Where Did the Emergent Church ‘Emerge’ From?

The false teachings exposed by Dave Fiorazo below are not only being taught in churches in America but has reached global scale by international Christian missions such as Ravi Zacharia International Ministries (RZIM), Youth for Christ, YWAM and many other global missions. Having been with YWAM myself for a few years, I can testify that such teachings are rampantly taught in its schools to undiscerning youth!

 

By: Dave Fiorazo on Good Fight Ministries

WARNING: The author of this article has determined that ignoring the following information may be hazardous to your spiritual health, and that choosing to do nothing with this knowledge may grieve the Holy Spirit and cause regret; but taking action may strengthen your faith. “Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.” (Jude 1:3-4)

The emerging church is a movement of the late 20th and early 21st century that crosses a number of theological boundaries: participants can be described as evangelical, post-evangelical, liberal or post-liberal, reformed, neo-charismatic, and post-charismatic. They seek to live their faith in what they believe to be a”Postmodern” society. It is a rapidly growing network of individual believers and churches who would prefer to be understood as a conversation or a friendship rather than an organization. What those involved mostly agree on is their disdain and disillusionment with the organized and institutional church. The emergent church favors the use of simple story and narrative. Members of the movement often place a high value on good works or social activism. The hallmark of the emergent church is the new age aspect including the practice of contemplative monastic meditation and prayers. While some emphasize eternal salvation, many in the emerging church emphasize the here and now. Much of its doctrine rejects systematic Christian theology, the integrity of Scripture, and gospel exclusivity. They don’t believe Christianity is the true religion and they promote homosexuality. They call for diversity, tolerance and camaraderie among all religions, and they modify and expand their teachings. It is a war against the Truth.

At an emergent church workshop in San Diego, Tony Jones said, “This is about our belief that theology changes. The message of the gospel changes. It’s not just the method that changes.” What? I submit to you that Jesus never changed his message to fit the times. Books, sermons and articles have been and will be written about the emergent church, and I’ve come to realize that too many believers are at times uninterested, uninformed, or just plain apathetic about the Bible and understanding the times we live in. There’s plenty of information out there if you’re interested in doing the research. You may even know their names. They are best-selling authors in Christian stores, speakers at our music festivals, and well-known leaders in Christian circles. Please read the following quotes from emergent church leaders, keeping the following verses in mind:

“The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.” 1 Timothy 4:1

“Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.” Acts 20:30

“Going to heaven is like going to Philadelphia… There are many ways…It doesn’t make any difference how we go there. We all end up in the same place.” 1a

“On the other hand, we are hard-pressed to find any biblical basis for condemning deep love commitments between homosexual Christians as long as those commitments are not expressed in sexual intercourse.” 1b

“But the overwhelming population of the gay community that love Jesus, that go to church, that are deeply committed in spiritual things, try to change and can’t change…” 1c

“…we want to see God at work converting society, converting the systems, so that there aren’t the racist overtones, the economic injustices, the polluting of the atmosphere.” 1d

“I learn about Jesus from other religions. They speak to me about Christ, as well.”1e

“I’m not convinced that Jesus only lives in Christians.” 1f

(Tony Campolo is an author, professor of Sociology at Eastern College, former spiritual counselor to President Bill Clinton, and a leader of the movement called “Red Letter Christians”.)

***

“I don’t believe making disciples must equal making adherents to the Christian religion. It may be advisable in many (not all!) circumstances to help people become followers of Jesus and remain within their Buddhist, Hindu or Jewish contexts…” 2a

“Yes, I find a character named God who sends a flood that destroys all humanity except Noah’s family, but that’s almost trivial compared to a deity who tortures the greater part of humanity forever in infinite eternal conscious torment, three words that need to be read slowly and thoughtfully to feel their full import.” 2b

“For many Christians, their faith is primarily about what happens to people after they die. That distracts them from seeking justice and living in a compassionate way while we’re still alive in this life. We need to go back and take another look at Jesus’ teachings about hell. For so many people, the conventional teaching about hell makes God seem vicious. That’s not something we should let stand.” 2c

“In this light, a god who mandates an intentional supernatural disaster leading to unparalleled genocide is hardly worthy of belief, much less worship. How can you ask your children…to honor a deity so uncreative, over reactive, and utterly capricious regarding life?” 2d

(Brian McLaren is the founding pastor of Cedar Ridge Community Church in Spencerville, MD, he serves as a board chair for Sojourners, an emergent church leader and a founding member of Red Letter Christians.)

