Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Jefferson Bethke


So apparently Jefferson Bethke is a 20 something year old Youtube celebrity. From this interview, he's just another youngin' who thinks he's got a handle on Christianity, but he doesn't. It's another case of "the children telling the parents what to do". Too bad the Millennials are too arrogant to learn from the older folks. Youtube fame doesn't a solid Christian leader make. It just makes another flash in the pan. He admits to not being very knowledgeable and yet he's now attacking the Rapture doctrine, as well as preaching to people about what he thinks is wrong with Christianity (not sure if he's even at a church). By the way,Ed Stetzer's questions are also disturbing and reveals he hasn't left his Emergent roots.

As someone once said, it's time to stop blaming the sheep for the goats' behavior. And it's also time to stop with this reckless, Emergent view of Christianity in which arrogance and hypocrisy is a hallmark (some of the things they judge Christians and churches for).

Here he attacks and mocks the doctrine of the Rapture (again, this kid has admitted to not being an expert, a scholar, or a pastor). Exegesis? Scripture? Not to be found. Historical and biblical accuracy? No that's not there either. He does perpetuate the tale of the Rapture starting or being made popular iwth Darby. Again, not accurate. Frankly, he sounds more like a Dominionist as well as a parrot of Chan-Platt-Keller-Driscoll.  There's absolutely nothing new with this kid. Not even with the accolades of being "fresh" "new" etc....that's what they said about the aforementioned Emergents 12 years ago. Biblical Christianity, by the way, has nothing new nor does it need something new, bold, fresh in it's approach. It is the eternal Word of God and therefore needs no enhancing. It alone is living and active (see Heb. 4:1e and Is. 55:11).That kind of talk is coming from a bored 20 something year old who is searching for meaning and excitement. Go ask Driscoll how that edgy life and believe system has worked out for him. Bethke seems to be into social justice, which is another hallmark of Emergents and their children, which fits well with Dominionism or Amillennialism.

Regurgitating Emergents and other authors doesn't qualify a person to know the Scriptures or the Author of them. It merely means one can read and recall. Sound bites and "clever" approaches are merely appeals to the flesh and do not give the meat of the Truth. Preaching and teaching cannot be remade into to an "ADHD", fast-food approach. God is the God of precision and we are to carefully and skillfully and biblically handle the very Words of God with great precision. It is dangerous to play fast and loose, not to mention trivially and fleshly with the Sword of the Spirit. 


2Ti 2:15  Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 

2Ti 2:16  But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, 

Jas 3:1  Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 

Kevin DeYoung critiques his "word" Youtube poem here.

Landon Chapman deals with Bethke's  admiration of a radical liberal rapper, as well as his intolerance of being asked if he evangelized the rapper when he saw him. He shuts out the person who asked the question--therefore proving he's a hypocrite. The thing he hates "religion" (read, "church"), is the very thing he does. Nice.

2 comments:

Landon Chapman said...

Thank you for the link back, very kind of you. And well-done on the article as well, your points are spot on.

Denise said...

Thank you for stopping by Landon. I appreciated your article as well.