Throw the Theological Baby Out with the Bath Water
I have seen time and time again poor theology infect the lives of Christians, which inevitably leads to fruit that is dead—or not fruit at all. Worse, sometimes that fruit is corrupted, most evidently not of the True Vine even if the practitioners of this faulty theology believe they are grafted in. I understand what I’m writing here is dangerous to say—not only for the sake of others but also for my own—but I wouldn’t write it without a defense.
The Faulty Theology of Many “Christians”
Let’s set the scene: I know there are people out there claiming to be Christians who believe that just because they pray something, God will do it. These Christians practice a form of New Age manifestation that they attach to the name of God. They believe they serve the Lord, but He does not know them.
I know people who believe that, because they are “more righteous” than others, God answers their prayers every time—not only is this a twisting of certain Scriptures, it is evidence of a works-based salvation, sanctification, and relationship with God that is not evidenced anywhere in Scripture. I know people who believe obedience leads to getting what you want. I know people who have attempted to make deals with God (insert Ben Kenobi saying, “Of course I know him; he’s me).
I know people who believe that they have a personal, spiritual tongue with which they can communicate with God, and they believe no one else has this particular language but that everyone has a language as such if only they can find it (hello, Gnosticism—and a little bit of narcissism, too).
I know people who believe God’s presence is stronger, can be felt more, or is greater in certain places at certain times or because certain people prayed over something. Half of them stand in pulpits on Sundays whether to preach or to sing.
I’m not saying this as a spectator; I’ve committed some of these theological errors myself and loved others who committed some even in this list, but that is partially why I am speaking out on it. The other reason is that, frankly, I’m tired of the theological error prevalent in the Evangelical church that allows dirty theological water to exist unrepentant and unconfronted because there might be a baby Christian somewhere in there. Previously, I’ve mentioned the necessity of calling out false teachers in music and the pulpit. This is different. This is an example that needs to be set from the bottom up, so that’s my call.
The Flawed Framework of Judges 11
And now I have a flawless way to teach this thanks to 40 Minutes in the Old Testament. Have you ever heard a sermon on Judges 11? Here are the SparkNotes:
Jephthah, the son of a prostitute, is called to judge (save—I don’t have the word count to go into a word study on this, but it remains true) Gilead, and Israel in turn, after he is cast out by his half brothers because of the state of his birth. The Ammonites fought Israel, and Jephthah, the valiant warrior (Judges 11:1), was called to go to war. He was eventually promised leadership of all Gilead if he did so. After a lengthy debate with the king of the Ammonites, war breaks out in full. The Spirit of the Lord comes on Jephthah (11:29) and leads him to war against the Ammonites where he makes a vow to sacrifice the first person who exits his house to greet him if God gives Him victory when he returns home. When he gets home, his only child—his daughter—comes out to greet him, and he states he cannot take back his vow to the Lord even though he is devastated. Two months later, he sacrifices his daughter.
The Heresy of Jephthah
There are two possible ways to view this passage of Scripture. Both interpretations conclude the same thing: Jephthah made a vow that he kept. Where they differ is in interpretation of how that vow was fulfilled. The first and, in my opinion, weakest interpretation argues that, because Jephthah is mentioned in the “Hall of Faith” in Hebrews 11, there’s no way he could’ve physically murdered his daughter in sacrifice; instead, he sent her into service at the temple and perpetual virginity. The second hinges on the evidence in Judges 11, including the Hebrew word for sacrifice used throughout the passage, which is never used contextually for anything other than a burnt offering per Levitical law. The evidence for the latter view is pretty overwhelming, and I’ll explain:
Nowhere is it indicated that Jephthah did anything less than murder his daughter. In fact, there would be no need for the young women of Israel to commemorate (correctly: mourn) her if she were only forced into serving the Lord (11:39-40). In addition, there would likely be no reason to mourn her own virginity if this were the case; there is nothing prohibiting temple workers from marriage and all its activities. Note also that the language of Jephthah’s vow is vastly different from, for example, Hannah’s vow of Samuel’s servitude to God in the temple (1 Samuel 1:11). And, as I mentioned before, the Hebrew word “ola” is, bar two exceptions related to ascension to heaven, always about a whole burnt offering. It is the same language used by God to Abraham regarding Isaac (Genesis 22:2-3).
The “Hall of Faith” argument has very little ground to prove Jephthah’s righteous actions as he is listed beside Abraham the liar, Sarah the laugher, Jacob the deceiver, Moses the coward, Samson the oathbreaker, and David the adulterer and murderer. The “Hall of Faith” does not contain a list of people who made perfect decisions and didn’t sin in egregious ways; it is full of people through whom, despite egregious sin and imperfect decision-making, God saves and delivers Israel so that He can bring His Son into the world for salvation to all. We should not take this passage of Scripture as one listing people whose actions ought be applauded; rather, we applaud them for faith in God that He was able to use them to bring about Christ—which is precisely how the writer of Hebrews introduces the chapter in verses 1-2 anyway, that their hope in God to bring salvation and rescue is what approved them.
