more in sync with how the universe is at its deepest levels [pg. 21]." Try to argue that one! This is the fallacy of stacking the deck (recurring theme), no matter what you do you will prove him right, deny what he is saying and the enigmatic "deeper" goings ons don't happen and the ultimate reality is locked away so you prove him right, Live the way he is saying and what ever happens is the "deeper" happenings of the universe being realized. What separates his argument from Buddhist enlightenment? Was this really the focus of Jesus' ministry? Ahh, yes, remember when Nicodemus came to Jesus and said, "'Rabbi, we know you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.' Jesus answered him, 'Truly truly I say to you unless one is convinced of being generous, forgiving, compassionate, and what not, one will not be in sync with how the universe is at its deepest levels.'" If that sounds ridiculous then good, it means you know your bible well, what he actually said was completely different from Bell's teaching (Bell did not misquote this passage I am demonstrating the absurdity of his claim),

John 3:1-3

"Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus , a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, 'Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.' Jesus answered him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.'"

Wait, what about the being in sync with the universe? Well, the truth is, Jesus and Bell are at odd ends. They do not offer the same message to an unbelieving world. Bell has more in common with Descartes than Jesus. Sure, he talks about Jesus, but as Bell will point out later in Velvet Elvis many will come saying that and it won't be true. At this point I imagine Bell's defense would be that change is necessary for this generation and I would respond that if the arguments he provided in the introduction are exemplary of the foundations for the need to change, I'll stick with the bible. Ironically the bible speaks of sin offering a revelation about God as well. So if coming in tune with the deepest nature of the universe is what is so important could not sin accomplish this? Revelation for its own sake is not as important as what revelation says about us as we are related to God, not uncovering the "deep" happenings for the sake of doing so. So while I find the list of virtues compelling they are being misused in their representation of Jesus. Did he do these good things, yes. Should we take part in them, yes. But they are not a means to an end. In fact my idea for a dissertation topic (although it could be more sociological history rather than philosophy) has to do with eudaimonia and its subconscious resurgence among American Christians and their leaders. Velvet Elvis would be a fantastic case study about this subject. Eudaimonia was about having the objectively best human life (human is mentioned specifically because of the gods in the Socratic era). The debate of the time predated Christ by about 400 years during the time of Socrates. The question was whether the best life required virtue (among which Rob Bell lists as if they were exclusive to Jesus teaching, they weren't, he exclusively embodied these virtues showing us that we cannot live up to them on our own) or if virtue was a hindrance to a best human life. In the midst of the debate were these gods whom were disengaged, morally, and left humans to figure this out for themselves. Modern Christians who are now becoming more and more ignorant to biblical truth claims have engaged in a similar debate. How is the best way to have the best life as a human? Has God spoke in this regard? I have listed versus in which he has and the eudaimonistic question becomes a non sequitur in light of biblical revelation, but when elements are deemphasized (like sin and God's intimate response) God appears disconnected. Almost like Deism. Humans, in turn, must determine for themselves what is the best way to live. With vestiges of the Christian ethic remaining in the American conscience they begin to appeal to them, without God's revelation concerning sin and/0r his intimacy in our lives, as the best way in which to live as opposed to seeing them as a mirror for who we are compared to God, which is what Jesus' ethics were intended to do (Mark 12:28-31 "And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, "Which commandment is the most important of all?" Jesus answered, "The most important is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."). And so you end up with modern pithy sayings like this, "we are all living a 'way'."; "Perhaps a better question than who's right, is who lives rightly?"[pages 20 and 21 respectively] So Bell bookends his argument with the eudaimonistic question. But the bible isn't interested in getting you to live rightly before you recognize that you can't live rightly and as a result you must repent to an intimate God. American Christians are now debating how to live, not for God, but for themselves. They don't include morality to honor God they do it to live a good life (if you have read Socrates that question should sound familiar, its the essence of his eudaimonistic stance compared to the Stoics and Sophists right around the time he pwnes them, in my opinion anyway) or to get to heaven or to get in tune with the universe at its deepest levels. I used to think this way myself so I have no room to judge others in this regard but I'll take a page from Paul's play book and quote one of our contemporary artists, "I did my time, and I want out..."

