A Bit of an Oversight (to say the least)<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
by Paul Shelby Lewis
 
I don't normally make a habit of watching the 700 club in the middle of the afternoon.  But, the station on which it appears happens to be about 2 channels from the station on which I watch the Tour de France.  So as I was flipping through the channels a few days ago, I saw Pat Robertson answering a question during a segment which is called, "Foundations of the Faith."  For the one minute that I watched, the following is what took place:
 
Question:  When Jesus was resurrected, was He in human flesh, Spirit or both?  Many people disagree on this.  Does it matter one way or the other?
 
Pat Robertson:  It matters a great deal.  He appeared in a resurrection body, which is a spiritual body capable of doing things that our bodies can't do right now.  So it wasn't a physical body but it was, obviously it was recognizable.
 
Now, it could very well be the case that Pat meant to say, "It wasn't just a physical body."  [Then again, I am not all that familiar with the resurrection theology of Pat Robertson].  But after emphasizing the importance of the question, this seems unlikely.  What struck me, though, was the fact that no one seemed to have caught this amazing slip of the tongue.  The interviewer just shook her head in the affirmative and moved on to the next question (think of Larry King adoringly interviewing one of the Clinton's, and you'll get the idea).  In addition, though not-so-astonishing, no one in editing was theologically inclined enough to pull this section for the obvious reasons of not promoting heresy on a show that, like it or not, gets a great deal of viewers on a day to day basis.  But then, this is also the same station that is more than happy to promote the likes of Benny Hinn. 
 
Regardless of the reason for allowing such heresy (intentional or not, I do not mean to call Pat Robertson a heretic, though I disagree with him on a quite a bit) to make it to broadcast, it should cause us to wonder aloud for a bit.  Has the Christian community involved in broadcasting the 700 club become so theologically dense as to not notice the mistake, care enough to make a correction, or have enough guts to question Pat Robertson and ask him to make the necessary correction?  Or is it just the case that the charismatic movement in our country has gone so far into fideism and mysticism, that it really doesn't matter if Jesus physically rose from the dead?
 
No matter the answer to these questions, lets take a moment to review some evidence that Jesus physically rose from the dead.  For one thing, he was touched by Mary Magdalene and the "other" Mary (Matt. 28:9).  In addition, he tells Thomas to "Put your finger here and examine my hands.  Extend your hand and put it into my side" (John <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />20:27).  Further, and most importantly, Jesus himself said that he had flesh and bones, and that he was not a mere spiritual being:  "Touch me and see, a ghost does not have flesh and bones like you see I have.  When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet" (Luke 24:39-40).  But then, as if his words and pierced hands and feet weren't enough, Scripture tells us more:  "And while they could still not believe it (because of their joy) and were amazed, he said to them, 'Do you have anything to eat?'  So they gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in front of them" (24:41-43).  This is not to mention the appearances to the disciples, some of his women followers, and over five hundred others (cf. 1 Cor. 15:6) who were alive at the time of Paul's writing First Corinthians, and could very well verify whether or not he was telling the truth. 
 
Yes, Jesus had a resurrection body that could do amazing things, including appear and reappear.  But, physics tells us that everything is mostly filled with air, so if the molecules were aligned properly, one (such as Jesus, who's resurrection body was perfect) could walk through walls. 
 
Maybe this is making hay over an oversight by a man who is well beyond "showing his age," but Christians that surround him ought to make sure that such mistakes aren't made, or if they are made, that they don't make it on the air.
 
(Video is available in the archive section of cbn.com)