Purpose-Driven Inquisition Sketch

Here's a bit of humor from Marty Python's Flying Circus Church.

Comments

[Paula]

Sheer brilliance!

I hope you will keep cranking these out. Next, THE COMFY CHAIR!

[CS]

Comfy chairs, you say?

http://www.spurgeon.org/images/pyromaniac/TeamPyro/e-s_037.jpg

--
CS

[Thomas Twitchell]

Great. Thanks

[Elephantschild]

I'm laughing so hard there are tears running out of my eyes... absolutely brilliant.

[Robert W]

If Torquemada were alive, he might be offended at the comparison.

[Chris Rosebrough]

Robert,

I consider that to be a compliment. Offending Torquemada would be a supreme achievement.

[catransplant 48]

I've been watching your site lately. Not many postings. I guess most people want substance over fluff and nonsense.

What has happened to you, Chris? Your site seems to be tanking. One of your aims in life seems to be tearing down Rick Warren.

Doesn't look like very many people are interested in what you're selling.

[Beth]

I found this article today and thought of you. I'm not sure why. Hmmm.

http://larknews.com/august_2006/secondary.php?page=3

[Chris Rosebrough]

catransplant,

Thanks for stopping by and leaving a snarky comment.

I was wondering if you've ever heard of Pirate Christian Radio?? It's the number one Christian Talk Radio Station on the Live 365 radio network.

Have you also ever heard of my daily radio program that airs on PCR called Fighting for the Faith?

Considering the popularity of the two I'd say that there are a lot of people who are 'buying' the message of Christ Crucified for their sins over and above Warren's message of purpose and obedience. You really should check out our ratings.

[Deborah]

Oh, Chris, you're so funny.
My husband and I keep wondering why you let all these tools continue posting on your site. When there's a site I disagree with Biblically, I don't view it. But these Jr. High fight-pickers have to post about EVERYTHING, and it's starting to really bug me (and a few of your other posters as well.) Maybe it's time to begin un-exorcising their 1st amendment right and shut them out. Maybe then they can find the gumption to get a life (like, go out and witness, for a start!)
I guess I'm griping more about Leaven then here (I care little what RW cheerleaders think), but I wouldn't dare risk posting something like this there, because I'm sure chadm, Barb, and merry would have a field day. And I'm emotionally sensitive. :)

[Becky]

Don't shut them out! I often have a hard time putting up with their ranting and raving. I don't know how you do it, Chris. But I think it's great. It's really helped me to see that there is a divide, and I finally know which side I'm on. We need to let them speak and pray that they will stumble over their own misuse of God's Word in time to repent and be free indeed.

[catransplant 48]

I don't care about ratings. It's facts that sell me. And you have your facts about Rick Warren all wrong. He does preach Christ crucified. Saying he doesn't is a lie. That's ok. It'll all catch up to you someday.

What are you going to do on the day you come face to face with Rick Warren in heaven? Chastise him? Poke fun at him? Play back your funny little edited radio clips about him? Talk with him about the litany of incorrect information that you've gathered against him throughout the years?

All of your rants against Rick Warren will evaporate ever so silently into nothingness when it finally dawns on you that God loves him as much as He loves you. Maybe that will be the first time you'll realize you wasted a lot of your precious God-given time here on earth slandering a Christian brother who has led thousands to Christ and has done a lot of good in this world. I feel truly sorry for you.

[Steve Newell]

Catransplant,

Does Pastor Warren preach Christ Crucified every Sunday?

If I randomly selected a sermon from Pastor Warren, will I hear the Gospel? Will I hear that I am a sinner and that I need Christ? Will I hear the Good News of Christ's suffering and death for my sins?

[catransplant 48]

Steve N: Yes, to all of your questions but probably not in a way that is palatable to you. That's fine. There are many churches and congregations around the country and around the world. But you have no right to condemn Rick Warren on his preaching style when his message is straight out of Scripture. Don't think God isn't noticing as you condemn someone He loves dearly. The message of the need for repentance gets across(again, probably not spoken in the words you would choose, so in your mind he can't possibly be legit); people give their hearts to the Lord and they are saved from eternal damnation.

[Steve Newell]

Catransplant,

I am just asking a question. You made a comment about Pastor Warren and I am just asking questions. I'll listen to a sermon and use the method of listening to a sermon to see if it is a Christian sermon. This is the test that I will apply as I wrote http://www.extremetheology.com/2007/03/christian_worsh.html.

