My company allows us to meet approximately every other week in a conference room for 20 to 30 minutes for prayer and encouragement. Just a little while ago, I left one of those prayer breaks greatly burdened. A co-worker shared that Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu addressed the graduating class at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, NC. What burdened me is that this co-worker mentioned and endorsed a heart-breaking heresy spoken that day by Archbishop Tutu: That God is both omnipotent and impotent. Here is the exact quote from the text of his speech:
“But you know, we have a God who is omnipotent. Now you know omnipotent means all-powerful. A God who brought into being all of what exists without help from anyone. And yet this, quite paradoxically, this omnipotent God is also impotent. You know, when somebody’s hungry, God wants to perform the miracle of feeding that hungry one, but it won’t be normally by hamburgers floating down from heaven. (scattered laughter) If that hungry person is going to be fed, then you and you and you and you and you and you and all of us have to become God’s partners, God’s collaborators, God’s fellow workers…”
The full manuscript of the speech can be found here: http://uncnews.unc.edu/news/students/archbishop-emeritus-tutu-delivers-2009-commencement-address.html
God is both omnipotent and impotent? Now, if you read the full manuscript, you will see that the point he’s attempting to make is that God uses human beings as instruments to carry out the work of humanitarian aid. The point is valid, but the particular theology, and the way of expressing the point in this case, is heretical.
However, I think I’m more troubled by the fact that my co-worker quoted this, endorsed it, and that many other co-workers in the room during the prayer break endorsed this as valid and true. My heart absolutely breaks for anyone who views our Almighty, Sovereign Creator as anything but omnipotent. There is NOTHING that limits His power and authority. I won’t quote the passages here, but when you read Hebrews 1:1-3, Job chapters 38-40, Psalm 29:3, Isaiah 10:16, etc. I couldn’t begin to record all the Scripture references here that declare the glory of God.
Unfortunately, this was a heretical and extreme attempt by Archbishop Tutu to emphasize the responsibility of man in the work of God’s kingdom. Even more unfortunate is that many regard his comments as right and good. Further, Archbishop Tutu spits in the face of the gospel by implying that God’s kingdom will be comprised of anyone regardless of faith in Christ. He espouses a qazi-universalism that is blasphemous to Christ’s work on the cross. Read this paragraph from his manuscript:
“You know, Jesus said “I, if I be lifted up, I will draw – he didn’t say I will draw some – he said I will draw all, all, all! I will draw all! Rich, poor; clever, not so clever; beautiful, not so beautiful; yellow, red, black, gay, lesbian, so-called straight…God said “All. All. All. All. All. All.” And you know this is radical. All, all, all all men. Palestinians. Israelis. (cheering) All, all. Bin Laden … you know … George Bush … all, all, all, all belong in this family, and God says, “Help me, help me to realize my dream. Help me, help me, help me.”
Please understand something: The gospel is for ANYONE who will BELIEVE! It is absolutely true that anyone who comes to Christ by faith will be accepted an not cast out. That’s the absolute beauty of the gospel. However, it’s NOT true that anyone who comes on any condition will be accepted by God. If you are to be accepted by God and adopted into God’s family, you MUST come to Christ for salvation.
What’s troubling to me is that there is no mention of gospel here by Archbishop Tutu, and if you look at the context of his speech, he’s really espousing universalism. Lord, please have mercy on those that reject your mercy and grace revealed in Christ. Bring them to yourself and open the eyes of the blind. Lord, I beg you to work to work so that people aren’t led astray by these lies and distortions of your beautiful gospel. In Jesus’ name, A-men.
