First Baptist Church in Fernwood, NY » Rob Bell

Cries From the Modern Pew

Pastor Scott Griese — Sat, 21 May 2011 21:22:14 +0000

Our preacher is just too hard when he preaches.
We must laugh, be hugged, entertained,
isn’t that what the Bible teaches?
Lighten up, preacher, take it easy, cut
some corners, they say.
But God’s man knows such things won’t
cut it on judgment day.
The pastor should ease up on doctrine,
and try to just get along;
That way all the brethren together could
sing the same old song.
He makes too much of outdated and
costly separation.
But God’s man knows he must pass the
faith to the next generation.
Preach only the positive, just “Bless em,”
and be a man about town.
But God’s man knows, in the long run,
that will only bring souls down.
Get the people, no matter the cost, nickels
and noses is the game,
But with the prophets, the apostles, and
Jesus, it wasn’t the same.
And why oh why must he always defend
that old black Book?
He always says in the Authorized we
should only look.
It seems to us that other versions do just
as well.
But God’s man knows that twisted
Scripture surely leads to hell.
Brimstone, Bible education, loud
preaching, it’s all a lot of prattle.
But God’s man knows, folks fall away if
their cage he doesn’t rattle.
Make it smooth, leave out parts of the
Bible, those things that scatter.
But God’s man knows, it’s all God’s
Word and that ought to matter.
And does it really count how the
members live and dress?
But God’s man knows that’s why the
country is in such a mess.
Oh early beloved, let us faithfully the old
paths trod.
We’ll be very glad we did when, at the
end, we face God.
– Pastor Clayton Doss

Separation part 1

Pastor Scott Griese — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 20:46:09 +0000

By David Cloud

http://wayoflife.org/files/baa7b9c8d7f9e6cf30592a11b620c73a-656.html

“Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way” (Psalm 119:128).

There is a fierce attack today on a strict Biblicist position. It is hated by evangelicals, the emerging church, Southern Baptists, most Presbyterians and Methodists and Lutherans.

Brian McLaren said the emerging church is targeting our children and grandchildren with the objective of leading them away from separatism. Recently Gabe Lyons (shown above) said he is excited about (supposed) death of separatist Christianity (“End of Christian America is Good, Says Young Evangelical,” Christian Post, Oct. 12, 2010).

Even among those who still claim to be fundamentalists and who say that they are opposed to New Evangelicalism and the Emerging Church, there is a softening of stance, a moderation of militancy, less forthrightness, less naming names, less plainness in warning. How many Independent Baptist schools/churches even have warning conferences? When is the last time that you hear of a large IB school that had a conference on Separation?

(I am not defending Fundamentalism as a movement. It has always been interdenominational and committed to the heresy of “in essentials unity; in nonessentials liberty …” See our report “New Evangelicalism: Its History, Characteristics, and Fruit” at the Way of Life web site for more on this.)

I didn’t know anything about Fundamentalism or separation when I was converted in 1973. I grew up in the Southern Baptist Convention, and separation was not a part of the message and practice. Billy Graham and his ecumenical evangelism was upheld as the desirable philosophy. “Let’s be Christians but not fanatics” was the unsung watchword.

After I was saved, I began to devour God’s Word and to seek to measure everything by it. I took the following promises of Christ in the Gospel of John seriously and trusted the Lord to lead me in the path of truth.

John 7:17 If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.

John 8:31-32 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

I didn’t know where to go to church at first. I was led to Christ by an old-line Pentecostal, but we parted ways the next day and I have never seen him again. I attended some Pentecostal services, some Baptist ones, some generic evangelical ones. I listened to J. Vernon McGee on the radio and ordered some of Herbert W. Armstrong’s booklets. In the public library I found some books by Seventh-day Adventists, and of course I came across Jehovah’s Witness literature and met a Mormon. It was bewildering, but I continued to devour the Bible and to call out to the Lord for wisdom. I trusted His promises, and I thank the Lord that He led me through the wilderness of heresy and end-time compromise into the bright light of sound doctrine.

As I have studied the Bible to renew my mind and to develop a proper Biblical worldview, I have learned the importance of the following points. I have learned that the Scripture demands a strict position on doctrine and practice. Nowhere in Scripture is there an encouragements to be tolerant and broadminded in these things.

October 13, 2010 (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org

Condemned or Forgiven?

