Extreme Theology

Suffering is not a Sin

Suffering is not a sin. The devil would try to tempt us otherwise. Remember how it was with Job. His three friends (then four), all poor theologians, tried to connect the dots between Job's suffering and his sin. The same temptation comes to us when we thing that a Christian must always be happy and cheerful, or when we imagine that there is some sort of shame in suffering and trouble.

There is a type of “Billboard Christianity” where everyone is smiling and successful, healthy and happy. This plastic faith understands Jesus as spiritual “Botox”, and then if you are sad or depressed it is because your faith is not strong enough. In fact, we hear this type of thing from the television preachers. “God wants you,” they say, “to be healthy, wealthy and wise.” And if you are not, you must be under God's curse or the control of the devil and so forth and so on. As if we are Christian robots with these two facial expressions: happy and ecstatic. I know that this false teaching hasn't made its way among us, but perhaps there is even in our midst a shame in our suffering, a thought (even if we haven't thought about it in these words) that our suffering is a sin.

This is simply not the case. If suffering was a sin, then Jesus would have committed sin. Who, after all, suffered more than our Lord Jesus in His cross? On the cross He tasted God's wrath, knew the depths of the affliction of hell. Jesus suffered. He did not sin.

And Jesus was not alone in His suffering. As Christians we share in the Lord's suffering. Rather than being sin, suffering is part and parcel of the Christian life.

When Jesus asked if anyone would follow Him He didn't say, “If any would be My disciple, let Him take up His victorious life and follow Me.” No. Jesus bids us take us “take up your cross and follow Me.” [Matthew 16:24] Jesus has warned us that in this world we will have trouble. “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” [John 16:33]

This trouble and tribulation comes from the world, the flesh and the devil, the three constant enemies of the Lord and His church. It was this way from the beginning, and will be this way until the Lord returns, the Lord's people suffer. From Abel to Noah to Joseph and Moses and David and all the prophets. In fact, when you read Hebrews 11, a chapter often called “The Hall of Faith”, you find a list of the Old Testament faithful, which is also a list of their suffering.

In the New Testament it is the same way. Jesus says, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” [John 15:18-19] The apostle's suffered because of the name of Jesus, and far from considering this to be sin, they thought it pure joy. “Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name [of Jesus].” [Acts 5:41]

St. Paul encourages the church to “rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” [Romans 5:3-5]

When St. Peter tells us to follow the example of our Jesus, he instructs us to be like Jesus in His suffering. This is incredible. Rather that showing us Jesus as an example of life, of victory, of overcoming trouble or any such thing, Jesus is our example in suffering. “For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.” [1 Peter 2:20-21]

Far from being a sin, suffering is a mark of being Christian. The holy cross is a mark of the church. In this life we are traveling through a vale of tears, the valley of the shadow of death, but the Lord is with us in our suffering. He knows what it's like. And He comes to us with His comforting promises that He will never leave or forsake us [Hebrews 13:5], that He will be with us always, even to the end of the age [Matthew 28:20]. He promises that while our suffering will be for a while, His comfort and life and salvation will last forever.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. [Romans 8:18]

INJ,
Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller

Changing the LCMS

Aside from a theological degree I also hold a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Pepperdine University. The emphasis of my graduate degree was Change Management. As someone who has experience and expertise on this subject I am going on the record by saying that I am 99.9% convinced that LCMS President Gerry Kieschnick is engaged in a full scale, strategic campaign to radically overhaul and change the LCMS.

I've taken the time to read through his actions, writings, statements and the suggestions of his Blue Ribbon Task Force and am convinced, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he is following a well scripted, well planned Change Initiative, the goal of which is to insure that the LCMS becomes and will forever remain a purpose-driven / church-growth denomination.

Not only am I convinced that is what President Kieschnick is doing, I can also show you what stage we are at in the process and what to expect next.

Are you ready for this?

Here it goes...

The Change Management process that Kieschnick and the consultants that are advising him are using is straight out of John Kotter's book "Leading Change". This book is considered to be the BIBLE for change management and in my professional opinion, Kieschnick and his consultants are following Kotter's approach STRAIGHT DOWN THE LINE.

