Category: Christianity

Love Wins Analysis: Chapter 2: Here Is the New There

~ K ~ 2 Comments

[This is part III of a multi-part series on Rob Bell’s book, Love Wins.]

“First,
heaven.”

Image from onceuponacross.blogspot.com

“I show you this painting because, as surreal as it is, the fundamental story it tells about heaven—that it is somewhere else—is the story that many people know to be the Christian story.”

The painting above isn’t the black-and-white replica that Bell has in his book but it’s pretty close and retained the same ideas.

Bell’s point in Chapter 2 is to challenge the reader’s conceptions about heaven and all that they’ve heard or think (or know) to be true. He references the parable of the rich man who wants to know how to get eternal life. According to Bell:

“When the man asks about getting ‘eternal life,’ he isn’t asking about how to go to heaven when he dies. This wasn’t a concern for the man or Jesus. This is why Jesus doesn’t tell people how to ‘go to heaven.’ It wasn’t what Jesus came to do.

Heaven, for Jesus, was deeply connected with what he called ‘this age’ and ‘the age to come.'”

Bell’s references to “this age” and “the age to come” become foundational to Love Wins:

“We might call them ‘eras’ or ‘periods of time’:
this age—the one we’re living in—and the age to come.

Another way of saying ‘life in the age to come’ in Jesus’s day was to say ‘eternal life.’ In Hebrew the phrase is olam habah.

What must I do to inherit olam habah?

This age,
and the one to come,
the one after this one.”

Bell defines ‘age’ further:

“Now, the English word ‘age’ here is the word aion in New Testament Greek. Aion has multiple meanings… One meaning of aion refers to a period of time, as in ‘The spirit of the age’ or ‘They were gone for ages.’ When we use the word ‘age’ like this, we are referring less to a precise measurement of time, like an hour or a day or a year, and more to a period or era of time. This is crucial to our understanding of the word aion, because it doesn’t mean ‘forever’ as we think of forever. When we say ‘forever,’ what we are generally referring to is something that will go on, 365-day year, never ceasing in the endless unfolding of segmented, measurable units of time, like a clock that never stops ticking. That’s not this word. The first meaning of this word aion refers to a period of time with a beginning and an end.

So according to Jesus there is this age, this aion—
the one they, and we, are living in—
and then a coming age,
also called ‘the world to come’
or simply ‘eternal life.'”

When Bell has paragraphs that meaty, they beg to be explored. Continue reading “Love Wins Analysis: Chapter 2: Here Is the New There” →

Love Wins Analysis: Chapter 1: What About the Flat Tire?

~ K ~ 2 Comments

[This is part II of a multi-part series on Rob Bell’s book, Love Wins.]

Here is a summary of Chapter 1 for you:

For real. When I began reading Chapter 1, I thought to myself, I’ve read this already. No, I hadn’t. But I’d heard it before through Bell’s video dramatization. (Most of his speech is derived from Chapter 1.)

And so I breeze through Chapter 1 because yes, some of it I’ve heard before but then there are parts that make me wince:

  • Renee Altson’s experience of being raped by her father while reciting the Lord’s Prayer and assorted Christian hymns
  • The Eastern European Muslim who refuses to set foot in a Christian Church in America because the Christians in his country rounded up all the Muslims and executed them
  • The Christians who stand on a busy street corner with signs, screaming into bullhorns about judgment and hell

Bell goes through a list of possible things on how one gets to heaven. Actions? Behaviors? He even picks apart the “personal relationship with Jesus” answer that many Christians offer.

“The problem, however, is that the phrase “personal relationship” is found nowhere in the Bible.”

Bell has me in agreement with him on this issue. So far. Then he has to go and ruin it by saying the following:

“Nowhere in the Hebrew scriptures, nowhere in the New Testament. Jesus never used the phrase. Paul didn’t use it. Nor did John, Peter, James, or the woman who wrote the Letter to the Hebrews.”

Did you see how he ruined it for me? Continue reading “Love Wins Analysis: Chapter 1: What About the Flat Tire?” →

Love Wins Analysis: Introduction & Preface

~ K ~ 1 Comment

[This is a multi-part series on Rob Bell’s book, Love Wins.]

I could say that I read 198 pages of a mind-bending Q & A & Q book. If Love Wins were a movie, it would be Inception.

Great script. Lots of confusion. And there’s never-ending speculation about how it ends.

