Take ‘Em to School: Bishop T.D. Jakes Addresses those who Call Him a Heretic
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 11:43AM 
Via Christian Post: (Photo: The Elephant Room/Alyssa Armour) (L-R) T.D. Jakes, James MacDonald and Mark Driscoll appear at "The Elephant Room" 2012 roundtable on Jan. 25, 2012.Whether you totally agree with Bishop T.D. Jakes or not, there is one thing you must respect about him. The man knows his word and can articulate it masterfully. This is why EEW Magazine is highlighting his response to those who call him a “heretic” and denounce his biblical teaching. Jakes’ counter-argument is wonderfully stated.
EEW Magazine reported yesterday about the controversy surrounding Bishop T.D. Jakes’ invitation to a conference that ultimately led to the resignation of a prominent leader from a religious group.
Now EEW editors want to shed light on the core of the debate which is covered extensively by the Christian Post.
Much of the infighting is over doctrinal minutiae surrounding the Holy Trinity.
Some believe that God co-exists as three persons all equal in power, while others believe that God is one person that manifests Himself in three different ways.
It’s so sad that men of God are willing to fall out over a difference of opinion.
But Bishop T.D. Jakes gave such a remarkable response during his conversation with James MacDonald and Mark Driscoll.
He said, “I believe that until we bridge the gap between our thinking, and humble both sides and say 'we're both attempting to describe a God we love, that we serve and that we have not seen, and that we are viewing Him through the context of the Scriptures but that with a glass darkly' – why should I fall out and hate and throw names at you when all that I know and understand, be it very Orthodox, is still through a glass darkly?"
Bishop Jakes is referencing the passage of scripture in 1 Corinthians 13:12 which essentially makes the point that, when it comes to understanding the mysteries of God, none of us has all the answers. We are human, fallible, and limited in our wisdom. So none of us has any place to sling mud at others who are striving to serve God with integrity and teach His word to others.
Jakes said something else worth noting for all believers.
“I think the time has come for us to be willing to take the heat to have a conversation, because if we do not do this and we continue to divide ourselves by ourselves and compare ourselves with ourselves, we do it at the expense of decreasing numbers of new Christians in our country. We have to mobilize."
When any of us start believing we have a patent on the word of God and know all there is to know, that's when we have to start checking ourselves.
By the way, don’t you just love Bishop Jakes even more after hearing that kind of wisdom?
Read the full article here.
Reader Comments (4)
Tell them how it is Bishop!
T.D. Jakes has stated that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three manifestations of God. Manifestations are temporal things. Manifestations are, by definition, not eternal. This is hardly theological minutiae. It goes to the heart of God's self-revelation to us.
Now, the Potter's House statement of faith includes the following: "There is one God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in three manifestations: Father, Son and Holy Spirit." "Eternal manifestations" is a contradiction. It's no wonder both Oneness and Trinitarians have a problem with statements like this.
I'd like to believe that T.D. Jakes has embraced the doctrine of the trinity. It's just that he needs to bring more clarity. Unfortunately, this is something he appears unwilling to do.
Ephesians 4:4 says that there is one body (Jesus), and one Spirit (God) -- just as there is also one hope (Holy Spirit) that belongs to the calling you received. Amplified Bible.
In the above scripture I put in my interpretation of the passage in the brackets. I think that our relationship with God is based on our experiences in life and no two people experience God in the same way. Everyone has their own interpretation of the Word based on his/her experiences in life.
Right or wrong doctrine does not really matter in the context of it all. We are called to love God first and then love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Falling out over a difference of an opinion is not doing what Jesus called us to do.
for the truth of the Godhead and trinty error here is a link:
http://www.worldincrisis.org/Harvestime-Books/Defending-the-Godhead.pdf