In the midst of this, Bell offers scraps of scripture as proof text. In the process, he embodies hypocrisy. In chapter 2 he will talk about a conference about the male being the head of the household and then criticize them for taking the scripture out of context (which he offers no evidence for being the case, I will deal with this further when I get there). In his argument from virtue he takes two passages of scripture out of context. Let us see Bell's hermeneutical process, hope you like Conventionalism (Reader Response Criticism). This is Bell's exposition of John 14, from page 21 of Velvet Elvis (VE):

"Jesus' intention was, and is, to call people to live in tune with reality. He said at one point that if you had seen him, you had 'seen the Father'. He claimed to be showing us what God is like. In his compassion, peace, truth telling, and generosity, he was showing us God [pg21]."

Later:

"Jesus at one point claimed to be 'the way, the truth, and the life'... he was telling those who were following him that his way is the way to the depth of reality [pg.21]."

Let us now look at the text and I will be taking Bell's criticism of using context from chapter 2, which he failed to deploy here, as it would have applied to himself.

John 14:1-11

"'Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.' Thomas said to him, 'Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?' Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.'Philip said to him, 'Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.' Jesus said to him, 'Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves."

Where is the list of virtues that were showing us what God is like? Looks like the last thing Jesus is concerned with here is his display of goodness as it reflects God. Rather, he seems interested in letting his disciples know that he is the one preparing the way. Of course I am using that ancient practice of actually discovering the author's intentions. Not in vogue in Bell's world, but the only way to arrive at the meaning of the text in the real world. This passage is infused with eschatological realities that should be trusted. It is not a text intended to show how one should live "in tune with reality" as much as its about how the return of Christ should shape our understanding of our current reality for the one that is coming. Not following x list of virtues as a "better way to live". I want to reiterate that the virtues Bell lists are good but they are not the means to the end in which Jesus was primarily concerned, Jesus is the means to an end and in that we will find good living, not good living to follow Jesus. Again, Bell has "put the cart before the horse."

Velvet Bell: Repainting Cartesian Anxiety

As the title implies I will be looking at Rob Bell and some of his statements in his book Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith. But first I want to establish some lines of thought. In too many mediums there is very little time to make a point. Fortunately, blogging allows for much more time and space to think things through so I ask for some latitude before I get to my critique.

"I think therefore I am," was the famous revelation of Rene Descartes after he decided to stuff himself into a stove to cut off his senses. I cannot doubt that I am thinking without first positing an "I" to begin with. From this axiom he set out his defense for Theism and other postulates. Not long after his declaration came a startling revelation from some in the philosophical community: There is no good reason to assume that thinking requires a thinker. What? In a note of irony, after I wrote that sentence, my daughter asked me what time it was and when I told her, she said, "Oh good that means it's time to take my watch off." The irony was lost on her. I wonder if it was lost on those who who said thinking requires no thinker. Their point was not that thinking was not CAUSED by a thinker, but rather that in order for there to be substance there must actually be something there that was material, some "datum" (As Frederick Copleston puts it in his History of Philosophy Vol. 4). If this required thinking then Descartes must have been assuming a substantive, materialistic existence. How does it follow that he need a material body for this to be the case? I can point to things in the world and question whether they exist, but what happens when I point at "I"? Would I not have to say "it" like every other object that can be doubted? "I" comprises much more than "it" so thinking is not a necessary component for existence, the "I" could be an illusion and therefore is not necessarily a self referential object. Perhaps humans could be an apparatus for which thoughts from another occur. Regardless of the viability of these claims the point is that the methodological doubt of Descartes, known as Cartesian Anxiety, demonstrates that what it takes to establish warranted knowledge is far more rigorous than what it takes to establish warranted belief.

