NADIA BOLZ-WEBER: SERMON ON JUDAS AND GRACE GONE WILD

By on Jun 12, 2009 in AM Missives, Current Issues, Emergence Christianity, Emergent Church, Features

DOWN WITH SOLA SCRIPTURA! 

RELIGIOUS DOCTRINE ITSELF NO LONGER DUE RESPECT...NEVER AGAIN 

Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,” declares the LORD. “They tell them and lead my people astray with their reckless lies, yet I did not send or appoint them. They do not benefit these people in the least,” declares the LORD. (Jeremiah 23:32)

Don’t Look Now But Truly The Visible Church She’s Been A-Changin’

As you can see from Nadia Bolz-Weber On Phillip And The Ethiopian Eunuch At Queermergent “Rev.” Nadia-Bolz-Weber, who refers to herself as a “progressive Christian“, is “pastor” of House for All Sinners and Saints (HFASS [their abbreviation]), which is a self-defined “queer inclusive” Emerging Church community with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA).

Tony Jones and his quasi-universalist pastor Doug Pagitt also tell us that Bolz-Weber is one of the “most important voices for the future of Christianity” who’ll “speak into our future” in order to “shape the future of our faith” at their upcoming Emergence Christianity gathering, which Apprising Ministries covered in Christianity 21: Emerging Voices Of A Pseudo-Christian Faith.

For those who don’t already know, over at the Queermergent website of co-leader of the Richmond Emergent Cohort and budding lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, queer (LGBTQ) activist Adele Sakler, we’re told that Nadia Bolz Weber:

is a very lucky gal; she gets to be the pastor of House for All Sinners and Saints in Denver, Colorado – a very queer emerging church.  She is the author of Salvation on the Small Screen? 24 Hours of Christian Television (Seabury 2008) and of the Sarcastic Lutheran blog. 

Nobody really believes she’s an ordained pastor in the ELCA.  Maybe it’s the sleeve tattoos or the fact that she swears like a truck driver.  Either way…she’s fine with it.  Nadia lives in Denver with her family of 4 where she can be found writing bios in the third person and chasing chickens around the back yard with her kids. (Online source)

In her “sermon” Sermon on Judas (Easter 7b) Bolz-Weber shares with us the Emergence reimagining of Judas, which is similar to the reinterpretation you’ll see in Emergence Christianity Ikon Peter Rollins And Judas Say Happy [Bleep] Easter. If you haven’t heard of Rollins yet Iwill refer the interested reader to Rob Bell, Peter Rollins, And Queermergent’s Adele Sakler.

But as far as the Emergence Christianity, which they tell us in the next reformation [read: de-formation], make-over Judas is receiving arguably much more disturbing would be the following comments in the combox of that post from alleged ministers of the Gospel. First, we have this from the self-proclaimed “openly gay” Lutheran “Rev.” Robert Parker:

What the church didn’t do for Judas in this life, God will do for Judas in the next. There is no eternal hell. All people will eventually be saved by a loving God who never gives up on his wayward children, after a time of purgation. Read the book: If Grace is True: Why God Will Save Every Person by Gulley and Mulholland

Posted by: Rob the Rev | May 27, 2009 at 08:13 AM (Online source, emphasis mine)

Next is “Rev.” Christina Whitehouse-Suggs, Associate Coordinator of Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of South Carolina, who gushes: 

Wow. Nadia, I am humbled and awed by the gift you have for making the text not only come alive but for relating it so well to our lives today. As a young (and often snarky) minister in a denomination that doesn’t quite know what to do with me, your insights are a breath of fresh air. There are few women ministers I can look to as role models or peers – so glad to have found your site through a common friend’s (Ray) suggestion!

Posted by: Christina Whitehouse-Suggs | June 04, 2009 at 12:37 PM (Online source, emphasis mine) 
And then there’s the following from Bill Peterson who says at vicarbill.wordpress.com he’s, “Traveler, Teacher, Preacher, Learner, and Leader journeying from serving as Dean of a University School of Hospitality to Pastoral Ministry in a place God will provide.” Peterson”s also listed as “Vicar” of Christ the King Lutheran Church in Nashua, NH (ELCA): 

Great sermon helped me to reflect on scape goats, forgiveness, revenge and the messiness of community + http://bit.ly/HkLM9 + where I referenced this sermon. Thanks! Keep preaching the damn Gospel!

Posted by: Vicar Bill | May 27, 2009 at 08:34 AM (Online source, emphasis mine)

Examples of grace gone wild. And by the way, if you’re annoyed by all this talk of homosexuality, openly gay ministers, and terms like LGBTQ, I’m afraid you’d best get over it because here we are seeing in very bud an Emergence of the future (demise) of the Christian faith.

You may believe me when I say, you very likely have little idea of just how deeply this love of the self (see—2 Timothy 3:2) has now spread within the mainstream evangelical community.

See also:

CHRISTIANITY 21 AND ALLEGED INNOVATIVE VOICES IN THE FAITH: NADIA BOLZ-WEBER

APPRISING MINISTRIES WITH A PEEK AT THE COMING SOTERIOLOGY OF EMERGENCE CHRISTIANITY

CHRISTIANITY 21: EMERGING VOICES OF A PSEUDO-CHRISTIAN FAITH

THE NEW CHRISTIANS WITH CHRISTIANITY WORTH BELIEVING—NO SOLA SCRIPTURA: YES, WOMEN PASTORS AND QUEER CHRISTIANS

ROB BELL, PETER ROLLINS AND PHYLLIS TICKLE TOGETHER ADVANCING EMERGENCE CHRISTIANITY

BUT DO EMERGENCE CHRISTIANITY AND BRIAN MCLAREN REALLY LOVE GAY PEOPLE?

HOMOPRESSION IS AT LEAST AS BAD AS HOMOPHOBIA