Pastor Scott Griese — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:51:56 +0000

Charles Spurgeon:

Will you do me a favor? I asked it once, and it was blessed to the conversion of several. Will you take a little time alone this evening, and after you have weighed your own condition before the Lord, write down one of two words? If you feel that you are not a believer, write down Condemned. And if you are a believer in Jesus Christ and put your trust in Him alone, write down Forgiven. Do it, even if you have to write down the word Condemned.

We received into church fellowship a young man who said, “Sir, I wrote down the word Condemned, and I looked at it. There it was. I had written it myself — Condemned.” As he looked, the tears began to flow and the heart began to break. And before long he fled to Christ, put the paper in the fire, and wrote down Forgiven.

This young man was about the sixth who had been brought to the Lord in the same way. So I ask you to try it. Remember, you are either one or the other — condemned or forgiven. Do not stand between the two. Let it be decided. And remember, if you are condemned today, yet you are not in hell. There is still hope!

John 3:16-21 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (17) For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (18) He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (19) And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. (20) For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. (21) But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

What is the Church? part 4

Pastor Scott Griese — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:37:25 +0000

We see that the church is a building of God, but it is not man made, even though it is made up of people. 1Co 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the foundation and the chief cornerstone of the Church. Eph 2:20-22 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; (21) In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: (22) In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

And this is precisely what separates true Christianity from all other religions of the world – each believer is a home for God. Each believer is a temple for God. However, each believer did NOT begin life as a temple for God. Each believer did not hold a “divine spark” or a “piece of God” inside them when they were born. Sadly many religions teach that God has always dwelt as a part of everybody, but what they are teaching that we are a part of God and He is a part of us! That is wrong! Nowhere in the Bible is that taught! Shane Hipps, co-pastor at Rob Bell’s church, recently said in a sermon: And that’s why it says, “It was the life and light of all people.” It didn’t say the light and life of the people who believe in Jesus. This logos affects everybody including Osama bin Laden, as long as he’s got breath, in him, is a spark of the divine. People are not born with a piece of God within them, otherwise, Jesus Christ would not have had to die on the cross, because if we had God as a part of us, we would not be sinners in need of redemption. Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins because mankind is thoroughly wicked and has no “spark of divine” in him. The problem with those that teach that all people have a “spark of the divine” in them, also teach that God is a part of all things and all things are part of God. A tree is part of God and God is part of a tree. A rock is part of God and God is part of the rock. God is unique in the universe – there is nobody or no thing like Him. He is completely separate and different from everything else. I heard this illustration the other day: If an alien were to land on this earth and wanted to know more about me and other human beings, I could point to another person and say that that person is like me and how I am different from another person. I cannot do that with God, because He is totally different from everyone and everything else. He is One, the only One like Him. There is no comparing Him to anything. If God were a part of everything, then God would not be unique.

Eph 4:4-6 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; (5) One Lord, one faith, one baptism, (6) One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Henry Thiessen wrote: The church is represented as an organism, as having a vital connection with Christ, as under the superintendence of Christ, as being a unit, although made up of Jews and Gentiles, as having a diversity of gifts among the members, and as ideally cooperating in the performance of one common task.

Rom 12:4-5 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: (5) So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

In the Bible, we see that the Church is also called the Bride of Christ and one day will be married to Him (2 Cor. 11:2; Rev. 19:7).

The Universal Church is a company of called out believers in Jesus Christ and they make up the Body of Christ and belong to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Rob Bell Interview part two Christianity Today

Pastor Scott Griese — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 04:20:52 +0000

Continuing the interview of Rob Bell by Christianity Today. My comments will be in bold italics.

You say, “Jesus wants to save us from making the Good News about another world and not this one.” What do you mean?

The story is about God’s intentions to bring about a new heaven and a new earth, and the story begins here with shalom—shalom between each other and with our Maker and with the earth. The story line is that God intends to bring about a new creation, this place, this new heaven and earth here. And that Jesus’ resurrection is the beginning, essentially, of the future; this great Resurrection has rushed into the present.

The evacuation theology that says, “figure out the ticket, say the right prayer, get the right formula, and then we’ll go somewhere else” is lethal to Jesus, who endlessly speaks of the renewal of all things.

Rob Bell’s Gospel presentation is weak and lacking the essential elements. First, what is the Gospel message? The Apostle Paul wrote:

1Corinthians 15:1-4 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; (2) By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. (3) For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; (4) And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is His death, burial, and resurrection. All three are essential to the Gospel or Good News about Jesus Christ. God will bring a new Heaven and a new Earth, however, that will not happen until after the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ (Isaiah 66; 2 Peter 3; Revelation 21). It is through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ that man can be reconciled with God because Jesus Christ is the only mediator between sinful man and the All Holy God (1 Timothy 1:5). You cannot just focus on one aspect of the Gospel and leave out the rest.

