When silence is golden...

I thought I was the only one that was beginning to think along those lines.

What I have learned through this whole kerfuffle is that:

1. Word choice is important; even when we know what we mean, others whose range is not as great as our may have a problem
2. As a white, male, complimentarian, I am patriarchal, do not know how to love my wife (even though she tells me otherwise) and only "highly unlikely" that I will be abusive
3. Even if the "offended" side slanders those who they mis-represented through their own misunderstanding of the English language; they feel no need to apologize but will demand one
4. Those who did not do anything wrong but defend themselves will eventually be cowed into apologizing for something they really didn't do

I guess RHE will hold me to be a heretic since I do hold to inerrancy and a penal substitution view of the atonement. Why on earth did I even begin to read her blog in the first place?

Jared Wilson, being a pastor and having the pastoral heart that he does, has pulled the post from TGC. I do not believe this needed to happen but it is his blog and he believes it the right thing to do.

I suppose the faux outrage will continue because people seem to have a need to be offended by something/anything. For what it is worth, I am going to continue to sacrificially love and lead my wife, continue to lead and guide my Soldiers by being the Chaplain and officer they deserve, and stand for what I believe to be right and true regardless of the RHE's of the world who are bent on mis-representing what I say and do.

Thanks for letting me vent. This whole mess is just...a mess.

http://ojanen.com/resources/gomer.mp3

There is no biblical support for having to know one's heart to declare them a heretic. Paul was not divine yet he was able to say such things about Alexander and Hymenaeus.

Feminism itself is a heresy, that while some may say is not a Gospel issue, rapidly ramifies to matters that strike at the heart of the Gospel.  She denies the Fatherhood of God by making her cheerfully blasphemous reference to "god herself", for instane.  She also denies the iconographyof Christian marriage by her vocal support for same sex "marriage".

And she is no moderate feminist heretic, either. Last year she proudly promoted her appearance at "Soularize" where her co-presenter was Rita Nakashima Brock who first crossed the radar for many of us with her work at the Re-Imagining conferences in the '90s.  Brock pormotes a hideously sickening heresy she calls, "the christology of erotic power".  More recently, on her "mutuality" sources she promotes the work of Rosemary Radford Reuther, a pagan "catholic" whom even most liberal Catholics know to run away from.  Another one she promoted on her mutuality sources is Chung Hyun Kyung, a pagan pantheist syncretist.

All that is both heretical ad evil and I am thankful that RHE is finally being called out for such things.

>>> This whole mess is just...a mess.

Dear Mr. Stephan,

I agree that the retraction and apology was wrong and is "a mess". But the life of the Christian is a life of battle, so I hope that you aren't regretting that a battle was fought?

There's carnage in battle, and sure it's a mess. But the faithful soldier has little time for bemoaning the mess of battle. He is busy fighting--for those the Lord has placed him over to protect and for all the weak and helpless he can defend from the enemy.  He fights in faith, with joy, and with all his might.

As Mr. Killingsworth preached it,

There will be no heaven if we will have no war. Remember what Jesus said: “The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.”

Let's be careful what we regret!

Love,

I have no argument with you about Rachel Held Evans being a heretic. What little exposure I've had to her has not impressed me as being orthodox. 

However, if you are going to start naming heretics, why do you continue to support, promote, and defend the known Federal Vision heretic, Doug Wilson?

Doug Wilson wrote and signed the Joint Federal Vision statement. All of the NAPARC denominations that have considered Federal Vision have determined that it is heresy, particularly in that it denies justification by faith alone. Is a denial of JBFA a lesser heresy than whatever Rachel Held Evans is teaching?

It's posts like this that makes me not want to call myself a Christian anymore.  Not because you disagree with RHE but because "Christians" actually speak like this about one another in public settings.  I am not ashamed of the Gospel, I am ashamed of the company I am in.   

I couldn't agree more. How quick you are to call heresy, and how graceless you are to your fellow believers. Rachel disagrees with your interpretation of God and God's order; she does not deny God. Church history has many dark chapters full of evil and violence, and many of them began with someone throwing around the accusation of "heretic." Is this really somewhere we want to go?

She disagrees with some of what you interpret as orthodoxy. But she has the grace to call the differences disagreement, and not label you a heretic. God bless her for that, and God give us all the grace to act as brothers and sisters in Christ should.

Arius didn't deny God.  Was he a heretic?

see this ::[NOTE FROM TIM BAYLY: Sorry, but no links to Ms. Held Evans by Baylyblog commenters; she's a heretic and we don't allow her to be promoted here with a link] i'm grateful for rachel, her husband dan, and the work of the holy spirit both in and through their lives.  may God continue to use her voice. 

Dan is awesome.

Rachel is cool.

If you are going to accuse someone of heresy, it would be nice to actually see some proof. Otherwise, what you are presently doing is really gossip.

You only offer your opinion with no corroborating evidence. Quoting scripture is nice, but where is the proof of what she has done? Please use citations or links/ So far you have just been gossiping about another believer.

Kamilla,

Possibly those who are making heresy accusations to add real substance to the discussion by citing examples of Mrs. Evan's supposed transgressions. Be specific, please.

Baylys, Kamilla, et al - 

You 'orthodox Christians' are some of the most bitter and mean people I've ever come across. In contrast, RHE is very open and welcoming, as are the vast majority of people who comment on her blog. In a competition of who is acting more Christlike, RHE wipes the floor with you. Maybe if you dial down the viciousness and engage in actual conversation, we can talk, until then, you just look like bullies.

Pam,

I'll just remind myself of that the next time I hear from a commenter that she has banned, shall
I?

I keep on seeing accusations with no quotes, no citations, no proof. It's easy to make blanket statements and quote some scripture. However, I just have your word that she is in fact a heretic. I have read some of her material. I may not agree with her 100%, but I haven't seen anything that I would consider heretical. I am interested in what you consider heretical.

I used to read your late father's work. I still have a couple of his books. Your approach to life seems so much different.

Some quotes are sufficiently damning to require no context.  In what context is the phrase "God Herself" not reeking of smoke unless it is to condemn the phrase?

When he taught as to pray to Our Father. I think Paul also got it right when he wrote, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that he bowed his knees before the Father "of whom all paternity in heaven and earth is named" (Douay Reins).

I agree with you there. I have my doubts, however, about this puny powerless hermaphroditic deity of yours.