From Pastor Lee
April 2, 2023
It is Not the Word of God
It has been years since I read the book entitled The Shack, written by William Paul Young. Then sometime later followed the movie based on the book, with the same title. Movies and television dramas about the Christian faith I have no problem with. That is if they are viewed primarily for entertainment purposes. Too often in the past I have witnessed folks reading popular books or taking in movies considered to be “Christian” and who allow it to shape their theology with almost, if not the same, authority as the Bible. What many Christians don’t know is that William Young doesn’t believe in what is at the heart and center of the Christian faith, that is the Atonement, that Jesus paid the price for our sins. He believes that the doctrine of atonement for sin is a lie. That it is a lie that God our Father sent his Son to die for us. As I said just a few sentences earlier, I have no problem with anyone watching and enjoying the movie or the book, but it is not the Word of God.
Young has written another book entitled Lies We Believe About God in which he asks the question, “Who originated the Cross?... If God did, then we worship a cosmic abuser, who in Divine Wisdom created a means to torture human beings in the most painful and abhorrent manner. Frankly, it is often this very cruel and monstrous god that the atheist refuses to acknowledge or grant credibility in any sense. And rightly so. Better no god at all, than this one.” Sad thing is, more and more people today are moving in this same direction when it comes to Jesus’ death on the cross. We somehow lose sight of the fact that God sent Jesus to die for us. In doing so is to lose sight of God’s righteous judgement and in turn deny God’s love.
I’m afraid this trend is growing today, and what most Christians don’t realize is that without Christ’s atoning sacrifice, we are left with very little hope of salvation, reconciliation with God. Like Young, many today don’t desire a Christ who dies for us to save us. Instead of true salvation and the overcoming and defeat of sin and death, many want solidarity and the end of violence. Our hopes and dreams are limited to that of human justice, while believing there is no need for divine justice. So many want Christ, but Christ without the Cross. These are those who believe the underlying problem with humanity is NOT sin but violence, and they would see Jesus more as a teacher and example and not as Savior and Lord. Thus, they devoid the cross of its power. Tim Keller describes it very well when he said, “People think a Christian is one who follows Christ’s teaching and example, but Jesus is not primarily a teacher. He’s a rescuer.” If you take away Jesus’ atoning death on the Cross, you’ve voided the cross of its power to give us eternal life.
Love, Pastor Lee