As for Rob Bell’s comments on the Evacuation Theology, I admit that there are those that teach: “say a prayer and you will go to Heaven.” Prominent men like Jack Hyles did that, however, that is not Biblical. Salvation is NOT a case of saying the right thing or doing the right thing. A person will not miss Heaven on a technicality, but a person needs to realize their sinful condition and separation from God, and then repent and fully trust in Jesus Christ as their Saviour. If you have not done this, please go to the “One Needful Thing” page on this website.

Please note that Rob Bell does not quote a single bit of Scripture in this interview. I am curious what verses Rob Bell is referring to when he states that Jesus Christ endlessly spoke of the renewal of all things. He also spoke about a person’s need to repent (Matthew 4:17).

All well and good, but how is this good news to people with no earthly hope? If I’m dying of aids or cancer, I probably don’t give a rip about the renewal of all things. I want to know if my sins are forgiven, and when I die, if am I going to see Jesus or not.

Yes, and I would say that central to that new creation is the problem with the first creation—death. The Resurrection is about God dealing with the death problem. And central to this giant cosmic hope is a very intimate, yes, you can trust this Jesus. You can trust this new creation. You can trust being with him when you die, when you leave this life, however you want to put it. Yes, there is an intensely personal dimension to this giant story that you and I get to be a part of.

Note that the interviewer brings up the need for forgiveness of sins, however, Rob Bell does not answer that part of the question. Is Rob Bell teaching universalism — the belief that all will go to Heaven no matter what their beliefs are? If everyone is going to Heaven, then why did Jesus Christ die on the cross? If everyone is going to Heaven, then why is condemnation discussed by each writer of the New Testament?

John 3:16-18 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (17) For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (18) He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

The problem is that Rob Bell, Brian McLaren and others in the emerging church movement do not believe that there is a literal place called Hell. Brian McLaren has even stated that he does not think we have gotten the Gospel right yet! If that is true, then we may as well throw away the Bible.

If you do some research on Rob Bell and others of the Emerging Church, you will see that they talk about being in a story. We get to be in part of the story of God — almost like we are just characters in a book rather than real people.

You’re essentially reframing the gospel—at least the gospel you inherited, the gospel we have known as the gospel in North America for the last couple hundred years.

I am leery of people who have very clear ideas of what they’re doing from outside of themselves: “You have to understand that I’m doing this and doing this.” I would say that for 10 years, I have tried to invite people to trust Jesus. You can trust this Jesus. You can trust him past, present, future; sins, mistakes, money, sexuality. I think this Jesus can be trusted.

I often put it this way: If there is a God, some sort of Divine Being, Mind, Spirit, and all of this is not just some random chance thing, and history has some sort of movement to it, and you have a connection with Whatever—that is awesome. Hard and awesome and creative and challenging and provoking.

And there is this group of people who say that whoever that being is came up among us and took on flesh and blood—Andrew Sullivan talks about this immense occasion the world could not bear. So a church would be this odd blend of swagger—an open tomb, come on—and humility and mystery. The Resurrection accounts are jumbled and don’t really line up with each other—I really relate to that. Yet something momentous has burst forth in the middle of history. You just have to have faith, and you get caught up in something.

I like to say that I practice militant mysticism. I’m really absolutely sure of some things that I don’t quite know.

To the emerging church crowd, faith goes hand in hand with doubt. Why? Because if I can cast doubt on things, like the Gospel of Jesus Christ, or cast doubt on the authority and sufficiency of the Bible, then that gives me wiggle room to do what I want and believe what I want. Rob Bell said: “I’m really absolutely sure of some things that I don’t quite know” Does that even make sense? Rob Bell tells us that he is “leery” about people that have confidence about their faith. And why does he say “this Jesus?” Which Jesus is he referring to? I doubt that he is talking about the Jesus Christ of the Bible. The Apostle John tells us that we can KNOW that we are saved and know who it is that saved us.

1 John 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

How would you present this gospel on Twitter?

I would say that history is headed somewhere. The thousands of little ways in which you are tempted to believe that hope might actually be a legitimate response to the insanity of the world actually can be trusted. And the Christian story is that a tomb is empty, and a movement has actually begun that has been present in a sense all along in creation. And all those times when your cynicism was at odds with an impulse within you that said that this little thing might be about something bigger—those tiny little slivers may in fact be connected to something really, really big.

