Another One Bites the Dust

Following closely on Josh Harris's heels (see here, here, and here), Marty Sampson, a song writer for Hillsong, announced on Instagram that he too is losing his faith. Mr. Sampson has since deleted his Instagram post, but other sources saved it, so here is the text, with some of my commentary.

Time for some real talk. I’m genuinely losing my faith, and it doesn’t bother me. Like, what bothers me now is nothing.

When a 40-year-old man writes or speaks like a valley girl, that always sends up a red flag in my mind.

I am so happy now, so at peace with the world. It’s crazy. 

This is a soapbox moment so here I go … How many preachers fall? Many. No one talks about it.

What? "No one talks about it"? Does this guy not have access to the internet? How does he post on Instagram? I searched for "when pastors fall", and found all kinds of articles and sermons on the subject. More importantly, Jesus talked about it, the Apostles talked about it. What is this guy talking about?

How many miracles happen. Not many. No one talks about it.

Again, does this guy not have access to the internet? I searched for "modern day miracles", and "miracles in the modern era", and found plenty of articles and sermons. Furthermore, few miracles happened in the Bible. There were only a few people in the Bible around whom miracles abounded - Moses, Elijah, Elisha, Jesus, and the Apostles. Outside of their ministries, oftentimes hundreds of years passed between miracles. 

Besides, if "not many" miracles happen, then that means some miracles do happen. How many miracles does Mr. Sampson need to believe? Does Mr. Sampson think God owes him miracles? The Pharisees demanded miracles from Jesus. He had an answer for them, too.

Why is the Bible full of contradictions? No one talks about it.

Again, where has this guy been? Here's a link devoted entirely to that subject. Pretty much every time I talk to an unbeliever about the Bible, he/she claims the Bible is "full of contradictions". When I ask them to name one, the answer is almost always, "uhhhh........ ". On the rare occasion that they can actually name one, I've always been able to resolve it for them.

That doesn't mean that I'm capable of resolving every apparent "contradiction" in the Bible, but it does mean that Mr. Sampson hasn't done the work necessary to understand the Bible. I'm not a church elder. Mr. Sampson is. Shouldn't he be better prepared than I am? I'd be embarrassed if Mr. Sampson was more knowledgeable about engineering than I am, because engineering is my profession. Mr. Sampson is a professional church elder. Why am I better prepared than he is?

How can God be love yet send four billion people to a place, all ‘coz they don’t believe? No one talks about it.

Are you kidding me? Everyone talks about this! It's one of the most common questions unbelievers ask! For crying out loud, man! Use a search engine!

I could give Mr. Sampson a much longer answer, but here's a short one. Yes, God is love (1 John 4:8), but God is also just, and justice means giving people what they've earned, and "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). Wages are what one earns. We've all earned death. And the second death is eternal separation from God in the one place where God's presence cannot be perceived (Revelation 20:14).

In other words, God will not only giving people what they earned, He will give them what they want - an existence without God.

Christians can be the most judgmental people on the planet -

So, Marty Sampson has judged that "Christians can be the most judgmental people on the planet", and Marty Sampson has judged that being judgmental is a very bad thing. Does that about cover it?

- they can also be some of the most beautiful and loving people. But it’s not for me. 

I am not in any more. I want genuine truth. Not the “I just believe it” kind of truth.

Oh, you mean the kind of truth that the Apostle Peter referred to when he (really, the Holy Spirit) commanded you to "sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you"? (1 Peter 3:15) You mean that kind of truth?

Why doesn't Mr. Sampson already have that kind of truth? He's 40 years old, and a professional church elder. How did he ever get there without even knowing what he believes, or why he believes it?

Science keeps piercing the truth of every religion.

Again; where's this guy been? Mr. Sampson is, of course, referring to evolution. If you have time, please watch the following video from a non-religious source.

Lots of things help people change their lives, not just one version of God. Got so much more to say, but for me, I keeping it real. Unfollow if you want, I’ve never been about living my life for others. 

That certainly explains a lot. 

All I know is what’s true to me right now, and Christianity just seems to me like another religion at this point. I could go on, but I won’t. Love and forgive absolutely.

Why? 

Be kind absolutely.

Why? 

Be generous and do good to others absolutely.

Why? 

Some things are good no matter what you believe.

Says who? Define "good". How does one measure "good"? By what standard? Why that standard, and not some other standard?

Let the rain fall, the sun will come up tomorrow.

Mr. Sampson's muddled, garbled, self-centered theology is precisely the problem with churches like Hillsong that focus on emotion above solid doctrinal teaching. When Mr. Sampson says over and over again, "no one talks about it", I suspect that he means "Hillsong never talks about it", because as I've demonstrated, plenty of people are talking about the difficult questions of faith.

Second, as I pointed out in my series about Josh Harris, in the books of Titus and 1 Timothy, the Holy Spirit, through the Apostle Paul, gave us the qualifications for a church elder. Like Josh Harris, Marty Sampson fails miserably to meet those qualifications. Why was he ever made an elder?

Because Hillsong's leadership doesn't actually believe the Bible.

And that leads us to the real problem.

Churches like Hillsong don't preach the Jesus of the Bible. They preach Buddy Christ. Mr. Sampson said that he has "never been about living my life for others". Buddy Christ approves, but the Jesus of the Bible says "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it." (Matthew 16:24-25)

Jesus spoke the truth, because He is The Truth, but the truth doesn't fill stadiums with adoring fans. It never has. In John 6, Jesus preached a harsh message that deeply offended the people who followed Him. Please read the whole thing here. Buddy Christ is never offensive. By contrast, this is how Jesus Christ reacted.

John 6:60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?" 

61 When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. 65 And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.” 

66 From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. 67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” 

68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

What will you do, Christian, when you read passages in God's Word that offed you? Because, I assure you, there are many.

Will you follow Josh Harris's, and Marty Sampson's examples, and spout nonsense about "my truth"?

Will you follow Hillsong's example and simply avoid those "offensive" passages?

Or, will you follow the Apostle Peter's example, and say to your Lord, "where else will I go? You alone have the words of eternal life."