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A La Carte (4/15)
- 04/15/11
- 13
Again, I apologize for the lack of blogging over the past 3 days. I had assumed that I would have lots of things to blog about at The Gospel Coalition. Instead I found myself running around with barely any chance to write. But as of today things should pretty much be back to normal.
Terminal - This is a powerful article from a man whose daughter has been diagnosed with a terminal disease. “We have discovered some significant abnormalities on the brain.” The most frightful statement a doctor can say to a father about his daughter…”
Japan One Month Later - A photo essay from The Big Picture.
Is Hell Dead? - TIME’s cover story this month is on hell. Not surprisingly, it has a lot to say about Rob Bell and that whole controversy. Dr. Mohler covers it on his blog.
Kindle DX - The Kindle DX is on sale today only at Amazon (it’s the big Kindle).
A Wolf to Avoid? - John MacArthur asks if Rob Bell is a brother to embrace or a wolf to avoid. “If Christopher Hitchens or Deepak Chopra penned a book that scoffed at the biblical teaching on hell, we would not be surprised. So why would anyone be shocked or confused when Rob Bell writes Love Wins? Has Bell shown any more commitment to gospel truth, or any more devotion to the principle of biblical authority than Hitchens or Chopra?”
Timelapse - This is pretty cool. A guy pointed his camera out the window of an airplane and captured some great images of the aurora borealis.
Happier to be chained in a dungeon with a Paul than reign in the palace with an Ahab. —C.H. Spurgeon
I am a follower of Jesus Christ, a husband to Aileen and a father to three young children. I worship and serve as a pastor at 
Releasing on April 1, The Next
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This review of the bestselling
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Comments (13)
kindle dx on sale? Hmmm… wonder if a new Kindle version is coming out soon.
That MacArthur quote is absolutely ridiculous. I’m very disappointed at the lack of thought he displays.
Jordan, what’s ridiculous about it? Explain, don’t just throw stones.
Fair enough.
What’s ridiculous (and disappointing) about MacArthur’s approach is that he equates a pastor with an atheist and a New Age teacher. Doesn’t that strike anyone else as excessively unfair and extreme? At the end of the day, whether MacArthur and Bell agree on every single doctrinal issue or not, Bell is still a Christ follower and doesn’t deserve the slander MacArthur has written.
MacArthur’s blog post also hides behind words like “biblical,” which he uses like ammunition to suppress anyone who disagrees with him.
Personally, while I haven’t read “Love Wins,” I’m glad that the book is getting the Christian community to discuss important topics like hell and salvation. Quite apart from whether Bell is correct or incorrect, we need books like his and minds like his to stir us up, make us think, appreciate the value of an honest question, and facilitate dialogue.
Furthermore, I have been nothing but disappointed with the New Calvinists’ responses to Bell, particularly Piper’s and MacArthur’s responses, who apparently presume themselves to be Keepers of the Gospel on some righteous quest to shoot down heresy. They seem to be more concerned with suppressing questions and discussion, and with maintaining rigid Us/Them divisions, than with displaying Christian virtues or loving those with whom they disagree.
Yes, doctrines are important. No, that doesn’t allow you to call Bell names like “wolf,” as if he’s intentionally trying to lead people astray.
Fallacy alert — there are other options besides “brother to embrace” and “wolf to avoid.” What about “brother in dangerous territory” or “brother to warn” or “brother at risk of falsifying his current testimony”?
Tim, I love your links — I find so much great stuff through them! I don’t have time to find stuff on my own, so I feel like your a la carte days are timesavers for me. I can read while waiting for swim practice, etc… and redeem my time well!
Today a sidebar item at MacArthur’s site caught my eye and blessed my socks off. Just had to say thanks to you for the tip, I think it was a providential visit.
Oh and my two cents: I wish the Church were more aggressive with wolves. Our fear of being “unkind” knows no bounds, apparently.. As a sheep myself, there have been times when I’ve definitely felt the insecurity of wishing the shepherds would be as vigilant on my (our) behalf as they are on the wolves’.
Jordan,
The Bible affirms over and over in the New Testament that “false teachers” and “wolves” will come, claiming Christ but deceiving people and leading them astray. Were Jesus and Paul simply name calling?
About the whole Bell thing:
I think Kevin DeYoung, Ben Witherington, and others have pointed out substantial flaws in Bell’s exegesis. In an ideal world, this controversy would just focus on those points, and things would be rather settled.
But instead, as many people have said, this is really turning into a sociological thing. But who made it into a “group thing”- something that has to do with “the new Calvinists” or “progressives?”
Theological differences will exist. But how long must these sociological divides exist so strongly? I think everyone should be asking themselves a few questions:why do I feel so “offended” by people defending conservative beliefs?is there anything the other side could ever do to convince me?what is the role of the internet in informing my ideas about Christian “groups?what can I do to stop this vicious cycle of division while still upholding truth?
It certainly seems that in order to keep from calling a wolf a wolf, we are often ready to sacrifice many thousands sheep.
Pastor MacArthur has been one of the most courageous and truthful defenders of the faith for over 40 years of his ministry. Instead of people insulting him , refute his arguments . Bell is no new believer , his ministry is not new and its time to call a spade a spade. If he is not an apostate or wolf, I do not know what is. The bottom line Bell has been a problem for a long time , I’m just glad with his latest,it is so clear (well for him) that he has been openly exposed as a old school liberal hiding within the evangelical cupboard.
Thank you, Jordan. I’m glad you had the courage to state what you believe is wrong, instead of just throwing stones. Unfortunately, there is ample reason to lump Bell in with an atheist and a new age teacher. Bell puts himself in those categories with his obvious disagreement with plain scriptural teachings. He, himself distances himself from the Bible. His entire history is one of disagreement and outright falsehoods. He is no brother treading on thin ice or whatever other metaphor some might like to use. He is a false teacher and is working very hard at destroying the faith once delivered. He deserves everyone’s “Farewell”.
Reading the excerpts from Rob Bell’s interviews and books just leave me confused. I can’t figure out what he’s saying. Maybe that is his intent; but in that case, 1 Cor 14:8 may be the most appropriate rejoinder: “If the trumpet makes an unceertain sound, who will prepare himself for battle?” I think I can see universalism in what he says—in which case I wonder why I should be come a Christian? Or is that his point as well? We should not equate confusion with depth.
# 12 Tom, you are not alone when reading Bell and having a sense of confusion, for that is Bell’s goal: say nothing using a lot of words while planting doubts and suspicion on people’s head about God and His Word.
Where have we seen that before?
MacArthur is not wrong to place bell in the same group as atheists and new agers. There are ultimaly two kinds of people on this world, and bell is not in the group that follows Christ. If you doubt that, compare bell’s teachings with what the bible says.