Reformingstudent
Puritan Board Junior
As some may already know, I use to be a big fan of Steve Brown and his ministry, key life. But lately I have come to see that Steve seems to be a bit too friendly with the Roman catholic church and has even gone to great lengths to keep from offending his catholic audience.
This week though I could not help but wonder how far he is willing to compromise in order to keep his catholic friends.
Here is an excerpt from his keylife letter:
I have a friend who teaches at a rather large city-wide Bible study. During the Q&A, someone asked him if he thought the Pope was in heaven. My friend loves Christ with all his heart, has a Ph.D. from a very important seminary, believes the Bible--every word of it--and is super orthodox in his theology. Not only that. He is kind, gentle and irenic almost all the time.
He was kind to the young man who asked the question. (I would have said, "What are you...some kind of fruitcake?" That's why I'm in trouble much of the time and he isn't.) He said something to the effect that Pope John Paul loved Christ, believed in the resurrection, had a Biblical Christology (the place where the Church has always measured heresy) and seemed to manifest the "Fruit" of righteousness. Then my friend said that, while he wasn't the one to decide, he felt that the Pope was certainly in heaven.
Well, through an email that someone wrote quoting my friend, his comments got on the Internet.
(Don't ever, by the way, post anything on the Internet you don't want the world to see. It's there forever or, at least, until Jesus returns. I could tell you stories.)
Now my Bible teacher friend is getting angry letters (I'm getting angry letters too but that is nothing new for me, while it has scared the spit out of my friend) from all over the country...people who think the Pope is in hell and who are, I think, quite glad that he is.
What's with that?
Okay, back to the text that I shared with you above. It says a lot about a lot of things but it clearly suggests that Jesus had a view of who belonged to Him and who didn't that is at variance with some of our views.
One other text before I finish. This one is found in Matthew 7:21 where Jesus says:
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."
Do you think that we may have gotten this thing wrong? Could be that those who are angry at the Pope, think he is in hell and would be glad if he were, are the ones that might end up there themselves, and that those who, like the Pope, get some of the propositions wrong (from my Evangelical perspective) but who have a heart for Jesus and do incredible works of righteousness will be in heaven...and maybe even right up close to the throne?
That, it seems, is a "no-brainer"...but I could be wrong, I suppose.
No, I'm right. Deal with it!
A number of years ago, Pope John Paul II wrote a bestseller titled Crossing the Threshold of Hope. In response to that, a number of us (16 in all, mostly Protestant) wrote a book in response. That book was titled A Readers Companion to Crossing the Threshold of Hope.
I was one of the writers in that second book. In preparation for my response (clearly and uncompromisingly Protestant...but irenic), I read a lot about the Pope. I found myself disagreeing with some of the doctrines he espoused but I was quite drawn to his kindness, his forgiving spirit, his support for life and his love for Jesus.
Listen, you don't get that kind of thing from anybody but Jesus.
The Gatlin Brothers used to have a song about the "bowery choir" in Nashville where the winos sang, "If there isn't any Mogen David in heaven, I don't want to go."
Well, I sort of feel like that about the Pope.
If Pope John Paul II isn't in heaven, I'm not sure I want to go.
There. I feel better.
In His Grip,
Steve.
I like Steve Brown and probably would not have come to the Reformed Faith if not for him but it saddens me that this man who knows the bible so much and even teaches at Reformed
Seminary can compromise with the truth. Is it just me or does something seem out of place here when those who claim to be Reformed can so easily go to bed with those who deny the faith they claim to hold dear?
Sorry all, this just has be puzzled.
Thanks.
Tom
~Title edited by administration for clearity
[Edited on 5-29-2005 by Scott Bushey]
This week though I could not help but wonder how far he is willing to compromise in order to keep his catholic friends.
Here is an excerpt from his keylife letter:
I have a friend who teaches at a rather large city-wide Bible study. During the Q&A, someone asked him if he thought the Pope was in heaven. My friend loves Christ with all his heart, has a Ph.D. from a very important seminary, believes the Bible--every word of it--and is super orthodox in his theology. Not only that. He is kind, gentle and irenic almost all the time.
He was kind to the young man who asked the question. (I would have said, "What are you...some kind of fruitcake?" That's why I'm in trouble much of the time and he isn't.) He said something to the effect that Pope John Paul loved Christ, believed in the resurrection, had a Biblical Christology (the place where the Church has always measured heresy) and seemed to manifest the "Fruit" of righteousness. Then my friend said that, while he wasn't the one to decide, he felt that the Pope was certainly in heaven.
Well, through an email that someone wrote quoting my friend, his comments got on the Internet.
(Don't ever, by the way, post anything on the Internet you don't want the world to see. It's there forever or, at least, until Jesus returns. I could tell you stories.)
Now my Bible teacher friend is getting angry letters (I'm getting angry letters too but that is nothing new for me, while it has scared the spit out of my friend) from all over the country...people who think the Pope is in hell and who are, I think, quite glad that he is.
What's with that?
Okay, back to the text that I shared with you above. It says a lot about a lot of things but it clearly suggests that Jesus had a view of who belonged to Him and who didn't that is at variance with some of our views.
One other text before I finish. This one is found in Matthew 7:21 where Jesus says:
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."
Do you think that we may have gotten this thing wrong? Could be that those who are angry at the Pope, think he is in hell and would be glad if he were, are the ones that might end up there themselves, and that those who, like the Pope, get some of the propositions wrong (from my Evangelical perspective) but who have a heart for Jesus and do incredible works of righteousness will be in heaven...and maybe even right up close to the throne?
That, it seems, is a "no-brainer"...but I could be wrong, I suppose.
No, I'm right. Deal with it!
A number of years ago, Pope John Paul II wrote a bestseller titled Crossing the Threshold of Hope. In response to that, a number of us (16 in all, mostly Protestant) wrote a book in response. That book was titled A Readers Companion to Crossing the Threshold of Hope.
I was one of the writers in that second book. In preparation for my response (clearly and uncompromisingly Protestant...but irenic), I read a lot about the Pope. I found myself disagreeing with some of the doctrines he espoused but I was quite drawn to his kindness, his forgiving spirit, his support for life and his love for Jesus.
Listen, you don't get that kind of thing from anybody but Jesus.
The Gatlin Brothers used to have a song about the "bowery choir" in Nashville where the winos sang, "If there isn't any Mogen David in heaven, I don't want to go."
Well, I sort of feel like that about the Pope.
If Pope John Paul II isn't in heaven, I'm not sure I want to go.
There. I feel better.
In His Grip,
Steve.
I like Steve Brown and probably would not have come to the Reformed Faith if not for him but it saddens me that this man who knows the bible so much and even teaches at Reformed
Seminary can compromise with the truth. Is it just me or does something seem out of place here when those who claim to be Reformed can so easily go to bed with those who deny the faith they claim to hold dear?
Sorry all, this just has be puzzled.
Thanks.
Tom
~Title edited by administration for clearity
[Edited on 5-29-2005 by Scott Bushey]