“Christianity is uniquely and especially about redemption and forgiveness. That is what the cornerstone of what the faith is about. Now other faiths aren’t hostile to the idea, but think of what the message of Christ and Christianity is. It is that the God of the universe sent His only begotten Son, who died a hideous death on the cross, to atone for all of our sins. And we are thereby offered through that act a new covenant in which we are offered forgiveness and redemption on a continuing basis in return for our faith in God and our continuing efforts to live the Christian life. That is a unique doctrine.”
–Brit Hume yesterday on WTOP News radio
Listen to the interview here or press the play button below.
[audio:http://www.wtopnews.com/emedia/173519.mp3]Also, Cathy Lynn Grossman wrote about this conversation in today’s USA Today.
7 Comments
selahV
Simply gotta love that Britt Hume. Praise the Lord for his voice in our wilderness. selahv
Roy
“… we are offered forgiveness and redemption on a continuing basis in return for our faith in God and our continuing efforts to live the Christian life.”
So if we grow week in “our faith” or falter in “our continuing efforts to live the Christian life” we risk forgoing the forgiveness of God? Where is the righteousness of Christ, the new birth or the adoption as sons?
I’m glad there is a voice in the media proclaiming the atonement but it could be clearer on the complete, all sufficient and finished work of Christ. The quote sounds too much like a religious transaction.
Roy
Sorry, I meant “grow weak”.
Brent Hobbs
I have he utmost respect for Brit as a journalist. I’ve never seen anyone as good behind a news desk. In his ‘goodbye special’ from Special Report, several of his colleagues talked about how he was driven to fairness i reporting and demanded it of them as well. They remembers him saying something to the effect of “fairness is not an attitude, it’s a skill.” Some may disagree but I think he was as good as anyone I’ve ever seen.
I didn’t know he was a brother in Christ, but I am glad to find out he is and really excited for the platform he has right now and the eloquence with which he’s defending his statement.
Denny Burk
Roy,
I noticed the same thing, and I agree with you about that. It is not biblical to say that our forgiveness comes to us “in return” for our obedience to God’s law. Our forgiveness and righteousness comes to us on the basis of Christ’s work, and we receive it through faith alone.
Hume is no theologian, and it is very possible that he just misspoke on this point. He does appear to be fairly conservative in his Protestant faith, so I suspect that if he were pressed on this, something more gospel-like might come out. I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Thanks,
Denny
Mark
I agree. I don’t think we should start getting too nit-picky about the way he phrased what the gospel is all about. I think the intent of what the gospel truly is was behind his imprecise statement
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