12.04.2007

Rob Bell

I went to Cleveland last Saturday to see Rob Bell speak on his "the gods aren't angry" tour. I heard some hoopla before I went about people protesting Rob Bell and saying he was a heretic. Their contention was that he was preaching universalism (see previous blogs). But I didn't really get that, and I'm hard pressed to figure out how they did. It seems to me they got that impression the same way that a certain baptist church in Kansas gets the impression that God hates a particular type of people. But that could just be me.
*That sentence was a lot clearer, but I refuse to give that church the publicity that they so strongly desire, but do not deserve*
So Rob's contention started with an analogy about how the ancient civilizations worshipped multiple deities. How they had to make peace with these gods to keep them on their side. They sacrificed and sacrificed repeatedly in order to make the gods happy. This is a vicious cycle of sorts, the more they were blessed the more they had to sacrifice to keep the gods please, the less they were blessed the more they had to sacrifice to make the gods happy again.
Bell spoke about many of the deities by name, Kubbelah a goddess near Sartis that had men is such throes of worship they were castrating themselves by the thousands *youch*, Molek, who was called the detestable god in Hebrew scripture. Molek required that the first born child be sacrifice in fire. But on and on and on the examples were of gods requiring that people give them what was most precious to them in order to make peace with that god, in order for that god to continue to bless them.
Bell said that when God called Abraham out of his fathers house it was the first time a god showed up that was involved in direct communication with humanity, that humanity didn't have to guess where they stood.
Now, I have been told this is untrue, that there is other examples of this. But I'm not certain myself. I'm not necessarily endorsing what bell is saying as 100% fact, I'm repeating what he said, mixed with random rants and digressions.
Bell told of an ancient Jewish story that had Abraham entering his fathers house late at night and taking an axe and smashing all but one of the statues of deities, and then placing the axe in that deities hands. When Abraham's father woke up he said, "What happened!" (OK, so maybe that's not a direct quote) Abraham told him that that idol wanted to show his supremacy to the others so he smashed them as proof. Abraham's father said that wasn't possible, the idols aren't living, he made them and he knows they aren't alive. Abraham replied, "Then why do you bow down to them?" (again not necessarily a direct quote)
True or not I thought that was a great illustration at least.
Bell said the point was that God revealed himself on the scene and showed that it was not humanities responsibility to make peace with God, but that God was the one that would be making peace with them. I think this is where the protesters started smelling heresy, but I can't know for sure.
I can understand what Bell is saying, that humanity isn't necessarily solely responsible for making peace with God, because God is accepting that peace, making it himself and therefore it's an interactive relationship. But I think the important clarification here is that the other gods required repeated sacrifice for the same thing, over and over again humanity had to give what was most precious to them in order to win favor with gods. This God, the one true living God said, that's not the way it is.
When humanity sacrificed things to this God, they could walk away from the alter knowing that it was done, the case was closed and God had moved on.
That's the difference.

How are you guys doing? I know this is long, but well, get over it.

Bell spoke of the story in the bible when God instructed Abraham to take his son up to Mt. Moriah and sacrifice him. Bell said, notice how Abraham isn't surprised, isn't shocked in the slightest that God had asked this of him. To Abraham, this was normal, a Tuesday in a mundane week. Abraham was used to gods asking him to sacrifice what was most precious to him. Bell said that a lot of preachers focus on the obedience of Abraham. Which is important to note. But Bell said he thought all the drama in the story is when God intervenes with the sacrifice and says, wait, there's a ram in that thicket, don't sacrifice your son sacrifice the ram. The point being, that this is a whole different God, one that provides for his people. God doesn't require that humanity sacrifice that which is most precious, he only requires that they trust.
Which isn't that the hardest part sometimes? To trust that God won't go away and find that you are truly not worth his time or love. To trust that God really is a loving and benevolent God, to trust that when you look around and see so much hurt and pain, so much damage and violence in a world so fallen people can't even see it anymore. Trust is incredibly difficult for me. But in this journey God's taking me on, it's never not been worth it.
Bell said that when you sacrifice to this God, to the God that you can sacrifice on the alter, repent, then turn and walk away knowing that the case is closed.