Below I've reproduced a scan from page 21 of Kotter's book. This page contains the entire outline of the change process.

I've put a red dot next to the step that the LCMS is currently on.

That means that the VERY NEXT THING that Kieschnick is going to do is attempt to completely change the structure of the LCMS in order to consolidate power and eliminate those structures that would undermine his change agenda.

That means we should expect to see a formal proposal for a complete overhaul of the top structures of the LCMS along with plans to grant sweeping and unprecedented powers to President Kieschnick. The rationale that will be given for making these sweeping changes will more than likely be a financial crisis. The case will be presented by saying something like...

"We are experiencing a financial crisis in the LCMS that has become so acute that we've been forced to recall missionaries from the field. But as we examined the underlying causes of these financial short-falls we've discovered that the current structure of the LCMS has significantly contributed to the financial problems that we are currently facing. Therefore, we have come to a cross roads and must make a decision. We can either continue with the status quo which got us into the current crisis or we can take bold action that will insure the on-going success of our synod through the 21st century and on into the future. Therefore, I (president Kieschnick) am proposing sweeping changes in the business structures of the synod. These changes will insure that we don't experience the financial shortfalls that we've been experiencing for the past few years and will also make us a more agile and responsive synod so that we can more effectively adapt to the ever changing culture that we seek to reach with the message of Jesus Christ."

The changes that will be proposed will more than likely involve granting more unilateral decision making powers to the president (especially as it pertains to key executive positions within the synod), the creation of a new bureaucracy that is directly accountable to the President and one that cannot be influenced by district presidents, a complete overhaul of the money distribution process, and a complete overhaul of how convention delegates are determined so that Kieschnick's political rivals have absolutely NO CHANCE of regaining power and undoing these changes.

Those who oppose the changes will be branded as divisive and Un-Chrisitan while those who support it will never actually be told what power and accountability structures they will be surrendering up in order to remedy the crisis. These changes, if ratified, will in effect create a Synodical Dictator and/or a Lutheran Pope.

If President Kieschnick's proposed structural changes are adopted THEN there will be NO WAY to stop his change agenda. The future of the LCMS depends upon successfully preventing Kieschnick from changing the power structures of the LCMS. If that is not accomplished then confessional Lutherans will have lost the LCMS forever.

Financial Scandal Brewing in the LCMS?

HOLY COW!

Yesterday President Kieschnick wrote a letter to the editor of the Wall Street Journal and justified the cancelation of Issues Etc. by claiming that the show lost $250,000 per year.

But the Save the LCMS website has just uncovered documents that are potentially explosive.

It turns out, that what Kieashnick wasn't telling anyone was that his administration had been borrowing MILLIONS of dollars from other ministry budgets to pay for their own operating expenses and to offset the MILLIONS they were losing on the Fan Into Flame initiative.

What is going on in St. Louis??

It is time for an accounting here.

Ya'll need to read these two stories:

Kieschnick Paid for Ablaze by Borrowing MILLIONS from Other Ministry Budgets

Finances Etc.

Issues Etc. Cancellation Update!!

HT: Save the LCMS

Christ Centered Resistance Movement

The cancellation of the Issues Etc. radio program last week has literally been the talk of the LCMS for the past week and there are no signs that the controversy is going to subside any time soon. It appears that the move to cancel Issues Etc. was part of a larger plan that LCMS President Jerry Kieschnick has for transitioning the LCMS into a seeker-sensitive / purpose-driven denomination. One site in particular seems well connected within the synod and is now passing their insider information on to the public. The name of the site is Save the LCMS and any Lutherans concerned and alarmed by the creeping seeker-sensitive evangelicalism in the LCMS needs to read this site.

Click Here to visit "Save the LCMS"

Life Without the Gospel

Imagine life without the Gospel. For many people, even for many people that we know, this is their reality. What would such a life be like? How would we live, think, be? Without the Gospel we have only the law, only demands, rules, a raging conscience which is devouring us or which is caged and ignored. Without the Gospel there is no Jesus on the cross, no forgiveness of sin by His blood, no comfort in His Word. What is the result of such a void?

