Milan Homola is a long-time friend of New Wine. Since his days at Multnomah Biblical Seminary, and now with his good work as Executive Director of Compassion Connect, we love to think and dialogue with Milan about how he sees and lives in the world. He originally posted at Compassion Connect, but gave us permission to repost it below. Let us know what you think!
EDITOR’S UPDATE: You might also enjoy a roundtable discussion between Paul Louis Metzger, Rick McKinley, and Rob Hildebrand which addresses engaging tensions such as Milan suggests below. Click here to listen to the audio of that discussion.
“Bon Voyage…”
“Farewell…”
These are words that create a mental picture for me. The same way that “Your Excellency” creates a picture of someone bowed low to receive a king.
With “farewell” or “bon voyage” I picture an early 20th century scene. A large passenger ship pulling away from a pier filled with people looking back at the familiar audience left standing on the dock. The family members wave back and forth wishing “bon voyage” or “farewell.” The atmosphere is filled with love, longing, and good.
\fer-‘wel\ = a wish of well-being at parting
Recently “farewell” has taken on a new meaning. It has been used in a way that means exactly the opposite of its literal meaning.
In one short message (Pastor John Piper’s Tweet) that circled the world, ”farewell” had its meaning flipped. In <140 characters, the world received a message that was bigger than the message itself.
In a world of hyper-fast communication, using the most universal mediums with the fewest characters possible, we have to be aware of the complex messages we create and communicate in 140 letters. Today the message is much more than the message, if you know what I mean.
On February 26th Pastor John Piper sent a tweet that has spread like wildfire: “Farewell Rob Bell. http://dsr.gd/fZqmd8”.
This was his response to Pastor Rob Bell’s new book Love Wins, which wouldn’t be released for another two weeks. It seemed clear that Mr. Piper had drawn some conclusions, and he wanted the world to get his message. Of course “farewell” meant something in this message… but what? And more importantly, what is the larger ripple effect of such a statement?
I’m definitely not writing this reflection to debate the content of Bell’s book. That has been over-debated already. I’m actually arguing that a more important debate should arise: “Does it matter how Christians communicate with one another and to the world?”
There are two problems with Piper’s message to the world.
First, to say “farewell” is to suggest that somehow Piper is standing in one place (a place of authority/knowledge/etc.) while wishing “goodbye” to Bell, who is headed to some other place. We aren’t sure to where Piper was wishing him farewell.
Is John Piper the standard by which we measure the debate? Is he the man who can stand in a position to “wish” farewell to someone else? Piper’s message communicates to the ever-watching world an authority structure that may not, or shouldn’t, exist. Is Piper the schoolmaster who sends the dunce to the corner?
It raises an important topic, hopefully to be discussed later, about the structures of authority within the universal Church. Is there one? Should there be one? If so, what does it look like in a 21st century global world that is ever increasingly anti-authoritarian? There is a clear biblical standard for authority, but we have divided ourselves to the point that each man or each tiny denomination is its own ultimate authority.
Second (and much more significant than the first), the most damaging aspect of the actions taken in the tweet is the negative impact on the overall Christian witness in the world.
I do know scripture enough to know that John 13:35 does NOT say: “By this all men will know you are my disciples, if you have the proper view of hell.” Instead, it actually says they will know you follow Jesus “if you love one another.”
Any good Bible scholar can find loopholes and ways to wiggle around the blatant truth proclaimed here. You can parse it out and go to the Greek and even redirect attention by focusing on “speaking the truth” or the “watchtower” mentality against heresy. But at the end of the day the statement remains clear. The world will know more about us and what we stand for by how we treat each other than by the explanation of our nuanced beliefs. Therefore, the way in which we treat one another (members of the body of Christ) matters significantly in communicating the truth of the Gospel.
