Harvey, Joel Osteen, The Nashville Controversy

THIS EPISODE: Hurricane Harvey and The Nashville Statement

 

Turns out, every hurricane has a name! Which helps make the catastrophe personal, I guess. Peaches tells me about the hurricanes she remembers.

 

We discuss the stuff that people send to hurricane victims that maybe hurricane victims don't actually need. It's the thought that counts!  That's true but teddy bears are still less practical than food.

 

Never been in a hurricane personally but I have survived a few tornadoes. It's important to prioritize activities during a disaster. This is something that not everybody is good at doing. Then Peaches tunes me out while I'm explaining this...

 

And Joel Osteen.  I've had to defend Joel Osteen recently. This does not please me.

 

One of our favorite topics come up again...the Peach's arrogance. Then we try to figure out whether or not it's a good idea to keep prayer small at first until you get better at it...

 

Peaches tells one of my favorite stories about how she fell in love with Luke anyway even after he destroyed her science project.

 

Then, back on track...Joel Osteen has his flaws but I don't think he actually HATES people. And I don't think he's glad Houston was flooded.

 

Briefly we mention that God 'not stopping' the hurricane and God 'causing' the hurricane are the same idea. Then we retreat from the topic because that's a can of worms for another day.

 

Judging concepts is not the same a judging people. When the goal is to discuss a principle, it doesn't matter which specific person possesses the principle.

 

It seems likely that people who don't like Joel Osteen would be critical of the poor guy not matter what he did after the hurricane.  When we start quoting the Bible to other people without first applying it to ourselves...we should maybe, possibly, perhaps, back up a bit.

 

Finally, we get around to offending our own church people. We ask why we wouldn't employ Osteen's tactics in order to emulate his success. C'mon, the guy is fabulously successful!  Why are the other church guys upset with him?

 

Sometimes, it's not Christianity that attracts people to church.

 

And then the Nashville Statement.  The outrage! The shocking statement that stunned the world by declaring that Christians get their doctrine from the Bible.

It's unbelievable!!!!

 

What's stunning is how many Christian (pastors!) would rather have good relationships with sinners than tell sinners the truth.

 

John Pavlovitz sounds off on the Nashville Statement because he's much more in tune with God's thoughts than "evangelicals"....and Scripture. (I'm not a John Pavlovitz fan either.) Peaches keeps reading from his blog despite my desperate pleas that she stop. 

 

Peaches started a new blog. You can see it here: https://fundiessaythedarndestthings.wordpress.com/

 

If you don't want to be a Christian, then leave the faith. Stop hanging around and griping about Christian doctrine. Just go ahead and reject the Bible and be on your way!

 

Weird how I'm hateful for taking a Biblical position while everyone who rejects the Bible is tolerant.

 

Peaches reads the most recent ad hominem she's received. It's still warm from the idiot oven!

 

An anti-Christian 'insult' turns out to be the perfect explanation of Christianity. It breaks the irony meter.

 

Quickly, we return to criticizing Christians who can't deal with questions.