The answer is two-fold: pride or despair. A Pharisee or a Judas. Without the Gospel we are flung toward pride on the one hand, and despair on the other. Our Lutheran Confessions give us this insight:

As long as they hear the bare preaching of the Law, and nothing concerning Christ, and therefore do not learn from the Law to perceive their sins aright, [they] either become presumptuous hypocrites (who swell with the opinion of their own righteousness) as the Pharisees, or despair like Judas. [Formula of Concord, Epitome V.7]

We have to do something with our sin. If we cannot confess our sins and hear the promise of forgiveness, then we are set to get rid of our sins in another way. Either we act like we have overcome sin, or we know that sin has overcome us. Without the Gospel we go around like Pharisees or like Judas, governed by pride or despair. These are the only options. (There is perhaps a third option: total indifference to sin, but this is really the worst form of pride.)

Pride tries to handle sin by overcoming it. We see this effort embodied in the Pharisees. By all accounts they were very pious and outwardly holy. They added to the Ten Commandments hundreds of extra laws, but the common thing about all of these laws is that they were keep-able, do-able. This is the way of all man-made laws.

We tend to think that all the extra laws the Pharisees invented would make things more difficult; their standard would be more difficult to keep, but the opposite is true. As more laws are added the simplicity of the ten commandments is obscured. Traditions tend toward externals, and while the ten commandments demand love and sacrifice, traditions demand certain clothes and manner of hand washing. The law demands our heart, soul, mind and strength; traditions may be kept with our hands.

“Don't smoke.” “Don't dance.” “Don't eat meat.” Please add to the list your favorite man-made law. Whatever laws we add the the Scriptures might be difficult, but they are always possible. And this possibility is where pride lives. Whenever humanity invents a law it dulls the accusing edge of God's law until you have mere instruction that asks for correction instead of demanding repentance. This is the road of pride, the way of the Pharisee.

The other road taken without the Gospel is the path of despair. This is the result of the law doing what it is meant to do: it convicts us of our sin. The law shows us our sin; it always accuses. But the Lord intends that the Gospel would then come around to comfort us with the forgiveness of our sins. Without this comfort despair is given free reign; despondency runs free. This is the way that Judas went, and King Saul.

While our pride seeks to overcome sin, despair results from being overcome by sin. The Lord intends neither. He does not leave us to handle sin and death by our own resources and strength. His solution for our sin is the death of Jesus, His suffering, His blood, His cross and the resulting forgiveness and life. We take up the battle against sin not with our will or emotions but with our Lord Jesus and His Word of forgiveness and life.

Would that the Lord would keep us both from presumptuous pride and despair of His promises, and keep us in the comfort of His Gospel. And more, for all of us know people who live without the Gospel; whose lives are a swing between pride and despair, may God open our lips to speak His law and shed the light of His Gospel into the darkness of pride and despair. Amen.

INJ,
Pastor Wolfmueller

Evolve 08 Conference - Part 3

The Center of Your Theology Determines the Object of Your Faith

Warning: This article will be challenging for some of my friends who are Church Planters because it is going to take their Material Principle and weigh it in the balance of Scripture. I am not doing this because I get my gollies by ripping apart other people's theologies. Instead, I am doing this because of my deep love and respect for my friends who are Church Planters.

The charge is bandied about that the new breed of Evangelical Seeker-Sensitive pastors are preaching a Me-Centered Gospel, a watered down gospel or are preaching a Christless form of Christianity. But in my conversations with Church Planters and in taking the time to listen to thousands of hours of their sermons I can definitively state that their theology isn't technically 'Christless' and that they believe with ALL of their hearts that they are fulfilling the calling to which they feel Christ has called them.

The problem lies in their popularized form of Baptist theology and its Material and Formal Principles. The center of their religion is off and as a result they are focusing on the wrong things and are trying to produce the results they are seeking with the wrong tools. I know this sounds like an outrageous and conceited charge on my part. But, please bear with me.