***

“I don’t think that abortion is the moral equivalent issue to slavery…I think poverty is the new slavery. Poverty and global inequality are the fundamental moral issues of our time. That’s my judgment.” 3a

“Christianity will be impotent to lead a conversation on sexuality and gender if we do not bodily integrate our current understandings of humanity with our theology. This will require us to not only draw new conclusions about sexuality but will force us to consider new ways of being sexual.” 3b

“As more Christians become influenced by liberation theology, finding themselves increasingly rejecting the values of institutions of capitalism, they will also be drawn to the Marxist analysis and praxis that is so central to the social justice movement.” 3c

(Jim Wallis is a writer and political activist, best known as the founder and editor of Sojourners’ Magazine, for which he admitted to accepting money from George Soros, who has financed groups supporting abortion and atheism; Wallis has been arrested 22 times for acts of civil disobedience, and he serves as a spiritual adviser to President Obama.)

***

“What if tomorrow someone digs up definitive proof that Jesus had a real, earthly, biological father named Larry, and archeologists find Larry’s tomb and do DNA samples and prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the virgin birth was just a bit of mythologizing the Gospel writers threw in to appeal to the followers of the Mithra and Dionysian religious cults that were hugely popular at the time of Jesus, whose gods had virgin births? …Could you still be a Christian? Is the way of Jesus still the best possible way to live?” 4a
*This writer is concerned that Rob had his bell rung one too many times.

(Rob Bell is the founding pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, MI, and a popular icon in the emergent church movement.)

Related information from GFM:
Rob Bell: Populating Hell (Article)
Rob Bell: Welcome to Hell (Audio Resource)

***

“In any case, I now believe that GLBTQ [Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Queer] can live lives in accord with Biblical Christianity (at least as much as any of us can!) and that their monogamy can and should be sanctioned and blessed by church and state.” 5a

“I think the Bible is a f***ing scary book (pardon my French, but that’s the only way I know how to convey how strongly I feel about this).” 5b

“Some people today may find it compelling that some Great Cosmic Transaction took place on that day 1,980 years ago, that God’s wrath burned against his son instead of me. I find that version of atonement theory neither intellectually compelling, spiritually compelling, nor in keeping with the biblical narrative.” 5c

(Tony Jones is an author and a leader in the emergent church movement, blogger, and social commentator)

***

“There are extremists, both Muslim and Christian, who kill in the name of their gods.” 6a

“So for those of us who have nearly given up the church, may we take comfort in the words of St. Augustine: ‘The Church is a whore, but she’s my mother.’ She is a mess and has many illegitimate children. But she is also our momma…” 6b

(Shane Claiborne is an author, the co-founder of The Potter Street Community – formerly The Simple Way, a graduate of Eastern University and is a part of The Alternative Seminary in Philadelphia, PA. Claiborne is featured in the documentary “The Ordinary Radicals” and wrote the foreword to Ben Lowe’s “Green Revolution: Coming Together to Care for Creation.”)

How did we get to the point where some, if not all, of these teachings have blended in with truth and sound doctrine, and are accepted by many churches and ministries? Make no mistake. I’d need to write an entire book to completely answer that question. False teachers have been around since the early church days. The major issue with the emergent church is that it rejects the authority of the word of God. These teachings were not accepted by evangelical Christians overnight. This is 2010. We can trace the advancement of the emergent church to the late 80’s and 90’s, when people began talking about how to modernize and re-create church to be more attractive to the unchurched. But going back to the hippy flower-power days of the 1960’s, the new fad was all about peace, love, free sex, and rebelling against authority. Absolute truth and Biblical standards were questioned and labeled as too rigid, leading some to moral relativism. Moral Relativism is an ethical judgment. It is the claim that no ethical system is better than another, and rests on the belief that values are subjective.

Some churches responded to the 60’s rebellion by trying to convert as many as possible and accepted them as they were. ‘Come as you are’ was the new slogan. Jesus does meet people right where they are, but there’s an important distinction: He loves people too much to leave them that way, and unlike the emergent church, His message never changes! He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Heb. 13:8) Many churches began watering down the true gospel in an effort to lure potential new members and not offend unbelievers. Some Pastors and church leaders simply wanted to increase their market share, so to speak. The seeker-friendly or seeker-sensitive movement began to grow and a skim milk diet replaced the meat of God’s word. More young people began attending church but there was little follow-up or discipleship training, and lots of baby Christians went back out into the world with little conviction to change.

