Continued from Adventures in Bible deism, Pt. 1

The Bible is the account of a God who speaks directly and relationally, not obliquely. When we see examples of him speaking using Old Testament scripture in the New Testament, it is often to confirm what he has said in other ways.

As Hebrews 1:1 says, "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways…" There are many examples in Acts, the last of which is in 28:25-29, where Paul cites Isaiah to show that God has sent salvation to the Gentiles.

One of my favorite experiences in the world is to see Bible deists hear the voice of God. This happens periodically on AIM trips and in our training. A Bible Church pastor and his coworker were at one of our trainings and sat in the back of the room with folded arms. His seminary had taught him to be a good Bible deist.

He had tried to engage our trainers in theological debates in advance of the training. But our trainer, said, "All we ask is that you come and watch God work." He and his coworker came, but they were obviously at odds with what was being taught.

Then our trainer said, "OK, it's time to go off by yourself and ask God to speak to you."

They disappeared, full of unbelief. When the time was over, everyone else returned except for the pastor and his coworker. Eventually, they returned ashen-faced. Our trainer asked the group, "Did anyone hear from God?"

Sheepishly, the two men raised their hands along with others in the room. "What did God say?" The trainer asked.

"He showed us visions and gave us words. Afterwards, we got together and saw that he'd said the same thing to both of us. This was obviously God. He does speak. So now we need to repent to the group."

Is it any wonder 40,000 people a week are leaving the American Church when our pulpits are filled with Bible deists? People just want to know the reality of a living God without weighing him down with all the theological reasons why he can't speak.