Dolly Parton Believed in God, but Was It the God of the Bible?

[bdavidc]

The thing that jumped out to me in this video goes far beyond Dolly Parton. It is how easily people fashion a god that agrees with their beliefs rather than bowing before the God who revealed Himself in the Bible.

People do that when they say, “My God would never judge that,” or, “God wants us to love everybody,” all while ignoring what God actually says about sin. Biblical love does not celebrate what God hates. Scripture says that love “rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:6).

Psalm 50:21 says, “Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee.”

Man wants a god who thinks like man.

This is illustrated in Exodus 32. While Moses was on Mount Sinai, God was giving him His law. The Israelites made a golden calf and declared, “These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.” Aaron even proclaimed, “Tomorrow is a feast to the LORD” (Exodus 32:4–5).

The Israelites did not say they no longer served God. They took God’s name and what He had done for them and placed it on a statue they made with their own hands. They created something they could worship however they wanted and celebrated while sinning however they wanted. God called it corruption.

People still do that today. The idol might not be made of gold, but it is still made by man and tailored to man’s desires. It is a god that never judges, never asks us to repent, never requires holiness, and always agrees with popular culture.

In the statements featured in the video, Dolly claimed that we are all God’s children and that if someone is gay, then that is simply who they are and we should accept them that way.

The problem is that the Bible does not say everyone is a child of God. John 1:12 tells us, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” People must put their faith in Christ to become God’s children.

The Bible also does not teach that homosexuality is an identity we should embrace. Romans 1 describes homosexual acts as “against nature,” and 1 Corinthians 6:9–10 warns that those whose lives are characterized by such sins “shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”

But verse 11 is important:

“And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus” (1 Corinthians 6:11).

See what being born again does to your life. It does not mean you will never sin again. It means you can no longer live at peace with your sin. People who truly trust Christ do not defend sin, applaud it, or redefine it so they can continue believing it is acceptable. Jesus does not merely accept us and leave us living in the sins we choose. He saves us from our sins and changes us.

“Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).

Someone can sing gospel music their whole life, talk about Jesus nonstop, claim to believe in God, help the poor, and give away millions of dollars while still never having been born again. Jesus told us that many would call Him “Lord, Lord” and tell Him about the works they had done in His name. Yet He will respond, “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:21–23).

That ought to make every one of us examine ourselves.

The danger begins when we try to change God instead of letting God change us through His Word. When the Bible says something is sinful and we decide God must really approve of it because it fits our lifestyle, we have created a god who agrees with us. We are no longer worshipping the true God of the Bible. We have made an idol.

That idol cannot reveal our sin, convict us of it, or save us from it because that idol does not exist.

This is not only about homosexuality. We can make the same idol to justify adultery, greed, drunkenness, blasphemy, lying, sexual immorality, or any other sin we are tempted to indulge. If I must twist what God says so I can live comfortably in my chosen lifestyle, then what I have is not biblical Christianity.

Jesus did not come to make us comfortable living in sin. He came “to save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

I will not speculate about what happened in Dolly Parton’s heart before she died. God knows that, and I do not. But we should not automatically place her in heaven because she sang gospel music, appeared to do good things, and claimed to believe in God.

Public claims about God must be tested by Scripture alone. We should not allow our feelings about the person speaking to override what that person is saying about God.

God gives us a much stricter standard:

“Ye must be born again” (John 3:7).

The question is not whether we can believe in a god who likes us and thinks like us. The question is whether we have submitted to the real God, repented of our sins, and trusted the Jesus of the Bible for salvation.

So which god are you worshipping: the God of the Bible, or a man-made god you invented in your mind?


.

 

[Wrangler]

Someone can sing gospel music their whole life, talk about Jesus nonstop, claim to believe in God, help the poor, and give away millions of dollars while still never having been born again.

Give me a break! Not too likely in practice.

 

[Wrangler]

I will not speculate about what happened in Dolly Parton’s heart before she died. God knows that, and I do not. But we should not automatically place her in heaven because she sang gospel music, appeared to do good things, and claimed to believe in God.

One wonders what your standard is and why you assert the power to invoke a standard AS IF you are God.

And We do not place her anywhere, heaven or hell. That’s more hubris!

 

[bdavidc]

Give me a break! Not too likely in practice.

