O’Reilly on Hell: Pinhead or Patriot?

Normally, I don’t mind Bill O’Reilly.  His No-Spin-Zone has less spin that a Tilt-a-Whirl, but often more ups and downs than a roller coaster.  But last night’s segment talking about a literal hell left me about as nauseous as if I’d been on both for a world record in the same hour program.  I’m thinking the Word of the Day for O’Reilly might have been Pinhead.

One friend wrote on Facebook, “O’Reilly has got to STOP doing theology!”  Amen, sister.  Not only because it confuses the viewers, but also because it’s dangerous.    In James 3:1, it is written:

Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.”

O’Reilly, this means you.  While in the camera’s eye, you have the ability to persuade many people and convince them that “the spin stops here.” When you enter the realm of theology, we no longer call it spin.  To the extent you are misinformed and try to play pastor-prophet-priest in your bully pulpit, you need to know the consequences of displaying such ignorance:  it’s called deception.  Lies.  Dangerous.  Infectious.

Yes, Mr. O’Reilly, it infects everything you do since your words of politics, your words of culture, and your words of theology are three streams arising from the same pool.  Pollute the source, you pollute them all.  Pollution found in any one leads us back to the source, sir.

Disparaging the biblical theology of grace by overlaying it with deeds that send the Hitlers of this world—by autopilot—into a literal hell while God is somehow weighing out the rest of us on a scale, completely misrepresents how evil we all are and how unable each of us is to discern our own hearts and actions.  There were two thieves next to Christ on the Cross—one dead today awaiting judgment and yes, a literal hell,  and one in Paradise with Jesus.  And Mr. O’Reilly, it wasn’t the thief’s recounting his good deeds that merited Jesus’ assurance.

Before you presume to take your theology to the camera, make sure you have your facts straight.  If you’re wrong (and you were in this case), Evangelical Christians in your audience don’t want to question whether “Fox Lies.”  Christians—Evangelical, Protestant, and Catholic—likely form the vast majority of your viewership.  The educated, reasonable, loving, and compassionate among evangelicals like me don’t welcome an extremist label.