Posted on 12/09/2008 7:00:45 AM PST by Gamecock
Considering that the 4th century ‘church’ lured converts by superimposing my Messiah’s faith and message onto the traditions and practices of sun worshipping, asking people to ‘try Jesus’ is just an insult to the injury and degradation that occurred long ago.
They’re afraid of the Truth.
The truth is that Jesus knows His sheep, they hear His voice, and they follow Him.
The others aren’t His sheep.
Like a friend said at church last week, “Like it or not, the Bible has a whole lot of “appointing” going on.”
:>)
Y’all are taking Warren literally when it obviously was not intended that way. In essence, he was saying, “Try Jesus. See if he’s true. You won’t have any regrets!”
Nor is that approach evil. God can do a lot with someone who is just honest with Him. If you go to God and say, “God, I’m afraid. I don’t know if you are real. But if you are, save me!”, then it will be like opening the door of a dark room. The light will flow in and fill the room, and what didn’t make sense before will begin to do so.
I’m glad a lot of Freepers weren’t around when I was a kid. You would have been so busy insisting I pass a theology test that I would have never been saved at all!
The day after my conversion, my theology was terrible. Nearly 40 years later, it is much improved...but I still don’t believe I would get a perfect score on a theology test given by God - except that the test He gives will be, “Jesus, is he yours?”
I was just messin with him.. He makes goofy statements like that often.
I just expected more from a pastor than that, but I haven't been impressed with most pastors and priests in a long time. Even Robertson, Falwell, and Hagee squirm and weasel when confronted with reading actual Bible verses. All of them have crawfished on abortion and homosexuality on national TV. If Warren keeps playing a pastor on TV, he too, will be destroyed. At some point he will be confronted with black and white, good and evil, right and wrong, and he will choose to ride the fence trying to help his book sales.
I’m no fan of Warren, but you are right. Joel Osteen would have blathered his ususal “I’m don’t know” version of the “gospel.”
I’m sure he means well but this is an insult to our Lord. God calls us to Him. We either answer the call or not. I suppose if he said, “God is calling, answer the call,” I’d be okay with that. Just like the scriptures tell us that He is at the door knocking.
Try it sounds too much like a bad commercial (try it you’ll like it).
Good Lord in Heaven, people!!
Rev. Warren was speaking in broad, easy to understand, terms. A lot of unbelievers happen to watch Fox News....not just Christians......If you want to turn people off from even the thought of contemplating the possibility that Christ is who he is suppposed to be in their lives, then by all means....lets break out the bibles and start quoting the hard scriptures......watch how many people eyes will glaze over and they will reach for the remote.
If you want the unchurched to at least consider Christ, then speak in terms that will not close them down to that thought.....then let God do the rest. Truth is Truth no matter how simply spoken
St. Paul called it baby food for a reason.
I suppose I’ll be criticized for this view, but I’ve been turned off by every preacher I’ve encountered. I can see value in direct ritual as is practiced in the Orthodox church, and in simple reading of scripture, but pep talks from a pastor/intermediary/coach/cheerleader, however well-intentioned... I just can’t see it.
Dead on. Bravo! The numbs of Christianity have long ago forgotten that we are a Jewish sect. IMHO we should occasionally try to act like it. Find a copy of When Christians Were Jews; That is, Now by Wayne-Daniel Berard, ISBN 978-1-56101-280-0. I think you'll find it fascinating.
“Beloved, why can’t evangelical leaders just speak the truth in love and give the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ without the sidebar fodder of feeling like they have to be funny; relate; be relevant; or make Jesus likable.”
Why do so many Christians feel there is only one way to present the gospel (which, by a strange coincidence, always happens to be their way.)
Paul changed the way he delivered the gospel, depending on the audience he was speaking to at the time. His Mars Hill speech was appropriate for the audence he was speaking to at the time (a group of Greek philosophers), but to many other groups of the day (especially Jews) would have not only be inappropriate, but actually insulting.
Have you never seen someone that has firmly resisted the gospel their entire life suddenly open up to it when it is presented to them in a different way?