Jesus Himself says otherwise. That is why so many people will be surprised where they end up having made their own golden calf to worship and not the real God.

“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?” (Matthew 7:22).

Notice the word many.

These were people who called Jesus “Lord,” did religious works in His name, and apparently expected to be accepted by Him. Yet Jesus said:

“I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:23).

So yes, it is entirely possible for someone to speak about Christ, do impressive good works, give generously, and still not be born again.

Jesus did not tell us to judge salvation by celebrity, generosity, gospel songs, or religious language. He said:

“Ye must be born again” (John 3:7).

That is the issue. Saying “Give me a break” does not answer what Christ plainly warned about. But I can see why you would like to change the truth.

 

[marks]

In the statements featured in the video, Dolly claimed that we are all God’s children and that if someone is gay, then that is simply who they are and we should accept them that way.

The problem is that the Bible does not say everyone is a child of God. John 1:12 tells us, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” People must put their faith in Christ to become God’s children.

And yet . . .

Acts 17:24-31 KJV
24) God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
25) Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
26) And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
27) That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
28) For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
29) Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.
30) And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
31) Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

In this sense all are God's children, though not in the sense of being born again.

I agree that we should not give comfort to those who are in sin, just the same, remembering that God specifically fashioned each of those whom He created, maybe we will remember to be gracious just the same.

The kindness of God leads to repentance. Should we show that kindness ourselves?

Much love!

 

[marks]

These were people who called Jesus “Lord,” did religious works in His name, and apparently expected to be accepted by Him.

They claimed to do good works, but Jesus called them workers of iniquity. What people claim is true is not always true.

Much love!

 

[bdavidc]

One wonders what your standard is and why you assert the power to invoke a standard AS IF you are God.

And We do not place her anywhere, heaven or hell. That’s more hubris!

Wrangler, you are arguing against something I did not say.

I specifically said, “God knows that, and I do not.” That is the opposite of claiming to be God or claiming the authority to assign Dolly Parton to heaven or hell.

The standard is not mine. The standard is Scripture.

Jesus said, “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24).

John said, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God” (1 John 4:1).

Paul said, “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

That means Christians are commanded to test professions, teachings, and claims by what God has revealed. That is not “hubris.” Refusing to test them would be disobedience.

And I agree that we do not place Dolly Parton in heaven or hell. That was exactly my point. I said we should not automatically place her in heaven because she sang gospel music, gave money away, or spoke about God. But what she publicly said if she had not repented and given her life to Jesus Christ, then she would answer for that, famous or not. She could have repented on her deathbed, and I hope she did because I really liked Dolly and her music.

There is a difference between pronouncing a dead person’s eternal destiny and examining whether the beliefs they publicly expressed agree with Scripture.

I am doing the second, not the first.

The standard is God’s Word, not me.

 

[quietthinker]

Dolly Parton Believed in God, but Was It the God of the Bible?​

I wanna know the individual here nominated as Judge!

 

[Wrangler]

Jesus Himself says otherwise.

Jesus says nothing of the kind!

“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?” (Matthew 7:22).

The way yours posts read, prophecing, casting out demons and many wonderful works is an accusation rather than evidnece of a true believer. Nonetheless, you are not crediting Dolly with these things but “crediting” or accusing her of singing Gospel music their whole live, talking about Jesus non-stop, proclaiming faith in God, helping the poor and giving millions away.

Someone can sing gospel music their whole life, talk about Jesus nonstop, claim to believe in God, help the poor, and give away millions of dollars while still never having been born again.

Your post reads like this is evidence she’s evil! Woe to you who confuse evil for good.

 

[Wrangler]

I specifically said, “God knows that, and I do not.”

Yup. You said that but the bulk of your content said otherwise. Why can’t you just be appreciative that our sister in Christ fought the good fight, lived a Christian life and ran the race to the end and pray she finds comfort now in Christ’s arms?

 

[TLHKAJ]

 

[Wrangler]

What a class act.

Before Patrick Swayze passed away I was not a big fan. When he passed I asked my wife if you EVER heard anything bad about him? Sure, he was not my favorite actor. His roles were not my favorite. However, work is not the measure of a man.