I had the opportunity to speak with and interview a large number of pastors at the Evolve 08 conference. I asked every single one of them the exact same question. Here is the question I asked:

"€œWhen was the last time you preached the Gospel message of Christ crucified for our sins and applied it to the BELIEVERS in your church instead of the unbelievers?"

Sadly, tragically, every single pastor that I asked this question answered with these words, "€œThe believers in my church already know that."

That answer more than anything exposes the scriptural bankruptcy of this theology's material principle. It's focus is not on Christ who is the author and the perfecter of our faith (Heb 12:2). It's focus is on ME and the things I need to do to change my life. What my friends in the Baptist stream of the Church Planter Movement have failed to understand is that the gospel message of 'Christ crucified for our sins' is not mere information that applies only to unbelievers but that the Gospel message itself is at the very heart of the Biblical doctrine of sanctification. Without the Gospel you cannot and do not produce Christian disciples. You only produce self-righteous followers of a performance-based religion who have no assurance of their salvation.

Let me demonstrate.

Below I've produced a graphic with "MY Changed Life" in the center and orbiting it are the most common sermon topics that I hear preached by those in the Baptist stream of the CPM.

The Material Principle of this popularized form of Baptist theology is the 'Changed Life'

The Formal Principle of this popularized form of Baptist theology is 'The Bible as Guidebook for Living'

Almost without exception the sermons that I hear from this stream of the CPM are all topical, all of them are based upon 2 to 4 verses ripped out of context and preached as a life application. IF Jesus is mentioned in the sermon He is usually brought in as a moral example. AND the main reason given to people by these pastors to apply these Biblical principles to their lives is that '€œGod has called them to greatness or has a special purpose for their lives'€. All too often the thorny subject of sin is left out or not mentioned at all.

The method of evangelism that these church planters are employing is to market to people in their community offering them advice for becoming a better parent, having a more fulfilling romantic life, financial advice or career guidance. The assumption is that if unbelievers show up then they can apply these Biblical principles as a means of '€˜trying'€™ Christianity before they '€˜buy it'€™. Once they experience positive change in their lives then that will motivate them to make a commitment to Jesus Christ. But the problem is that what they are buying is not the gospel message of Christ crucified for our sins. Instead they are buying a performance based religion that promises to help them overcome and solve the everyday issues of life. Based upon what is being preached the people in these churches are being led to believe the Bible is merely a guidebook for living and that the primary message of Christianity is about life change. Therefore, the object of this religion isn't Jesus Christ it is ME and the progress that I need to be making so that I can experience life change or the methods I need to employ to form better habits. This is nothing more than a merry-go-round of self-improvement and I don'€™t need a savior for this. In reality, all I need is a good life coach and some good advice.

In this theology those who are having success at experiencing this life change are held up and praised for their changed lives while those who are not nearly as victorious silently suffer as they wonder what they are doing wrong or question whether or not God loves them because of their inability to see positive life change in all of these areas. There is no assurance of salvation for anyone who hops onto this merry-go-round. In a performance based religion you never know if you'€™ve done enough and the entire time your conscience is screaming at you every time you sin and fall short. But because Jesus death for sins is ONLY ever applied to unbelievers in these churches the assumption is that Jesus death on the cross DOES NOT APPLY to believers. This is not an overstatement of the facts. I grew up in a performance based form of Christianity and know this is true from personal experience.

Now let me offer an alternate theology. One whose Material Principle is 'Christ Crucified for our sins'€ and whose Formal Principle is Sola Scriptura (the whole council of the word of God instead of the guidebook for living approach)

Notice that the Gospel Message of Christ Crucified for our Sins is the center and substance of this theology. That means that the Gospel is preached Sunday after Sunday and is the main feature of EVERY sermon and EVERY Bible study.

