Robert Schuller, belittling God, and going it alone :

Spirithome replies

ver.: 21 February 2008

Take a look at these letters from people who are asking spiritual questions :

• how 'far out' is Spirithome?
• being alone and different
• Power Elites within some Churches
• on Schuller and positivism
• Fun with or fun at?
• can we spiritually shrink?
• There's more to check out, on letters pages two, three, five, six, eight, eleven, or ten.
• Or go back to the letters index.

Differences

<< ....This conflict has been compounded by having no personal fellowship or mentoring from a more experienced sibling in Christ who could have helped me to understand that sometimes what God does and gives just doesn't fit precisely into anything Paul said, or the TV evangelist, or the Pastor at the church around the corner >>

Oh my. A problem I've had most of my life. True faith in God is not made for being alone, it is something that feeds, and feeds off of, relationships, especially with those who have also put their trust in Jesus. I can't help you much from here on the Net, because that is a role which can be meaningfully done only by someone who can see your tears and give you hugs. Keep looking for such people, and be aware of what might drive them back from you. Don't stop with one; you may share special spiritual confidences with just one, but you could use a good network of support at less intensive levels. And join a good small group, the kind that studies the Word, shares of themselves, and meets at homes. (Again, trial and error.)

<< Being "different" doesn't necessarily make you a nut, or "false" or wrong either.>>

Don't let anyone convince you you're crazy. (But then, as I've had to do several times, check yourself on that for yourself every once in awhile. It's the only way you'll really be confident that you're okay, and the only way you'll stop any insanity that might be sneaking up on you from the pressure of it all.)

<< fearing I may not be doing what God wants me to do, because I don't always understand.>>

You're not alone on that. All of us wonder about that at some time, and most of us wonder about that often. (That's why some people flee those who are struggling with that; they see their own doubts about the course of their lives.) It's easy to say "keep praying". Yet even though that's part of it, another part of it is to be alert to the doors that God is opening (and closing). You won't always understand. Just when you think you do, God has something new in store for you. It's called 'life'. Thank God you don't have to understand it, you only have to trust God and do your best to understand what you can (aware that understanding, too, is God's gift).
on confidence in God
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Robert Schuller

<< some of those in our group believe that Robert Schuller is of Satan >>

Ooof. They're hard on those they disagree with, aren't they?

I myself have some problems with Schuller's view of things -- relentless positivism, also about the sacraments (though his views are probably more like yours than like mine), and he's too 'clean' when God calls us into hard and mucky stuff. Since he lives in a glass house (the Crystal Cathedral), perhaps it's wise of him not to throw stones at anyone. Those trained through his church (Garden Grove Community Church - Reformed Church in America) are solidly Christian. Humans do have great potential, with God, but the world tries to kick us out of believing that. If his approach reminds us of that fact, and gives us the confidence God wants us to have, to boldly and daringly live as Christians, then Schuller has done what God called him for, whatever else can be said.

God gave us the gift of Christians viewing things differently than other Christians. Each uses his or her strength for Christ. God didn't make CS Lewis to be Mother Theresa, nor her to be Chuck Colson, nor him to be Robert Schuller. Such people excel at what they do best, but will not be good at some other things, or will be prone to holding some ideas too extremely. We can keep that in our own mind, and still let them exercise their peculiar gift from God. I shudder to think what would have happened if Billy Graham followed Templeton's 'reasonable' advice and preached something other than the Christ found by a direct reading of Scripture.

A history lesson : there are few names that were more important than Origen and Tertullian in shaping the Church's thoughts about God. They were the best Bible students and thinkers of their eras, two of the best of any era. Many of the riches that the church is rediscovering today came from their God-gifted pens. But they were heterodox (parts of their teachings differed from true and important Christian teachings), and are not usually given the honors we give the great saints of the church. We were nonetheless blessed very much by what they taught us. Servants of the Devil, some said, even then. But the Spirit used them for what they did well. Just like all the rest of us cracked-up, leaky pots.

That's not to say don't practice discernment. Just don't enter into judgement first. Discernment is not just the search for what's bad, but also for what's good, and also for the Spirit's doings in what's strangely mixed-up. When discerning, the Spirit helps you discover what they really are, and will lead you as to what to do with it. We can find the flat-out con artists and call them that. Schuller isn't one of those.

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Laugh in, with, and over, but not at

>> What is the proper word to describe an act that
>> mimics, pokes fun, and in poor taste belittles and
>> minimizes the crucifixion of Jesus Christ?

I separate out 'pokes fun'. We must never take ourselves and history more serious than God did. God has a sense of humor about just about everything, and writes great jokes. Jesus even used bitter forms of humor (exaggeration and sarcasm). If someone discovers the jokes God embedded into the whole passion scene (much of which was ludicrous and bizarre), that's okay.

To belittle it and minimize it, that's a different story. To minimize it is the definitive error of theology : heresy. To belittle by words what God does and claim they're right to do so is the definitive error of practice : blasphemy. In both cases, the key is that they're not using humor to make the truth stand out, but are using it to deny the truth and to call it a lie. That is the measuring stick. Even then, though, it is not heresy or blasphemy to be the laugh-er, unless you too believe as the blasphemer does. Blasphemers, too, can find some of the jokes God put there; they just miss the Christ who put Himself there. That is the sin that puts them in trouble with God. And that's not funny.

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