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Ken Pulliam a former evangelical Christian turned agnostic or the such has died (you can read his story here), and yet his blog lives on. At least until the posts which he has written stops auto-posting. His latest one questions whether or not Adam and Eve had freewill. To be honest, I haven’t read much of Ken’s work, but I am sure he will be missed. What disgusts me however, is the comment left by a ‘Christian’ blogger on that latest post. Rhology, who is a militant anti-whatever he is not, it seems, left a commet which reads,
Goodbye Dr Pulliam. Your pitiful arguments against Christianity will be missed. I pity you greatly.
As a Christian, I believe that one of the greatest things to happen to my faith is the interaction with those who so strongly challenge it, and the more so, with those so hurt by it, destroyed by it, or those who simply see no value in it. People in some way like Dr. Ken Pulliam.
People like Rhology are those who needed Pulliam the most. But, they also need more importantly, the love of the Christ Whom they claim to serve. I do not pity Dr. Pulliam; I pity Rhology.
Related articles
- RIP, Ken Pulliam (unreasonablefaith.com)
- The evangelical identity crisis | Alan Wilson (guardian.co.uk)
Joel L. Watts holds a Masters of Arts from United Theological Seminary with a focus in literary and rhetorical criticism of the New Testament. His interests include exploring the role of mimesis in human civilization, specifically in the study of religion and media, as well as science fiction and the way in which it has allowed mythology to be explored in light of scientific discoveries of the past century. He is the author of Mimetic Criticism of the Gospel of Mark: Introduction and Commentary (Wipf and Stock, 2013) and a co-editor and contributor to From Fear to Faith: Stories of Hitting Spiritual Walls (Energion, 2013).
Website: → Unsettled Christianity
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Hello,
Thanks for your thoughts. It is apparent that you have not really understood who Dr Pulliam was. One wonders whether you read his blog very much. He and I have had extensive conversations within the past year, and he has just finished a series in which he did everything within his (limited) power to kick dust on the glorious and wonderful doctrine of the Substitutionary Atonement of Christ. He had a PhD in theology from a Christian university (yes, Bob Jones U is offbeat and has problems, but they’re still Christian) and yet turned away from the Christian faith and did his best over the course of many years to destroy it in the minds of others.
He was not your ally. He was not an unwitting pawn. He was a wolf. Biblically speaking, the only way he could have been worse for the Body of Christ would have been if he had stayed within its ranks to wreak havoc from the inside.
I guess I don’t understand what’s so disgusting here. Is it that I said I pity the man? He had just submitted a chapter in an upcoming antitheist book, and died suddenly. Where do *you* think he is? That’s why I pity him. You sort of make it sound like I am dancing with joy at his death. If that’s what you think, you are very wrong.
Peace and less prejudice to you,
Rhology
You shouldn’t wonder, as I told you about my reading habits of Pulliam.
‘Glorious and wonderful’? Really? Since it is still too new to be certain, let’s just stick with a valid explanation of an interpretation of the work of Christ.
Biblically speaking, he is a human, a person, a creation of God. You are not treating him with that in his most weakest state. What you are doing is hiding behind pseudonymous names and attacking a dead man.
I think that he asleep, and at the same time, with his Creator.
It is not his state that I am concerned with, but yours.
Truly awful!
Very much, Stuart.
despicable. dancing on anyone’s grave is sub-christian.
“When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices; when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.” Hey, guess what. That’s in the Bible. Proberbs 11:10.
Guess you don’t like consistent Christians.
Um, so, another anonymous commenter who says nothing.
I would guess you haven’t read the NT much, have you?
Sub-human
Agreed Jim. He’s commenting – justifying – over at Prof McGrath’s blog.
I hate the way he ends with “peace”, don’t they always….
joel- might be a good idea to disable unmoderated comments. if you don’t, the anonymous will deluge you with ignorant ‘dueling verses’ from the bible which they will mindlessly decontextualize because they lack both the insight and theological wherewithal to know what those texts mean.
jim,
Would you be so kind as to provide us all with a reason to think that some1′s Bible psg was “decontextualize”d? Is it just that it expresses a view that doesn’t fit in your preconceived theological box?
