Something to Ponder this Wednesday

Luke 9:50, "But Jesus said to him, 'Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you.'"
I'm just going to leave this right here. No! Wait a minute. I'm actually going to say something.

I just read a wonderful article from Relevant Magazine. The title was "6 Heretics Who Should Be Banned From Evangelicalism." Now before I start to delve into some of the meat of this article, it is clear that the writer does not believe that any of these so called heretics are heretics at all. In fact, he goes on to talk about these great men of the faith in great detail. The point he is trying to drive home is a point that I have made in this blog several times. Not everyone we consider a false teacher is a false teacher, and not everyone we call a heretic is a heretic. The reality is that some people have a different interpretation of things, see things in a different light, or simply have a different upbringing in the faith than Western Christianity. I'm going to share some things directly from the article that are meant to cause us to think about how we look at people. Given much of their history within the church you may be shocked to hear what some of these people have said, believe, and/or teach. Everything within the (*) is a direct quote from the writer.

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1. C.S. Lewis
Perhaps the most celebrated Christian writer of the last century, C.S. Lewis is respected by most Christians, no matter what theological corner they occupy. And that’s what confuses me. Lewis was no evangelical by the standards of modern evangelical spokespersons. Lewis’ seven-volume, fictional masterpiece, The Chronicles of Narnia, reveals his belief that it is possible for people in other religions to inherit the Kingdom of God without knowing it.

Lewis also rejects the Penal Substitutionary theory of the atonement, which states that Christ “diverted” God’s wrath toward us and took it upon Himself. Instead, in part three of Chronicles, Lewis describes what is called the “Christus Victor” view of the atonement, which holds that the Cross is not an image of God’s wrath against us, diverted to His son, but it was the defeat of evil through an act of selfless love.


2. Martin Luther:
Where would evangelicalism be without Martin Luther? He is the father of the Reformation and the champion of Sola Scriptura.

But to the dismay of every evangelical Calvinist, I fear I must be the bearer of bad news that Martin Luther apparently didn’t believe the Bible is fully inspired, true or trustworthy.

Speaking of inaccuracies in the books of Chronicles, he states, “When one often reads that great numbers of people were slain—for example, eighty thousand—I believe that hardly one thousand were actually killed.”


3. St. Augustine:
In his work The Literal Meaning of Genesis, Augustine (to put it bluntly) thought Christians who took the Creation Story literally were a laughingstock and looked like idiots among non-Christians because they denied science and reason. This is Augustine, the one to whom we can give credit for the doctrines of original sin and Hell as eternal conscious torment (which are at the core of reformed theology).

Here is his statement:

“It not infrequently happens that something about the earth…may be known with the greatest certainty by reasoning or by experience, even by one who is not a Christian. It is too disgraceful and ruinous, though, and greatly to be avoided, that he [the non-Christian] should hear a Christian speaking so idiotically on these matters, and as if in accord with Christian writings, that he might say that he could scarcely keep from laughing when he saw how totally in error they are. In view of this and in keeping it in mind constantly while dealing with the book of Genesis, I have, insofar as I was able, explained in detail and set forth for consideration the meanings of obscure passages, taking care not to affirm rashly some one meaning to the prejudice of another and perhaps better explanation.”

4. William Barclay:
William Barclay’s iconic little blue commentaries are on the shelves of many pastors. So it's odd that Rob Bell has been so roundly rejected for holding essentially the same belief as this celebrated theologian.

Barclay writes, “I am a convinced universalist. I believe that in the end all men will be gathered into the love of God…the choice is whether we accept God’s offer and invitation willingly, or take the long and terrible way round through ages of purification.”

In that work, Barclay also lists early church fathers, Origen and Gregory of Nyssa, as two other Christian Universalists.


5. John Stott:
John Stott is one of the great evangelical Christian thinkers of the last generation. Stott rejected the view that Hell is eternal conscious torment of the wicked and suggested, instead, that the unrepentant cease to exist after enduring the penalty for their sins.

