Now, I know some of you are probably throwing things at your computer
screen & cursing at me or calling me a heretic right now for even mentioning these guys. I would simply like to refer you to this post I wrote a few weeks ago. If you think Campolo is a heretic then that's fine... I've still learned a lot from him and respect him for some good things he's doing. I can't read everything he's ever said, so I'm not endorsing everything... just the good stuff I've read.At some point in the last year or so I heard Tony talk about a really cool survey he did. In staff meeting on Monday morning our lead pastor Chris talked about this survey & it was an awesome reminder for me. I'm so glad Chris talked with us about it. Basically, Campolo polled a bunch of 95 year olds!!! & asked them this question:
"If you could go back and live your life differently, what would you change?"
WOW! What a great question. When those 95 yr. old dudes started talking I bet Tony was on the edge of his seat! They've got the best perspective for a 25 yr. old like me who will be in their shoes one day. Here were their top 3 answers:
1) I would have reflected more (evaluation)
I don't think any of us do enough of this. We're too busy. We're too scared. We're too satisfied with our current situations and productions. I want to constantly reflect and evaluate the job that God is giving me another breath to do.
2) I would have risked more (faith)
Man, I'm gonna be a risk taker! I never want the fear of the risk to hold me back from doing something pimp for God's kingdom!!! I'm not holding back. I can handle coming to the end of my life and saying, "I made some really stupid mistakes." But I will not look back and think "I wish I wouldn't have been so careful and safe... I wish I would have went for it."
3) I would have invested more in things that would live on after I'm dead
WHOOOOO!!! This what I'm all about. I am going to live my life doing stuff that will continue to spread Jesus' fame 100 & hopefully 1,000 years after I'm dead! One of my best friends Ethan and I wrote our epitaphs a while back... I know that sounds pretty freaky, but it was an awesome exercise recommended in a book YOU NEED TO READ - Chazown. I want my epitaph to say that I was part of sparking a revolution that continued to spread God's renown for hundreds of years after I've kicked the bucket.
***Pretty cool Tony, thanks for doing the survey. What will YOU say when YOU'RE 95? Will you have one of these 3 regrets? I hope not. What are you gonna do about it NOW?
[on a side note: Chris said something else really cool in staff meeting that I think is original with him. It was so cool I had to put down my cinnamon bun, pick up my pen, & write it down! here you go: "our direction is more important than our pace." That's PIMP... part of me wants to unpack that, but I know it would turn into another blog... so, I'll just let you chew on that statement & let me know your thoughts in the comments.]
Posts
6 comments:
Patrick,
I've enjoyed reading your blog from time to time. Sounds like things are going well at Ridge Church. That's great!!
So here's a question for you: On your blog a few posts back you said that you want to learn from people of "all" theological persuasions. Today, you said that if Campolo is a "heretic then that's fine... I've still learned a lot from him and respect him for some good things he's doing." So here's the question: is the willingness to "learn" from and "respect" people who may be heretics consistent with what the Bible says about how we should respond to such people?
thanks for reading matt!
I was being sarcastic by using the word "heretic." I personally think it's funny and a little disturbing that the word gets thrown around pretty carelessly. It seems that anyone I might choose to quote is going to be deemed a heretic by someone. I'm not so quick to use the word. I might disagree with someone on a lot of little stuff, but as long as they're not denying Jesus or Scripture or an "essential" then it's not a big enough deal to call them a heretic... we're on the same team with maybe some different views that probably won't matter in 100 years.
so, i obviously don't consider campolo to be a heretic... but i've heard some people call him that. not sure why...
I'd love to say a lot more on the topic you brought up, but I'm saving it for a future post...
again, thanks for reading and raising the question. i know a gazillion matts... do i know you? how did you hear about the blog?
But you said you want to learn from people of "all" theological traditions. Wouldn't some of that "all" necessarily be heretics? And if so, what does the Bible say our response to them should be? To learn from them? Or no?
i guess i'm not all that familiar with many theological traditions that are heretical. For those that are heretics in that they are teaching "another gospel" then i will absolutely follow Scripture's advice & separate myself from them theologically.
BUT i will ABSOLUTELY still learn from the good stuff they have to say! Scripture doesn't stop us from doing this (as far as i know).