I suppose I should warn readers that Love Wins isn’t my first experience with Rob Bell’s books. I read Velvet Elvis upon the recommendation of a friend and loved it so much that I bought my own copy. I hope to reread Velvet Elvis again next year, but I remember wanting to give it 5 stars because it was that good.

Love Wins… not so much. But not for the reasons you’d think or the ones that have been commonly cited.

  • Does Bell deny the existence of hell? Eh, kind of, not really.
  • Does Bell assert that Jesus is the only way to heaven? Well… yeah.
  • Is Bell a universalist? Eh… yes and no. That’s a loaded question that requires explanation and is never explained quite clearly (to me anyway).

The reason I nearly loathe Love Wins and probably will never read it again is… are you ready for this? Continue reading “Love Wins Analysis: Introduction & Preface” →

Managing My Drifting Boat of Faith

~ K ~ 1 Comment
Image from mysticalchrist.wordpress.com

I spent time with some friends today in which we were able to catch up on our lives after not seeing each other for a while but also discussing some theological issues. (Ah! I like this topic much too much!) After learning about their theological stance, I began to pour out my heart on theological issues too.

But it wasn’t theology. Or was it?

I began blurting out all of the things that I was upset about in my spiritual life and in my church. It became a few minutes of which I began airing my spiritual grievances against myself and the world.

The fact of the matter is that I am hunger for God. I read TONS of books on the Christian faith, Jesus, hell, desiring God, parables in the Bible, Reformed doctrine, and being Christ’s hands and feet to those in need. I want to do something. I’m also aware I need to spend a good bit of time being, but I’m also itching to do.

Day after day I’m torn up over my spiritual state because I am angry at myself for forgetting about Jesus when I’m working or not telling others about the freedom that he’s given me.

  • I want to do practical things to reach out to others in the name of Christ.
  • I want to be so earthly minded that I’m heavenly good.
  • I want to wake up on Sunday bursting at the seams to worship Jesus, the God-man who’s done amazing things for me.
  • I want to be joyously obedient to the Lord out of love and happiness.
  • I want to connect with other members of Christ’s family through Bible studies where we learn how to transform our lives by applying God’s word.

My husband always admonishes me that I’m too concerned with the big picture. I do want to be part of the big picture. I want to be one of the tiny puzzle pieces that fit to make a beautiful picture when it’s all put together. Right now, I don’t know what I’m doing or where I’m going. I’m drifting out to sea trying to manage this boat of faith all on my own.

The more I think about the church I visited last week, the more I think I’d like to go back. Maybe because it’s shiny and brand-spankin’ new just like a kid who gets a new toy and plays with it until he’s tired of it and wants something new.

I want solid doctrine, I want love and community, and I want to share my enthusiasm for a powerful, loving God (who, yeah, I have issues with at times) who cared enough about this earth to send his only begotten son to this earth to save sinners.

According to the title of a Rob Bell book, Jesus Wants to Save Christians.

I hope I’m not so far gone that he can still save me.

 

God Is Using Rob Bell for His Glory

~ K ~ Leave a comment

There are a ton of blogs that are currently bashing Rob Bell, labeling him as a universalist, bewailing that he’s walked away from the orthodox Christian faith, and written him off as a heretic.

I see Rob Bell being used of God in unimaginable ways to His honor and His glory.

Bell has jumpstarted the conversation on heaven and hell—who gets to those places and who doesn’t. His recent book, Love Wins, and interviews have challenged Christians to coherently defend what they believe (I Peter 3:15) on this issue. It used to be easy to say “Those who believe in the gospel of Christ go to heaven; those who don’t go to hell.” But now Christians have been challenged to put an attitude of love behind this statement or whatever they believe about hell, and that’s not so easy.

I’m not sure I agree with Mr. Bell on many aspects of this issue. (I’ll reserve definitive judgment until I complete my reading of his recent book.) I believe Scripture is clear that hell exists in some form: whether it be the literal torment of hellfire and brimstone or simply eternal separation from God (which would be a colloquial description of “hell” compared to heaven in God’s presence) as exemplified through C.S. Lewis’s The Great Divorce. Perhaps Mr. Bell believes this too.