Peace,
Rhology
Actually, it only fits into your preconceived theological box, and not based on Scripture.
So very true, Jim. Prooftexting is a dangerous thing.
my comment policy is simple- i dont respond to anonymous or pseudonymous people. cowards afraid to stand by their words aren’t worth the effort.
After reading your post, the response of the person you criticized, and your responses to his and another (some1), I believe the title for your post is quite appropriate . . . in reference to yourself. The self-righteousness exhibited by you and your ilk (Dr. Jim in particular) disgusts me. If you are what it means to be a christian, I would never want to be known by that name.
You know, what really drives home your point is your anonymity
I’m not particularly anonymous, but I have yet to see your explanation as to why I’m so disgusting. Or to see you substantiate your accusations against some1 above. When will you start? Or do you just prefer to lob baseless accusations?
Ironically, that’s taking advantage of the man’s death to whine about a particular hobbyhorse, the very thing you accuse me of.
Any explanation will be much appreciated (though given my experience with theological liberals, I’m not holding my breath).
Well given my experience with ‘illogical’ fundies such as yourself, trying to explain how hard-hearted, insensitive and unloving you have become, is also fruitless, as you’re incapable of seeing fault in your own actions and views, which is actually a fundie form of projection….
Stuart, Rho is on other blogs doing the same. What he said was wrong, and without understanding what Prov. 11.10 is really saying, they are using it to justify their exuberant joy in reacting to the death of a man who challenged their new doctrine.
First, dancing on the grave of a dead man is disgusting. Second, n-e-1 didn’t make a claim; he proof-texted. Proof-texting and expecting a response is sorta like stating that Genesis 1 is real science – neither of which is sane, biblical or really worth paying attention to.
Yeah… theological liberals. That’s funny. I guess that makes you a theological fascist?
I quote from this blogsite’s “about” page . . . “You have the right to remain anonymous, as I am not threatened by the unknown.”
Is that no longer valid Joel? You seem, by your response to several to your post, that you are indeed threatened by the unknown. Why don’t you simply respond to the points made by your readers, rather than constantly retreat to your strongholds of “anonimity” and “prooftexting” and the like.
Nope, Jeff, but threatened and finding that people like to hide while throwing attacks, and then upon that revelation calling them out for it, is a different thing.
Since no real points were made, why respond?
It just goes to show that those who think that they are defending “God” will do anything to attack and vilify those that may disagree with them. I decided to read Rhology’s blog and I cannot believe the hatred that he has towards those that disagree with his interpretation of the faith. Actually I can believe it because I have seen it manifested by Al Qaeda and the Taliban. He reminds me of one of these guys issuing a Fatwah. Oh wait, Christians have done this too…didn’t the Catholic Church dig up Tyndale or was it Wycliffe, try him for heresy and burn the remains at the stake? Good company that O’Rho keeps….
It was Wycliffe that they dug up, but Tyndale they went ahead and burned alive. I have a feeling that Rho would have participated as well.
I like how you call Rhology similar to Al Qaeda and the Taliban when you’re the ones calling him sub-human! HAHAHAHAHAHA!
Dude
You are so freaking consumed with hate that didn’t even read. I didn’t call Rhology “sub-human.” I merely pointed out that I have seen his attitude manifested in the ideology of Al Qaeda and the Taliban. You are the other hand don’t even argue, you just try to shout people down and make insane comments. Personally I don’t see that in the Gospels, even in the instance that you cite. Jesus did preach judgement yes, but almost all of it was directed to people that referred to people that were not like them as “dogs” and less than human. That my friend was Jewish orthodoxy of the time. But you have a singular inability to be able to comprehend this. Dude I have been threatened by neo-Nazis and White Supremacists in the past few months. I can deal with them, but people that call themselves “Christian” and treat people that disagree with you as you and Rhology do do scare me because if you had political power and and the power of the police behind you you would make the Nazis look like choirboys. God help the Church because you are not.
