Reformation Day Article: VELVET ELVIS COMPARED TO THE WILD BOAR

I.               Repainting or Restoring?

            Rob Bell states:

There are endless examples of this ongoing process, so I’ll describe just one. Around 500 years ago, a man named Martin Luther raised a whole series of questions about the painting the church was presenting to the world. He insisted that God’s grace could not be purchased with money or good deeds. He wanted everyone to have their own copy of the Bible in a language they could read. He argued that everyone had a divine calling on their lives to serve God, not just priests who have jobs in churches. This concept was revolutionary for the world at that time. He was articulating earth-shattering ideas for his listeners. And they heard him. And something big, something historic, happened. Things changed. Thousands of people connected with God in ways they hadn’t before.[1]

Although there is no apparent problem within this statement made of Luther and the beginning of his reformation, Bell goes on and adds:

But that wasn’t the end of it. Luther was taking his place in a long line of people who never stopped rethinking and repainting their faith. Shedding unnecessary layers and at the same time rediscovering essentials that had been lost. Luther’s work was part of what came to be called the Reformation. Because of this movement, the churches he was speaking against went through their own process of rethinking and repainting, making significant changes as a result. And this process hasn’t stopped. It can’t.[2]

Would Luther agree with Bell’s analysis of the situation?  Luther would assuredly see himself rethinking the faith, but it is highly unlikely that he saw himself repainting the faith for indeed he did not.  To clearly understand Bell’s statement one must know his definition of “repainting.” It appears that by “repainting” he means to change, correct, or bring something new in to the situation.  Bell’s following comment supports this theory.

            By this I do not mean cosmetic, superficial changes like better lights and music, sharper graphics, and new methods with easy-to-follow steps. I mean theology: the beliefs about God, Jesus, the Bible, salvation, the future. We must keep reforming the way the Christian faith is defined, lived, and explained.[3]

Bell’s idea of repainting faith is to change doctrines, theology, and truths.  Arguably, however, if one changes the truths of God he ends up with a different God.  If one repaints Jesus, there is a different Jesus.  If one changes the truths of the Bible, the natural consequence is the doctrines of God and Jesus are changed.  And to repaint salvation causes the gospel to be something of man’s own making.  Luther would disagree vehemently with such actions.

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