Gungor drifts from biblical orthodoxy [Christian musician decides Scripture not accurate]

World Magazine ^ | 8/2/14 | Jeff Koch

[SoFloFreeper]

Dove-award winning artists Michael and Lisa Gungor—whose “Dry Bones” and “Beautiful Things” became worship anthems across the country--are...wandering away from a biblically defined Christianity to a land twixt and tween.

....The band’s new ideas are more clearly set forth in a blog post titled, “What do we Believe?”

...he nails down exactly what he doesn’t believe—in Adam and Eve or the Flood. He has “no more ability to believe in these things then I do to believe in Santa Claus.”

This theological ambivalence is on display on Gungor’s latest project—a collection of EPs released under the name The Liturgists. Working with Pastor Rob Bell—author of Love Wins—and various poets....

[One new work, entitled] "God Our Mother", supports moving beyond the Scriptural formulation of God as Father...

Gungor is clearly still animated and inspired by the person of Jesus. But it was Jesus who upheld the authority of Scripture and whose recipe for divine connection was fairly simple: “Our Father, who is in Heaven, hallowed be your name …”

[SoFloFreeper]

How sad that these young people begin to believe the lies after being taught the truth.

Katy Perry once sang Christian music. Jennifer Knapp claims to be Christian artist while boasting about being a lesbian. And these folks...teaming up with Rob Bell...

Sad.

[Army Air Corps]

I have heard of Rob Bell, but do not know who he is.

[SECURE AMERICA]

So he no longer is a Christian.

[ne1410s]

...he nails down exactly what he doesn’t believe—in Adam and Eve or the Flood. He has “no more ability to believe in these things then I do to believe in Santa Claus.”

---

It’s so arrogant for these people to think that they can decide for themselves what to accept and what not to accept.

Kind of a buffet style Christianity... I’ll take some of this but not of that...

How do they rationalize the passage in Luke where they explicitly list out the genealogy?

Luke 3:38 ...the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

[Kandy Atz]

“Did God really say...” - Satan

All sin - doubt, unbelief, fear etc., starts with questioning God’s Word. Question religious tradition and man’s opinions and reasoning all you want, God’s Word is Truth. It has never let me down. It has on occasion forced me to set aside some religious sacred cows though.

Rush likes to say, “Talent on loan from God.” There’s a lot of truth in that statement. God blesses you with talent, and a plan and a purpose in life. Imagine if all those musicians, entertainers, directors, and writers were using their talent to share the Gospel.

[The Grammarian]

Rob Bell is a former megachurch pastor best known for writing a book called Love Wins. Essentially, he's an evangelical who drifted toward Liberal Protestantism himself.

As for Gungor, I personally don't know that Adam & Eve or Noah's flood should be taken literally, but to dismiss it out of hand seems just as wrong as reading the Bible with American fundamentalist blinders on.

[The Grammarian]

Historically, in order to be considered an orthodox Christian, one had to believe the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds. So now we're adding "must believe in a strictly American fundamentalist interpretation" to the list? That's...definitely fundamentalist of you.

[Boogieman]

“”God Our Mother”, supports moving beyond the Scriptural formulation of God as Father...”

Well, he can go move on to worshiping whatever pagan goddess he wants, but that won’t change the nature of God.

[lostboy61]

In the last days many will say, we preached in your name and healed the sick in your name. But he will say depart from me workers of sin as I never knew you. If the days were not shortend even the elect would fall away. Welcome to the NWO Cooperate Church Of America.

[DManA]

If you take Genesis perfectly literally then you have to believe in the great invisible dome over the Earth called the Firmament. And in the great heavenly ocean above it.

This was the model of the universe held by all educated people during the time Genesis was written.

[CatherineofAragon]

Well, in the books of Matthew and Mark, Jesus made references to Noah and the Flood, and to Adam and Eve (the first male & female created by God at the beginning). So that’s good enough for me.

[The Grammarian]

He also made a reference to “Abraham’s bosom” and to an afterlife where a rich man who didn’t follow Torah could yell across a chasm to beg Abraham send Lazarus with water (Luke 16). I don’t know many Christians who look to Abraham’s Bosom or even Sheol as literal accounts of the afterlife, though.

So again, the issue with a historical Adam & Eve or Flood is not that the bible says it—but rather, what the biblical writers meant by it. Genre matters, which is why non-Young Earth Creationists can read the same creation accounts as their YEC peers and not come to YEC conclusions.

[Bigg Red]

Love that tagline.

[CatherineofAragon]

Okay, well, I guess Jesus was mistaken, then. /s

[The Grammarian]

Well, he can go move on to worshiping whatever pagan goddess he wants, but that won’t change the nature of God.

Most Christians in the West are used to the liturgy referring to God as Father, but there is actually a region around Edessa (modern-day Syria) that historically has used feminine imagery for God in its liturgy...and has, ever since the first couple of centuries Anno Domini.

I don't know a whole lot of Christians who think that God has a sex (even as we describe him as male and using male pronouns), and I have a feeling that many American Christians avoid feminine language when talking about God because of connotations of feminist ideology rather than because they believe God is 'literally' male.

[CatherineofAragon]

Thank you, Bigg Red. The other day, someone interpreted it as “demanding that only white men be elected”, LOL.

[The Grammarian]

Or perhaps you are misreading the Gospels. There is what the biblical writers meant, and there is what you (general 'you') think the biblical writers meant--and they are not always the same thing.

[Mr Rogers]

I’ve never heard of them, but then, CCM has long since lost me. I’m not convinced very many of them are sincere.

[CatherineofAragon]

Or perhaps some folks are unable to read it plainly without twisting themselves into pretzels and trying to assign a hidden meaning.

The Bible communicates with us in a number of different ways. Metaphors are metaphors, poetry is poetry, etc...and context is also important.

When Jesus was speaking in parables, He made that fact clear. When He was speaking plainly, I imagine He expected us to be able to figure that out.

[Boogieman]

“I don’t know a whole lot of Christians who think that God has a sex (even as we describe him as male and using male pronouns), and I have a feeling that many American Christians avoid feminine language when talking about God because of connotations of feminist ideology rather than because they believe God is ‘literally’ male.”

I don’t think any serious Christians really think God has a sex in the sense that humans do, but He chose to portray himself to us as a male for some reason. The NT makes the comparison of the husband as head of the household to God as the head of the church, and I think that is revealing.

If you look at God’s interactions with man, many are things that we would associate with the male or fatherly role: God makes rules, God enforces punishments, God disciplines, and God bails us out when we get in trouble. Of course, you can say God does things a mother would do too, such as nurture us and comfort us. So, it’s not clear cut, but I think He had a reason for choosing to portray himself that way.