To flippantly send someone away is to communicate to the world that we aren’t even capable of first loving one another. If we don’t love one another even in the worst of times/conditions/shattered theologies, then it is a symptom of a wretched disease. That disease is disunity which in essence is screaming to the world that a loving God isn’t all that real.
Who is this Jesus guy? Does he really impact my thoughts, my message… my tweets?
I have no doubt that both Pastor Bell and Pastor Piper love Jesus. If together we love Jesus then our greatest priorities in life are living for Him and making Him known. And believe it or not, that comes before debating theology, amassing huge followings, even tweeting. I love Dr. Paul Louis Metzger’s interpretation of the Apostle John’s vision at the end of his book Consuming Jesus. Metzger sees a banquet table that includes men from opposite sides of the debate sitting together with Jesus, from MLK Jr. to Jerry Falwell. If Jesus will bring us together to sit at the banquet table tomorrow, then it should impact how we see each other today. At the very least, we should be able to love one another so that the world might know this profound love of God.
Reading this post made me think about how (perhaps unintentionally) fitting the title of Bell’s controversial book is. Whether one is talking about in-crowd squabbling between pastors or the arc of the relationship between man and God, love truly does win because God is in control and God is love. In regards to the appropriateness of John Piper’s tweet, I personally find it hard to determine his intention behind the words but I think he would agree that even if he wasn’t writing out of love, love will win.
Bell, Piper, Graham, etc. All believe in God, none are God. Our example is Christ first and foremost. Who’s theology is perfect? God’s theology. We need to spend more time comparing our beliefs to Christ not mere men.
I would like to think that the “love wins” debate was an in-house discussion but I’ve had enough conversations with others to know better. Our squabbles at the banquet table of now and not yet are echoing further and farther out of control, redefining the Biblical understanding of love. Being shaped by the love of Jesus is nothing less then vertigo… and though my head might be spinning I can’t imagine wishing anyone to hell. If I can’t love those who I despise in this world how am I going to survive an eternity in the world to come? In agreement with Milan, what kind of witness am I bearing when I so flippantly wish those who I pass one the streets farewell. I might not tweet it but I feel it. So I pray that the love of Christ continues to shape my heart so that I am inviting others to the table instead of wishing them farewell.
@Mikal: Exactly. I was just reading in the book Allah: A Christian Response something closely related to this:
We have indeed lost the fear of God. Like with the story of Joshua, it’s not about whether or not God is on our side but instead whether or not we’re on God’s side. We must focus on the author and finisher of our faith (Jesus), not authoring our own faith or ‘finishing’ the faith of others. Christians, end these culture wars!
Your reflections, Milan, are gut-wrenching because we who call ourselves followers of Christ too often look so little like Him. I heard a Native American on the Reservation say to us, “I have no problem with this Jesus, it’s the people who call themselves Christians who don’t seem to know him that I have a problem with.” It’s a variation of the same language when the world looks at us shaking their heads or feeling anxiety and fear…not having any idea what we are going to say. We tend to be very good at judging but fall so very short at loving one another. We who claim the name of Jesus and especially leaders who speak in the public square must exercise discipline with their words. We must be VERY careful about speaking negatively about another Believer…one in whom the Holy Spirit is alive. Yes, the whole world is listening. Even more importantly, so is God. While the tongue is a tough thing to tame, we are accountable for every misspoken word. A definition of spiritual maturity is saying the right thing in the right way at the right time in the right spirit. May our love and our words continue to grow in maturity reflecting our union and communion with the Triune God so the world will know that we are His for the sake of Jesus and His kingdom come.
Just because one agrees with how one interprets one’s Universalist mentality onr cannot deny him or her salvation. I personally cannot agree with Rob Bell’s position on Hell. I also cannot agree with John Piper’s Sadomasochistic view of Sanctification and the Christian walk and his at times nearly monastic view of “Christian Hedonism”, I cannot deny either man the right to fellowship in the Body of Christ, because we are saved by Grace alone (Eph. 2:8-9), and to do anything else would be anathema, and a “Fifth Spiritual Law”, as our esteemed friend Dr. Metzger would put it.