In this theology sin is dealt with as a serious and deadly problem and every person, including the pastor, has the mirror of God's perfect law held up to them to expose their utter depravity and sinfulness. The solution that is offered to solve this problem is NOT practical steps to experience '€˜life change'. The ONLY solution that is offered for this problem is Christ crucified for our sins. Why? Because scripture is clear that the law cannot save us NOR sanctify us. But that we are saved AND sanctified by the good news that Christ died for OUR sins. The good works that we do are not done out of selfish motivations (I want a better sex life) but they are done because we are NEW creations in Christ and our new nature given to us by the Holy Spirit through the preaching of the gospel (Rom 10:17) naturally produces good fruit and this fruit is produced as an act of worship to our savior who in His love and mercy rescued us from the bondage of sin through Christ's propitiatory sacrifice for our sins on the cross (Rom 3:21-25).

I offer these passages of scripture as further proof that what I am saying is in accord with sound Biblical doctrine.

1 Corinthians 1:17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

18 "For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Notice that Paul said '€œto us who are being saved'€™. The "€œIT"€ Paul is referring to is the message of the gospel NOT the message of the law and the message of principles to be applied for life change.

Paul continues...

1 Corinthians 1:20 "Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

Again notice that Paul says in verse 23 '€œwe PREACH (present active indicative) Christ Crucified'. Paul did not limit this preaching to only unbelievers!!! It is undeniably clear that this message was the center and substance of Paul'€™s preaching to both believers and unbelievers.

Then Paul wrote this...

1 Corinthians 2:1 "And I, when I came to you, brothers,did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

Was Paul actually saying that he ONLY preached Christ Crucified? In a VERY real way that is EXACTLY what Paul was saying. He was making it very clear that "Christ Crucified for our sins" (The Gospel) was the Material Principle of his theology and therefore Jesus Christ NOT Paul and his progress in a performance based religion was the object of Paul'€™s faith.

In fact Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit wrote his harshest letter to the churches in Galatia who had abandoned the message of Christ Crucified for our sins and had replaced it with a performance based religion. Said Paul...

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

3:1 "O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

So many Christians today talk a lot about 'being in the flesh' versus 'being in the spirit'. But, do they actually know that being on the merry-go-round of a performance based religion is exactly how scripture defines what it means to be in the flesh? Do they actually know that this passage teaches that to 'be in the spirit'€™ means to trust and have faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross as opposed to trusting in your changed life?

Regarding performance based religion, which Paul was all to familiar with, wrote...

Phil. 3:2 "Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh'€” 4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith'€” 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Here's the bottom line. Those members of the CPM who have the 'changed life'€™ as their theological center and material principle are in grave spiritual danger. Even worse, it is more than likely that the people who are attending their church plants have the wrong idea about what the Christian faith is about. I therefore am making an appeal to Church Planters to repent and preach the gospel to both believers and unbelievers every single Sunday. I am making an appeal to them based upon the clear teachings of the Word of God to change their material principle from the 'changed life' to 'Christ crucified for our sins'. Then and ONLY then will they witness the Holy Spirit effecting real and eternal change in people's lives.

For further reading on this topic I recommend the article written by Jerry Bridges entitled '€œGospel Driven Sanctification'€.

And a lecture given by Bob DeWaay entitled "7 Benefits of Preaching the Gospel to the Church"

And Now For Something Completely Different

I think the folks in this comedy troupe are onto something.

Evolve 08 Conference - Part 2

The Church Planter Movement

The Evolve 08 Conference was a meeting primarily attended by post-modern neo-evangelical church planters. This group of pastors are part of a movement that is every bit as valid and formidable as the Emergent Church Movement. I will refer to this movement as the “Church Planter Movement” (CPM) in order to begin describing and discussing who these pastors are, what they are doing, what they believe and why they are doing what they are doing.

Immediately a problem arrises when I claim that there is such a thing as a Church Planter Movement. The problem is that this movement is not theologically monolithic. In fact, I would argue that the CPM in its current state is very eclectic and denominationally diverse but it also has two primary theological streams. The first stream is highly influenced by a Rick Warrenized form of Baptist theology and the other stream is Reformed in its theology. Both streams are highly missional in their focus and are intensely preoccupied with finding ways to relevantly engage the American culture(s) with their versions of the gospel.

The Evolve conference was primarily attended by the theologically Baptist stream of the CPM (please keep in mind that other denominations were in attendance). It was organized and hosted by the leadership of Mountain Lake Church in Cumming, Georgia and their ChurchPlanters.com organization. (ChurchPlanters.com is NOT officially connected to any particular denomination.)