The same can be said of Dolly Parton; she wasn't my favorite singer and her genre was not my favorite genre of music. Work is not the measure of a woman. Can anyone say anything bad about her? Like Patrick, I never heard one bad thing. It's so rare in the entertainment business. Sexual misconduct. Drugs. Alcohol. Trouble with the law. Diva complex, being a horror to work with and on and on. Dolly was a class act and we should mourn the loss of our sister in Christ.

 

[markalan]

The thing that jumped out to me in this video goes far beyond Dolly Parton. It is how easily people fashion a god that agrees with their beliefs rather than bowing before the God who revealed Himself in the Bible.

People do that when they say, “My God would never judge that,” or, “God wants us to love everybody,” all while ignoring what God actually says about sin. Biblical love does not celebrate what God hates. Scripture says that love “rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:6).

Psalm 50:21 says, “Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee.”

Man wants a god who thinks like man.

This is illustrated in Exodus 32. While Moses was on Mount Sinai, God was giving him His law. The Israelites made a golden calf and declared, “These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.” Aaron even proclaimed, “Tomorrow is a feast to the LORD” (Exodus 32:4–5).

The Israelites did not say they no longer served God. They took God’s name and what He had done for them and placed it on a statue they made with their own hands. They created something they could worship however they wanted and celebrated while sinning however they wanted. God called it corruption.

People still do that today. The idol might not be made of gold, but it is still made by man and tailored to man’s desires. It is a god that never judges, never asks us to repent, never requires holiness, and always agrees with popular culture.

In the statements featured in the video, Dolly claimed that we are all God’s children and that if someone is gay, then that is simply who they are and we should accept them that way.

The problem is that the Bible does not say everyone is a child of God. John 1:12 tells us, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” People must put their faith in Christ to become God’s children.

The Bible also does not teach that homosexuality is an identity we should embrace. Romans 1 describes homosexual acts as “against nature,” and 1 Corinthians 6:9–10 warns that those whose lives are characterized by such sins “shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”

But verse 11 is important:

“And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus” (1 Corinthians 6:11).

See what being born again does to your life. It does not mean you will never sin again. It means you can no longer live at peace with your sin. People who truly trust Christ do not defend sin, applaud it, or redefine it so they can continue believing it is acceptable. Jesus does not merely accept us and leave us living in the sins we choose. He saves us from our sins and changes us.

“Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).

Someone can sing gospel music their whole life, talk about Jesus nonstop, claim to believe in God, help the poor, and give away millions of dollars while still never having been born again. Jesus told us that many would call Him “Lord, Lord” and tell Him about the works they had done in His name. Yet He will respond, “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:21–23).

That ought to make every one of us examine ourselves.

The danger begins when we try to change God instead of letting God change us through His Word. When the Bible says something is sinful and we decide God must really approve of it because it fits our lifestyle, we have created a god who agrees with us. We are no longer worshipping the true God of the Bible. We have made an idol.

That idol cannot reveal our sin, convict us of it, or save us from it because that idol does not exist.

This is not only about homosexuality. We can make the same idol to justify adultery, greed, drunkenness, blasphemy, lying, sexual immorality, or any other sin we are tempted to indulge. If I must twist what God says so I can live comfortably in my chosen lifestyle, then what I have is not biblical Christianity.

Jesus did not come to make us comfortable living in sin. He came “to save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

I will not speculate about what happened in Dolly Parton’s heart before she died. God knows that, and I do not. But we should not automatically place her in heaven because she sang gospel music, appeared to do good things, and claimed to believe in God.

Public claims about God must be tested by Scripture alone. We should not allow our feelings about the person speaking to override what that person is saying about God.

God gives us a much stricter standard:

“Ye must be born again” (John 3:7).

The question is not whether we can believe in a god who likes us and thinks like us. The question is whether we have submitted to the real God, repented of our sins, and trusted the Jesus of the Bible for salvation.

So which god are you worshipping: the God of the Bible, or a man-made god you invented in your mind?


.

I agree with your raising the question without being judgmental.

Well known personalities can be role models for younger Christians.
Encouraging them to ask whether the standards of people like Dolly Parton
are the same standards God wants them to live by, is part of the maturing process.

Even though I see things quite differently to the Christianity DP demonstrated,
that does not mean she was not following God's will for her own life.

 

[markalan]

I am old enough to remember a similar conversation from nearly 50 years ago when Elvis Presley died.