You’re the only one being hateful here. Rhology doesn’t scare me at all. I feel far more threatened by you and “anti-Fox” Joel (seriously, WTF is up with that? Joel responds to a philosophical question by projecting a biased view of television and I’m suppose to think that’s brilliant?).
I will be honest here. I worry about Joel. He can’t seem to separate politics from religion, and that’s just the sort of person who blows up buildings. He also said Rhology was sub-human.
But no, *THAT* has no correlation to Nazi behavior at all (thanks for proving Godwin’s Law yet again, though). Oh, that great Joel guy! See him over there? He’s pure Jesus love, baby! And he’ll prove it to you with a bullet in the back of your skull if you doubt it.
I would prefer if you would leave the profanity out of the conversation, and if you cannot, you will be removed.
As far as the rest of your comment, which makes no sense, and is little more than an ad hom, what silliness.
The New Testament? You mean that section where Jesus beat people in the temple? Said they were vipers and white-washed tombs? Told them it woudl be more bearable for Sodom than for the people he was talking to? Or do you mean the section where some guy said to chop off everyone’s manhood? *THAT* New Testament?
I will go out on a limb and say that you have not read that New Testament. You probably got the version where Jesus was a black woman living in a shack somewhere giving people fortune cookie sayings.
If you went out on that limb, you might find the end of the rope upon wish to hang yourself. I was thinking more along the lines of love your enemies, love those who persecute you, turn the other cheek, pray for your enemies, not to judge, that the rain falls on the just and the unjust, you know, stuff like that.
Again, context is king. The Temple is not your modern doctrine. God loved the world, even the atheists and Muslims. I know, that’s going to be difficult for you to digest.
So you just got half of a New Testament? Can you get a refund?
Oh. Now it makes sense. God loves atheists and Muslims. He just doesn’t love Rhology.
Wow. Seriously, I bet you like FoxNews
So God hates Teabaggers too?
You are brilliant. I wish I could argue like you.
Wow. N-E-1, I bet you work for FoxNews…
Why don’t you actually read the posts and comments before you comment again.
With Pulliam’s death, I dare not pass a judgment on him. But when Rhology dies, I know he’ll burn in hell. “For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath showed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.” (James 2:13)
Rhology >He was not your ally. He was not an unwitting pawn. He was a wolf<
Its war ?, you are even at war with a dead man ? .Even in death you feel need to hate him so much, in your mind he is a wolf ?.
Do you not follow that teaching, let he without sin cast the first stone ?.
And would you maybe also be one of those who might judge many Muslims as being evil ?.
Even as an atheist i cannot for the life of me even start to understand why a simple apology to a dead man and his grieving family is so far above you.So far the excuse you seemed to offer is that you felt Hitchens misbehaved the same way.
Al Qaeda dont mind if their bombs hurt any of the innocent and they dont apologize , and sadly seems you dont mind either if your opinion hurts the innocent wife two children and family who find themselves suddenly dealing with some very tough times.
Why not man up and go back and make a simple apology, its honestly doesnt hurt all that much i promiss you.And you can rise up above the actions of other people like Hitchens with which you abhor.
Rhology dont be afraid its not a weak thing to apoligize .It actually takes great strength.And im sure you can do it. Whats more people will quickly forgive you and even have greater respect for the fact you are able to admit being a little wrong , far more than feeling a little disrespect of you for the slight mistake you made.
Plus you can also help make a wife two kids and family feel a little better at the same time. Please think about that
It would really be a win win situation.
There is not even one single perfect person on this earth Rhology .And a person is never small when they apologize.
In all y’alls’ attempts, you have failed to show any need to apologise. For what? Pitying a man who is facing eternity apart from the Christ he turned away from and tried to convince so many didn’t exist? Where’s my fault again?