In fact, beliefs/worldviews commonly precede knowledge (although there are occasions where they are lateral). If a Materialist and a Buddhist are having a conversation the Materialist could present a cup of water the Buddhist could claim it is an illusion. The Materialist could say that it was actually hydrogen and oxygen molecules. The Buddhist could then retort that they also were illusions. No matter where the discussion leads from there, the history of scientific progress, feelings, what ever, there must come a point where the conditions and the constituent components of the worldview are examined and determined to be internally consistent to tell us if it is an accurate summation of what it claims to represent as the truth. Does it have sufficient explanatory power? Is it logically coherent? Can one live consistently with the view they claim is true (existential consistency)? At some point some things must be assumed to be true, even if it can't be proven to be true. The question will have to be if it is a warranted belief. It is my contention that historical Christianity meets the above criterion with satisfaction better than any other worldview. I do not believe that it is in need of retooling or a Cartesian process. Rob Bell disagrees with this assertion. To repaint a worldview is to bring challenges to the consistencies of its assumptions. The assumptions are its foundations, its doctrines. If the doctrines are off the worldview is in jeopardy. If its foundations are contradictory it is a false worldview. I love the example of Ravi Zacharias who said that if you go to a border patrol agent and give him contradictory answers about where you are going you can expect him to believe you have falsified your destination and he would be right to think so. Worldviews do not get a pass and this includes Christianity. Contradictions imply falsehood and when we challenge our doctrines we need to have good reasons. This does not mean that we can answer every question or that we can't have doubts. What I am arguing for is that we can assume our position to be true while we explore the validity of its assertions. Is this not expected of all who love thought? This is what Rob Bell is claiming that he is doing, I disagree. I believe he is whittling away foundational components to the Christian worldview. I am not guessing what his motives are. I may guess at them if I feel he has tipped his hand or I'm confused in some way, but to guess at his motives and not dealing with his thoughts is ad hominem; don't mistake some of my musings on his motives as a substitute or even a supplement to his arguments, unless I give a reason why I think it is important.

In "Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith," Rob Bell does not explicitly come down on a side opposite of historic Christianity. I believe that this is the net effect. His thoughts are exoteric so I'm confident that even if you have not read his book you may still gain from reading this post. I do recommend reading it though, it is well written and entertaining. I would like to mention that I have read other reviews of this book and I think much of the criticisms levied are unfair. I will try to show when he qualifies a statement and why I think it does or does not work.