Just because one preaches a sermon from the bible does not make it a Christian sermon. A Mormon can preach a sermon from the bible but that does not make it a Christian sermon. A Christian sermon MUST have Christ as the center of it.

Where did I condemn Pastor Warren. If he is preaching Christ crucified every Sunday, the Praise the Lord. If not, then why not? I just asking questions.

[catransplant 48]

Steve: I've seen your other posts on other threads on this site. You posted:

"...PDL does not use the Law to convict us of our sin but the "Christian Life" as a way to change our lives. This "soft repentance" says that "You are not living the Christian life so do 'X' or 'Y'". It replaces the Law and a lifestyle. Instead of focusing on the 10 Commandants, it will focus on things like how own uses their time, how they parent. This type of repentance is the same type we can seen in many more liberal church bodies where the preaching of Law has been replaced with "lifestyle sins". It's a lifestyle repentance, not Christian repentance.

Well, Steve, this may be what you believe, but you got your facts wrong. Plain and simple. Christ crucified is not being "replaced" by anything. For the record, I believe true repentance bears fruit in lifestyle repentance. If you understand the meaning of the word repent, your life should reflect the change that living for Christ has made. If you don't "do life" with people in your congregation, help them through troubles, teach and guide them in biblical living....how is that helping the body of Christ to grow? Why do we grow? To serve God by serving others. We're all broken vessels. We all need to know how to do damage control.

It's great to know we are saved, but what the Purpose Driven Life is saying is that we are not saved to sit on the sidelines. Nothing unbiblical about that. The Book of Acts is very clear about that, too.

[wilson]

catransplant48

Having read the book a few years ago, I appreciate that what Purpose Driven Life is saying is that we are not saved to sit on the sidelines. Most people would agree with that, and most people would not be opposed to that concept.

However the framework in which this idea is taught is completely lacking in any biblical coherence. It's completely lacking in any kind of rigorous Biblical theology. I'd call it systematic self-help. We just can't take phrases out of context and reinterpret them, something Warren does consistently. (http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/exposes/warren/scripture.htm)
We can't pick up on all the "how to" parts without understanding the 'who'. In the Bible Jesus is not the solution to our stressed out lives, or our bad money management, perhaps in a broader sense, if we understand our place and Christ's supremacy then we will have more hope, not waste our money on useless things and have a better marriage. Jesus is not just the invitation at the end of the book, or a few lines in a chapter.

Rather, the Bible is the whole story of creation to new creation through the cross (the death and resurrection of Jesus). The Bible is to be interpreted in this context, that we part of God's unfolding plan for creation, cross, and consummation.

Jesus isn't just the invitation at the end of the sermon. He is everything. He is God's Son who died on the cross for our sins, that through repentance and faith in Him we are reconciled to God, saved from the God's wrath against our sin.

Read John, Colossians, Genesis, Revelation, the gospels, read them through. This will help you understand what the purpose of life is but only as it's revealed in Christ, this will set your priorities straight, this will give you hope for the future, this will help us deal with the problem of sin and persistent temptations, this will help us understand grace, this will help us understand the fallen-ness of the world and how as Christians we are to live in the shadow of the cross and in the light of the coming judgement, this will help us know what to do, this will help us to have better marriages. Why?

Biblical living is completely bound up in the person and work of Christ, first and foremost and forever. Jesus isn't just the invitation at the end of the sermon. He's the beginning of all things, all things were created through him and by him and for him. He is the beginning and the end. Read Colossians 1:9-23

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Colossians%201:9-23;&version=31;

But as Colossians 3 continues

1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

We don't need another "How To" sermon.

Check out this song by Sara Groves:
http://www.christianlyricsonline.com/artists/sara-groves/the-word.html

[Dan]

We went through the 40 days of Purpose several years ago. Overall, it was a positive thing for our churches to do. The good thing about it was that it provided people an access point to view their lives in relation to Jesus Christ. That being said, one has to be very careful with the predestination theology so prevalent in this course. Over the years since we did this I have seen the weaknesses and the superficialities in the PDL and we have moved on to more in-depth Scriptural material. And I think many of the critiques mentioned here are valid. For us it was simply a stepping stone on the journey to something much more substantial; I don't think Rick Warren is an evil man but we must have discernment as well.

[Paula]

>Comfy chairs, you say?
>
>http://www.spurgeon.org/images/pyromaniac/TeamPyro/e-s_037.jpg
>
>--
>CS

EXCELLENT - yes Chris you MUST do a Comfy Chair torture sketch!