Mr. Bell’s aims, however orthodox Christians may interpret them, are noble. (Some may use the terminology “sincerely wrong” here.) Bell, with Love Wins, is attempting to bridge that nasty gap between Christians who seem to say “Nanny nanny boo boo, I’m going to heaven, and you’re going to burn in a lake of fire” and unbelievers who think “even if I live a good life, remain a law-abiding citizen, and don’t blaspheme God, I still go to hell? That’s just not fair.”

It’s not. And the truth is, God isn’t fair.

But Christians need to be sensitive to the fact that the doctrine of hell is an offensive doctrine and any explanation of it should come from an attitude of love and not one of haughtiness. This is what Mr. Bell is attempting to do. I give him tons of credit for the attempt. Whether the execution comes off well (in my opinion) will remain to be seen.

The Results of My Church Visit

~ K ~ 10 Comments
Image from marshill.org

The Background

This past week, I received a postcard in the mail inviting me to visit a non-denominational church (located about 15-20 minutes away that will remain unnamed). It was a cold invitation (along the lines of “cold call”) addressed to Current Resident of the address where I reside. I hopped onto the website and was thrilled to see the church had a 9 am service since I had an obligation 2 hours later that wouldn’t allow me to attend my regular church. I decided during the week that I’d visit the church to see if I liked it. By the looks of the website, I figured I wouldn’t. It seemed to be a hip, cutting-edge, contemporary, [blah blah blah], post-modern church and my recent experiences with those kind of churches have been a big letdown. I initially intended to attend by myself but when my husband woke up early this morning with nothing better to do, he decided to accompany me, if not for anything, possible MST3K commentary if I hated it. He probably knew from the get-go he’d hate it but probably attended in the hopes of being pleasantly surprised.

If you’ve been a longtime reader of this blog or know me personally, you know that I have a very conservative, orthodox Christian background. As such, our walking into a church that markets itself as cutting-edge is dangerous. Continue reading “The Results of My Church Visit” →

Church Visiting

~ K ~ Leave a comment

Tomorrow morning I’ll be visiting a church I’ve never been to before and I’m not sure what to expect. I need to be somewhere at eleven so I’m attending a nine am service just to see if it’s any good. I don’t really expect to like it and would be surprised if I did. I’m going mainly out of sheer curiosity. That, and the church was kind enough to send me a postcard in the mail—quite the expensive outreach tool if I ever heard of one in this area.

I suppose I’ll report good or bad how the service was tomorrow. For now, good night.

Why I May Never Hold a Church Leadership Position

~ K ~ 4 Comments

Well, a woman is one reason.

But even within the gender, I am never in a neat theological line. Perhaps I tend to fall within conservative, orthodox beliefs but many of my views on social issues are rather liberal, to use political terms. This does not make me a neat orthodox Christian.

I’m also rather opinionated. It’s hard for me to toe party lines because I think so differently. But in a way, the idea that I’ll probably never serve as a Christian leader makes me sad because I think I’d love to discuss theology with women that has a practical basis and watch ideas and actions take flight. I’d love to be a catalyst who spurs Others to action.

But alas, God didn’t make me that way and any illusions of me being some kind of leader must be killed. I am not a born leader. I do not inspire others, and as long as I’m keenly aware of that (despite what I desire), I’ll be okay.

Just gotta figure out how to be a fantastic Jesus follower.

My Lesson from Today’s Counseling Session

~ K ~ Leave a comment
Dollhouse image from cutiebeauty.com, House images from hpadesign.com

Whenever I beat myself senseless over my sinfulness and wretchedness, I need to quote this to myself:

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father…so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. —Ephesians 3:14, 17-19

Humans are awful, sinful, wretched people—before God and others. There is truth in “worm theology,” but a Christian cannot stay there. A Christian must move past the idea of being a horrible, terrible person (an idea on which I tend to dwell) and move into the light of God’s grace and forgiveness. Yes, my sin is big but the love of God is so much bigger.

Think of your sin as being the size of a dollhouse. Now think of the magnitude of the bedroom that the dollhouse stays in. That’s pretty big, right? Now, imagine the house that holds the room (and other rooms) that the dollhouse resides in. The house is enormous compared to the size of the dollhouse. The dollhouse dwarfed by the size of the house; it is swallowed up and certainly not a major focal point in the home.

This is a feeble human analogy in how God’s love swallows up our sin. In God’s love, our sin is not a major focal point even though it is there. Just as someone walking into a home would not dwell on a small dollhouse in a large home, so God does not want us to dwell on our sin in comparison to His great love.