If you doubt the validity of my diatribe about Rob Bell's Cartesian efforts just read the back of the book, "We have to test everything." He won't test everything in this work, from the title of the book one can tell what he'll be testing, rather he is appealing to the need to doubt. Why? What do we gain from this? I'm not saying he's wrong, but he gives no reason for why this should be. Does he mean we should be cynics? Cautious? What? Forgive me for critiquing what he has chosen to put on the back of his book, but this is an apologetic for his work and I think very informative. He goes on, "I thank God for anybody anywhere who is pointing people to the mysteries of God. But those people would all tell you to think long and hard about what they are saying and doing and creating." Obviously, fallacious comments in defense of a treatise does not give one confidence that the content will be stellar. There is no group of people where all will do the same thing, even if that thing is good. There are plenty who would not invite critical thought. I wish Rob Bell was right here, but he is not. The list at the end makes one wonder: What are these people creating? Are we creating doctrine? Doctrine that might not even be true about God until we establish it as humans? Even if it is true doctrine, perhaps we can live without it just like people who lived without it before. I'm not assuming here, I am summing up some of his thought in the early pages, and it seems to fit in his defense. He goes on to tell us to think critically about his book (we should be doing that for all books anyway) and that he is simply contributing to a conversation. I wonder if he thinks, and of course I don't know, that our culture is so touchy about Christianity that it requires him to convince his reader that he is not like what our culture is rejecting: Christians who think they can know about God. Sound Post-Modern? Again, these are the foundations of our worldview and are substantiated within the view (if it has sufficient explanatory power), not by social opinion. There is some ground that once given up moves from Christian to Post-Christian. Sure you can call it Christian, but once investigated it cannot be factually consistent with biblical or historical Christianity once its roots are denied. I will further demonstrate that once its fundamentals are disturbed it is subject to attacks from other views and is thus synthesized into an illogical pluralism as the Hegelian assumptions are inserted to retain a misplaced notion that it can somehow be valuable among a myriad of options. Finally, in a hallmark move for Bell he states, "God has spoken, and the rest is commentary, right?" So, we must test everything, does this include the statement that God has spoken? He assumes God's existence and that he has spoken. Is he trying to appeal to the unbeliever that they will find answers or to Christians that he has not abandoned to faith. I don't know, however, I believe that neither is true. One cannot maintain the Christian worldview and undermine it at the same time. It is so subtle I can imagine a believing Christian not having one problem with anything he writes, which is what led me to write this. There is certain ground that worldviews cannot give up on. They must maintain the assumptions. They can be attacked and defended, but to reinterpret them is another ballgame. It is a subtle attack with potentially good intentions and yet damaging, thus requiring a defense (despite Bell's objections to defending the faith in chapter 1). I will be spending most of my analysis on the introduction for the rest of his argument is founded there and builds upon the premise he attempts to establish. I believe it finds no cerebral purchase and appeals to emotion.

INDOCTRODUCTION

In his indoctrination/introduction Bell seems quite interested in the mystery of God, but Bell himself is a mystery. What are his goals in this work? To be honest, this is what makes him such an engaging writer. He captures your interest. The problem is that the subject is so important that one wonders whether he is being cryptic as a writing style or if he wants to keep his cards close to his vest. I will explore this more as we proceed. Sometimes he uses cult tactics. What do I mean by "cult tactics." Cults are the masters of ambiguity. Ever have a talk with a Mormon missionary? One may think they believe the exact same thing about God as any Christian. But they don't. They believe in something radically different, and they have fooled many in the process. Let me give an example of how Bell does this:

"The challenge for Christians then is to live with great passion and conviction, remaining open and flexible, aware that this life is not the last painting [pg.11]."

Why should this be a challenge? I am flexible as a Christian parent, but I have convictions as well. Not too hard to separate the wheat from the shaft there. But maybe he is talking about something else, maybe he is talking about what it means to have convictions in the first place, say, oh, I don't know... doctrinal convictions? This would be a challenge, especially if your going to have to reinterpret what you once thought God was all about or, more to the point, if you thought the bible presented sufficient information and now were going to have to reinterpret some of those things. And maybe if your not willing to let some of these historical interpretations go, well then, maybe your not what it really means to be a Christian. But I digress, let Bell speak for himself.

"The Christian faith tradition is filled with change and growth and transformation [pg.11]." He is picking up on a question that few have challenged. Because we see progress in some areas does it follow that all aspects in human life engage in progress? I was talking to a friend who said that the Old Testament violates all of our modern notions of ethics. Anyone who can be quoted as saying "modern notions of ethics" knows very little about ethics. One of the challenges of ethics is trying to find a static rule by which ethics may engage. Obviously Christianity has no problem there, but secular ethics are trying hard to get out of forms of relativism because it cannot deliver the authoritative goods that ethics demands. The evidence for my friends progress? Human knowledge. So if there is progress in one part of the human experience there must be progress in all parts? This is a violation of the law of the excluded middle. Just because things are similar in some ways, human experience, it does not follow that they are the same in all ways, progress. More to the point, because the Christian life is filled with some changes it does not follow that there are broader changes required. This is the language of the cults. Get one hooked on some ideas and if the masses nod their head in agreement, then maybe they will follow the rest of your ideas, even if it leads to places one would normally consider mistaken. For the record, I don't believe that Mars Hill is a cult, but Bell's argumentation are full of the same rhetorical tactics that cults use and I need to be honest about that.