Material & Formal Principles

I have been an observer and a critic of the CPM for some time. As I look back on those churches whose antics I’ve featured as exhibits in the museum of idolatry I’ve noticed that the vast majority of the churches that I’ve critiqued are from the Baptist stream of the CPM. One of the questions that I was seeking to answer on this trip was why the churches in this stream have created such a notorious reputation for themselves. What is it about their theology that motivates them to go to extremes in their marketing and to focus their messages so heavily on pop-psych / self-help topics?

The answers can be found in what theologians call their Material and Formal Principles.

For those of you unfamiliar with these terms, let me define them.

The Material Principle is the central teaching of a religion, religious tradition or movement, denomination, church, religious body or organization. If properly identified and understood, the material principle helps people understand all the teachings of a religious group. All of the tenets of a doctrinal system can be explained in relationship to its material principle. For example, many scholars have argued that the Material Principle of Calvinist Theology is the Glory/Sovereignty of God. They claim that doctrine alone represents the theological center of Reformed Theology and that all other doctrines ripple out from that one. The Material Principle of Lutheranism is the doctrine of Justification by Grace Alone Through Faith Alone by the Merits of Christ Alone.

The Formal Principle is the authority which forms or shapes the doctrinal system of a religion, religious movement or tradition or a religious body or organization. Formal principles tend to be texts or revered leaders of the religion or tradition. For much of Protestantism the Bible alone (sola scriptura) is the Formal Principle.

In the same way that you cannot understand Lutheranism or Calvinism without having a firm grasp on their Material and Formal Principles, one cannot understand the Baptist stream of the CPM unless one correctly identifies the center of their theology and the authoritative teachings that form the basis of their theology.

What I am about to say is going to be controversial because I am convinced that the Material and Formal Principles of this movement ARE NOT the same as the historic Baptist Faith. That is the reason why I’ve already stated and must re-iterate that this is a Rick Warrenized version of the Baptist faith that we are witnessing in action. Here they are:

The Material Principle of the Baptist Stream of the CPM is the Changed Life.

The Formal Principle of the Baptist Stream of the CPM is the Bible as handbook and guidebook for living.

This is why Rick Warren, who is the “God-Father” of this movement says that he is “addicted to changed lives”[i] and why he says that his job as a pastor is to “change behavior”[ii]. This central focus on the 'changed life' is also at the heart of Warren's call for a second reformation of Deeds NOT Creeds[iii].

The pastors in this movement are doing everything within their means to market to and attract as many people to their churches in order to give them principles for changing their lives. In their way of thinking, if people’s lives are changed then the ends, no matter how outrageous, justify the means.

If you ask them how they know God is working in someone’s life they will answer, “by the fact that God is changing their life.”

If you ask them what the Gospel is, many will tell you that it is the “life changing message of the cross.”

They firmly believe that when an unchurched person experiences ‘life change’ that it will motivate that person to make a commitment to become a ‘Christ Follower’.

Their theological focus is on the principles that we need to apply in order to change our lives, honor God, obey God and serve God more and more.

This is a theology of “DO”. This is not a theology of what Christ has “DONE”.

More in the next article.

Evolve 08 Conference - Part 1

The Role of My Opinion and Voice in the American Church

Before I discuss what I loved and what I disagreed with at the Evolve conference I want to take you through the struggle that exists in my own psyche about the role my opinion and voice has in the American Church.

For better or for worse, a lot of people read this blog and over the years I’ve built a ‘brand’ for myself based upon the things I’ve said and how I’ve said them. This blog began as a theological diary of sorts and a personal catharsis for me. Many times I’ve bluntly shared my anger and frustration at what I and others see as the complete selling out of the message of the gospel in the American Church. My opinions are not only based upon my theological study but they are also informed by my own experiences and the deep feelings that haunt one who has had everything he has believed in be challenged and found wanting.

This leads to an important truth that many of us, myself included, lose site of. Debating theology is practically impossible to do without understanding the people who hold to theological ideas that are contrary to yours. The reason for this is that people are the ones who are promoting these theologies and their hearts and souls and minds are all engaged in the fight.