The 1970’s brought us the development of the Christian music industry. Most of the industry pioneers were authentic, God-fearing, and ministry-minded, but I wonder if they would approve of Christian music as a whole today? In some cases, bands are more into the entertainment aspect than building up the body of Christ. Biblical truth was becoming irrelevant to young Christians and grace was way over-emphasized. One might argue that we shouldn’t judge others because it is divisive. In Luke 12:51, Jesus said that he did not come to bring peace but division. He never backed down when it came to facing hypocritical religious leaders. If you’re a mature Christian, you too need to be careful. The Apostle Paul writes, “You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.” (Gal. 5:7-9) Many churches in America now have beautiful buildings, coffee shops, bookstores, great music and sound systems, state of the art lighting, and good drama or video presentations, but they seem to put more of an emphasis on entertaining the flock than on feeding them God’s word. Well, at least the young people are happy.

The 80’s rolled around and a few years after I gave my life to Christ, I heard Tony Campolo speak in California. I remember laughing a lot because he’s a great entertainer. He knows how to reach both young and old. His presentation has never been a concern; his theology definitely is. To fully understand the background and motives of some of the emergent church guru’s, you’d need to know more about Liberation theology, Marxism, Saul Alinsky, Sojourners Magazine, George Soros, Red Letter Christians, Collective Salvation, and the Students for a Democratic Society. Most young people like to take action for a cause, and some of these works-based teachings call for organizing, social or environmental action. This is a clever way to lure those who are not as mature in the faith.

In 1995 Jim Wallis founded ‘Call to Renewal’ for the purposes of advocating for leftist economic agendas such as tax hikes and wealth redistribution to promote social justice. He himself stated, “That’s what the gospel is all about.” In 2005, Democratic Senators (including Harry Reid) met with Wallis to devise clever ways to use religious language to pull evangelical voters away from Republicans. According to TraditionalValues.org, Wallis was hired to fool Americans into believing secular liberals had found “religion” in part by sprinkling references to God and faith into their speeches. Just this year, Wallis has criticized America’s heritage, capitalism, conservative Christians, and jumped on the race card express saying, “would there even be a Tea Party if the president of the United States weren’t the first black man to occupy that office?”

The “social gospel” and the social justice message is an apostasy. Apostasy means a departure from the faith or one who denies the fundamental doctrines concerning the person and work of Jesus Christ. Social justice teachings have branched off from the emergent church. We can no longer deny the fact that humanism, liberalism and the secular-progressive movement are alive and well in the Church, just as it has been for years in government, education, media, and the entertainment industry. Last month, Jim Wallis brought his social justice message to a Christian festival in Wisconsin called Lifest. (Wallis’ Sojourners puts more emphasis on the environment and poverty than on salvation and sin.) Because there were many great bands and speakers there, I’ve heard a few people try to make an argument in favor of Wallis, with the over-used analogy, “don’t throw out the baby with the bath water.” So, if only a few people hear a false gospel, that’s ok? “Let’s just agree to disagree.” Sorry, that method may be fine when dealing with petty arguments between friends or family. But when it comes to false doctrines, we can’t simply just look the other way. I heard the story of a woman who told her daughters that they no longer could attend Lifest because of Wallis. Weeks before, she and her husband wanted their young daughters to remember the dangers of false teachers, so they made brownies together. After all of the ingredients were added, she told them there was one more ingredient to add. The girls were shocked when their Mom added a small piece of dog poop to the batter! She told them not to worry and that they might not even taste it. Admittedly, this was a disgustingly effective lesson I bet they’ll never forget! Jesus warned His disciples to avoid the teachings (yeast) of the Pharisees, but He didn’t have a brownie recipe handy for visual effects.

According to Time Magazine (so take this with a grain of salt), Brian McLaren is one of the 25 most influential people in the evangelical church. This makes me believe our culture is confused about what ‘evangelical’ means. It is a serious issue because his teachings seem to reject the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the work on the cross, and dilutes what the Bible says about Heaven and eternal life. McLaren is changing Biblical doctrine to fit his own ‘We Are the World’ type of theology, which stomps out the reality of Hell and the fact that Jesus became our substitute on the cross in order to redeem us. He doubts the reliability of the Bible and I’m confused as to why he is not more of a red flag to Christians. Please read for yourself what the Apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 1:8 about those who preach another Gospel.