This next section in the introduction is well worth taking note of because it will be a guiding principle for the rest of Bell's book. "Times change... and the Christian faith is alive only when it is listening, morphing, innovating, letting go of whatever has gotten in the way of Jesus [pg.11]" Its funny, I recall a time when Christianity WAS the agent for change, now, in our time, it is not a world tainted by sin that needs to change, now IT is our barometer for how Christianity should be. And notice how he carefully weaves a dichotomy for us that if we don't change, then we are not really following Jesus. Again, on the surface, this could be a true statement, but the question is, what? What is it that needs to change? After all, I don't want anything to get in my way when it comes to Jesus. If one allows the direction the book is already going to be how one should think, one will end up worshiping something completely different than what the bible prescribes. You will change, but the greatest change the world has ever seen will be moving on the direction it has been for the last 2,000 years and it will be you that is left behind.

IN CHURCH HISTORY THERE HAS BEEN CHANGE

THEREFORE CHANGE IS WHAT GOD WANTS

So Bell continues his Cartesian Anxiety (excuse the hyperbole) toward Christian doctrine. On the Reformation, "Shedding unnecessary layers and at the same time rediscovering essentials that had been lost [pg.11]." What were the "unnecessary layers?" And what was he "rediscovering?" Conveniently, Bell doesn't say so I will tell you. He equates the reformation with doctrinal change which it wasn't, this was about ecclesiastical change and doctrinal RECONSTITUTION. There was doctrine that had been instituted that Luther was obviously opposed to, but he didn't progress doctrine, he reestablished it. It is a very important distinction. One that he glosses over and hopes you will forget about as he continues to establish his methodological doubt. Was there doctrinal change at the reformation? You bet. Was it progressive? Absolutely not! Given his assumptions in this section of the book one would think that Bell thought that the doctrine was right when it was the doctrine that was being enforced at the time. But Bell is a smart guy, he must know that this type of induction is absurd. Maybe he doesn't actually believe that the Reformation was about God's doctrines at all, maybe he thinks they are all man made. Was Luther wrong? Bell doesn't say, Luther was just a part of change and change is what really matters. Even if the supposed change was actually reconstituting biblical doctrine, this is nonsense. What Bell really wants is for us to think that change is more important than doctrine, if doctrine changes so what? At least there was change and change is our guide for determining if we are close or far from Jesus. On the heels of the Reformation he puts his cards on the table and admits that the changes he wants to make are theological and that they will be about the bible, salvation, Jesus, and the future. What happened to his admission that the reformation was "rediscovering what had been lost?" It is missing in the rest of his argument. Should we not be making sure that we also preserve what the reformers had rediscovered? Apparently that is not as important as change. Has he established that this is actually what God wants from us? Is there warrant in church history, no. Has he given good philosophical reasons, no. Biblical, no. Soteriological, no. Theological, no. All he gave us was a partial version of the Reformation that should have actually been an example for honoring and preserving the bible and a Velvet Elvis in his basement. I have all kinds of worthless crap in my basement too, can I write a book about that? So, Bell's introduction is really a seminal effort to indoctrinate into a mind set that change=following Jesus, and his argument is that there have been changes and that means change may be the single most important thing within Christendom. This is based on a violation of the law of the excluded middle: because there have been changes (historical and existential) it does not mean that change is what matters. Additionally, he appeals to emotion by pitting the act of following Christ against static doctrine. This, of course, is not necessarily the case. If he can get you to feel that this is the error your making then perhaps you will change your mind about things you otherwise wouldn't. See why I think this has cult elements to it? The bible as a guide is not even a secondary thought even though he quotes from it throughout Velvet Elvis. Why not change to the point of ignoring what is quoted? Perhaps that is a little too Cartesian.

My last comment on the introduction covers some important ground.

