Posted on 07/14/2024 8:55:25 PM PDT by fishtank
Metaxas's Counterfeit Bonhoeffer: An Evangelical Critique Review of Eric Metaxas, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy: A Righteous Gentile Vs. the Third Reich (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2010)
by Richard Weikart
Eric Metaxas's Bonhoeffer biography has won many accolades from evangelicals, not only because Metaxas is an excellent writer, but also because he serves up a Bonhoeffer suited to the evangelical taste. Many evangelicals admire Bonhoeffer and consider him a fellow evangelical. Metaxas's book confirms this image. In an interview with Christianity Today Metaxas even made the astonishing statement that Bonhoeffer was as orthodox theologically as the apostle Paul.
As orthodox as Paul? Metaxas does not seem to know that in his Christology lectures in 1933 Bonhoeffer claimed, "The biblical witness is uncertain with regard to the virgin birth." Bonhoeffer also rejected the notion of the verbal inspiration of scripture, and in a footnote to Cost of Discipleship he warned against viewing statements about Christ's resurrection as ontological statements (i.e., statements about something that happened in real space and time). Bonhoeffer also rejected the entire enterprise of apologetics, which he thought was misguided. [1]
(Excerpt) Read more at csustan.edu ...
Metaxas is as well.
I've read some of Metaxas's stuff.
I don't think he's an *excellent* writer and something seems to be a bit off about his stuff, but I can't quite put my finger on it.
Yeah. Metaxas seems off.
I'm sick of evangelicals assessing people who, in the talmud and the Encyclopaedia Judaica say THE most hateful things about them.
“ cuckery to israel”?
Yes. I will elaborate soon, I am eating pizza and hate typing with one hand. It might be tomorrow, but I will provide evidence
Ok.
Metaxas is a “post-modern evangelical”.
Closer to the Community Church strain of Calvinism.
Methodist light, I call it.
For whatever reason (most likely, trying to appeal to the broadest group of 'Christian' readers possible), Metaxas has INSISTED for years that he does NOT identify as an Evangelical protestant, but a "mere Christian", and as some kind of generic "Christ follower" he just writes from a perspective of general Christian dogma that all Christians can agree on, and "does not like to get into issues that divide Christians", blah blah blah...
In any case, I think that's intentionally deceptive on his part, and it's clearly untrue. Metaxas was raised Eastern Orthodox and has since left that denomination and converted to Evangelical protestantism, whether he wishes to publicly admit that fact or not. It is clear from his focus and his writings that he embraces the protestant reformation and feels it "saved" Christianity and so on. One interesting side effect of that is that Metaxas will swear up and down that he's not writing anything remotely "anti-Catholic", when in reality his bio of Martin Luther writes a 100% glowing, hagiography-style portrait of Luther and is clearly critical of Roman Catholicism and its doctrines (again, whether he wants to admit this or not)
I was wondering how Evangelicals would feel if the shoe was on the other foot (some Christian figure was a lifelong Evangelical and then abruptly abandoned Evangelical protestantism and started promoting Eastern Orthodox doctrines, while INSISTING otherwise publicly and claiming he didn't identify with any particular Christian denomination). Then, it suddenly hit me: Hank Hanegraaff, the "Bible Answer Man" is basically "Eric Metaxas in reverse". He was an Evangelical protestant his whole life, changed his views and embraced the Eastern Orthodox Church in 2017, but swears up and down publicly that he has never "left" Evangelical protestantism, but merely "broadened" his Christianity now. In any case, we saw exactly what happened when Hank Hanegraaff claimed to be speaking from a general Christian perspective when actually, covertly, promoting Eastern Orthodoxy theology: hundreds of Evangelical protestant radio stations dropped "The Bible Answer Man".
You can see similar issues when notable Christian figures try to appeal to everyone... a notable example being how Dallas Jenkins of The Chosen fame clearly allows Mormons to have input on the show and won't say anything critical of Mormonism for fear of alienating Mormon viewers, while publicly insisting The Chosen is not funded by Mormons and not influenced by Mormonism.
