The other day I received an email from Eagle Brook Church touting an event for their men’s ministry in November where they are bringing in Dr. Tony Campolo. Below is the body of the email I sent in response to it. Just Google with key words Campolo Bad Theology.
Eagle Brook staff,
I wouldn’t normal address this, but it is of large enough concern for me that it’s been on my mind for a few days now.
I also know you probably don’t care specifically about my opinion, but hopefully you will at least share my concerns. Tony Campolo has repeatedly expressed beliefs that fall outside the boundaries of orthodoxy. He has made clear his belief in the openness of God ala Clark Pinnock - that God does not know the future, and that God is reacting to our actions, and not in control. It is disappointing that the leadership of Eagle Brook Church is buying into the popularity of Campolo’s name and sacrificing discernment in the process. I am not some radical fundamentalist (ask Bob Merritt (senior Pastor), I was his teaching assistant at Bethel Seminary for 2 years), just a concerned person who expects so much more from Eagle Brook Church and it’s leadership. I have no doubt there will be lots of people excited about this event, probably even on your staff, but excitement does not make up for proper theology and good teaching. The event will go well, with few, if any picking up on the subtle differences in Campolo’s theology, which is what makes it all the more important that the leadership team be aware of this. For reference, Dr. Albert Mohler addressed this very issue in regard to Tony Campolo’s false teachings/bad theology a short time ago. You can find his concerns at: http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=259
There are many others out there that are very concerned about Campolo, I doubt most of them will say anything about it to you though. You may not be able to do anything about this event at this point, but I would hope you would at least give some thought to the issue, and set some boundaries for Dr. Campolo to avoid or mitigate his opportunities to spread his poor theology. Or you can just hit delete and dismiss my concern as a wingnut complaint. I know you are busy with your ministry, so thank you for your time, and thank you for your ministries, as I have great hope for the future of Eagle Brook Church.
Tony Campolo is coming to EBC for a special Infuse!
Tuesday, November 8 at 7 pm
Nationally-known speaker - worship that rocks - free dessert
Dr. Tony Campolo, a media commentator on religious, social and political issues, is coming soon to EBC! Campolo has been a guest on Nightline, Crossfire, Politically Incorrect, The Charlie Rose Show, CNN News, and more. He co-hosted his own television series, Hashing It Out, and currently hosts From Across The Pond, a weekly program on the Premier Radio Network in England. In addition to TV and radio, Campolo is the author of over 30 books-including his most recent titles: Which Jesus?, Speaking my Mind and The Church Enslaved.
This Special Event will include worship that really rocks, a great message and free dessert, so grab your friends and don’t miss this night!
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October 24, 2005 at 9:50 am
Steve Thompson
Chris
What seminary are you attending and what are your future ministry plans?
In Christ,
Steve
p.s. That is an interesting blog about tony campolo coming to the church (yours?).
October 24, 2005 at 3:33 pm
mrclm
Steve,
I am at Bethel Theological Seminary where I am the President of the Student Senate, and a 3rd year M.Div - Transformational Leadership degree student.
Eagle Brook is not my home church, though I do attend there sporadically as my schedule permits. My fiancee and I are in the process of buying two houses that sit adjacent to Eagle Brook’s current campus. I was the Teaching Assistant for their Senior Pastor (Bob Merritt) for two years when he was the head of the Preaching Department for Bethel Seminary. I am currently on staff at another church, so obviously my opportunities to attend Eagle Brook are somewhat limited. We do take in their Saturday evening service when we can fit it in, and we’ve gone to special events there. After I am married there is a chance this will become our home church if I cannot find a paid ministry position. My fiancee really likes this church, and I do too. They are in the process of constructing a whole new campus in the North Metro of Minneapolis/St. Paul where Interstate 35W and 35E meet in Lino Lakes.
October 26, 2005 at 8:22 pm
Buridan
Let’s just stick to deaths from 20th century warfare - the figures are somewhere between 150 and 200 million. But if that’s not enough, we could also throw in deaths from 20th century infectious diseases - here the figures are less reliable but death from infectious diseases have outstripped warfare deaths by more than a 3 to 1 margin. Smallpox alone killed approximately 300 million people in the 20th century, not to mention the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918-19, which some have as low as 25 million and some as high as 100 million.
So here’s one of those pesky, perhaps even sophomoric, questions that a seminarian like yourself surely has confronted: What part of “God’s control” allows for such massive human death and suffering? Of course, an omnibenevolent God such as yours would never want such massive human death and suffering to occur in the first place. But then again, an omnipotent God would certainly have the resources to prevent such human death and suffering. Hmmm, now why wouldn’t an omnibenevolent, omnipotent, and let’s throw in omniscient, God allow these atrocities to happen?