So many times I would read about what a pastor or a church was doing and would find myself scratching my head in disbelief wondering what that pastor or church was thinking. I could never wrap my brain around the whys of their whats. Because of this I realized that I was missing a critical component and that if I was going to be effective in speaking to the problems the American Church is facing I was going to have to get out from behind the laptop and start having some face time with the men and women I was disagreeing with and get to know them as people.

The role of this blog and my role as a teacher in the church is to preach, teach and defend Christ Crucified for sinners. I cannot do that effectively if the ONLY thing I am doing is lobbing theological hand grenades at those I disagree with while hiding behind a computer screen. So for some time now I’ve been privately reaching out in an effort to build relationships with these men. It is in that spirit that I attended the Evolve 08 conference and it is in that spirit that I want to offer my readers the lessons that I learned, the things that I found praise-worthy and the things that I found very troubling.

New Friends

Before I launch into my analysis I want to let everybody know that I have some new friends and I consider them to be dear brothers in Christ. These are men who trust Christ and Him crucified and who are doing as much as possible with their limited resources to fulfill their callings as pastors. These are men that I had long conversations with and shared meals with. These are humble hard working men who have risked their lives and forsaken earthly fortunes for the toil, suffering and struggles that accompany the role of a church planter. I talked with many of these men but I want to single out and thank three of them. They are Chris Elrod, Dave Anderson and Mark Love. These men are good people and hard working servants of Christ. Gentlemen, thank you. I truly enjoyed your company and appreciated your willingness to spend time with a theological nerd such as myself.

To Be Continued

Evolve 08 - Reporting from the Conference

On Sunday I travelled to Cumming, Georgia to attend the Evolve 08 Conference hosted by ChurchPlanters.com.

The purpose for my trip was to research this movement and open up dialogue.

Evolve 08 is the conference to be at if you are one of the new generation of church pastors and leaders. Those in attendance reads like a who’s who of the top names and ‘rock stars’ of this movement; Dave Anderson, Gary Lamb, Mark Batterson, Darrin Patrick, Gabe Lyons, Chris Elrod and Steven Furtick.

The conference itself is not a business only affair. Before each keynote address key leaders face each other in a Guitar Hero single elimination challenge.

What I’ve learned at this conference about this new generation of pastors is information that I would have never come across while reading their blogs, listening to their sermons or reading their church’s doctrinal statements. The information that I stumbled upon could only be found by sitting down and having a face to face conversation or sharing a meal.

I had hoped to be able to blog report on the conference in real time. But, after finishing day one of the conference and while preparing for day two I realized for the first time that I actually ‘get’ what this movement is about and understand why they are doing what they are doing. This does not mean that I am in agreement with them, but this new piece if information has already had such a profound impact on what I think about this movement that I want to take a few days to process it and bounce it off of a few colleagues before I begin writing about it.

You can view photos from the event that I have been taking by clicking here.

Special Thanks to Mike Corley

I'd like to thank Mike Corley for having me on his radio program yesterday to discuss Rick Warren's comments on Sean Hannity's show about how to make it to heaven. You can listen to this program by clicking here.

What Rick Warren Said We Need to Do to Get to Heaven

I'm putting this up as a discussion piece.

Tell us whether or not people will make it to heaven based upon what Rick Warren said on Sean Hannity's show on February 10, 2008.

To help this discussion I've taken Rick Warren's solution to 'making it to heaven' and altered some passages about salvation to help see if this fits what the Bible teaches.

John 6:28-29 Then they said to Jesus, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “Give as much of yourself as you understand to as much as you understand about me and then keep growing in it.”

Acts 2:37-39 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Give as much of yourself as you understand to as much of Jesus Christ as you understand and then keep growing in it."

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever gives as much of themselves as they understand to as much of Jesus Christ as they understand and keep growing in it shall have eternal life.

So what do you think? Is Rick Warren's solution to making it to heaven consistent with what God's Word says?

