Dan,
I appreciate the links. I do agree that the approach that the first link takes is very kind and gentle. I dont think that the specific things that are being advocated go far enough though..
But I know that you were citing this more so for an example of tone. I have come to learn that the church requires all kinds of people.. some that are soft and some that are gritty and in your face.
I think that it is somewhat dangerous to automatically assume that since one is being gritty, that this automatically means that he is being sinful and arrogant or unloving. Different people respond differently. The church needs all types of personalities. Being bold for Christ sometimes means that you have to be BOLD... but other times, it can mean to be firm yet gentle...
For the second article, Keller is reacting to a statement that he made... and he was supposedly being unclear and this is why a lot of people misunderstood him. This is a supreme error in judgement if this really was the case.Esp. with an issue like homosexuality, did he not have the understanding that he needed to be absolutely clear?
For the third article, I severely disagree with his hermeneutic and he also commits several logical fallacies. For instance, he says: If the New Testament has reaffirmed a commandment, then it is still in force for us today.
This is clearly wrong. If what Keller says is true, then bestiality and rape would be acceptable because neither are mentioned in the NT. The proper hermeneutic should be that the OT commandments are still in force unless specifically (or by deduction) repealed in the NT.
You will also notice that he never actually specifically discusses homosexuality in this article. He at least implies that he feels that it is wrong since he quotes 1 Cor 6:9, but he never interacts with the text, and his main point about the article is simply to discuss the role of the OT and the NT and in terms of what is still binding and what isnt.
Now, i know that Tim Keller is a very smart man... Do you honestly think that this was an honest mistake? I suspect hardly.... He was very unclear in the second link, and he is still unclear and wants to discuss his views in a very very soft way in the third link... This is greatly concerning to me because this shows that he has no boldness (at least in this area).
I never said that he doesnt believe that homosexuality is wrong... I was referring to the fact that he was not being bold in this area. I admit, my colloquialism may have brought about some confusion, so I apologize if you felt that I thought that he didnt believe that it was a sin.
Please see: http://ironink.org/2013/03/spurgeon-and-mcatee-contra-keller-on-sodomy/
You will see Keller hemming and hawing.. it is really embarrassing to watch and not amusing at all, even though the audience laughs at his humor... In fact, it is very discouraging and angering at how much he is backpedaling.
Keller has said in the past that "you dont go to hell because you are a homosexual, but because you dont love Jesus" or something like that...
While I understand the intent behind why he says this (socially, and theologically) this actually sends a terrible message to homosexuals and to weak Christians.
Socially, he is not being clear where Scripture is clear.. Scripture is very very clear on what exactly homosexuality is. It is his duty as a minister to be clear. He is doing it this way to be soft and not "offensive"... This is troubling because his fear of other people is affecting how he preaches truth. Shouldnt the fear of God and not man be what affects our preaching?
Theologically, this is actually an oversimplification of what exactly is at stake. Yes, we can all agree that you go to hell if you dont believe or love Jesus. But one's unwillingness to believe in Jesus isnt in a vacuum... It is the total depravity in his heart and his heart is fixated on worshiping anything else other than God... In Rom 1, we see that homosexuality is actually a tragic symptom of idolatry (Rom 1:23). And it is this idolatry and therefore homosexuality that natural man is using to rebel against God. So yes, for an atheist homosexual, it is because he is homosexual that he is going to hell, because he is using this to rebel against God and not believe in Jesus.
Finally, I hope that with what I have mentioned previously and above shows you why I feel that Keller has hurt the church deeply in many ways.
With his not being crystal clear on homosexuality, he is not being bold as God calls him to be, and he is fearing man more than God, and through this, he hurts the gospel message more than he helps it.
The Bible is exceedingly clear on a number of key ethical issues. Perhaps a knuckle dragger like me is too obtuse to understand why Keller cannot be clear when it seems pretty obvious to me that one needs to be when discussing eternal truth. Lives are at stake. There is no room to be intentionally unclear.
Also, being bold and clear doesnt mean that you are necessarily a jerk or hateful. So when someone is telling another person something straight up, there doesnt automatically need to be an assumption of being a jerk simply because the first person was being clear.
In fact, in many ways, being clear is actually the most loving thing that one can be.