Not quite down to 140 characters.

Well, you can’t really tweet the gospel. I’m convinced that I am not doing anything new. I am hoping that I’m in a long tradition.

We can be tempted to believe in hope? “Those tiny little slivers may in fact be connected to something really, really big.” Again, a person can KNOW they are a born again child of God. They need to believe on the Gospel of Jesus Christ and repent of their sins.

Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Does Acts 4:12 say, “…whereby we might be saved?” Does Acts 4:12 say, “whereby we could just possibly be saved?” NO! It declares that we must be saved only through Jesus Christ. Again, read 1 John 5:13.

This interview was not a probing, hard-hitting interview. Rob Bell says sounds very intellectual, but does not seem to really know what he believes.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/april/26.34.html

Rob Bell Interview at Christianity Today

Pastor Scott Griese — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 12:21:01 +0000

The following is from an interview of Rob Bell posted online by Christianity Today. My comments will be in bold italics. The link to the interview is at the bottom.

The Giant Story

Rob Bell on why he talks about the Good News the way he does.

Interview by Mark Galli | posted 4/22/2009 09:01AM

Rob Bell’s latest book, Jesus Wants to Save Christians (Zondervan, with Don Golden), is his most substantive yet. It’s nothing less than a holistic, biblical theology of salvation—written, paradoxically, in Bell’s typical sentence-fragment style. CT senior managing editor Mark Galli sat down with Bell, founding pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to probe him on some of the more striking statements in his book.

You say that “something has gone terribly wrong with humanity.” What do you mean?

I was born in 1970, a child of the Enlightenment. We put someone on the moon. We’ll figure out cancer soon enough. Look what we can do. And yet more people than ever have died in the last 100 years from bombs. So, we have been taught, give Steve Jobs enough time, and he’ll come up with something.

At the same time, Rwanda, 1994—we didn’t step in there. Then Darfur—didn’t we learn? So we have this profound sense of empowerment coupled with a profound sense of disempowerment, and I think you have a lot of people with a profound sense of angst.

Note the mentions of Rwanda and Darfur. In both cases, America was sending food and medical supplies, but there were major problems with the dictatorships there. My impression here is that Rob Bell would have liked to have seen the U.S. step in with our military. I agree that we should have.

As for his last sentence, that it really mean anything? If anything, this country has a profound sense of apathy toward anything that it is not interested in. People came out of the social experiment of the Sixties and discovered that sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll did not solve anything. Because they had already turned away from God and did not turn back, Americans have become apathetic to anything that does not affect their personal comfort.

Are you a pacifist, or do you think that a truly Christian church has to be a pacifist church?

My dad is a U.S. Federal District Judge and gets lots of death threats. On Father’s Day a couple of years ago, there were bodyguards in the driveway at our house. And I am okay with that. But I sit right in that tension. Sometimes people say no police, no armed forces, no anything. And the truth is, whether I am falling short of Jesus’ teaching or not, there are situations where I am really glad that there is a policeman standing right there and that he has a gun. So I don’t know how exactly you work that out in detail.

But my hope would be that as a Christian, you would have a larger imagination. Take Saddam Hussein. Your first impulse would be, “Man, if he wasn’t in power, it would be great—and the only way is to bring in a hundred thousand troops.” To me, the third way of Jesus is always asking if there is an imaginative, subversive, brilliant, creative path.

Here it would appear that Rob Bell would have rather that we did not step in with our military in Iraq. The dictatorship of Hussein was just as evil and potentially more destructive to the world. Why didn’t Rob Bell want the “the third way of Jesus Christ” to be used in Rwanda and Darfur? “Blessed are the peacemakers” sometimes means that the peacemaker has to carry a gun as Rob Bell showed us while talking about the threats to his father.

To be continued.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/april/26.34.html

AW Tozer on the Local Church

Pastor Scott Griese — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:44:50 +0000

A.W. Tozer wrote in 1962:

What is the real definition of the Christian church? What are the basic purposes for its existence?

I believe a local church exists to do corporately what each Christian believer should be doing individually — and that is to worship God. It is to show forth the excellencies of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. It is to reflect the glories of Christ ever shining upon us through the ministries of the Holy Spirit.

It was never in God’s revealed plan that the Christian churches would degenerate to the point that they would begin functioning as social clubs. The fellowship of the saints that the Bible advises is never dependent upon the variety of social connections which the churches lean upon in these modern times.