Rick Warren Calls for Reconciliation Between Mainline (Liberal) Churches and Evangelicals

The Christian Post has an interesting article about what Rick Warren said at his recent appearance at the National Cathedral.

Megachurch pastor Rick Warren suggested Sunday that mainline churches need to reconcile with evangelicals to counter its mounting problem of membership decline.

“(Warren said) The reconciliation is that in a pluralistic world…we (Christians) need to be on the same team because we share the same savior,” [Emphasis Mine]

The story continued...

“100 years ago the phrase ‘social gospel’ first came out,” Warren responded. “Some people took that to mean only if we reform the social government and society and not personal faith in Christ Jesus – that is, if we make the world a better place – we don’t need personal redemption.”

That idea led to mainline churches going “one way” and evangelical churches another way, he said.
In general, mainline churches focused on social morality such as fighting poverty, racism and economic justice. Meanwhile, evangelical churches concentrated on personal morality such as personal salvation, fighting pornography, and upholding family values.

“Who’s right? The fact is both are right,” Warren emphasized. “Somehow we got divided like Jesus didn’t care about society or members of society didn’t need Jesus. I think we need both.”

Okay...yesterday I posted a video of Emergent Uber Guru Brian McLaren asking questions about whether Christianity is too closely tied to the west. I asked ya’ll to put away your opinions of McLaren and rather than react to McLaren to instead interact with the questions he brought up.

As soon as I posted the video I received a couple of emails asking me if I was alright. The discussion on the video was so underwhelming that I hear crickets chirping every time I open that post. Fact is I was conducting an experiment to see how well we can warm up to and work with and interact with a man who says he’s a Christian yet at every turn has been questioning and undermining fundamental Christian doctrines including the doctrine of Christ’s Substitutionary Atonement.

Truth is, I found it VERY hard to even post the video, yet alone bring myself to ask my readers to ‘put away their opinions of McLaren’ regardless of how good some of his questions may have been. (they weren’t that great).

So back to Rick Warren.

Warren is actually calling for me to reconcile with people like McLaren and Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori (liberals) because 'Christians of all stripes' need to be on the same team because WE SHARE THE SAME SAVIOR.

RICK WARREN IS OUT OF HIS MIND!

I will NOT be reconciled to people who call themselves Christians yet deny that the Bible is the inerrant word of God.

I will NOT be reconciled to people who call themselves Christians yet deny that Jesus Christ rose bodily from the grave.

I will NOT be reconciled to people who call themselves Christians who openly defy God’s word by ordaining homosexuals.

I will NOT be reconciled to people who call themselves Christians yet deny that salvation is found only in Jesus Christ.

I will NOT be reconciled to people who call themselves Christians yet deny that Jesus Christ died on the cross as my substitute for my sins.

I do not care how well meaning the liberal social causes may be. If there is ever to be reconciliation then they will have to repent of their rebellion against God and His Word, defrock their homosexual and female ministers, abandon all their 'scholarship' that claims the Bible is a human product, confess Jesus' bodily resurrection, confess that Jesus died for our sins as our substitute and confess that Jesus is the ONLY way of salvation. Then and only then will I believe that we share the same savior.

Pastor Warren thinks he's doing God's work by trying to reconcile the two wings of Christianity. BUT, Because his reconciliation is not based upon their repentance, he is not doing God's work. Instead he is doing the work of the prince of darkness.

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Further Reading: For a complete run down and refutation of Liberal Christianity I recommend that you download and read Christianity and Liberalism by J. Gresham Machen

McLaren at Davos

I am very critical of Brian McLaren and view many of his ideas to be down right dangerous and unorthodox. That being said many of you would be surprised to find out that I think that on some issues McLaren is asking the RIGHT questions.

I would like you to put away your opinions of McLaren for a couple of minutes and listen to the issues that he brings up in this video from his trip to the World Economic Forum at Davos.

One of my strongest criticisms of American Evangelicalism is that it has become overtly AMERICAN. We've lost sight of the fact that we are the church catholic and have become the church American.

So rather than reacting to McLaren as an Emergent, I'd like to know what you think of his questions and the experience he shares about his trip to Davos.