Bad hermeneutics plus television equals lunacy
Pat Robertson, applying a misconstrued dispensational hermeneutic, had this to say about Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon:
By this, Robertson, a populist, Evangelical leader, is applying an over-literal reading of Joel to this situation. He has ripped Joel from the context of redemptive history in order to fit his dispensational hermeneutic.
Now, many of you may roll your eyes at this becuase you're not Dispensational, but there are people calling into the Bill O'Reilly show right now defending Robertson because they believe what he says. This is why Evangelicals would do well do study historical theology when they train for the ministry. Robertson's idea is novel in the schema of Church History, yet millions of Americans (and few elsewhere in the world) have bought into this hook, line, and sinker.
"God considers this land to be his," Robertson said on his TV program "The
700 Club." "You read the Bible and he says `This is my land,' and for any prime
minister of Israel who decides he is going to carve it up and give it away, God
says, `No, this is mine.'"
He also said, however, that in the Bible, the prophet Joel "makes it very
clear that God has enmity against those who 'divide my land.'
By this, Robertson, a populist, Evangelical leader, is applying an over-literal reading of Joel to this situation. He has ripped Joel from the context of redemptive history in order to fit his dispensational hermeneutic.
Now, many of you may roll your eyes at this becuase you're not Dispensational, but there are people calling into the Bill O'Reilly show right now defending Robertson because they believe what he says. This is why Evangelicals would do well do study historical theology when they train for the ministry. Robertson's idea is novel in the schema of Church History, yet millions of Americans (and few elsewhere in the world) have bought into this hook, line, and sinker.
posted by Bobby's blog at 11:31 AM
1 Comments:
However Robertson speaks for VERY FEW dispensationalists. While I am not sold on Dispensational theology hook line and sinker many of them are very thoughtful reasonable people. Not shysters like Robertson. As far as church History goes I agree it is very important. But Calvin and Luther were both accused of “original thinking” when it comes to grace. I guess I will appeal to the same church father that they did. While he later disregarded it at one point you could say Augustine was a bit of a dispensationalist. I only say that to say that while it has never been a majority opinion (neither has grace alone) it is hardly a new idea. As Calvin once put it, “if the truth of scripture is lost it is not the fault of God but of man”.
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