The Christian church was never intended to function as a current events forum. God did not intend for a popular news magazine to serve as a textbook, providing the ramp from which a secular discussion can take off and become airborne.

You may have heard me talk about dramatics and acting, of make-believe and hypocrisy. If so, you are not surprised when I declare without equivocation that the church of Jesus Christ was never intended to become a religious theater. When we build a sanctuary and dedicate it to the worship of God, are we then obligated to provide a place in the church for entertainers to display their amateur talents?

In this kind of sinful world, what are you doing with the spiritual light and awareness God has given you? Where do you stand with God in your friendships, in your pleasures, in the complexities of your day-to-day life?

My comments: Church is not about building things or doing art projects. We are to worship God in Spirit and in truth. The truth is in God’s Word, the Bible. The truth can only be found there, not in my experiences or little dramas or videos. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17 If the Bible is not being read and preached and taught in your church, then you are in the wrong place. We should love to talk about Jesus Christ and learn about all of His attributes through the Bible. We should know the attributes of God through the Bible. The more we know about Him, the more we appreciate what He has done and will do for us.

Rob Bell Interview part one

Pastor Scott Griese — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:34:05 +0000

This is part one of an interview of Rob Bell found on boston.com (the link is below). My comments are in bold.

Rob Bell is one of the hottest names in contemporary evangelical life. He is the founding pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, but is better known for his books, and especially, for his road show, which combines preaching with performance art, and is much-talked among folks trying to discern what’s next for American evangelicalism. He is currently touring in conjunction with a book, “Drops Like Stars: A Few Thoughts on Creativity and Suffering,’’ and last weekend he appeared at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston. I caught up with Bell by telephone in Ottawa to ask him about what he’s up to.

Q: What does it mean to you to be an evangelical?
A: I take issue with the word to a certain degree, so I make a distinction between a capital ‘E’ and a small ‘e.’ I was in the Caribbean in 2004, watching the election returns with a group of friends, and when Fox News, in a state of delirious joy, announced that evangelicals had helped sway the election, I realized, this word has really been hijacked. I find the word troubling, because it has come in America to mean politically to the right, almost, at times, anti-intellectual. For many, the word has nothing to do with a spiritual context. Comment: The word “evangelical” comes from the root word “evangel” which means “the gospel.” From the things I have read about Rob Bell and by Rob Bell, the word “evangelical” does not apply to him.What is his motivation in not giving the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

Q: OK, how would you describe what it is that you believe?
A: I embrace the term evangelical, if by that we mean a belief that we together can actually work for change in the world, caring for the environment, extending to the poor generosity and kindness, a hopeful outlook. That’s a beautiful sort of thing. Comment: Rob Bell is looking to change the world, clean up the earth, and extend kindness to the poor — all are worthy causes, but not a single one of them will do any good at the Great White Throne Judgment of Christ. Where is the gospel of Jesus Christ is Rob Bell’s answer? Where is the mention of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection? THAT is what being evangelical is suppose to be about!

Q: Is religion a part of that?
A: At the heart of the Christian story is resurrection, the belief that this word is good, and that, as a follower of Jesus, a belief that God hasn’t abandoned the world, but is actively at work in the world. Even in the midst of what can look like despair and destruction there is a new creation present. Comment: I do not know if the phrase is “…this word is good…” or “…this world is good.” To me, the context is that it is a typo and Rob Bell is stating that this world is good. God has not abandoned the world and is at work, but He is not creating anything new. Instead, this world is winding down and breaking down and will continue to do so until the end of the Tribulation period.

Q: You’re sometimes described as an evangelical rock star, and portrayed as a kind of evangelical celebrity. What do you make of that?
A: It’s a little unnerving, to say the least. Celebrity seems totally at odds with authentic community and honest, real sorts of relationships. Comment: Rob Bell has over 41,000 friends on Facebook. I wonder who confirms them all.

Q: But you come out of the rock world?
A: I was in a band. Some friends and I had a band. We were convinced we were the next great saviors of rock music. Comment: Rock ‘n roll music does not need saving, it needs to be cast away. That also includes Christian rock ‘n roll.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/2009/09/rob_bell.html

Rob Bell: The Drops Like Stars Tour

Pastor Scott Griese — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 01:19:21 +0000

Rob Bell, the founding pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church is going on tour. The name of the tour is: The Drop Like Stars Tour. The promotion reads:

We plot, we plan, we assume things are going to go
A certain way and then they don’t and we find ourselves
In a new place, a place we haven’t been before, a place
We never would have imagined on our own,

And so it was difficult and unexpected and maybe even
Tragic and yet it opened us up and freed us to see
Things in a whole new way

Suffering does that—
It hurts,
But it also creates.

