Pagitt seemed to have a more thorough understanding of the scripture than Todd?? More like he threw out much of it. John 14:2-3 says, “In my Father’s HOUSE are many ROOMS. If it were not so, would I have told you that I GO to prepare a PLACE for you? And if I GO and prepare a PLACE for you, I will COME again and will take you TO myself, that WHERE I am you may BE also.”

Luke 16:23-25 “And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in TORMENTS, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am TORMENTED in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art TORMENTED.”

However, I think it is obvious that Doug is lost. He uses warm, fuzzy words to make himself and his theology sound deep and intellectual, as well as thought out, but it’s really not. It’s just burying anything concrete in a bunch of warm, fuzzy and intellectual words.

I think one interesting thing is, as Calvinism is often criticized for its surrounding arrogance and intellectual ivory tower basis that makes the gospel unreachable for the common man, what Doug believes(which I am not quite sure what that is), has the same issue. You can’t really know what to believe about anything, and I’ll throw the word “platonic” in there, and “cosmology” in there, and maybe if I throw enough philosophical words in to the mix, I can avoid having concrete, explainable beliefs about pretty much anything, and I will still sound researched, well thought out, and “spiritual” if I use enough big words to explain what I may or may not believe.

Everyone who is friends with him or remotely connected to him is now responsible for his excesses, mistakes, behavior, etc?

That’s great.

Next time someone paints us all with a broad brush because of the occasional idiocy of Pat Robertson…you get my point.

If Pagitt is not your brother, then have compassion on him as one who is lost, pray for his salvation.

If Pagitt is a wayward brother, then pray for him and read the Bible that says restore him gently, that tells you something about what God expects of you…even when you proclaim the Absolute Truth of the inerrant Word of God.

I don’t see any of this in these discussions (that sadly become forums for peoples spleen venting).

It’s not indicative of the Spirit of Christ and such composure is not incompatible with speaking the Truth.

For the sake of the Kingdom, our witness and the health of the Church we all need to grow up.

“What about his emphasis on ‘the Jesus narrative of life’?”

Doug Pagitt knows nothing of the true Jesus Christ whose very revelation is the scriptures.

2 Timothy 3:5 -
“Holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; and avoid such men as these. 7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith.”

Don’t be deceived my friend. Study the Gospels in depth and Pagitt’s entire system crumbles under the weight.

But of course, Christ was a Platonist. Sounds to me as if Pagitt didn’t even know what HE believed.

I think Pagitt needs to read Luke 16:23-25 if he believes that no one will be sent to hell (an actual place of torment).

Luke 16:23-25 “And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.”

Sounds like these two had an appointment somewhere REAL later that day. Yes….THERE!!! Not in some future-perfect earth thousands of years later. Would Pagitt say Jesus was offering some false metaphoric/euphamistic hope to make him feel better on his death bed? If so, why did he not offer the same hope to the other criminal? Would he say that Jesus is a Platonist? Hmmm…Jesus did create Plato…I’ll have to ponder that.

Of course, if this whole account is just a quaint narrative, passed down by shepherds sitting around campfires, rather than the inspired, inerrant word of God, you can somehow fit that into your “theology”

You know, we can be outraged by Pagitt’s offenses against the Gospel, or we can mock Pagitt for his absurdity. But our first response should be a profound sadness that God’s name is being slandered and that thousands are being led astray by this man’s false teaching. God help them all - we need to be on our knees for them.