Calling or implying someone is an idiot...sounds like Christ to me. Disallowing the questions that the world puzzles over, keeping our code of silence about questions we don't understand (don't ask, don't think) seems healthy enough for me. Let us mock and be glad.

Permalink Submitted by Joe Morgan on April 7, 2011 - 12:51pm

"And they limped around the altar that they had made. And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, "Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened." And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them." (1 Kings 18:26-28)

Yes, sometimes in the Bible, mocking is called for in the face of false prophets and teachers. No one is "disallowing questions the world puzzles over." The video mocks foolish questions and points out the need for more substantial Biblical answers to others. Not sure how you established that the video was calling for not thinking. We do need to think more deeply about the Bible's warnings against hell and not lead people there by hoping and teaching that it doesn't exist.

Permalink Submitted by Craig French on April 7, 2011 - 1:05pm

Bruce is a red letter Christian...the black letters aren't too shabby, either...but the red is where it's at:

http://disqus.com/bliamk/

Bruce has all the right questions, and right questions deserve no answers.

When an unbeliever asks me a question, I like to answer by asking a question. When he rephrases it and asks again; I ask another one. The world needs to know we don't have answers. Why? Good question. I like to ask questions, too.

Permalink Submitted by Bruce Kratky on April 8, 2011 - 6:26pm

Joe, your points are well taken. I do struggle with mocking in nearly all contexts. I fear it personally as so often it is used to diminish individuals and the image of God in them, many times for purposes other than correction. There are elements of disrespect that flow from it and respect is a high value to me. Almost by definition the mocker takes on a position of superiority. That being said, Elijah certainly was sanctioned by God to mock, to diminish, and to prove that the true living God was none other but his. Still, I fear for believers who resort to mocking. There is a slope there that must be closely monitored. I've fallen into it more than once in my life. Each time I've done it I've wounded someone and it would be disingenuous of me to say that personal pride was not involve.

As for Mr. Bell's book, I have read it and am still pondering the implications. I'm planning to reread it soon. As I said in a post I put out on an RLC site, "I can't make hell go away..." I also am reminded that Asland was not safe, but he was good. I do believe in a literal hell, all letters of Scripture suggest so. Should people fear a literal hell? You bet.

Regarding questions, I just feel we should never mock people who have them nor mock the questions themselves. People often identify personally with their questions. People come from such different backgrounds. It could be that the question, "Can God make a rock He can't lift?" just may be the opening to dialogue to a very dear but confused brother or sister.

Respectfully honoring your points.

Permalink Submitted by Bruce Kratky on April 8, 2011 - 7:32pm

Dear Craig,

"Label me, negate me." No one has ever referred to me as a "Red Letter Christian" before. That I have posted, when invited, on a blog associated with Tony Campolo, makes me one...I guess. Now that I'm successfully labeled no one need listen to what I have to contribute.

I humbly submit to you that I don't have all the right questions. I am not intellectually gifted enough to sense them. The most brilliant minds I've ever encountered were able to ask the most amazing questions and then doggedly pursue the correct answers. I've discovered in my life time that there are very few "no brainer" questions and even fewer "no brainer" answers.

I must take some umbrage with your last paragraph. I have never, ever answered an unbeliever's questions regarding my faith with meaningless, undirected questions. Never. I have taught believing young men in Bible studies some of the great questions that the world will accost them with when they go off to college. I have tried to prepare them by showing then how to reach the correct answers using God's Word as their one trustworthy source for true truth. When I am asked about my faith I tell the seeker that I believe that the whole Bible, Genesis through Revelation, is God's Word and inerrant. I tell them there is but one god and that this god is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I tell them, and show them that the Bible teaches that all men have fallen short of the glory of God, that I was once dead in trespasses and sin. I tell them about Jesus Christ and when I do I tell them that this Jesus was born of a virgin, that he was God's one and only son, that he died on the cross for my and their sins as substitute and payment, so that I and they could be born again, new and alive in Christ. I don't shy away from quoting Christ when he says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes unto the Father but by me." I teach that to absent from the body for me is to be present with the Lord, but that should someone die without accepting Christ as their savior, absence from the body means separation from God for eternity...and that is a bad thing. When they ask me how I "know?" I tell them that it is because God wrote so in His Word and that by faith I have accepted this.

I think you and I have much more in common than it appears. That I've posted, invited by the system to make comments, on baylyblog, perhaps that makes me a BYYBGC hristian. I would not be ashamed of that label, nor that of Red Letter Christian.

I am very critical of how the evangelical community has handled issues surrounding homosexuality. When I critique my leadership I try to do so lovingly.

I have great concerns for the way evangelicals often give pat answers to people's questions about life, how we so often blow people off if they can't, at first, accept the answers we offer. We so often give up, move on, refuse to "sup with them."

I have express concerns as to how we evangelicals have a tendency to beat each other up.

In response to my posts on this blog I have been labeled a heretic, mocked, and I've been labeled an apostate.

In some way, sadly, my points seem to have been made.

I am not beyond personal pride. For this I ask forgiveness. I am not without the potential for error and I will accept godly admonishment.

I have been looking at many of the other features of this blog site and find it most interesting and informative.

Respectfully submitted

Permalink Submitted by Will on April 12, 2011 - 3:15am

For a good defense of Christian satire check out this book (free online at google books):

http://books.google.com/books?id=keck2emV6XwC&printsec=frontcover&dq=THE+SERRATED+EDGE&hl=en&ei=uzOkTavqMuiM0QHM9ZjsCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

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