How many of the most significant moments in your
Life came not because it all went right, but because
It all fell apart?

It’s strange how there can be art in the agony…

The Drops Like Stars tour is a two
Hour exploration of the endlessly complex
Relationship between suffering and creativity—
And I’d love to see you there.

Rob Bell

Tickets: $20

Is Rob Bell going to speak at all about Jesus Christ, God, the Bible, or salvation? I see no indication that he is from the promo. His website gives no indication that he will be speaking about Jesus Christ. His Facebook page gives no indication that he will be speaking about Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul, on the other hand, went “on tour” three times and never stopped talking about Jesus Christ. Paul said: Act 26:20-23 But showed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. (21) For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me. (22) Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: (23) That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should show light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.
Tickets are $20 at the location Rob Bell spoke at in Boston. While that is cheaper than going to concert, it still seems odd to charge admission. The Apostle Paul wrote: 2Thessalonians 3:7-9 For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you; (8) Neither did we eat any man’s bread for naught; but wrought with labor and travail night and day, that we might not be chargable to any of you: (9) Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an example unto you to follow us. The Apostle Paul went to great extents to make sure that he did not present a poor Christian testimony. He worked alongside everyone at Corinth, Thessalonica, Ephesus, etc. He built tents and he did not expect anyone to wait upon him.
Rob Bell plans to explore the connection between suffering and creativity. There may be a connection, however, God should be central to this conversation. Romans 8:16-18 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: (17) And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. (18) For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
The name of the church Rob Bell founded is Mars Hill Bible Church. With a name like that, you would think he would include at least a Bible reference in his promotional materials.
Keep watching, this what the “church” is evolving into…

Beware of Rob Bell

Pastor Scott Griese — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 01:35:07 +0000

Beware of the emerging church/christianity/theology that is becoming more and more prevalent in churches today. There are churches in the area that use Rob Bell’s Nooma series of videos for their Sunday School classes. The problem is that Rob Bell and others take a low view of the Bible. Here are two quotes from Bell’s book, Velvet Elvis:

“They [the New Testament epistles] aren’t first and foremost timeless truths. … The Bible is not pieces of information about God and Jesus and whatever else we take and apply to situations as we would a cookbook or an instruction manual. And while I’m at it, let’s make a group decision to drop once and for all the Bible-as-owner’s-manual metaphor. It’s terrible. It really is. … We have to embrace the Bible as the wild, uncensored, passionate account it is of people experiencing the living God” (Velvet Elvis, pp. 62, 63).

“The Christian faith is mysterious to the core. It is about things and beings that ultimately can’t be put into words. Language fails. And if we do definitively put God into words, we have at that very moment made God something God is not” (p. 32).

When he claims that God cannot be put into words, then he is stating that the Bible is fallible. Rob Bell does not believe that the Bible alone should be our guide. And he denies the divine inspiration of the Bible.

“The Bells started questioning their assumptions about the Bible itself–‘discovering the Bible as a human product,’ as Rob puts it, rather than the product of divine fiat. ‘The Bible is still in the center for us,’ Rob says, ‘but it’s a different kind of center. We want to embrace mystery, rather than conquer it’” (“The Emergent Mystique,” Christianity Today, Nov. 2004).

Bell is confused about salvation and God’s program for the church age.

“The Bible paints a much larger picture of salvation. It describes all of creation being restored. … Rocks and trees and birds and swamps and ecosystems. God’s desire is to restore all of it. … A Christian is not someone who expects to spend forever in heaven there. A Christian is someone who anticipates spending forever here, in a new heaven that comes to earth. THE GOAL ISN’T ESCAPING THIS WORLD BUT MAKING THIS WORLD THE KIND OF PLACE GOD CAN COME TO. … To make the cross of Jesus just about human salvation is to miss that God is interested in the saving of everything. Every star and rock and bird. All things” (Velvet Elvis, pp. 109, 110, 150, 161).

Salvation is not for the things of this world. Jesus Christ did not give His life for the rocks, stars, and birds. Rob Bell is scratching itchy ears — ears that do not want to hear the truth from God’s Word — the Bible.

http://www.wayoflife.org/database/emergingchurchcoming.html