Saturday, May 07, 2011

The Church has Abandoned the Bullhorn

A few years ago a pastor named Rob Bell produced a video entitled “Bullhorn Guy”.

This is that video.

The entire video is built upon a straw man that conveniently blurs the line between message and methodology. Since Bell did not show us the man or let us hear his message we are left to take Bell’s perspective. But let us assume that this man was indeed preaching “hell, fire, and brimstone” in a rude and abrasive way. Then we would all reject his methodology. I have witnessed such preachers.

However Bell does not just disagree with the man’s method of communication, he disagrees with the basic premise. Bell even goes so far as to say that we should not even attempt to convert people, and that we should respect and tolerate all religions and their particular beliefs. As much as some rude bullhorn guy is, in Bell’s words, “dangerous”, Bell’s words are eternally dangerous and rip at the very fabric of Christianity. Let me again reiterate that I have witnessed men who present Biblical truth in a way that is ineffective and even designed to be offensive.

But men like Rob Bell are pointing people away from redemptive Christianity in a way that is an affront to the cross and the Savior Himself. Bell rehearses the earthly needs of people, but he downplays, and even completely ignores the eternal predicament of lost sinners. How easy is it to sit on some park bench and pick apart some well meaning preacher while sinners walk by your scornful seat without hearing one sentence about Jesus. It is the zenith of hypocrisy.

But as I said, his perspective about the way this man was preaching is not even the primary issue. Every believer with a basic understanding of Biblical truth must hear some alarming thoughts by this man Bell who is among a growing number of false teachers. The world is full of starving, sick, poor, oppressed, and tormented people to be sure. We as believers should not turn a deaf ear to their needs, but we cannot let the sound of those needs drown out the sound of their eternal situation. The problem with men like Bell is that they no longer believe that people who die in their sins do not go to be with Christ.

And if that is true, even though it goes against the overarching theme of the New Testament, then why in the world are we wasting time with missions? These modern day false teachers imply that when Jesus said to go into all the world and preach the gospel, He meant go tell everyone they can have a better life here on earth. And if you are so concerned with the poor and downtrodden, then sell all you have and give it to the poor and follow in Mother Theresa’s footsteps. To spend much money making videos and printing books and holding conferences so you can tell people about the poor is a hypocritical paradox simply by its construct.

And those emergent leaning folk who teach such tolerance and religious acceptance seem to be very judgmental about such “guys” like this bullhorn preacher. John the Baptist would have been great fodder for these modern day “can’t we all get along” types. I do not endorse a message of condemnation, but I completely reject the “Jesus-less” message of food, clothing, and shelter. It is a message of apostasy that does despite to the message of God’s grace and makes the cross subservient to the works of man.

Heb.10:29 - Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?


The word "holy" means to be set apart or sanctified. When God says something is "holy unto Me" he emphatically means it is not to be touched or tampered with. I do not know if these men are saved or not, but what I do know is that they are touching that which is holy unto God, and they are presenting a different Jesus and a different gospel.



Beware, the time of apostasy is not coming. It is here.

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