(Big difference between learning from & fellowshipping with/not rebuking)
***ALL truth is God's truth if it's TRUE! So, i can learn good stuff from catholics, muslims, and definitely people that don't even claim to be believers! Christians shouldn't be so arrogant to think that we can only learn from each other because no one else has snippets of truth... we can learn from Bill Clinton & Donald Trump. I learn from Nickelodean & MTV. Some of the stuff they say & do is true & we should champion it & use it for Jesus' sake.
I don't swallow any MAN's stuff hook line & sinker. that's why i can take all this cool stuff Tony Campolo writes & learn from it. If he's written some other stuff that's off then that doesn't affect me because I'm not following him. I'm using some good stuff he's written to help me follow Jesus.
i'm all about Romans 16:17-18 but i'm thinking it applies more to some extreme "separatists" and the like than the "liberals".
anyway, hope some of this makes sense. basically, i intend to learn from EVERYBODY - that's for the sake of the gospel & God's renown. i'm pretty sure Scripture is all about that.
Not familiar with many theological traditions that are heretical? How about the Muslim, Mormon, Catholic theological traditions, to name a few. Don't they all teach a false gospel, which is the very definition of heresy?
I agre that all truth is God's truth. But is that the right question. In other words, if someone says one true thing and four false things, does Scripture teach us to listen to all five things and sift out the one good one? Or, does Scripture tell us to ignore them entirely?
Does the answer depend on how "bad" the wrong things are? If it does, what are the "essentials"? If, for example, I could prove to you that Tony Campolo has written that God is not omnipotent, would that be an "essential"? And, if so, how should you and I do respond to him according to Scripture? Read the good stuff and ignore that stray statement? Or does that statement so strike at God's "renown" (to borrow a term) that we should reject him entirely?
Take this example: if someone said four great things about your wife but then levelled one absolutely aweful insult against her, would your response be to take the four good things and overlook the one really bad thing?
just for the record, i'm totally chill as i write this. the bad thing about communicating online is that peeps can sound "mean" when they're not trying to be. in everything i write i'm just happy go lucky... not mean.
i guess this kind of thing that's happening in the comments section is exactly what i was writing about in the earlier post you referenced - "chewing, spitting, and learning from everybody"... i write a blog with some awesome advice from 95 year olds, but somehow we end up discussing tony campolo. kind of weird don't you think?
if Bill Gates had done the survey would you have cared? what if it was dan rather doing the survey or any unbeliever?
the analogy to my wife is a completely different scenario. doesn't seem to apply at all to this situation as campolo is not awefuly insulting God but simply sharing his studied interpretation of scripture.
question: have you actually read campolo's stuff where he talks about God's omnipotence? the katrina article, or the stuff in his books? or did you simply read al mohler or someone's thoughts about the article? (btw, not a slam on al mohler - i met him and respect him a lot... love the guy). hopefully you've actually read campolo's words on the subject, not just taking what someone else tells you as they probably rip many of his words out of context.
for the record, i disagree with campolo's position on this & assume you do too. although i'm pretty sure he knows the Bible WAY better than we do & could maybe sit in a room with us and convince us of his interpretation. i also don't think it's an essential [dodging the tomatoes being thrown]
i simply think he's arrived at his interpretation through careful study (way more than you and i combined have ever done). & actually it makes sense if you take the time to read him. it simply falls in line with his open theism & arminian views like pinnock & mclaren & those boys. i happen to swing more on the reformed side of theology... but then again, that's my interpretation after as much study as i've had time to do. i've wrestled many nights with the arguments that there is no middle ground between this open theism & piper or sproul's big sovereignty calvinism. i think i might have to agree that there might be no middle ground - although that's where i'm guessing you and the vast majority of evangelicals fit.
but, i decided that those nights & my time might be better spent spreading God's fame than wrestling with and debating these concepts that might just be one of God's ways that are higher than our ways that we'll never understand.
so, on that note... would love to hear your thoughts & any study you've done on the topic, but not really what this blog was about, so i'd love for you to email me at patrickm@ridgechurch.net
thanks for reading man... hope to hear from you in an email.
Post a Comment