Many of you have shown such disgusting prejudice and a willingness to jump to ignorant judgments. It’s amazing. You put racist rednecks to shame with your bias. I guess “judge not that ye not be judged” is only relevant when it’s a conservative doing the judging.
Peace and clear thinking to you,
Rhology
Actually, Rho, you seem to be judging yourself in declaring that Ken is now in hell.
I’d said:
Pitying a man who is facing eternity apart from the Christ he turned away from
I’d be interested in knowing what other conclusion you’d prefer the objective observer to draw, and more to the point, your evidence for it.
Thanks! I think I’ll be waiting a while, but hope springs eternal!
Peace,
Rhology
You don’t actually have to draw a judgment, do you? Yet, you are making one, based on your own understanding of Scripture and malice to Pulliam. I would suggest you obey that part about judging… if you can.
God shows a bit of wrath and, yes, malice to those who make themselves strong enemies of Himself. I’m just copying God.
And as for judging:
1) You are acting hypocritically, judging me while remind me not to judge.
2) You’re forgetting the context. There are verses that come after Matthew 7:1-2, you know.
Peace,
Rhology
So, you are taking the place of God? Lovely.
No, judging is not calling you out for your actions – judging is saying that a dead man is in hell.
L.o.L its the unhumble arrogant fraudulence of the type of attitudes of people like Rhology that will certainly help keep on turning so very many more away from faith, who happen to read and experience this type of nastiness.And yet the mentality of these type of calvinists clowns will see them sctraching their wee beanies. While sitting around within their cakvinistic cesspits wondering why oh why might it be Barna polls seem to be consistantly suggesting faith is actually in very fast decline. While in faith books speaking about wolves in sheeps clothe that they also read, dont need to be actually be talking about any of the agnostics or atheists.Specially when the agnostics and atheist clothe is openly displayed as obviously being non faithful.Its not like its the non believers that feel any need to try to pretend to be anything different than that what they freely admit to actually being.Agnostics or atheists
Joel if any God exists, i surely do look forward to being around and seeing Rhology explaining that with his thought on Kens blog at his time of death, he was being completely honest , that his thoughts were truly honestly only ever written out of this pity he speaks of having.And not out of any spite or malice what so ever at all.
Sure seemed like malice to plenty of us.You know looks like a duck quacks like a duck,seems like its a duck .And that dont suggest to us non believers, that it seems like its actually very good sign of it honestly looking like good evidence of any this devine guidence faithful folk tell us about.We are only adding the faithful suggestions of +1 and then subtracting the -1 that we personally see, and realizing to us that then end up seeming so very much like its actually 0
In the meanwhile as an atheist may i hope that this fine testimony so publically displayed by Rhology serves to also help bring a very much faster end to faith.Him and his calvinist blood brothers make the work of us atheist so very much easier.
Even so i feel for the faithful people like you Joel as i can see you have a very hard uphill road to hoe trying to convince the rest of world of any of the benefit of faith .When these nasty wolves speak in effect of more than a thousand words as to the likely total worthless use of it.
Pete, it is a very rough road, but I have learned that it is made so not by atheists or Muslims, etc… but by people, as you point out, like Rho and Jeff and N-E-1.
Joel, I find it very sad that while you call your blog the church of Jesus Christ, it seems more than anything, it castigates those who have put their faith in Jesus, while building up those who have set themselves against him.
Jeff, you can slander if you want, but all it shows is what is in your heart, and it ain’t Christ.
I’d just like to remind you of what God has already spoken on this topic. Here are some parts that will prove offensive to those who prefer to believe only part of what God has said and leave the rest to the side b/c it makes them uncomfortable. Like you.
Psalm 7:6 Arise, O LORD, in Your anger; Lift up Yourself against the rage of my adversaries,
And arouse Yourself for me; You have appointed judgment.