Many of today’s youth have been raised in a culture (and sadly in some churches) where feelings and sensitivity matter but sound doctrine and the truth of God’s word aren’t a priority. This invites the justification of sinful behaviors and tolerance for sin. Our culture has redefined the word ‘tolerance’ to mean love, unconditional grace, warm fuzzies, and the acceptance of not only the sinner but the sin as well. When the Holy Spirit isn’t invited, by the preaching of Scripture, to come in and work in our hearts, there can be no conviction. Without revelation of sin and conviction, there can be no repentance leading to forgiveness. We shouldn’t be surprised that many young Christians have their spiritual foundations built on the sand. The Lord Jesus Christ said something very serious about those who cause little ones to stumble. He said in Luke 17:2 that it would be better that a millstone would be tied around the neck of the one who caused them to sin. These guys have no business teaching Christian theology and it’s amazing that so many ‘believing’ consumers buy into their feel-good, motivational doctrine. Part of their gospel is one of a social worker putting their faith in man (humanism) and government.

Dr. Walter Martin, founder of the Christian Research Institute, sternly warned about liberal theology and the emergent church saying, “It is a cult because it follows every outlined structure of cultism; its own revelations; its own gurus, and its denial—systematically—of all sound systematic Christian theology. It is a cult because it passes its leadership on to the next group that takes over—either modifying, expanding or contracting—the same heresies; dressing them up in different language, and passing them on…it denies the authority of Scripture, it ruins its own theology. And it ends in immorality; because the only way you could have gotten to this homosexual, morally relativistic, garbage—which is today in our denominational structures—is if the leadership of those denominations denied the authority of the Scriptures and Jesus Christ as Lord…Test all things; make sure of what is true (see 1 Thessalonians 5:21). I’m not being harsh; I’m not being judgmental. I am being thoroughly, consistently, Christian; in the light of historic theology, and the holy Bible.”

So what should we do? Since not enough Christians know the dangers and the extent of the emergent church movement and their radical teachings, we need to promote awareness of these deceptions. We need to dig deeper in to the Word of God than ever before and know it so well that if we hear a counterfeit message, we’ll recognize it immediately! We need to talk to our Pastors and Christian friends. You have a choice to make and I encourage you to get out of your comfort zone and take a stand for Christ. The spiritual battle rages all around us and the enemy is on our doorstep. Satan has been at work at a church near you spreading his deceptions. The good news is that we are on to his schemes. Mature believers know that the emergent church teachings are contrary to the gospel of Christ. So suit up in the full armor of God and pray for discernment. Revelation 3:11 says, “Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.” Light dispels the darkness, so share the truth, stand your ground, and shine your light!

Dave Fiorazo is an evangelical Christian, actor, blogger and on-air radio personality at Q90 90.1FM WORQ in De Pere, WI.

References:
1a CarpeDiem: Seize the Day, 1994 page 85;
1b “20 Hot Potatoes Christians Are Afraid To Touch” page 117;
1c Beliefnet.com/faith/Christianity 08/2004;
1d MSNBC 2008 interview;
1e MSNBC 2008 interview;
1f Charlie Rose show 1/24/97

2a A Generous Orthodoxy, page 260;
2b A New Kind of Christianity, 98;
2c Site no longer available;
2d A New Kind of Christianity,109;

3a ChristianityToday.com 5/9/2008;
3b ChristianityToday.com 5/9/2008;
3c Worldview Weekend.com 8/3/2010 #1597;

4a Velvet Elvis pp. 26-27;

5a Beliefnet.com 11/19/08 blog;
5b The church and postmodern culture: conversation 3-26-07;
5c Beliefnet.com ‘Why Jesus Died’ 4/09;

6a From the book “Irresistible Revolution” by Shane Claiborne
6b From the book “Irresistible Revolution” by Shane Claiborne
6c From the book “Irresistible Revolution” by Shane Claiborne

American Churches to Embrace Islam on 26 June 2011

After reading the following write-up by NETB, one would expect Muslims in the Middle East to unite with Christians there; inviting them to read Bibles in their mosques instead of butchering them! Well, what exactly is the purpose for these Christians to invite Muslims to their churches? Rick Warren better visit the Mid East soon!

 

American churches to deny Jesus Christ on June 26, 2011 –

 

NTEB has reported extensively on the growing Chrislam movement. Started in part by Rick Warren of Saddleback Church, it has grown dramatically and now has infected many hundreds of churches and denominations all across America. A new group called Faith Shared is now spearheading the move to merge Christianity with Islam, and in the process provoking the very judgment of God down upon us as a nation. (NOTE: Rick Warren is not affiliated as far as we know with Faith Shared.)

