Disrespect of authority
I have a problem with authority. The funny thing is though, I have a healthy relationship with my parents, and generally people who are put in authority positions that have a direct influence on me I tend to follow appropriately.My problem with authority is in the church — specifically with those who feel they have the right to condemn people to hell for being heretics, or any other reason they state. In fact, while reading Dan Kimball’s book “The Emerging Church” yesterday, I discovered that I’m far from the only one who has no desire to follow someone in the Church.
I’m not catholic, partly due to the fact that I don’t have any faith in the Pope. While I think the position allows for great influence, even in non-catholic circles, that position has been, and continues to be abused. As such, I don’t want a “Pope” of the protestant church. Martin Luther argued that the bible was for each individual to interpret — I agree whole-heartedly. I don’t want the James Dobson’s and late-Jerry Falwell’s of the world telling me how to think, how to interpret, and most of all how I should vote on social issues, because “that’s how Jesus would vote.”
That’s bullshit. I’m sorry to be so negative so close to Christmas, but these are the thoughts on my mind today. They were stirred up after reading an interview of John MacArthur who announced that Doug Pagitt is not a Christian.
He’s not a pastor; he’s not a Christian; that’s not a church. When you call yourself a Christian and you call yourself a pastor and you say you have a church, all of that has to be—to be legitimate—defined biblically. And if it’s not, that’s not a church and you’re not a pastor and you’re not even a Christian.
Excuse me? Who the hell are you to state that?
MacArthur goes on to say that, “I believe the church has one function, and that is to guard the truth, to proclaim the truth and to live the truth. So you take the Word of God, you teach it, you proclaim it, you protect it, you defend it, and you live it, and that’s a church. The Word of God rightly divided, rightly understood.”
Protect and defend the Word of God? I think God can protect it just fine without us. Teach and proclaim the Word of God? Sure. You know what the bible basicly boils down to? Love God, serve others — period.
When you do that, just a little piece of this world becomes restored, if only for a moment.
The church is people, serving others and loving God, together as a community. Does it matter if the church doesn’t model the traditional biblical mold if it’s doing those two things?
Hell, does any church today model a biblical church? No. So by that line of reasoning, we’re all not Christian and all going to hell, and no one is a pastor.
Oh, and on the topic of Pagitt not being a pastor, last I checked pastoring was a spiritual gift, one in which I know Pagitt is blessed with.
Sometimes, especially now, I wish I could stoop to MacArthur’s level and condemn him to hell — but God didn’t give me that power, for good reason. I’m sure that MacArthur is a great leader, and “Christian,” that lives great by the law. I’ve discovered that living by the law is not biblical truth, living by Jesus’ two greatest commandments is. When you follow those, everything else falls into place.
December 19th, 2007 at 1:06 am
Excellent thoughts, Joshua. Your words ring so true; it amazes me how people who claim to seek truth can be so blind to it.
December 19th, 2007 at 1:17 am
Thank you Todd. It’s encouraging to know there are others out there who share my opinion.
Re-reading what I wrote earlier today, it sounds like i came off harsh. It’s a fine line between refuting someones comments and stooping to their level. I hope i didn’t cross that line — but, MacArthur’s comments sent my blood boiling, much like Dobson, Falwell and others have done in the past.
Why don’t these guys get it? I can understand peoples frustrations with the emerging church, but condemning a guy to hell right off the bat? That’s harsh, and to me, very unlike Christ.