Psalm 3:7Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God! For You have smitten all my enemies on the cheek; You have shattered the teeth of the wicked.
Psalm 2: 1Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing?
2The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together
Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, 3″Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!”
4He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them.
5Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury…
John 3:36 He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.
Romans 2: 1Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. 2And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things. 3But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? 4Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? 5But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS: 7to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; 8but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. 9There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil…
Okay… so, you simply ignore all of this where it is not your place, but God’s to do what He will.
Further, you ignore a whole host of other Scriptures about treating the fallen, the sinners, etc… with Grace. You are only usurping the roll of God. Hope you can live with that.
Oh – and don’t forget Psalms 137 where, in your opinion, Christians can hope that the infants of the sinners meet a brutal death. Are you going to call for the death of Pulliam’s children?
Ignore it? Where did I ignore it? How am I taking God’s place by repeating what God said?
This kind of reasoning proves too much. Anytime you tell someone they should love another, you’re “taking God’s place” and “judging” them for not loving.
No, judging someone wrongly/hypocritically (which is Jesus’ point in Matt 7:1-3) is far from the same thing as quoting God’s Word to them.
Yes, thanks be to God that He offers grace to fallen sinners. Fallen sinners who repent.
And YOU, sir, are ignoring the scads of Scriptural psgs that deal with God’s wrath against His enemies. If you were interested in honestly dealing with the text as a whole, you’d find a position that takes it ALL into acct. As it is, you’re a cafeteria Christian, picking and choosing what you’ll believe. That’s idolatry; you’re setting up a God you prefer rather than the God Who is.
Your ignorant comment about Ps 137 only serves to show more clearly your barely-concealed contempt for God’s Word and your unwillingness to be fair to those with whom you disagree. Shame on you.
Peace,
Rhology
Love is given to all as a command, but judgment is withheld to God Alone. You should have at least glossed over this in your readings of the text, if you have actually read the text, which is doubtful if you subscribe to some of the new-fangled doctrines that you think you do.
Remember, that in God’s wrath, He sent His Son, while we were yet enemies, and sinners, and apart from Him, to die so that in Christ’s faithfulness, we are saved. The Wrath is meant to push us to Christ, and yet you use it as a beating stick. You miss that point, like you do others.
So, instead of dealing with the passages that you don’t like, you attack me? But, then again, you attacked a dead man, and basically at his graveside, so what manner of civility should I expect from you? None, I suspect.
Thanks for the reminder, Joel, but I didn’t judge anyone.
The Wrath is meant to push us to Christ, and yet you use it as a beating stick.
Yep. It’s both.
Galatians 3:19Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made. 20Now a mediator is not for one party only; whereas God is only one. 21Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law. 22But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
23But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. 24Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. 25But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. 26For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
instead of dealing with the passages that you don’t like, you attack me?
Another baseless accusation. Where did I attack you? And where have you given me a passage I “don’t like”?
you attacked a dead man
And a 3rd baseless accusation. YOu know, I keep asking ppl to quote my “attack” on Pulliam, and they never do. Would you be so kind as to do so?
Peace,
Rhology
Not, not baseless, not whatsoever. But, then again, since you ignore everything else, I suspect that you willingly ignore not only what you write, but what others write as well.
You passage quoted only supplants what I have said. So, thanks for that.
Pitying a dead man in your comment, and on here stating that he is apart from Christ – which you do not have the power to do so – are attacks. Done. Now, go repent, ask God to show you more mercy than you have shown others.
@ Joel #54
Thanks for your opinions. I’ll stop by later and see if you’ve decided to provide arguments to go with them!
Peace,
Rhology
Already done. Many times over.
Rhology is well known in central Oklahoma. He has proven himself useful to me because he reminds me of why I stopped having anything to do with the traditional Southern Baptists years ago and moved on to another church that focuses on God’s love, grace and forgiveness instead of the hatred and nonsense that people like Rhology stir up and spread.
Rhology just doesn’t get it.
Now, post away Rhology!