Brian March 8th, 2008

Campolo On The Emerging Church

http://www.challies.com/archives/general-news/campolo-on-the.php

Even though a few years out of date, the overtones of what develops in the world of Tony Campolo's "social gospel" sounds much like a man who's ministry would rather just be different, at the expense of being biblical. It's a socio-political gospel which confines God at the beckoning need of Government activist programs, promotes a Jesus that "all faiths" including Ghandi and Muhammad (including those that follow them) could even embrace… allowing them the best of "both worlds" for a better, more "united" worldview!

In response to a recent encounter to an Open letter questioning Campolo's different approach to the Gospel, (found in the link here http://www.newmanmag.com/newmanreport/2007/10/open-letter-to-tony-campolo_05.html

….located about half way down the page) Tony states,

"What I have said, though, on various occasions, what you must have heard me say, is that while Jesus is the only savior, I am not convinced that Christians are the only ones that are saved. In reference to Muslims, I have specifically referred to men like Al-Hallag, one of the leaders of the Sufi sect of Islam. This man, while maintaining his Muslim identity, affirmed Jesus as the living WORD of God, and was so into what Christ did on the cross that his fellow Muslims accused him of becoming a Christian and put him to death by crucifixion. In my book, Speaking My Mind, I raise the question as to whether or not a Muslim such as Al-Hallag is saved through the cross of Christ even though he never identified himself as a Christian."

Why fight so much for the "semantics" of what it means for someone to place their faith in Christ? ….wouldn't it then be clear that the man put to death had indeed "become" a Christian then??……for Tony to say that he does not believe that Christians are not the only ones who are saved opens him up to questions from those who actually believe what the Bible says happens to people when God saves them. Saying this allows him to discard much of the traditional biblical instruction on the process of salvation in Opt for God to save whomever he wants, whenever He wants….and while I agree He can….those whom He does convert, still indeed become Christians!!

Sometimes our desire to unite everyone under the Gospel can lead to a compromise of the Gospel. This, I think occurs quite candidly with respect to the Homosexual community. The Authority of God's Word (and not just the red letters) supercedes all unity done by man at the expense of God's truth, and even spills into the caricature of grace offered in hopes that more and more will embrace a Jesus that allows them to remain "non struggling" and consider themselves to be "saved". Here's something to consider, there's a way to package and sell just about anything if you're clever enough, and folks will really think they need to have it…..but what if Christ hasn't called them?? ever think of that?? Are they just responding to a loving invitation that makes them feel welcome, warm, and fuzzy?? that isn't what Christ called us to do, (Go and sin no more…GO and Preach the Gospel) and as long as a "no guilt gospel" is assured we risk creating more synthetic "christians"…unconverted, but loving a "jesus" who refuses to call them to repentance. Hey, The Universalist Church sure does unite!!! Oprah and Dr. Phil do so as well, …(the meta-physical book "The Secret" was a best-seller last year) but they only unite the unconverted under an abomination of lies and distortions….much like many Christian leaders and Teachers do. Until the Church begins to "trust" God's truth God's way, (the way it always has been and will be), they will always fall in a tailspin in search of a "better way", a different and unique and clever way to "replace the gospel in such guilt removing terms so the non elect will accept and be glad in it!!

Christov March 8th, 2008

Yo, SB, good to hear you, LaMont, and Esther on yesterday's podcast. Esther, you better let him eat only oatmeal cookies. Maybe if you grow your own tobacco in the hot Florida keys, you'll enjoy better pipe-smoking health (if the alligators aren't in a mood to wrestle you for the leaf).

Just once, I'd like some liberal to intelligently address why I, as a fiscal, social, and political conservative should vote for Hillary Clinton or Barak Obama. All this buzz about Obama reminds me of the similar buzz around Clinton during the campaign cycle before his first term – "Can he really reconcile us?" Of course the answer was, "No." But he managed to further divide us.

I'm having a hard enough time trying to convince myself to vote for McCain. The guy looks like Charlie Brown's dog, Snoopy. Cheeky, like, or something….

And how does swooping down on a party with one's entire entourage constitute a personal visit or obligate visit's recipient to the authoritarian entourage-keeper? That's got to be, like, a whole other world with different rules that don't apply out here in podcast-land.

I think younger voters, and some alert seasoned voters are becoming more willing to experiment with the American political system. Experimentation does not equal belief in that system, just a willingness to participate and see what happens.

You old guys really think the American public is required by scripture to respectfully submit to its government? C'mon guys – we have representative government – that is, if government fails to adequately represent us, it is to be held up to ridicule, excoriated, protested, and voted OUT. We fail biblically when WE fail to lead under this form of government. That should be obvious to conservative and liberal alike.

The illegal aliens are coming here because their own sorry-cheeked national governments fail to establish reasonable rule of law under which a stable economy can flourish. They're coming here because our own sorry-cheeked government pays our own poor to lay about and grow fat on the value earned by productive, tax-paying citizens. That is, US government has created a never-ending labor-vacuum by becoming a welfare-state. This also should be obvious.

On the other hand, some of what TC said – a high wall and a negotiable gate the latch of which is within the reach of regular people trying to change their lives makes some sense. What he doesn't get or didn't address is the huge wealth strip-mined from the American economy and sent back to Mexico and other points South. I think that goes back to the principles upon which Spanish colonies were established in the New World – strip-mine the wealth of and enslave the people of the continent's indigenous cultures. Central American governments don't seem to have ever moved beyond that.

Heck, my own Italian immigrant ancestors to the US came here legally, and my great-grandfather had the audacity to marry into, I think it was, a Mayflower family. You know, I still have not received one Christmas card from those people Some of the others passed for Irish because the Irish were doing a little better than the Italians at the time of their arrival on these shores.

David March 9th, 2008

I certainly hope Mr Campolo has a better reason to vote Hilary than she showed up at his birthday party. ;P

Chemical Erik March 11th, 2008

Steve – May GOD fix your heart