Okay, I know, I’m missing the most important factor in all of this massive human death and suffering - freewill! We’re the one’s ultimately responsible for this, not God for God’s sake. No, wait. Who would ever chose to contract let alone die from an infectious disease, especially when contracting such diseases usually occurs out of ignorance? And what about the deaths of all those innocent civilians during all the 20th century wars? Maybe they had it coming to them. Yes, perhaps, but what about all the children that have died due to war and disease? Did their freewill and culpability have anything to do with their untimely deaths? It’s difficult to imagine what a 6 month old baby could ever do to deserve death? Hmmm, this is really a pickle isn’t it.
Wait, I think I have the answer. Original sin! That’s it! The original sin of Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God has condemned humanity to live in a fallen world, one that doesn’t work quite the way God intended, but hey “we” spilled the milk so there’s hell to pay, right? Gosh darn it, I almost forgot. There’s that Palestinian fella who sacrificed himself in order to take away the sting of “our” original sin and relieve humanity of that burden, which was really a swell thing to do. But didn’t he do that about two thousand years ago, give or take? Maybe his victory over sin just hasn’t sunk in yet - an odd victory by anyone’s playbook if you ask me.
Golly, it sure is something to maintain such faith in God’s providential control with reality staring you in the face. Wow! I commend you for such an improbable task, but then again you’re a third year M.Div student at Bethel Theological Seminary – this is theological child’s play no doubt.
In case you’re interested, I would suggest some remedial reading by Dostoyevsky, namely, the Grand Inquisitor chapter in The Brothers Karamazov. I assume you’ve read it at least once; all good seminarians have at least peaked into The Brothers Karamazov. In any event, it doesn’t portray the horrors of human existence in such magnitude but it does expose the ridiculous nature of believing in an omnipotent, omnibenevolent deity in light of this-worldly realities much better than I could ever do. Happy theodicy reading!
Best, Buridan
http://www.buridansass.com
October 27, 2005 at 12:50 am
mrclm
Buridan,
I doubt you’ll come back and read these comments, but if you do thanks for stopping in. You present a problem that every generation of Christian has had to deal with - the problem of evil. You seem to have some head knowledge about faith. My question is what has caused this pain in you? How have you been hurt by the Church or Christianity? I don’t think your problem is with the problem of evil, that is just your toe hold of resistance, what you’ve latched onto to convince yourself that not only does God not love you, but probably that God does not exist. I will pray for you, even though you probably don’t care or want it. May God show His grace and glory to you.
Big Chris
October 27, 2005 at 9:38 am
Buridan
Big Chris,
I wouldn’t miss your response for the world. Although I’m a little disappointed that you’ve skirted the issue of theodicy here and decided to impute psychological motives for my challenge. You don’t know me.
Anyway, it’s your blog and you can do what you want but I think you can do better than that; but then again I don’t know you. And by all means keep praying for me. It’s alway fun to have a few Christians praying my eternal soul.
October 27, 2005 at 9:50 am
mrclm
Buridan,
You would have me chasing windmills. If I thought you were genuninely seeking answers I might be willing to engage, but it’s clear you think you have all the answers. So I don’t think I have skirted the issue in the least bit. The issue is you think you have the answers. It always seems to return to pride.
Big Chris
October 27, 2005 at 11:58 am
Buridan
“If I thought you were genuninely seeking answers I might be willing to engage, but it’s clear you think you have all the answers.”
Think about that statement for just a moment, especially in light of your remark about pride…
I know this is probably hard for you to get your head around, but I’m not necessarily seeking answers here. Have you ever read Plato? It’s called the Socratic method - it’s the skeptics tool so-to-speak. Answers are boring. It’s the questions that are interesting and worth pursuing.
And by the way, how would you ever know what I am “genuinely seeking” if anything at all? I’m sorry to disappoint you but I’m really not seeking the proverbial answers to life. Isn’t wrestling with ideas enough to generate your interest, i.e., without necessarily knowing the outcome or perhaps entertaining the possibility that what you beleive is wrong?
Why are you assuming that I have all these ulterior motives?
October 27, 2005 at 12:29 pm
mrclm
Buridan,
On the Pride - I didn’t initiate this, and have not said, nor attempted to display, that I have all the answers. Between examining your initial comment, as well as the posts on your blog, it’s clear there are ulterior motives, and to claim otherwise is disingenuous. I could go into the nihilism of atheism, or how it is a worship of self, but I don’t see the gain from that at this point. So what is it that you base your morality upon?
Big Chris
October 27, 2005 at 1:05 pm
Buridan
Okay, I see you’re not interesting in debating this issue, so I won’t press it any further. I just grow weary sometimes of debating/discussing issues with people that always agree with me. My response was meant as a provocative challenge and I thought you might take up the challenge. I’m glad you have such confidence in what my motives may or may not be. In any event, no harm done, I’ll just look elsewhere. Good luck to ya!