Bell talked about Jesus and the Sadducee's. How the Sadducee's had a pretty good thing going for them with this temple sacrifice. It made them important, wealthy, big deals. When their system was threatened they responded with violence. Which is why when Jesus threatened their system they knew they had to protect it with violence.
In defying, subverting, and trying to change the system of violence that the Sadducee's were thriving under Jesus found himself defiled, beaten, hung on an cross and killed. Jesus didn't raise a sword, a fist, he didn't lash out with violence.
Because if Jesus had resorted to the Sadducee's way of protecting the system he represented, then he wouldn't have been different, revolutionary. He wouldn't have been anything new.

Bell talked about the requirements of the gods, the requirements of violence they had. He said, this God, our God, doesn't require that we slit somethings throat in order for God to have a relationship with him, for him to love us.
Bell asked, "Have we really moved past this system of violence, this worship of multi deities, or do we just call them different names?" Despondency, anxiety, fear, money, materialism, greed......how are these idols any different from this system of worship?
How is it that we get so lost, so broken that we feel there is no way to be fixed? Where does that come from? Bell told so many stories of the suffering he witnessed, or heard stories of. How have we come to have such darkness hanging over our lives?

We carry these burdens, this sadness, this nothingness (alert: Neverending Story reference!) for no reason. We compartmentalize, try to hide the shame that sinks us lower and lower into this sacrifice and sacrifice and sacrifice cycle. Thinking that we need to keep sacrificing that which is most precious to us in order to have a relationship with God. We like to believe that we are the only ones that carry this burden, but our burdens are carried by our spouses, children, parents, friends. These burdens shape the lens that we view the world through, that we view ourselves through, and God keeps coming back and back and back and back and saying, stop. Let me carry those. Repent and walk away knowing that the case is closed and I don't remember these things you told me.
We've locked ourselves in these prisons of guilt, anger, fear, self-loathing, wrapped up in a profound sense of what we're not. If we don't put this on the alter for God, these things will eat us alive.
Bell spoke about quite a few self-mutilating women that he had come in contact with. He compared them to the prophets of ba'al who would cut themselves to have their blood be the sacrifice. X disagrees with that comparison, which is OK. But having cut, I know it's a little true. This idea of the pressure building and needing to feel something, the ritual of cutting is a release, but only a temporary one. Eventually you will need to cut again. With God, that ritual is not needed. Repent, go to the alter and walk away knowing the case is closed.
Speaking of ritual, Bell said,
"Christ centered ritual reminds, enlightens, opens eyes again to the reconciliation of life, peace that has already been made. If the ritual is piling on, adding despair, worry, or stress it is not Christ centered no matter what language you use to describe it"

This really resonated with my friend Angie. She is so torn apart by the empty and meaningless ritual in her church, wondering if they realize that going to church and worshipping God is about more then wearing the right clothes, saying the right thing etc.

Bell spoke about Hebrews, the verse where Christians were called to be a living sacrifice. We are called to put flesh and blood on the bones of the sacrifice (which was understood to be something dead, not living). We are called to, through our words and actions, help people understand this God that longs for reconciliation with humanity, he doesn't long for the appropriate outfit, or the right style of hair. He doesn't long for women to wear dresses or hats or for women to stay home. He longs for humanity to love him, to worship him and follow his Son.

Finally, (I know you thought this moment would never come!) Rob told so many illustrations throughout the night. I wish I could share them all but some of you are already asleep...JUSTIN WAKE UP! (sorry about that folks). One of them I found particularly poignant was on that he said was in a book by Dr. Richard Selzer.
Dr. Selzer operated on a woman who was in a car accident that so damaged her face he literally had to sew it back together. There were scars and her mouth ended up being crooked because of it. Her husband requested that he be there when they took the bandages off for the first time. When they had removed all of the bandages he immediately knelt, kissed her crooked mouth and said, "I like it".
Immediate, not recoiling, not hesitating, not thinking about if he could still love his wife looking as she did.
It reminded me of how I think Christ sees us. Crooked, broken and sew back together. Yet he doesn't hesitate when we go to him, he just loves us.

I watched Bells previous tour (Everything is Spiritual) Sunday, but I'll write up my notes and thoughts on that one tomorrow, this was darn tootin long!

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