Theological Fails

Theological fails are to be found pretty much everywhere in the Philippines.  From the idolatry of the  Roman Church to the false cults like Mormonism, theological illiteracy abounds. Some of the Mormon converts don't even know Mormon doctrine. I know because I have talked with a few and they only got into it because the Mormons kept coming to the door so they relented or the Mormons bowled them over with kindness and even teaching them a skill like massage. These poor converts have no idea that Mormons believe God is an exalted flesh and blood man and that we can become just like him, i.e. a God.

Here are two theological fails from the Philippines.

Glory to his name aka Down at the Cross. A popular Baptist hymn. You'd think they would get the lyrics right because no doubt they have sung it so many times.

"There to my sin was the blood applied."  WRONG!  The correct lyric is "There to my HEART was the blood applied." How did this typo creep past the editor twice? On the projector and in the church bulletin.

This incorrect lyric caused no small amount of confusion. Everyone paused and stumbled at the word sin. Some kept on singing the correct lyric. Some sang the word sin and you could hear the "record scratch, uh-oh questioning moment" in their voice as they realised the mistake.

The theological fail is that men need a new heart. The Bible says "Circumcise you hearts," "Create in me a clean heart," "Out of the heart cometh all kinds of evils," "as a man thinketh in his heart, so he is," and "the heart is deceitful above all things." Sin is not a thing or substance. It's a breaking of the law, a disposition away from the good, the absence of good. Nothing can be applied to sin because sin is not a thing that needs to be healed. Sin is washed away by the blood when the blood is applied to the heart where it reigns thereby healing the heart.

Many churches in the Philippines use the projector during services and it's not something I like. Especially when the pastor turns his sermon into a power point presentation. The funniest projector typo yet has been the transformation of the lyric "Let angels prostrate fall," from All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name, to "Let angels prostate fall."  Really wish I had been quick enough to snap a picture of that one.

Theological fail number 2:

http://www.interaksyon.com/huwag-tularan-replacing-inri-on-eve-of-human-rights-day-baclaran-church-reminds-that-jesus-was-an-ejk-victim/

There is no official ecclesiastical statement in this article or in any other article I have found concerning this event which states that Jesus was an EJK victim. But I will take the headline at face value and run with it.

How would it make any theological sense to say that Jesus was an EJK victim? Stop the killings because Jesus was a victim too?  But Jesus came to die.  "For this hour have I come," He prayed in the Garden of Gesthemane.  Would the Roman Catholics, the See of Peter, try to prevent the death of Chirst if they had a time machine? Peter himself said, after Christ spoke of his suffering and death, "Lord, this shall not be unto thee" and Jesus replied, "Get thee behind me Satan."

Secondly Jesus was not an EJK victim. He died fully under the law. Let's break out the Nicene Creed. The second section dealing with Jesus.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made. 

Who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.

Christ was brought before Caiaphas, Pilate, and Herod. He was condemned by Jewish law and died under Roman law. Pontius Pilate, the ruler of Jerusalem, gave a lawful sentence of condemnation and death. The point is not whether it was just or unjust. The point is he did not die outside the law. If Jesus had been an EJK victim then he would have been killed in the Garden of Gethsemane when they came to take him with swords and spears and a great multitude. And let's never forget Christ laid down his life for us. He wasn't killed or murdered. He was sacrificed.  He is the Shepherd who gave his life for the sheep. So basically this stunt is a denial of the sacrifice of Christ for our sins! That is a huge theological fail. It's also a blasphemous denial of the work and person of Jesus Christ.

The Roman Church wants to insert itself into every controversy in this country as if it is speaking from some moral high ground. It's not. Anyone with a brain knows the Roman Church is corrupt to the core. They had better go back to the books and learn their theological ABC's all over again.

Start with the Nicene Creed.