Michael Krahn : A Mind Awake

Aw crap - I just answered this over at that other blog… and you said you weren’t going to look at this until I answered you so technically you broke your word. ;-)

Here’s what I wrote over there:

Joe,

Good question. It’s as simple as loving the discussion and wanting to learn. People who do care leave comments that I learn from.

Right now I’m writing about Richard Dawkins’ book “The God Delusion” and I’ve tried to bring as many Atheists into the discussion as I can because I want to learn about them - about their view of the world and their view of us as Christians. So far I’ve learned a great deal, challenged my faith and my thinking, and made some friends along the way.

The Rob Bell series is the same idea. There are a number of new blogs I read because of that series that I benefit from intellectually. I do want to see the church flourish and engage our culture and I see Rob doing that but I’m unsure of some of what he’s doing. So the point of most of the writing there is “Does any of this seem weird to you? If not, please help me understand.”

Now “pimping” implies that I am somehow whoring out my words for financial gain and I don’t think any of the words on my blog feel they’re being pimped - but you can ask them if you like.

Hey Rob,

Postmodernism is all about questioning… about non-exclusive truth, and so while Bell is not completely postmodern, there are enough elements of it in his ministry that he is often categorized as such.

Now, when I watched the Nooma videos I thought they were great - and I still do. The content of Bell’s books and many of his sermons, however, is a different story. Honestly, I do cringe when I hear him referenced by someone at my church and this is where I have a tough time discerning… I wouldn’t want anyone to miss the Nooma videos, but I wouldn’t want them to buy what Bell is selling with the rest of his ministry.

I also wouldn’t want to undo any good that has come from his ministry by labeling him as “of the devil” or some such nonsense. The same goes for Joel Osteen. I know of one couple that basically came to Christ because of Osteen’s ministry, and I praise God for that. So where is the line? I don’t know. Can they become mature Christians by continuing to have Joel Osteen as their primary source of instruction? I don’t think so.

So maybe Osteen is a provider of milk, and other follow up with the meat…?

Bell’s response to criticism of his book and his church is this:
“In the scriptures, when somebody speaks against the work of the spirit of God the word for it is blasphemy. Be very careful about the kinds of discussions you engage in. The church of Jesus Christ is a mysterious, beautiful bride - don’t mess with it.” This basically puts anyone with reservations, questions or criticisms about his methods and teachings in the category of “blasphemer.” And so I guess he would count me as one.

I will say a couple more things and then shut-up about it:
I have heard Bell affirm the his church believes in “historic, orthodox, Christian, faith.” This is great but doesn’t really gel with his and his wife’s considering Brian McLaren’s “A New Kind of Christian” as their “lifeboat” out of constrictive “black and white” Evangelicalism.

There is a quote from another CT article worth reading:
“I grew up thinking that we’ve figured out the Bible,” Kristen says, “that we knew what it means. Now I have no idea what most of it means. And yet I feel like life is big again—like life used to be black and white, and now it’s in color.”

Anyway, I won’t turn this into a “Watchdog Central : Breaking News Alert!” No doubt the Bell’s do some good there in Grand Rapids. There have been a few sermons that have blessed me greatly but too many others that had me wondering where they were going.

That CT article is here —> http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/november/12.36.html