"I don't mean cosmetic, superficial changes like better lights and music... I mean theology [pg.12]."

"The painting works for their parents ... it is no longer relevant... it doesn't have anything to say to the world they live in every day. It's not that there isn't any truth in it or that all the people before them were misguided or missed the point. It's just that every generation has to ask the difficult questions of what it means to be a Christian here and now, in this place, in this time. And if this... isn't done, where does the painting end up? In the basement [pg.13]." Oh no! That's where the Velvet Elvis is! Anywhere but there! Since he is not talking about cosmetic changes, why does he use an example from aesthetics? What is the painting in this scenario? Theology? Doctrine? He has already established that it was not aesthetic. He contradicts himself when he states that their parents are not misguided, if the doctrine needs to change then how could it have been right at any time? For example, the Trinity. How will this change today? I think it is possible that by being a synthetic theologian (common among post modern thinkers) that he has a hard time recognizing that contradiction is highlighting falsehood. If God is perfect then it means there is no potentiality in him, he is actual. If he is actual then he cannot change for perfection does not lead to the possibility for change. I have used this illustration before, but it will help here. If you are painting my house and I said you did a perfect job and then began to paint over the house or remove paint, then the reality of perfection was never realized, there was some potential for change remaining. Since God is perfect there is no such potential. So what was true for my parents was true for them and true for their parents and so on. And since the change is not cosmetic then he is left with the change he said he was gunning for which is doctrinal, like the trinity or virgin birth. Truth is not relative, otherwise its just opinion. "If it is true, then it isn't new [pg.14]." So the contradictions are clear. Also, he is using a false analogy. Doctrine is not the same as art. Doctrine is about what is true, art is about aesthetics. Art can very much be a product of its own time and become outdated. Doctrine cannot. It is either true or false. There is no room for change. What may express those truths could change, but that is not what he's talking about. He tried to make his example as malleable as possible which in turn makes it very deceptive, but the example is not an effective smoke screen, his claim is that doctrine is true when it is declared true for its own generation. This would mean that God changes and is not perfect and in turn makes him a God far from worthiness of worship. He is like the Mormon god or a pantheistic god that is subject to fault. If doctrine is true in its own time then the churches that abandoned the Jews in the 1930's Germany were not at fault, they just changed with the tide. Can Rob Bell really stand for this to be our conclusion, that doctrine is true in its own time? Too bad Dietrich Bonhoeffer didn't have a Velvet Elves to teach him how to fit in with the times. Why won't he just say that he thinks the bible has false doctrine? I will give him the benefit of the doubt and say it is due to his irrational postmodernism, but I'm tempted to believe that he thinks this will discredit him among Christians, but take that with a grain of salt, I can't know his motives for sure.

A Postmodernist always needs a handful of contradictions to qualify their statements, to cover their tracks as it were. He thanks God for those churches that don't want to change and then basically says that its only true for them, this book is for a fresh look at Jesus. What will that fresh look be? It will be doctrinal disguised as arbitrary jostling for a new time and a new people. Frankly, I think that this is not biblical Christianity. I think to believe that the bible is the word of God, his revelation and truth, is in conflict with the teaching of Rob Bell. It is well disguised no doubt, but it is not biblical Christianity. As we move on I will have to demonstrate the value of infallibility and innerancy of scripture and the logical consequences of rejecting these positions. You can bet it will entail a collapse of a worldview. It's really not even methodological doubt so much as it is an effort to be open even if it means rejecting what is true. Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith is a light, implicit, pseudo-Cartesian methodological doubt, with the fatally flawed Hegelian Dialectic as his apparatus. It is about rejecting doctrine on the one hand and replacing it in the other, then, claiming that your honoring it all. Welcome to Rob Bell's Velvet Elvis, an experiment in Postmodern Christianity.

Faith Class: The Already and Not Yet

Revelation 20:6

"Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years."

