Nov 26, 2008

Zane Hodges (1933-2008)


I learned today that Zane Hodges has gone on to be with the Lord. Although I did not know the man personally, men that have taught me were influenced by him. Dan Wallace has a nice reflection on Zane here.

4 comments:

Lou Martuneac said...

Sir:

In my opinion it is not fitting to give Hodges an honorary eulogy at all, for those who disagreed with him concerning his teachings on the Gospel late in his life were not merely having "theological disagreements" with him.

Hodges *gutted and stripped the Gospel of its essential content (the person and work of Christ). Not that he denied that content himself, but that he asserted that a person could be saved while disbelieving the content of the Gospel. And if the Gospel and its content are one and the same (and they are), then Hodges was in effect asserting that one could be saved while disbelieving the Gospel.

He did not finish well. I don't think you could pick a subject more important than the Gospel to err on, and Hodges erred severely concerning it. His death saddened his followers.

Those of us who rejected his reductionist assault on the content of saving faith had hoped and prayed he would change his mind and come back to true doctrine. We wanted him to finish well. But we will not let the emotion of his passing sentimentalize his life in our eyes, no matter what help some of his writings may have been to us in understanding certain passages of Scripture.

In the same way we do not condemn a repentant sinner for his past wicked deeds, we should not be celebrating a man who fell away from the faith because of his past good work.


LM

*Links to follow.

Lou Martuneac said...

The teachings of Hodges is what came to be known and accurately defined as the Crossless Gospel, also known as “REDEFINED Free Grace Theology” and the “Promise Only Gospel.” It is largely because of Grace Evangelical Society's (GES) heretical reductionist views of the Gospel; many men in the Free Grace community have separated from GES and do not want their name or ministry to be identified with the GES.

Once the Free Grace Alliance (FGA) was formed it became the new home of many men who departed GES over the egregious errors coming from Hodges and Bob Wilkin. Exposure of the egregious errors of Hodges, Wilkin, John Niemela, Rene Lopez, and lesser knowns has put GES in cardiac arrest. The egregious reductionist heresy of GES has almost totally isolated it outside any relevant discussion of the Gospel.

The reductionist errors are most stark when comparing the new GES Affirmation of Belief to the previous version.

May I share this article with your guests, Is “ReDefined” Free Grace Theology- Free Grace Theology? The article will help them understand that the GES does not speak for and does NOT represent the general population of men who identify themselves as members of the Free Grace community.


LM

Lou Martuneac said...

I trust you will find these helpful, in spite of being blunt.


LM

Charles Savelle said...

Lou,

I hesitate in some sense to publish these comments since I am not sure that this post is the appropriate forum for remarks like this. While I might differ with Hodges on a number of issues, I believe that his death was noteworthy. If you read my original post carefully you will note that I took no position concerning his life or ministry. I am comfortable with allowing God to judge that. As far as his ideas or theology are concerned, these are fair game. But a post announcing a death seems to be a strange forum to enter into that discussion.