There are many valid ways to expose someone to the gospel. Instead of condeming those that are trying to reach people via unconventional/non-traditional methods, we should be rejoicing that people are being reached through these methods.
I don't care whether you're Baptist, Buddhist, Mormon, Methodist, Jewish, Muslim, or no religion at all. Jesus Christ still loves you. You still matter to God.
I can see why Warren's joyful proclamation that "Jesus is for everyone" would really irritate naysaying Calvinists.
The idea that Jesus wants all men to be saved and not just the exclusive "predestined" really messes with their morbid, elitist theology.
When you cut out all the interruptions and crosstalk, it seems Warren was doing a pretty decent job under the circumstances. If he came on with a “trust Jesus or you’ll go to Hell” message, it would probably be the last time he was on the show (or any show of its ilk.) You’ve got to work with what you have, and work in the circumstaces you are placed in.
COLMES: ...so you think everybody needs a savior.
WARREN: I do.
WARREN: ...Jesus Christ came for everybody.
WARREN: ...Jesus said, “I am the way.” I’m betting that he’s not a liar. I’m betting that he told the truth.
COLMES: What about what does it say for all those people who do not accept Christ as their personal savior?
WARREN: I’m saying that this is the perfect time to open their life, to give it a chance. I’d say give him a 60-day trial.
COLMES: ...do you look differently upon those people like me who are not Christians but still don’t believe...?
WARREN: We’re all created in the image of God. There’s no doubt about that. There’s not a person on earth that God doesn’t love, but God wants us to learn to love him back.
And to me, God says, “I’ve given you this gift of grace, which means you don’t earn your way to heaven. You don’t work your way to heaven. You simply receive my gift.”
And and that means we need to unwrap the gift that God has given us, and your past can be forgiven. You can have a purpose for living, and you can have a home in heaven.
COLMES: Can you do all those things in other religions, too?
WARREN: I don’t know how you would possibly do that. God didn’t send 100 Jesuses; he didn’t send 1,000. He sent one.
To me this is a very dangerous philosophy. Let me try and explain before I am filleted. Many people try drugs, alcohol, sex, homosexuality, and many other things looking for something to make their lives better, something akin to "happiness". When evangelists say "Try Jesus, he will make your life better. He'll take away your problems and make you happy." People take them at their word and go ahead and give this "Jesus-thing" a try. Some evangelists even go as far as say that he will make you wealthy. But when the promises of persecution and suffering come they fall away from the faith. When things don't change for the better or their idea of "happiness" is not met they stop doing the "Jesus-thing" and consider themselves no longer Christians. They become bitter and feel as though they have been lied to, and rightfully so. Most have had what could be seen as false-conversions. In practice, this concept is manifest when many evangelists report thousands upon thousands of conversions but upon followup, very few new believers can be found attending regular worship.
Ray Comfort has a very good exposition on this teaching and I highly recommend that any believer take time to listen to the sermon entitled "Hell's Best Kept Secret".
Amen!!
God can, will, and does use all of His creation to draw His children to Him. Many of the pagan practices were just people who, having God’s law written on their hearts, were seeking truth, though they did not understand who and what truth is. God can, will and does use that genuine desire to know, worship and love Him to reveal himself. God’s creation is good, using any of it to bring people to know Him is not an affront to Him.
Pastor Warren’s challenge was to try placing your trust in Jesus. Those who look to this world for comfort, freedom and salvation will not find it here. His proposal was not like those who hawk wealth building programs. His proposal was that when one trusts Jesus, one finds relief from the burdens of this world so that no matter the conditions of this world, one is happy, content, peaceful and free.
Pastor Warren hasn’t learned to deal with a masterdebater like Combs.
The line Combs is using is very common...Make the opposing side state something that alienates most of the audience. The way to deal with it is to call him on it, then state what the fact is.
“The Truth is, all who reject Jesus are doomed to separation from God for eternity.”
The difference is that Combs tried to make Warren responsible for everyone’s condemnation, and the Truth is that everyone is responsible for their own eternity, based on their choice to accept or reject Christ.
He was quoting from Deuteronomy 6:16, "Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah."
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.