Once Saved Always Saved: Murderer now in Heaven
I am not a believer in this doctrine, by any means, but this story has caught me eye:
First, Bruce Wilson brings us up to date with some background on the shooter who killed the gym club women last week:
Media analysis has so far ignored or glossed over Sodini’s religious affiliations but the shooter’s Internet diary suggest his last readings were the Bible and a book by a Texas evangelist, R.B. Thieme, Jr. who has written that husbands own their wives, as literal property and promoted an odd teaching that for each man on Earth there exists only one correct “right woman” in all creation. According to Thieme, men can recognize their divinely-appointed opposites without physical contact, through something Thieme called “soul climax” [see R.B. Thieme, Jr.'s "Doctrines of The Bible: Doctrine of Right Man and Right Woman" (Microsoft Word Document format).]
(snip)
George Sodini’s weblog lays considerable blame for his self-admitted psychological problems on the Pittsburgh-based Tetelestai Church which by his account Sodini attended for 13 years, up through 2006. The pastor of Tetelestai, James R. Knapp, is one of a few luminaries in the small fundamentalist universe under the sway of Texas evangelist and prolific author R.B. Thieme, Jr. — a retired US Air Force Colonel known to wear his old military uniform while giving sermons who has been accused of cultic and authoritarian practices and wrote doctrine asserting that “[a] married woman is the property of the man she marries.”
Sodini broke with Tetelestai in 2006 but his weblog writings indicate that he recently held considerable anger towards the church. As George Sodini wrote December 31, 2008,
” “Be Ye Holy, even as I have been Ye holy! Thus saith the lord thy God!”, as pastor Rick Knapp would proclaim. Holy ****, religion is a waste. But this guy teaches (and convinced me) you can commit mass murder then still go to heaven…. guilt and fear kept me there 13 long years until Nov 2006. I think his crap did the most damage.”
Then Dr. West posts this:
I might be able to help here. He distorted what he heard because he wished to twist it to suit his own agenda. Further, as a mere hanger-on, he demonstrated that he really wasn’t all that interested in real commitment. As John has it, ‘if they had really been of us, they would have remained with us’. If he had really ‘belonged’ he never would have 1) distorted what he heard and 2) trotted off to kill.
As much as I like the good Doctor, I seriously believe that he has distorted the murderer’s background, or the teachings of the previous congregations. (Josh Mann posts this about the church’s sudden change of heart on their doctrinal statement.) Why? Because if a leader in the congregation says that the murderer went to heaven:
George Sodini rests in heaven now because he professed a faith in Jesus years before his shooting rampage, a Tetelestai Christian Church leader said.
Jack Rickard, a deacon at the Plum church Sodini attended for years, said the Bible makes it clear that “professing a faith in Jesus as savior means you will have complete eternal salvation.”
Rickard, 80, of Indiana, Pa., said Tetelestai members “are firm believers in ‘once-saved, always-saved.’”
He said the church, which is in process of moving to New Kensington, focuses on the intense study of Scripture.
Rickard conveyed his belief that Sodini attained eternal life.
“George is going to heaven, but he’s not going to get his rewards,” Rickard said. He said that Sodini won’t be offered all of heaven’s benefits because of his sin.
“George was a professing believer,” Rickard said.
In: Religious News · Tagged with: eternal assurance, george sodini, God, james r. knapp, murder, once saved always saved, r.b. thieme, religion, salvation, tetelestai church
on August 9, 2009 at 10:26 pm
Permalink
Wow, this is a real far cry from the doctrine of ‘the perseverance of the saints.’ In proper Reformed theology, this is a real pressing on in sanctification! “in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ..” (1 Pet.1:2)
Fr.R.
on August 9, 2009 at 11:00 pm
Permalink
Just to clarify- I’m actually not sure how ‘sudden’ the change was. It is suspicious, no doubt. But the archived version of the website is quite old.
on August 10, 2009 at 1:13 am
Permalink
Cheap grace.
I’m not sure what it is you’re disagreeing with Dr Jim West about.
Jeff
on August 10, 2009 at 3:26 pm
Permalink
Jeff, Dr. West referred to the distortion of the doctrine by the murdered. A congregational leader confirmed that the OSAS would place the murderer in heaven – therefore, the murderer did not distort the doctrine of OSAS (as he was taught it).
on August 29, 2009 at 1:58 am
Permalink
Jesus versus Lúcifer: guerra fria nos céus?!…
Assim como aqui, neste plano existencial existe jogo de interesses, entre grandes e pequenos, assim também é noutros planos existenciais, que estão sob influência das esferas na Terra.
……
on August 9, 2009 at 10:34 pm
Permalink
I would agree, I believe, Fr. Robert, with that notion of the doctrine. I believe that the OSAS doctrine is misused to a devastating degree.