The following is taken directly from their website:

“Faith Shared asks houses of worship across the country to organize events involving clergy reading from each other’s sacred texts. An example would be a Christian Minister, Jewish Rabbi and Muslim Imam participating in a worship service or other event. Suggested readings will be provided from the Torah, the Gospels, and the Qur’an, but communities are encouraged to choose readings that will resonate with their congregations. Involvement of members from the Muslim community is key. We will also provide suggestions on how to incorporate this program into your regular worship services. And we will assist local congregations in their media and communications efforts.

While there is a strong preference for all of the events to happen on the same day, a number of congregations held interfaith services in January and February giving us wonderful examples of how communities can come together in support and fellowship. We will be posting photos, sample programs and audio files from theses services.

Faith Shared will collect images and videos from these events to use in our efforts to spread this message of respect and understanding from America.

Tensions around Islam in America have erupted throughout the country in the past year, leading to misconceptions, distrust and in some cases violence. News stories on the rising tide of anti-Muslim bigotry and violence abound, with graphic and often searing images of the antagonists, the protagonists and the battlegrounds where they meet. All too often, media coverage simplistically pits Muslims against would-be Qur’an burners, neglecting any substantive representation of where the majority of Americans actually stand: a shared commitment to tolerance and freedom. We are committed to ensuring that the storyline changes dramatically in 2011 by helping to create an environment of mutual understanding and respect for each other’s faith traditions.” source – Faith Shared

The following are churches across the US who have agreed to sponsor a Chrislam service:

Congregation	Location
Anchorage First Christian	Anchorage	AK
University Presbyterian Church	Tuscaloosa	AL
Quapaw Quarter UMC	Little Rock	AR
Federated Community Church	Flagstaff	AZ
First UMC Phoenix	Phoenix	AZ
All Saints Cathedral	Pasadena	CA
First United Lutheran,	San Francisco	CA
Light of ChristEcumenical Catholic Church	Longmont	CO
Park Hill Congregational	Denver	CO
Union Congregational	Nucla	CO
Temple Micah	Denver	CO
Riverfront Family Church	Hartford	CT
The National Cathedral	Washington	DC
Seekers Church	Washington	DC
North American Old Catholic Church	Washington	DC
National City Christian Church	Washington	DC
New Ark United Church of Christ	Newark	DE
Faith United Church of Christ	Clearwater	FL
Unitarian Universalist Church of Pensacola	Pensacola	FL
United Church of Christ at The Villages	The Villages	FL
Virginia Highland Church	Atlanta	GA
Decatur United Church of Christ	Decatur	GA
The Episcopal Church of St. John the Evangelist	College Park	GA
St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church	Honolulu	HI
Church of the Epiphany	Honolulu	HI
Cathedral of St. Andrew, the Episcopal Diocese of HI	Honolulu	HI
Collegiate United Methodist Church and Wesley Foundation	Ames	IA
Congregational United Church of Christ	Iowa City	IA
Urbandale UCC Church	Urbndale	IA
Hillview United Methodist	Boise	ID
Boise First United Methodist Church, Cathedral of the Rockies	Boise	ID
First United of Oak Park	Chicago	IL
St Thomas Mission	Chicago	IL
The Chicago Temple First UMC	Chicago	IL
First Presbyterian Church of Fort Wayne	Fort Wayne	IN
Northminster Baptist Church	Monroe	LA
The Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst	Amherst	MA
Grace Episcopal	Amherst	MA
Church of Our Savior	Arlington	MA
St Paul’s Cathedral	Boston	MA
Old Cambridge Baptist Church	Cambridge	MA
Hadwen Park Congregational Church	Worcester	MA
Veritas United Church of Christ	Hagerstown	MD
Trinity United Methodist	Mountain Grove	MO
St. Mary’s Episcopal Church	Ely	MN
First Congregational	Great Falls	MT
MtView/Trinity UM Parish	Butte	MT
Unitarian Universalist Ocean County Congregation,	Toms River	NJ
Christ Episcopal Church	Toms River	NJ
Zion Methodist Church	Las Vegas	NV
Prepare New York	New York	NY
Auburn Theological Seminary	New York	NY
The Sacred Center of New York	New York	NY
Christ Church United Methodist	NewYork	NY
The Riverside Church of New York	New York	NY
All Souls Bethelehem Church	Brooklyn	NY
First Congregational UCC	Corvalis	OR
Spirit of Peace United Church of Christ	Sioux Falls	SD
Baha’i Faith Community Center	Nashville	TN
Saint John’s United Methodist Church	Austin	TX
Hope for Peace & Justice Interfaith Peace Chapel	Dallas	TX
Cathedral of Hope	Dallas	TX
Wasatch Presbyterian Church of Salt Lake City	Salt Lake City	UT
Grace Episcopal Church	St George	UT
United Church of Bellows Falls	Bellow Falls	VT
Cathedral of the Diocese of Vermont	Burlington	VT
Vermont Ecumenical Council & Bible Society	Burlington	VT
Dummerston Congregational Church UCC	Drummerston	VT
Memorial United Church of Christ	Fitchburg	WI
Trinity Episcopal Church	Janesville	WI
First Congregational Church UCC Casper	Casper	WY

