My favorite class in high school was Latin. Strange choice, is it not? The reason I so loved the class was that the teacher, Dr. Helder, formed the lessons in such a way that he made a dead language come alive. He showed us how Latin is alive and well in many areas of our culture, either in terminology or in the roots of other languages. I think he touched on an important principle – that for teaching to be interesting it must also be shown to be relevant.
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Theology can often seem abstract and uninteresting. You may remember the article I posted a couple of months ago in which I discussed the doctrine of Open Theism. I said “What began on the fringes of scholarship has quickly gained a popular following, in part because of the publication of entry-level titles such as Gregory Boyd’s God of the Possible and in part because of the acceptance of the doctrine by various popular authors.” The first point I made about Open Theism is “God’s greatest attribute is love. God’s love so overshadows His other characteristics that He could never allow or condone evil or suffering to befall mankind.” If you have not read the article, you may wish to do so. Click here.
This morning I found an example of this teaching in action, and thought I would share it to prove that we need to understand Open Theism so we can call it for what it is. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina some of the adherents to this doctrine have stepped forward to espouse such false teaching. Perhaps the most blatant attack on the traditional, biblical view of God has been launched by Tony Campolo, a man who has been teaching dangerous doctrine for many years now. To see that he believes in Open Theism we need look no further than the title of his article: “Katrina: Not God’s Wrath–or His Will.” Here are a few quotes:
“Unfortunately, there are a lot of bad answers. One such answer is that somehow all suffering is a part of God’s great plan. In the midst of agonies, someone is likely to quote from the Bible, telling us that if we would just be patient, we eventually would see “all things work together for the good, for those who love God, and are called according to His purposes.” (Romans 8:28)”
“Perhaps we would do well to listen to the likes of Rabbi Harold Kushner, who contends that God is not really as powerful as we have claimed. Nowhere in the Hebrew Scriptures does it say that God is omnipotent. Kushner points out that omnipotence is a Greek philosophical concept, but it is not in his Bible. Instead, the Hebrew Bible contends that God is mighty. That means that God is a greater force in the universe than all the other forces combined.”
He concludes by saying, “Instead of looking for God in the earthquake or the tsunami, in the roaring forest fires blazing in the western states, or in the mighty winds of Katrina, it would be best to seek out a quiet place and heed the promptings of God’s still small voice. That voice will inspire us to bring some of God’s goodness to bear in the lives of those who suffer.”
This it outright, blatant heresy. It is unbiblical and dangerous. Avoid this man and his teaching! You can read the complete article here.