Recently I watched parts of an interview with between Joe Rogan and Hulk Hogan. I was never truly into WWF, WCW, WWE or any of that beyond having a basic understanding of it from all the boys my age having an obsession with it. Though I rarely if ever watched it and only played a few video games featuring it I know Macho Man Randy Savage, the Undertaker, Ultimate Warrior, Andre the Giant, Jake the Snake, Diamond Dallas Page, Sting and of course Hulk Hogan.
Knowing the Hulkster from wrestling or from "Hogan Knows Best" wasn't primarily what drew me in. It was Hogan's shirt.
Hulk Hogan wore a shirt (that he never ripped off) that said "John 3:16 devotional team" on it.
Is Hulk Hogan a believer? That was the question that made me click play on the YouTube video.
After hearing some wild stories about professional wrestling for a while Hulk started talking about his faith. As he explained his faith I found myself vacillating between joy and sadness. I was sad because his ideas of the faith, as he expressed them in the video, were off. Hulk co-mingled faith in Jesus with the, so called, law of attraction. He talked of the New Age book/movie "The Secret" which professes positive thinking and manifesting one's dreams through one's own thoughts. He talked of praying to meet and meeting a pastor that also believes in the pseudoscientific law of attraction. I was saddened thinking of this Oprah theology church being where he found himself.
Hogan said something else that made me sad. He said someone invited him to church and no one had ever done this before. This was in 2008. The man was 55 years old and this was the first time, in his telling, that someone had ever invited him to church. Hulk flew, not drove, not walked, from Tampa Florida to go to church the very next Sunday.
Now for the joy.
Hulk called Jesus his Lord and Savior.
I'll be honest, the sorrow of Terry Bollea a.ka. Hulk Hogan finding himself in a church whose beliefs were worrisome landed on me harder than the joy. I looked up the statement of faith for that church. The statement of faith was pretty orthodox but, of course, the unbiblical stuff he spoke of stuck with me.
Then I read Luke 15 in my normal course of reading the Bible. In Luke 15 Jesus spoke three parables to the Pharisees and the scribes who grumbled about tax collectors and sinners drawing near Him. He told the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son (prodigal son). All three highlight rejoicing when the lost are found.
"Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in Heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance." Luke 15:7
"Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents." Luke 15:10
"It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found." Luke 15:32
Do I focus on the Hulkster's very real theological flaws or do I rejoice that he calls on the name of Jesus?
See, all Heaven rejoices when a sinner repents. Every time a sinner repents the angels come before God saying something like, "You did it! Jesus, you saved another soul!" And every time one of my brothers goes from dead to alive and lost to found, I am invited to celebrate. Don't be like the older brother in the Parable of the Lost/Prodigal Son. Come to the party and rejoice!
Now, am I asking Hulk Hogan to teach Sunday School soon? Nope. Do I feel the need to pray that his faith be sincere and lasting? Yes. Do I hope more people look up John 3:16 from his shirt than the stupid book "The Secret"? Yep. Theological fidelity is important. Understanding and believing the Bible and not mixing it with the Old or New Age is fundamental. But so is rejoicing in the lost being found.
The story has been often recounted of the way my Grandpa Ray would watch a Billy Graham Crusade. He would enjoy the preaching and the music, but he would watch with tears of joy streaming down his face when "Just As I Am" was sung and the camera panned back and the streams of people could be seen flooding to the middle of the stadium during the alter call. Tom Ray understood Luke 15 in a way I, and we, need to.
Join all of Heaven and rejoice when the lost are found, the blind see and the spiritually dead rise today.