Yes, this is what I have learned today, and that’s the verse I have been challenged to memorize.

In Christ Alone

~ K ~ Leave a comment

Whenever I can’t come up with a blog post, I think I’ll just refer you to my favorite hymn, “In Christ Alone” because right now, I’m struggling with so much and need to remember that everything I need is indeed in Christ alone.

Listen to In Christ Alone.

Dying of Self

~ K ~ Leave a comment

I experienced a dying of self this weekend. I begged and prayed to God this weekend to be emptied of self so I could be more selfless. And while I had a marvelous time thanks to God’s graciousness, I still, at moments, felt pangs and stings of pain. But I really tried to serve and to love others. And I can only imagine it would have been much more difficult if I didn’t try to seek God out beforehand.

I’m in the midst of my busy season of life. But in the midst of this busy Lenten season, I am remembering Jesus and reading about his life and sacrifice. I am remembering that I need God above all things and need to desire Him more than anything or anyone.

Tomorrow will be a challenging 12-hour day. But I hope the Lord sustains me in a gentle way like He has this past weekend.

I hope.

Believing a Place of Hurt Is Good

~ K ~ Leave a comment

Today’s struggle is an attempt to focus on God above all else. This is really a daily struggle but there are days in which God specifically asks, “Will you trust Me even though I’ve allowed you to be in a place of hurt?” On those days, it is difficult to swallow my anger and pride and say, “Yes, Lord, I will choose to trust You and believe that this current place of hurt is for my good and for Your glory even though I don’t understand why I’m here.”

Sometimes we ask things of God and He does not give them to us because we are bound by the illusion that we will be happier, more satisfied, or more fulfilled if we get what we seek. Then we dismiss God as cruel and unjust for holding out on us. Perhaps God wants us to come to a place where we can say, “I’d really like [xyz] and even though I’ve desired this for a long time and You haven’t said yes to this prayer, I will give you the preeminent place in my heart.”

This Lent, I am seeking to grow closer to God, to make Him first in all things. God is radical: He doesn’t want some parts of my life; He wants all of it. And I need to submit all parts of my life including my greatest desires. And then I must say “Your will be done” and follow God, wherever His path may lead.

A Short Prayer for Feeling Inadequate

~ K ~ Leave a comment

Dear God,

I feel so inadequate in everything I do. But that’s because I keep looking to me and my abilities. I keep trying to draw strength from my self-confidence instead of who You are and what You have said about me. Help me to daily trust in You and Your will for my life.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Ash Wednesday and the Beginning of Lent

~ K ~ 6 Comments
Image from goldenspikelutheran.files.wordpress.com

Ash Wednesday, as the venerable Wikipedia describes it, “is a day of repentance and marks the beginning of Lent”:

Ashes were used in ancient times, according to the Bible, to express mourning. Dusting oneself with ashes was the penitent’s way of expressing sorrow for sins and faults.

I had planned on going to an Ash Wednesday service at a local Roman Catholic Church today but for various reasons, won’t be able to do so.

In 1998 when I became a born-again Christian in an independent fundamental Baptist (IFB) church, the pastor (a former Roman Catholic) bashed Catholicism in nearly every possible way. Even though I finished my schooling in a Roman Catholic school 2 years later, I walked away with a dismal view of Catholicism, its doctrines, and practices.

In 2007, I joined the Presbyterian Church of America (PCA). The PCA is a Christian denomination that still holds to Bible-based preaching but offers a liturgical structure similar to that of the Roman Catholic Church. After nearly a decade of being away from a liturgical service, my first experience back was a little jarring. After years of making the Bible as my only authority for Scriptural practices as an IFB, becoming a Presbyterian had me reconsidering church traditions as a supplement (not a replacement) to the Bible for Scriptural practices. (Let me state here that the Bible’s authority takes precedence over church traditions and church traditions clearly in conflict with Scripture should be modified or discarded.)

An acquaintance on a message board who went from born-again Protestant Christianity to Roman Catholicism once suggested that Catholicism may appeal to me again in the future. The likelihood of my becoming a Roman Catholic again is slim, but in a way, he was prophetic: the structure, reverence, and church traditions within Catholicism have reappealed to me and continue to do so the older I get (in age and in faith). Continue reading “Ash Wednesday and the Beginning of Lent” →