Romans 1:16-32 can be confusing. It may seem unlikely that one can clear it up by appealing to the book of Revelation. However, there is an apostolic theme that runs through the New Testament that is called "The Already and Not Yet" by scholars. There is an eschatological (the end) reality that is coming, but there are many things that are described in the present tense and are just as real now. If we attribute these spiritual realities only to the end times then we have made an error because the apostles did not always do that. They saw many of these things as just as real today as at the end. For example (pay strict attention to the past tense which is meant to implicate the present):

Colossians 3:1-4

"If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."

Christ is already our life in one sense and not yet in another. So there is a contemporary reality that has yet to come to fruition but never the less is true and real right now. So real, it is worthy of setting our current thoughts on, over and above the things of this world. It is already and not yet.

So the Revelation passage is about those who are raised with Christ now, resurrected now. They have believed on the person of Christ to have accomplished the payment of their sin on the cross. They are resurrected now. Why? Because the second death, which is a spiritual reality that is yet to come has no power over those who's sin has been paid for by the sacrificial lamb. In fact, he was the only lamb that actually ever paid for sin, Hebrews tells us that the blood of no animal ever actually paid for sin. So why the animal sacrifices? In their time they were the sign of a reality yet to come by way of the cross. If they believed that God was going to pay for their sins then God did, but he did it on the cross. But they believed his promise and demonstrated it in the sacrificial system. So the Old Testament has a sense in which the already and not yet may apply. It may seem that I have chased a rabbit here, but I have not, the lamb is how John refers to Jesus in Revelation much of the time. What is interesting, and instructive about this particular Revelation passage is how the 1st resurrection implies the 2nd and 2nd death implies the first. The spiritual and physical are being clearly itemized. The short of it is: 1st resurrection=salvation (already), 2nd resurrection=physical (not yet), 1st death=physical (already), 2nd death=spiritual (not yet). One could make an argument for spiritual death being already, but I would say that given the eschatological impetus of the Lake of Fire we are better off, hermeneutically, to categorize it as not yet within this context, but certainly it is a reality now for those who will not believe, but that would be chasing a huge rabbit way outside of the purpose of this post. So Revelation teases out this principle pretty well and I think we should have it in mind as we look at the Romans passage.

Okay, so what in the Lake of Fire does this have to do with Romans 1:16-32?

Romans 1:16-17

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith."

So God reveals his righteousness in the salvation of his people today. Salvation is a spiritual reality that demonstrates a moral attribute of God (his righteousness) that can be perceived in the physical world, presumably by unbelievers.

Psalm 98:2

"The LORD has made known his salvation;
he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations."

Concomitant to Paul's thought are the following versus, 18-23:

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things."

You want to know another reason I can't stand faith healers? Because they do not understand that the natural punishment that accompanies sin reveals something about God. It reveals his wrath against sin. It reveals it already and not yet. The punishment that is with sin also reveals that there is still wrath yet to come, a second death. So the church is to show the righteousness of God in the salvation he offers for we are no better than those who do not believe, yet we are confident in the mercy offered at the cross. The righteousness revealed "already" is effective for what is required "not yet." The world shows its own unrighteousness because of their suppression of what is made so manifestly clear. If one rejects what is clear then one must side with what is foolish. So as they continue this reorganizing of God's revelation, sin will continue to reveal what is to come and so will the church.

Here we enter a commonly misunderstood section of Paul's writing. He is accused of "gay bashing." Writing this section off as gay bashing demonstrates an ignorance to Paul's point. It would be better to understand Paul then critique him rather than dismissing him 1st and then misunderstanding him or dismissing him due to misunderstanding.

vs. 26-27

"For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty." The parallels between this and Sodom and Gomorrah are striking. Note that he makes mention of the penalty that is a result of error against the natural order. What should have been obvious (compatibility of opposite reproductive organs) was ignored and was allowed by God to continue in earnest and , like all sin, one should expect a penalty. So, homosexual activity is an example of a mind that does not recognize what is obviously contrary to the natural order. The natural order should have led to thankfulness and worship, but it did not.