Israel was rife with idolatry. Surrounding the nation, and living with them, were peoples who worshiped Molech, who was totally cool with human sacrifice. It would not be entirely crazy to say that Israel participated in these sacrifices when they committed adultery with this god—and other gods. In fact, we know from verses like 2 Kings 16:2-3 that they sometimes did sacrifice children by burning them to death. Ahaz making “his son pass through the fire” is a euphemism for just that thing. Considering the text of Judges, which consistently shows Israel spiraling away from God into apostasy, it is, therefore, totally within the realm of possibility to presume that Jephthah was a practitioner of some of these idolatrous worship practices.
If I have convinced you to the burnt offering interpretation, I must address the heresy of Jephthah: his vow. Jephthah believes he is making a vow to Yahweh, but we must be clear that Yahweh does not accept human sacrifice as an offering except in the person of Jesus. Therefore, we must conclude that Jephthah’s vow is not only not accepted by Yahweh but is accepted by something: Molech or whatever other deity Jephthah and his people worshiped in conjunction with Yahweh (actions typical of Israel’s idolatry). In fact, Jephthah’s idolatry here is typical of Israel’s idolatry, not that they totally cast away Yahweh but that they just brought in religious worship and practices of other gods; the golden calf incident is a perfect example of this.
This is somewhat difficult to evidence, but if we look carefully at the text after Jephthah realized what he’s done, we can see the truth of what Paul later writes in Romans 2:4, that “God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance.” God gave Jephthah the devastation of realizing what he had done and two months to renege on his vow, which, had he been actually serving Yahweh alone, he likely would have done because he would have known the wrongness of his actions.
The Fault in Church Teachings
However, the biggest problem I have with the temple service view is a matter of practicality and apologetics, in that it is an attempt to explain away the hard things in the Bible without sitting in the dissonance that humans are, by Adam’s nature, evil. We have this uncanny ability to avoid allowing Paul’s proclamation of himself as the chief of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15) to spread to biblical heroes. We present, instead, caricatures of these people starting at a very young age when we teach the faithfulness of Abraham, the righteousness of Moses, the strength of Samson, the pursuit of God’s heart by David, and the wisdom of Solomon without also addressing their many faults. In many ways, we even gloss over the flaws of the disciples in the gospels.
Peter was wishy-washy; John was prideful. These people had flaws. And we do the same with Jephthah, not wanting to admit that God’s words in Deuteronomy 7:1-6 were coming true. The fact of the matter is that every man who has done God’s will has been a poor holder of God’s Spirit—bar Jesus.
Jephthah was used to deliver Israel; he also was a heretical idolater. These two can exist in tandem because of God’s goodness to use broken people to do His will. I don’t know precisely why Jephthah is included in the “Hall of Faith,” but I know it’s not for his vow. What I do know is that, somehow, Jephthah did an evil thing, but God is still good; therefore, Jephthah’s faith in God saved him from the wages of his sin.
We Can Toss Aside What We Know is Wrong
Here’s what I’m saying: it is more than perfectly acceptable to completely turn our backs on things we know are wrong—even if we come to learn they are wrong after we have thought they are right. Had Jephthah done so here, I would be writing about him in an entirely different manner. More than that, it is entirely okay to completely throw out every theological framework we have that is touched by something incorrect.
We can toss aside this idea that God’s presence is more prevalent in worship services because we know, functionally, it isn’t true. The omnipresent God is fully everywhere at all times—yes, even back when Israel didn’t understand that and thought He was only at the temple and would literally leave them when they disobeyed. We can throw that language away completely. Along with that, we can throw out this idea that God is forsaking us or not present or pulled back during trials and tribulations. It is patently false no matter how it feels.
It Is Righteous to Judge Evil
It is righteous to tell people who attach manifestation to prayers to God that their prayers are prayed in error. It is righteous to tell people that God does not answer prayer on any justification other than what He sees as good. It is righteous to tell people that they do not have a hidden knowledge or language that only they know with God. It is righteous to tell people God does not make deals just because we tell Him to. It is righteous to tell people their theology is wrong.
And, sometimes, you have to throw the baby out with the bath water. If it is necessary to toss a wrongfully believing person out of the Church in order to get their incorrect theology out of the Church, it is righteous to do so. Just don’t leave them there. Preach the gospel to them. The correct gospel. The Truth. Because it is objective, and even if it hurts someone’s feelings, people get things wrong. I wish I’d had the guts to tell someone I loved that their theology was faulty. I didn’t do it. I bear that weight every day now that they are beyond my reach. Don’t let that be you. Because that faulty theology is not just harmful to them but also to Jephthah’s daughter, the innocent one who doesn’t know that the person they trusted their life with has sacrificed both their earthly and eternal life at the altar of an idol.