BELIEVE IT... OR NOT!?

As an educator, I have often heard administrators use statements like, "Well, according to research..." to encourage teachers to get on board with various trends in education.  Over the years I have become cynical to the point of wanting to roll my eyes and shut down when someone in leadership uses "research" to make their point.  Why?  Well, if we don't all know, we should know by now that research can be found to support ANYTHING.  So I've grown to "mistrust" in educational circles "research" and want to find out for myself what is actually "truth."  Meanwhile, in my personal life, when I've heard a Christian friend tell me something I often take what they say at face value, even passing on the information as if it is "gospel."  So, while I've rolled my eyes at some, I have recently discovered I am one that from time to time should have people rolling their eyes at me!  What misinformation have I unknowingly passed on, you might say...  Well, what do you really know about two people:  Rob Bell and J.K. Rowling?  I thought I knew some things.  Now, I’m not sure what to believe.

Rob Bell and J.K. Rowling may seem to have nothing in common.  Rob Bell is an author, teacher, and pastor of Mars Hill.  J.K. Rowling is the author of the well known Harry Potter series.  What they have in common...  I owe them both an apology for believing unsubstantiated things that were simply passed on to me by word of mouth and then repeating the false information.  So, Rob Bell, and J.K. Rowling, and anyone else I've believed falsities about - I'm truly sorry!  To those of you I may have shared things about these or anyone else with - thinking I was doing my "Christian service," I apologize.  My intentions have always been to stand up for what is right.  However, I have been misled just like many others.  In particular, let me share a little bit about these two.

Let's begin with Rob Bell.  For years his teachings, his Nooma videos, and writings have ministered to me.  Yet, a few months ago when some people shared that he had written a new book and it looked like he was supporting some universalistic teachings, I jumped on the band wagon.  I shared my disappointment with others and even stopped a study in our Sunday school class using the very videos that had made such a positive impact in my life prior to this "new knowledge."  Recently, I discovered that all of this "hoopla" started when one man read a quote from the back of the book (the man didn't even read Rob Bell's book at all - just the back cover!)  He went on to call Rob Bell a Universalist and from there the rumors flew!  Rob Bell has denied that he is a Universalist.  Yet, he is still being seen as a heretic by many Evangelicals.  Has anyone actually read his new book to find out what he has really said?  To be honest, I haven't!  In fact, many people were debating Rob Bell and his new book, Love Wins before it even was finished!  In all honesty, I can't make a judgment about something I've not even read.  And I should not have.  There is a fascinating article reviewing the book at http://www.relevantmagazine.com/culture/books/reviews/25070-love-wins-by-rob-bell.  From this article I gather there is both good and bad, and both truth and misinterpretations from Scripture in Love Wins.  Again, I have not read it - so I cannot pass judgment on Rob Bell, his beliefs, or his teachings.  If we really want to know what he believes and says we should read the book ourselves, yes?  I myself have had one reservation - "what if he is teaching heresy and I get 'sucked in' by reading his book?"  Here is the thing.  Jesus made it clear that He is "the way, the TRUTH, and the life."  He also said, "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you..."  Before we pick up Rob Bell's book, or anyone else's for that matter, maybe we should pick up THE BOOK.  Let's try reading Scripture for ourselves.  As we do, SEEK GOD!  Pray!  Ask God to truly reveal Himself and what He is saying to us!  In James it says, "If any man lacks wisdom let him ask..."  He goes on to say He will give us wisdom if we ask believing.  My point, we should be seeking to know God first and foremost.  We should be praying and studying His Word.  If we are truly in right relationship with Him, seeking to know Him more, we should be able to read a book and ask for God's discernment in seeing the truths of that book and the errors.  He can give us that.  He is God for pity sake!  Again, I'm not supporting all of Rob Bell's teachings because I don't know ALL of his teachings.  At the same time, I am sorry I almost threw out what I know are true, Biblical based ideas Rob Bell expounded on because of the “rumor mill.” 

Now, let's talk about J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter.  When this series first came out Christian friends told me the author was a witch who used real incantations in her stories.  I believed it.  I passed on the information fearing our children were being influenced by Satan working through this woman.  Boy does it look like I was dreadfully wrong.  Does anyone know where all of this "Harry Potter is of the devil" stuff began?  It began in an article in "The Onion."  The article was satirical!  "The Onion" itself is totally satirical in its stories.  Satire...  Not truth!  Not actual interviews and such!  It is sarcasm and fiction at its best (or worse).  However, some people began quoting from this article and sharing the information from it as if it was true.  We believe.  We panic for our children.  We share.  It's like that gossip game we play where we all sit in a circle and someone whispers something into their neighbor's ear, but by the time the message gets back to the original person it is so twisted it is hysterical.  I had some Christian friends tell me they'd heard the negative hoopla was based on rumors.  So I began watching the movies with a friend.  They are to today's generation what Star Wars was to mine - great fantasy stories of good verses evil.  In fact, the more I watched them the more I saw CHRISTIAN parallels in the stories.  I thought maybe it was just because of my background.  Then I went to see the newest Harry Potter movie.  I left thinking, "Ok, it can't just be me!  I'm not just reading my own belief system into the movie.  There were some serious Spiritual parallels."  So, I came home and began doing some "research."  Ha!  I know you can't believe everything you read!  However, I cannot dismiss what I found.  Here's a couple of things that will make you re-think the "Harry Potter is of the devil" belief though:     http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1572107/jk-rowling-talks-about-christian-imagery.jhtml and http://www.snopes.com/humor/iftrue/potter.asp.  There is plenty more out there on the issue - just look at Christianity Today.  It's still a topic of debate.  However, as I said, it would seem the original basis for the criticism begun against Rawling years ago is satire. 

All of this being said, I apologize for sometimes jumping to conclusions and believing the worst about people - even going to the point of sharing what I've heard before truly knowing the truth.  Furthermore, I have been challenged and I hope to challenge others.  We need not just take things that are said or read (especially on the internet) at face value.  We should test things, try things, and more than anything, ask for God and His wisdom to show us what is really true before we "believe it...  or not!"