To be sure, through his Twitter bio Jay Bakker wants us to know that he’s an “Outlaw Preacher who love’s Grace.” This runs along the lines of these self-proclaimed Outlaw Preachers, one of which Bakker repeats i.e. draws attention to:

(source)

Then Bakker decided to add:

(source)

Did he really mean to call me a fool? Now, for those so spiritually dense that they think something like that would even bother me in the least, I will remind them that as a former stand-up comic I’ve heard a lot worse. Besides, all that’s very mild compared to what people defending the cult growing up around Rob Bell have said to me concerning who they think I am.

Oddly enough though, that verse from Proverbs, could just as easily be applied to Bakker himself. Even Satan can quote Scripture. And as I write this piece I’m listening to Bakker’s introduction at the 200 ELCA Youth Gathering—Jesus Justice Jazz, which informs us that this “One Punk Under God” brings “a message message of God’s love for all; no matter what.” That sounds real good, doesn’t it; but is that all there is to the story?

And what do you know, apparently for these tolerant ones, that love and tolerance then abrubtly ends when someone actually has the effrontery to disagree with Bakker and his band of Outlaws. The fact is, these are the new Pharisees in reverse who, with their new traditions of men, are turning the love of God and the grace of God—at the expense of His justice—into idols.

They become for me the spiritual equivalent of the teenagers I had when I was a football coach for the local secular high school a couple of years back. Since, as I pointed out in The Nightmare Beginning For Mainstream Evangelicalism my time appears to be coming to a close due to a critical financial shortage, I pray you’ll indulge me being a bit more personal here than usual.

When the Lord oversaw a series of unusual events that made me an unlikely head coach, considering my dad who’s in the NH Coaches Hall of Fame ended up as one of my assistants, I was given a tremendous opportunity to serve God in my local community coaching a remarkable group of young men, and a one young lady, from Middle School through High School.

The kids told me they wanted to win a championship, which hadn’t been accomplished in this community for many years; and being they were not blessed with much size, there were many times where I had to put the feelings of my heart on hold in order to put these young folks through the very grueling training they’d need to be able to withstand the onslaught of the other much bigger teams.

As such, there were many times when the precious young people, whom I loved as my own children, weren’t *ahem* exactly pleased with me. However, that love constrained me to tell them, on more than one occasion: It often hurts me to put you through these things, but one day you’ll understand. And I love you enough that I can live for that day.

Long story short; this team would eventually come within a few seconds of winning that championship, losing on a last second field goal to a well-funded perennial powerhouse in their division. And in many ways, the day I spoke of above where I knew that these kids would later come to understand why I pushed them so hard has begun to arrive.

I’ve had the privilege of reconnecting with many of them in various ways. It’s very rewarding as they tell me about college, or the jobs they’re doing, and how they now appreciate what seemed unloving by me at the time. Jay Bakker and his Outlaws like to try and convince themselves that someone like me, whom they really know nothing about, is only a “hater.”

But you know what; God knows that they are dead wrong. Jesus knows that He took an unworthy worm like me, gave me His shepherd’s heart—as well as these well-read forums I never asked for—to do whatever it takes that people who don’t understand why men like me do what we do may one day even stand shoulder-to-shoulder together with us.

This is the heart of Apprising Ministries; because just as a football defense, when it comes to our epagonizomai for the faith not all of us in the Kingdom play the same role. I will also tell you that I haven’t exactly loved this position, and I sure didn’t envision myself in it; it was selected for me. But the truth is, there’s a whole lot more at stake here than a mere football state championship.

See also:

A GIFT FOR OUTLAW PREACHERS VIA JOHN MACARTHUR

EMERGENCE CHRISTIANITY—A POSTLIBERAL CULT SLITHERS INTO EVANGELICALISM

THE GREATEST EXPERT ON THE SCRIPTURES AND HIS VIEW OF THE BIBLE

ROB BELL ABSOLUTELY WRONG ABOUT SCRIPTURE

PHYLLIS TICKLE AND THE EMERGING CHURCH: IT’S NOT IF SOLA SCRIPTURA ENDS BUT WHEN

CHRISTIANITY 21: EMERGING VOICES OF A PSEUDO-CHRISTIAN FAITH

“QUEER INCLUSIVE PASTOR” NADIA BOLZ-WEBER ON PRAXIS