They can have their Bible Church, I'll stay with Jesus.
I recently started reading the Famous and nonfamous strangers blog, where there is a discussion on Microsoft's capitulation on equal rights for gays and lesbians.
The news all over the internet is that Microsoft withdrew support for HR 1515 following direct pressure from Antioch Bible Church. Pastor Ken Hutcherson threatened an evangelical boycott of Microsoft products and demanded that two Microsoft employees who testified on behalf of the bill be fired.
This got me thinking about the spiritual credentials of Antioch and its chief pastor.
Antioch styles itself as a ‘new way of doing worship’. But to someone on the receiving end of their gospel of intolerance, the church looks very much like the usual, tiring self-righteousness of self appointed establishment prophets, not the 'new and living way' we as Christians are exhorted to walk in.
I went to Antioch's web site and read the welcome statement, philosophy, mission, doctrinal statement, etc. Naturally, the word ‘love’ does not appear once on any of these pages. No mention is made either of God’s infinite love, or of Jesus’ command to love God with all your heart, to love others, to extend forgiveness to those who hurt you, to be humble, to walk the extra mile, to find the log in your own eye before helping others with the splinter in theirs. No reference to serving the poor and the outcast, of wiping away tears, casting out fear, or speaking truth with love. In fact, I couldn’t find really find anything on their web site that relates to the ‘good news’ about God’s love revealed in Jesus Christ. I did find a lot though that spoke of doctrine, scriptural inerrancy, obedience, sin and judgment, power and authority, spiritual warfare, etc. And of course, money.
It never ceases to amaze me that Christians—who are supposedly touched by the grace of God and filled with the presence of Christ—are so easily led astray by wolves (like Ken Hutcherson) who line their pockets peddling a false gospel bearing no resemblance to the life and teachings of Jesus. It seems the more some people read the Bible, the less they really hear its words, and the more willing they become to sacrifice the pearl of great price for comfortable dogma and easy self-righteousness.
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
- 1 Corinthians 13:2
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
- 1 John 4:8
I'm reminded of my own pastor's recent sermon on the Confessing Church in Nazi Germany. We Christians who practice (however imperfectly) living toward the world as Christ did have an obligation to raise our voices against these false prophets. Silence in the face of evil does not lead to acceptance or tolerance, but to genocide. May we never forget this.
I'm praying for Ken Hutcherson, for Microsoft's Steve Ballmer, and for the Washington state legislature. But I'm also speaking out. If you haven't sent your letter yet, please do so.
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