April 16, 2006
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WRIGHT AND WRONG
Al Mohler's blog this Resurrection Sunday points to a recent interview of N. T. Wright, Bishop of Durham, in which Wright is unwilling to say a friend of his isn't a Christian, even though this friend (who "loves and believes in [Jesus] passionately") denies the bodily resurrection of Jesus. Wright has done some great stuff (which Mohler also acknowledges), but this is bad news. As Mohler points out, in the first place, it's grossly unbiblical. I Corinthians 15 is all about the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ as essential to the faith. Furthermore, historically the definition of a Christian has always included belief in Christ's bodily resurrection - every creed and confession has included it. Wright has no business denying the biblical and historical definition of Christianity just because his friend "loves Jesus and believes in him passionately" - his friend is NOT a Christian. His friend's salvation is a different question, about which we can't speak with great certainty (although his denial of the resurrection puts his salvation is doubt, to say the least), and perhaps that's what Wright was thinking of and hesitant about; but whether a person is a Christian or not is an observable fact and we can speak about it with great assurance.
What's the point of this Sunday? Or of any Sunday?
He is risen!
Comments (7)
Yeah!
The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Amen and hallelujah! Hope you had a great Easter Mr. Callihan.
amanda misses her BD! very muchly.
[although she's totally stoked about getting to see him in june... *boo-ya*]
ah....liberal theology.
thanks for the link! : )
I read your post. I wonder how it is that you define "Christian" if you make a distinction between being a Christian and being saved. And is it possible that Al Mohler does not make such a distinction? Just curious.
And I would certainly agree that the bodily resurrection of Christ is a very crucial aspect of our faith.
nice to "meet" you, by the way : )
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