What do I do with my Ted Haggard sermon-tapes? My Nooma videos from Rob Bell?
What if they fall morally into unrepentant sin . . . does that invalidate their previous contributions? What if they get into dangerous territory with their theology/cosmology? Does a bad theological apple ruin the whole barrel of teaching?
This is a real question--I don't know for sure how to answer it. Please comment if you have an answer.
I don't know that I have an 'answer,' but I have a response :-)
ReplyDeleteI feel like people's lives bear witness to the wholeness of life they understand. However, is it the not-so-good that defines them, because it came later in life? Why would that technically be different than those who repent of an earlier lifestyle and live well later in their experience?
If life was really like Facebook's timeline, with only the most recent post mattering, then that might be a little tricky. It would be natural that we would keep growing in living love, and it might be unexpected if someone drops off the path you'd thought they'd keep walking. But good is good.
Also (I apologize for the length this is becoming), we'd want to be sure it wasn't our own opinion keeping us from witnessing God's work. I'm reminded of Gamaliel's caution to the Pharisees: "...if this plan or this undertaking originates with people, it will come to nothing, but if it from God, you will not be able to stop them, or you may even be found fighting against God." Micah 6:8, the 10 Commandments, the Sermon on the Mount, all share pretty clearly what our job is. And I feel like we can stick with that, and with the inspiration we've gained, without fearing that someone's later path could hurt ours.