The Resurrection Matters! (Response to Rob Bell Video)

Part of what I enjoy doing in my free time is hopping around the internet checking out websites/blogs of different churches and evangelical leaders. As a young man who is dedicating his life to serving the Lord via the local church I think it is important for me to have an understanding of what is going on, being taught, and what is making waves in the evangelical community.

On of the best times to do this is the Monday after Easter. I found it so encouraging to hear of all of the new people in churches on this last Sunday and the story of lives being changed through the power of the gospel!

Unfortunately I am not always thrilled with what I see. Yesterday I stumbled upon a video that troubled my heart, got me angry, and made me sad. I want to share that with you now, not for the purpose of bashing an individual (frankly, I don't care enough, nor do I like writing enough to spend the time to go after someone just for the sake of doing it) but I do love the gospel and I do love the resurrection which is why I want to take some time to reflect on what the death and resurrection of Christ does and does not accomplish.

Please check out this video now...or the rest of what I am writing wont make a ton of sense! (copy and paste)

http://vimeo.com/10639312

First of all, on a mere production value, this video is really cool. I find it encouraging when churches and pastors are committed to doing media well. I think sometime churches think that because Jesus lived 2000 years ago we are free to use 2000 year old technology...not the case! One of my favorite churches is Mars Hill Church in Seattle, and they go to great lengths to develop excellent media resources that go to further developing the Kingdom of God! On top of that Rob Bell is a very gifted communicator and has an eye for the artistic that I will never have, I will be the first person to say that he is good at what he does!

However, unfortunately in this case, cool production is used to hide a very dangerous message that in my opinion undercuts and takes all power away from the gospel, something that all Christians should care deeply about.

I knew things were headed in a downward spiral about 30 seconds in when speaking as Jesus, Rob Bell says "I am going to be killed, thats where this is headed because you don't confront corrupt systems of power with out eventually paying for it, sometimes with your own blood"

Let me make something obnoxiously clear here: THE REASON FOR CHRIST"S DEATH WAS TO SATISFY GOD'S WRATH ON SIN BY BECOMING SIN SO THAT WE MIGHT INHERIT THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST"

Jesus did take on a corrupt system of power, but stating that as the reason for his death is not only laughable, it is false teaching! Scripture makes this abundantly clear, most notably Romans 5:6-11 which states that "Christ died for the ungodly", "we are saved from the wrath of God through Christ's blood", and "while we were yet sinners Christ died for US" notice the emphasis on Christ dying to save us from sin and not on taking on a corrupt system of power. Romans 5 is just 1 of many times scripture clearly lays this idea out for us!

Bell spends the rest of the video encouraging his listeners that this world is not a dark place that should make us despair, and he points to the resurrection of Christ as proof that God cares about "every kind word","that what we do with our lives matters", "that every work of art that celebrates the good matters" and "that every fair business transaction matters" According to Bell, all of these things belong and will go on. All of these statements left to themselves are fine and I would affirm that God does care about us and what we do.... But please understand that this is not the gospel!

Nowhere in his video does Bell mention sin, wrath, judgment, atonement, satan or even that Jesus did anything on our behalf. Bell believes that the world and all in it are inherently good, and that the resurrection of Christ is to celebrate all that is good triumphing over evil. According to Bell it was the government that put Jesus to death, not our sin, we have no responsibility because we are all good. Again, citing Romans 5 I would argue that this teaching flies in the face of what scripture teaches and Bell is making Jesus out to be little more than the South Vietnamese monks who burned themselves in protest of the war.

So why talk about this? Why should we care?

If the reason Christ died on the cross 2000 years ago was not to atone for my sin and to satisfy God's wrath on my behalf I am still damned... Christ death accomplished so much more than what Bell proclaims, Christ death offers SALVATION, RECONCILIATION to God and VICTORY over sin and death! (coincidently those words don't appear in Bell's video either)

Christ did not rise from the dead to redeem the world as Bell says, but to redeem me, a sinner deserving eternal damnation whom Christ has graciously called to Himself and as a result I am able to love, worship, and have a relationship with God both in the present and to eternity. This did not happen because I deserved it or because I am inherently good but because Christ purchased me with his blood. That is the power of the gospel! Christ victory over sin and death is what makes Easter such a beautiful day!

In his video, Bell says that "its easy to be cynical" and I am sure that he would write me off as merely a cynic looking for a reason to be grumpy. But I would say that it is even easier to subscribe and teach a non-offensive, toothless gospel that doesn't deal with the issue sin and has no real power. I have learned in life that the less I talk about sin the more people like me!

So while I understand I am probably not winning myself any friends today, I strongly believe that Christians need to not only be continually grateful for the 1 true gospel, but we must also in humility fight to protect it and not let false teaching take root in our hearts or in our churches. Acts 20:28-29 reads:

"pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained through his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you not sparing the flock;"

this is a sobering warning and the reason any of this matters is that if we lose the truth of the gospel, we have lost everything!

I hope those reading this understand that my heart is not to be cynical, angry, arrogant, or critical, but if I firmly believe that we need to protect the gospel, and if I remain silent, I am falling short of my calling.


cal