We do not have to agree on anything except the centrality of the Cross and the Blood for Salvation, the Bible as the Word of God, the Trinitarian nature of God and Jesus Christ as God and Lord, and Grace. We can pretty much disagree on everything elsa and still be saved.
With regard to this dubious salutation, Piper seems to be channeling 1963 Dylan who wrote/sang
“But goodbye’s too good a word, gal
So I’ll just say fare thee well.” – Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright
Uzman, what’s gotten in to you – you’re sounding like a theologian – I’ll pray for you. Seriously, thanks Milan for the thought-provoking post.
C
Well put, my friend. I studied with Piper’s professor at Fuller and found some of Christian Hedonism worthwhile. Now Rob Bell is asking excellent questions and his overview of the many ways Jesus says one is saved is thought provoking. I find the breadth of perspectives to be very rich with each leader thoughtfully seeking to glorify God. We are called to honor each other in the process. Hopefully some things have been resolved and talked out since the infamous tweet.
Reminds me that here in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), some of my brothers in ministry are leading their churches to leave our denomination because of trends on one or two hot issues. I had to serve on the presbytery team to help a Portland church negotiate the terms of its transfer with its property to the EPC. Seventeen painful meetings. They truly believed it would hurt them to stay in the PCUSA. They had to follow their conscience, but it was so sad. Other churches are meeting now to consider doing the same.
This is anathema to me — I wouldn’t consider leaving the denomination that nurtured me, identified my gifts and supported me, over an issue that has been vigorously debated by thoughtful, studious, loving Christians for over 30 years and has yet to be resolved in our denomination. They’ll have to kick me out for being an insufferable moderate. I won’t leave and I won’t speak ill of people who hold either position. I know this irritates my colleagues on either end. “Cynthia, how can you not see…” Keep praying, keep learning, keep loving.
SPU hosted what seems to have been a gracious discussion about Love Wins, summarized in No Really, Does Love Win?:
I just recently finished reading Love Wins because some of my theology students were all over me about it when it came out. I must say, I am underwhelmed. After all the hype about his heresy I find him not much more edgy than that great hero of American Evangelicals, C.S. Lewis, in The Great Divorce. Clearly he is an inclusivist, but never does he clearly say he is a universalist and, I really don’t think he is. If anything, he might be a crypto Catholic of sorts with a very long Purgatory that allows every person, no matter how resistant, to finally “get it.” Yet he is also very clear that humans have the basic freedom to reject God’s love even in the face of his gracious eternal redemption. Certainly, this is not something that should result in John Piper’s dismissive and pontificatory “Farewell, Rob Bell.” Clearly, some of Bell’s theology and use of Bible passages is not all that careful. But Bell poses some crucial questions about heaven, hell, and the relationship between God’s love and God’s sovereignty. As evangelicals, we should be sitting at the table with Rob Bell, even arguing with him there, not sending him into exile.
I am not able to discern Dr. Piper’s intent behind his statement. However, I am concerned about how I as a Christian leader can so easily move toward dismissing someone and considering myself the judge, jury, and executioner in all things pertaining to God. If we are honest with ourselves, we will recognize that this is a problem with which we all struggle internally. Love is always humble, as 1 Corinthians 13 so clearly indicates. Repentance is a hallmark of Christian piety, and it must always begin with me: “Farewell to my flesh!”
with all the hype that has gone on, I would like to bring you what Doug Pagitt (pastor at Solomon’s Porch in Minneapolis, MN) had to say in interpreting Dr. Piper’s tweet.
I think Pagitt’s partly right in what Piper meant by his tweet. Piper was drawing a line for those who resonate with or associate with Rob.
OK for some reason the link didn’t show up. Here’s the link to Doug Pagitt’s response…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qx0JK8T0ZfU