Those opposed to the message of scripture misunderstand and wrongly criticize Paul rather than wrestling intellectually with the text. On the other side, many who claim to love the text misunderstand and think of themselves as better (contrary to what scripture explicitly commands) than those described here, this is also to their shame, for they are no better than the homosexual activity described, for all sin is going against the natural order, we have all made this mistake in some sense. Homosexual activity is an EXAMPLE of God's revelation of wrath and an autocratic anthropological revelation tainted by sin. Otherwise we have to take th list at the end of this section and say it applies to all homosexuals and that is simply not true, that list encompasses everyone. Additionally, in verse 18, he says ALL UNGODLINESS. Paul is far from "gay bashing." I suspect that those who say this are engaging in ad hominem.

These passages should not lead to hatred for homosexuals. There is no place in Christianity for signs that read "God hates fags" or other forms of vulgar intolerance. If we believe what Paul is saying then this should lead to outreach and compassion (despite the fact that this may not be well received). A complaint about Muslims is not being more aggressive in condemning terrorism done in the name of god, maybe we should be more vocal about the hatred and the attempt to terrorize homosexuals by those who claim to follow the teachings of Christ. There is a judgment going on here that Jesus clearly condemned. Paul was not judging, he was discerning (which is a healthy form of judgment as opposed to the judgment which condemns in which we are commanded to avoid) and his point was that God reveals his righteousness in his salvation and in his wrath. What else do these people think is being accomplished by holding these signs? God's wrath against evil is already being displayed. Perhaps we are allowing politics to take a more prominent stage in our thinking and are applying our political objections of the corporate homosexual movement to the individual instead. This is wrong, we should have compassion for the individual (even if our compassion would be considered an offense) despite our political opinions. Yes it is true that those who hold these signs are so far removed from the Christian message that they cannot even be considered fringe, one could then say we are being corporately as well. My response to this is to love your enemies, we should not respond in kind.

So what is Paul's point here? It's interesting, Paul is linking incorrect worship with homosexual activity because, like the obvious compatibility between the reproductive organs, God is obviously supposed to be worshiped rather than what he has created, worshiping the creature is functionally incorrect because the creature is naturaly supposed to lead one to the creator. But he gave them over to a debased mind (not just homosexuals, they are merely an example of ignoring what is supposed to be, all who suppress the truth are ignoring what is clear) so they do not do what is obvious, similar to the obvious compatibility between male and female as revealed in nature, "the dishonoring of their bodies." vs.24. Paul, then, offers a list of further examples of what ought not to be and it is doubtless that any of us can escape being included. If you doubt this, the one that says "disobedient to parents" should cover all of us. So, wrath revealed from heaven against sin, righteousness revealed in the power of his salvation for those who faithfully believe. Paul adds later, also, that God does not condemn "not yet" (for the time being), but rather "already" because that reveals his patience, which also is meant to lead one to belief; this is exemplified well in the story of the Prodigal Son where there is only one clear place to go and one clear person to be made right with. When one gets to this point they have a loving Father eager to be reconciled, so eager is he that he gave his only son. You think this attitude is well attested to by signs that say "God hates fags?" Sounds closer to the lesser known brother of the Prodigal son who could not help but disdain others and condemn.

So none of us can say we are doing things right, but the mercy of God's goodness is demonstrated clearly at the cross, and his righteousness in his people: a large group of Prodigal sons (and daughters).

As a side note, notice the difference from the dogmatic theonomy and divine command theory of Islam.

Let us remember Paul's main point. There is an already and not yet present in the church in regard to God's righteousness, and in contrast to this an already and not yet present in the unbelieving world in regard to God's punishment of sin; "Though they know God’s decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them," all are unable to tell God that they were given the short end of the stick and would have done better if they knew better. No one can do better and we know it, the hope that God offers is in his Son and in him alone.