He wrote, “I believe that the ultimate annihilation of the wicked should at least be accepted as a legitimate, biblically founded alternative to their eternal conscious torment.”


6. Billy Graham:
Billy Graham is, perhaps, the epitome of the evangelical identity.

Or, so we thought…

Like C.S. Lewis, Graham believes that those who do not hear of Christ may, indeed, be saved without explicitly confessing Him as Lord.

In a 1997 interview with Robert Schuller, Graham said:

“[God] is calling people out of the world for His name, whether they come from the Muslim world, or the Buddhist world or the Christian world, or the non-believing world, they are members of the Body of Christ because they have been called by God. They may not even know the name of Jesus, but they know in their hearts that they need something that they don’t have, and they turn to the only light they have, and I think that they are saved and they are going to be with us in heaven.”
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At this point I want to agree with the author. "I'm sure you, as well as I, find it ridiculous to reject these great and godly people." Who hasn't read C.S. Lewis? Who hasn't heard quotes from Luther and Augustine? I wonder how many pastors I know actually have Barclay's commentaries, or had to read (as I did) John Stott's "Basic Christianity"? And who doesn't love Billy Graham and the incredible work he has done for the Kingdom? The writer went on to cite George Whitefield’s lobbying for slavery, Martin Luther’s hatred of Jews, John Calvin’s approval of burning heretics at the stake. These are real issues. Many of which have been overlooked, minimized, or even accepted.

Whether we choose to acknowledge it or not, much of our great history is filled with people who don't believe everything modern evangelicalism teaches. However, we continue to celebrate their work, recommend their writings, and consider many of them heroes of the faith. With that being said, if some of these things were preached/taught from the pulpits of our churches there would be cries of heresy. Or would there? Not everyone in the Church considers themselves to be the gatekeepers of truth. Not everyone knows fully what they believe. There are, however, many who think they have the right to call out someone with whom they disagree. We saw and heard a lot of those people when "The Shack" came out and gained worldwide notoriety. I'm sure we will hear and see more when the movie hits the theaters in March. All the while forgetting the instruction that Jesus gave to His disciples in Luke 9:50 (I told you I was going to say something). Jesus is responding to John's report of trying to stop a man from casting out demons in the name of Jesus because he didn't walk with them. Jesus said (and I quote), "...the one who is not against you is for you." Just take that statement in for a moment. Think about the ramifications. What would the modern church look like and sound like if we didn't call out everyone with whom we did not agree?

Matthew Henry stated in his commentary of the Bible that "If ever any society of Christians in this world, had reason to silence those not of their own communion, the twelve disciples at this time had; yet Christ warned them not to do the like again. Those may be found faithful followers of Christ, and may be accepted of him, who do not follow with us."

Say what?
That's right!
There are actually people outside of our evangelical bubble who are walking with Christ, doing His work in the Earth, and yet they are not a part of our particular way of thinking. In fact, many of those who have had to wear the label of heretic or false teacher are neither. They just think differently. They, like you, love the Lord and seek to walk in truth each and every day. They want people to know and understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They believe a lot of the same things as you, just not everything. While you may believe that they bring much harm to the Church, they very well could have the same belief about you. Then it becomes a question of who is right? Both side will give a biblical justification for what they believe. Which brings us right back to our dilemma. Are they heretics? Or worse...ARE WE?

I don't share any of this so that you will agree with the statements that are posted above. I also don't share so that you can discredit these great men of the faith. I share so that we understand, once again, that there are many thoughts under the umbrella of evangelical thinking. The article I cited articulates this so beautifully. What I hope, in the end, is that we will be more cautious about our knee-jerk reactions. That we will actually think through this need to call out those with whom we disagree. And maybe, just maybe, consider that these people are our brothers/sisters in Christ. If anything, maybe I gave you something to ponder this Wednesday.

Have a blessed day!