Rob Bell And The Danger Of Stereotyping

A typical response by some evangelical church leaders to the Rob Bell controversy goes something like this, "Bell's denial of orthodox Christianity exposes the postmodern church movement for what it really is: a sham." Many seem more than willing to seize upon this opportunity to castigate all pastors who may not dress in a traditional suit and tie, read from the King James Bible, or lead a church that sings only hymns that are at least a hundred years old. It's almost as if any pastor who is young, hip and non-traditional has become anathema to them.

And that's a problem. Because as I see it, there are a lot of "trendy" pastors out there who are reaching a multitude of lost people not with a watered down, soft on sin and hell gospel, but rather with the timeless message that God is holy, sin has separated us from Him, Jesus died in our place to atone for our sins and save us from a literal hell, and without Him we are eternally lost and condemned. To be sure, that's not the message that Rob Bell appears to be preaching in his latest book Love Wins, and the outcry against it is loud and absolutely justified.

But why do some conservative Christians feel the need to stereotype and paint with such a broad brush the Rob Bell scarlet letter onto countless other ministers who stand diametrically opposed to the message in Love Wins? When did style of dress, choice of Bible translation, musical preferences, etc. become a litmus test for true orthodox Christianity? Because last time I checked, there are plenty of pastors out there who wear a suit and tie, read from the KJV only, and pastor a church that sings only the timeless hymns of the faith, and yet their message is as foreign to the truth of the scriptures as is Rob Bell's and Brian McLaren's. The emerging church movement doesn't have a monopoly on bad theology; you can find it in all shapes, sizes and styles.

So here's my plea: Let's get back to substance over style. Let's quit judging ministers by the clothes they wear and the music they listen to, and let's start listening to the content of what they're communicating. Heresy is heresy whether it's coming from a guy with tattoos and earrings or whether it's coming from a man in a three piece suit. Truth is truth whether it's coming from a guy wearing denim or whether it's coming from a man wearing silk.

Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream that one day every man, woman, boy and girl would be judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin. And I believe in that dream. But I also have a dream that one day the evangelical world will judge pastors, ministers and churches by the message they are preaching and not the methods they are employing.