By Apprising Ministries correspondent pastor Rob Willmann of Rendering Truth.com

Tony Jones and Christian Universalism: Cosmology

An exercise in missing the mark

As has been reported for quite some time by Ken Silva at Apprising Ministries, Tony Jones is sliding right out of orthodoxy using the bobsled of ‘Christian Universalism’. I recently came across a post by Tony Jones on his blog called ‘Christian Universalism: Cosmology‘, and in it, he makes some amazing claims. In order to reach more people about just how wrong this doctrine is, I decided to do a video post on this issue, and you can watch it here:

For those of you unfamiliar with cosmology, here’s the definition of it from Wikipedia (opens in new window):

Cosmology
Cosmology (from Greek κοσμολογία — κόσμος, kosmos, “universe”; and -λογία, -logia, “study”), in strict usage, refers to the study of the Universe in its totality as it is now (or at least as it can be observed now), and by extension, humanity’s place in it. Though the word cosmology is recent, the study of the universe has a long history involving science, philosophy, esotericism, and religion. (See Cosmogony for the study of origins of the Universe.)

This portion of his post is way outside the bounds of Christian orthodoxy:

But it raises an exegetical problem as well: Jesus held an incorrect cosmology.Yes, of course our cosmology is probably wrong as well, or at least incomplete, but that doesn’t make Jesus’ cosmology any more right.  Both Jesus and John the Baptist seem clearly to have embraced the ancient Hebraic belief in Sheol/Gehenna/Hades — i.e., a physical place of fires that the bodies of the damned are thrown.  It seems merely wishful thinking when Aquinas, arguing that Jesus had full and perfect knowledge of all things, wrote, “Christ perfectly knows all human sciences.”

So we’re left with this conundrum: What do we make of Jesus’ teachings on Heaven and Hell if he believed that he existed in a geocentric universe and lived on a flat Earth? This is not unlike the conundrum regarding the Gospel writers (and Jesus) diagnosing “Legion” with demon possession, when today we would most likely consider him beset by schizophrenia.

So Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords was incorrect in his Cosmology?! How can that be true if Jesus CREATED the Universe? It can’t. Either Tony is right and Christianity (from Jesus onward) got it all wrong, or Tony is wrong and Jesus IS the Creator, and knows all.

Consider these Scriptures:

John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (2) He was in the beginning with God. (3) All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

John 1 sure sounds like Jesus was there all along, and that He’s God, don’t you think? ALL things came into being through Him. If that’s true, then how can he have a wrong cosmology?

Or consider these Scriptures:

Colossians 1:13-18 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, (14) in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (15) He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. (16) For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things have been created through Him and for Him. (17) He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. (18) He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.

Verse 16 states that “…by Him all things were created.” And later in verse 17, it says that “…in Him all things hold together.” If this is true, then that puts Tony’s beliefs outside of orthodoxy.

Finally, consider the very beginning of Scripture, Genesis 1:

Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

The word God there is the Hebrew word ‘Elohim’ – a plural word, not a plurality of ‘gods’, but ONE GOD in 3 persons. So the O.T. as well supports Jesus being Creator.

I don’t often ask for things like this, but I want to make this appeal to you: Link to this post. Retweet the Link. Put it on Facebook. Post it wherever you can. The Word of God must be spread to combat such horrible perversions of truth.

Soli Deo Gloria!

The original appears complete with a comments section here.

See also:

TONY JONES, THE EMERGING CHURCH AND PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIANITY

FULLER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY PROFESSOR TONY JONES AND CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALITY COHORT

WHAT IS A “CHRISTIAN UNIVERSALIST?”

DOUG PAGITT AND CHRISTIAN UNIVERSALISM

ROB BELL AND CHRISTIAN UNIVERSALISM

SPENCER BURKE: I’M A UNIVERSALIST WHO BELIEVES IN HELL

CHRISTIAN UNIVERSALISM AFFIRMS SALVATION BY JESUS