I believe the gospel of Adam Hazel is dangerous and I also believe that many of the young people in our church who listen to this kind of sermons are in a serious risk of being caught up in a gospel that cant lead them to develop a character in harmony with Gods requirements and in the end, cannot save them. I listened to two sermons by Adam Hazel. Both had the same undercurrent of a diluted none conditional love-and-mercy gospel. It was pleasing to the ears, easy to swallow like a sugar-coated cake. God understands you, he is merciful, “he will manage” and “you will make it”.
After listening to only two sermons you can easily detect that Hazel has eradicated all words that have any connotations to judgment, repentance, overcoming sin, law and character development. His gospel is a none conditional mercy-and-love-gospel carefully cleansed from all biblical words that have associations to God’s CONDITIONS for salvation. It is interesting because all words like mercy, grace, forgiveness, love are used in a biblical correct context with references to scripture. But all the other – at least as important words and terminologies – are transformed into worldly terminology like “God will manage for you” and “you can make it” and “God understands your feelings”.
Let me unpack it:
After a small chat with Hazel I assume (but don’t know it for sure) it is an adverse reaction to the legalistic law-law-law-gospel that many have been force-fed by in the so-called conservative ranks. I believe Hazels mercy-gospel is at least as dangerous as the legalistic gospel.
because Hazel is dead tired of the misuse of these words to drag a legalistic gospel down in
The first sermon Hazel began with a story that was meant to illustrate the character of God in comparison with ours. Hazel is a teacher on a Christian boarding school in Norway where the pupils live for a period of time – maybe a year, I don’t know. In the story one of the pupils is not performing his daily duties, so Hazel knocks on his door asks him if he will do it. The answer is yes every time, but nothing happens. This goes on for day after day. Hazel tries the best he can with a smile and soft words to encourage him, and every day he receives a “Yes, I will do it”. But nothing happens.
One day Hazel is not so kind and smiling anymore but walks away from the pupil in irritation. And here comes Hazels’ point with the story. He says something like: ”It is so good that God is not like us, turning His back on us and walks away when we say “yes” but disobey”.
One: I can give Hazel two suggestions about how he can avoid the painful situation straight away: Right from the beginning tell the pupils
grules and regulations o
This was only the beginning of his sermon. And separated from the rest it is not that bad. But since the story is used as a foundation to build an argument, I have to rip apart already here:
On a purely earthly or profane level, I will criticize Hazel for being such a teacher and a weak man who not only neglects his duty to demand in a respectful manner that rules and regulations have to be kept right on from the beginning and if not you have to leave the school. If my son told me there was such a weak teacher who was in control of the school I would contact him and ask if law and order are not kept. But this was, as I said only on a profane level. The story was only told to show us that unlike us God is merciful, patient, and indulgent
When I put a little pressure on him he became more honest: He admitted that his gospel in a way was a reaction against what he called “the conservatives”. He did not really come out in the open showing his true theology (I believe), but at least he insinuated that the conservatives are not better than the other side of the fench (the liberals). And that is true.