When you try to please everyone, you end up pleasing no one.
THAT is the biggest issue with Eric Metaxas.
“ cuckery to israel”
My post was about Bonhoeffer, not Metaxas.
PS I’m a Zionist.
In my adopted family, my brother is Jewish.
His name is Joshua Natzarenu.
Maybe you’ve heard of him, he’s more famous than the Beatles.
Mike Pence’s and Mike Pompeo’s (their security is our security. Huh?) and Nikki Hayley’s tweets and public statements, (It’s not that Israel needs America, it’s that America needs Israel—WHAT?) as well as Reverend Hagee and other evangelicals who prostrate themselves and say the most obsequious subserviant things about duty, obligation, prophecy, and our need to ultimately sacrifice our live and the lives of our children for bibi nuttinyahoo and others like Itamar Ben-Gvir.
When It comes to israel, I actually agree with nikki hayley--"finish them". Although I won't write that on a bomb as a public figure like she did. I hope Israel wipes all of 'em out. But, like typical jewish sleaziness, they are demanding WE and EUROPE take the surviving scumbags in. They have an obsession at destroying the west through immigration (their golem) and when things get bad they kvetch "aaaah! Help us you stupid goyim! Take care of this for us, schmuck!" And then when our sons die for their stupidity, they lecture US for not being tolerant enough!
So if they take care of Palestine, and have the intelligence to restrain themselves and not go into lebanon--a war they can not win by themselves--it is time to put an end to their schmendrickery and tell them their days of polluting the west through their HIAS and their NGOs and their cyber bot farms and their other assorted mossad blackmail bullcrap are coming to an end, or we will let them fend for themselves next time.
What religious group do you belong to if I may ask?
Does that have an influence on your attitude to Israel?
Valid point, my own views on Israel are similar. If we're given a binary choice between supporting them or the Hamas-run lunatics in control of the Gaza Strip, there's no question I support Israel's right to exist and do whatever it takes to wipe out the Islamofacist regimes that surround them.
That being said, if it comes to the broader question if whether we "support Israel" on anything and everything they want, then I take a more nuanced view. I certainly do not believe Israel has a right to unlimited U.S. taxpayer funds with no questions asked. I certainly do NOT "stand with Israel" when it comes to their domestic policies (abortion, gay rights, gun control, etc.), which are horrible, or with their so-called "conservative" Likud government, which are Mitt Romney type faux conservatives. I disagree with the propaganda about how Israel is supposedly soooo pro-Christian and its better to be a Christian in Israel than anywhere else in the middle east. The reality is they love Christian TOURISM MONEY, but actually being a native Christian LIVING in Israel is another story. Both Israel and the so-called "Palestinian" Authority give lip service about how much they honor and respect Christians, but in reality treat them like second class citizens. I have a real problem with the media narrative about the "two state solution" and acting like the ONLY thing that matters is the Jewish state and its Islamic opposition, and that Christians are a non-factor in the Holy Land.
That being said, I have no idea where Eric Metaxes stands on this issue. Given his background as a prominent "Christian biographer", I haven't read any of his stuff on the topic of the modern secular Republic of Israel. Like many 21st century Christians, he probably confuses modern day Israel with the Old Testament Kingdom of Israel because they geographically happen to overlap and both were "Jewish" on paper. That would not reflect my own views, but it is a common problem with many Christians being told Israel can do no wrong and we must always blindly agree with them no matter what.
Regardless of Metaxas views on Israel though, a much bigger issues I've had with him is this "mere Christianity" stuff where he FALSELY presents himself as not identifying with ANY particular "brand" of Christianity, even though he CLEARLY does present a biased viewpoint of one particular type of Christianity. That is the 500lb. elephant is the room that nobody seems to want to address...
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