If you’re not astonished at what you’ve heard, then you’ve heard a lie

In today’s culture and society it’s hard to decipher the sound and true doctrine of the Lord from the corrupt doctrine. This is mainly due to false teachers which teach a doctrine that satisfies their audience; the type of doctrine with which they gain favor, popularity and most important of all, wealth.
When we hear our pastor or listen to televangelists preaching away does their doctrine astonish us? Do we marvel and praise God for what has been spoken? Do we feel uncomfortable with what we hear and believe? The sound doctrine makes us uncomfortable because of our sinful ways. When people hear this doctrine the result should be astonishment – whether astonishment because it has convicted us and led us to repent or astonishment because we prefer the sugary doctrine and this one is too hard on the ears.

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” 2Tim 4:3,4

If the Sunday morning sermon has not astonished us its humor and corny jokes and we leave without conviction (even of a minutest thing) then we’ve been deceived along with the pastor. (On a side note, I have no idea since when God’s doctrine has become funny!) If we’ve heard a televangelist say that we can demand and claim wealth and health and all things nice then we’ve just heard a doctrine that has not astonished us. Preachers who preach Christ and not themselves will astonish the congregation – those who take the risk of being hated and despised and gossiped about and yet teach Christ Jesus, these are the ones who preach the true doctrine. Some teachings which I’ve found to be astonishing are by preachers like David Wilkerson and Paul Washer. Not that I’m idolising them but I’ve taken them as examples.

The Word of God has to be astonishing to a human mind because it’s beyond comprehension; it’s of God the Almighty! How can it not convicted us? A compromised doctrine never astonishes even a heathen. When Jesus preached the Kingdom of God His doctrine was spotless, leaving His audience in awe and astonishment. He attracted followers as well as haters (to the extent of them wanting to kill Him). Remember His hearers were the same every time, yet they were at awe at His Word. Even when His Apostles preached and taught their hearers responded with astonishment! 

“And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine…” Matt 7:28

“And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine.” Matt 22:33

“And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.” Mark 1:22

“And the disciples were astonished at his words.” Mk 10:24

“And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine.” Mk 11:18

“Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.” Acts 13:12

Redefining God’s goodness to protect man’s wickedness

A sinful man redefines God’s goodness. Why? To cover up his wickedness. While I was with YWAM (when I was one of the many brainwashed by its agenda of globalism), I would often hear about how good God is, that He has forgiven our sins and accepted us just as we are – fallen. During worship times people would cry out to God thanking Him for loving them and accepting them despite of their many sins, that He was good in doing so. (There was a lot of emotionalism involved, the more emotional people got the better the worship session that morning!) Hell was rarely mentioned at this mission, if it were ever mentioned it was given a mild interpretation. Yes, they teach that believing in Jesus will save you from your sins (not hell), they also teach that reconciling all things to God (literally all things, whether movies, rock music, religions, media, education etc; thankfully YWAM doesn’t try to “reconcile” Satan to God!)  is their main agenda. It is in this act of reconciliation that they hope to snatch people and everything else from the hands of Satan and give it back to God (!). (Note: I hold nothing against the leaders and the staff of the YWAM base I’ve been at, however I do hold this against them that they are teaching what is demonic, which will cost their members their eternal life. Yet God is good, He will save His chosen from following such heresy.)

Okay, so coming back to the agenda of redefining God’s goodness: who defines God’s goodness? The OT, inspired by God Himself, often records how the LORD commanded His people to utterly destroy those who worship other gods. The 21st Century preacher, like Brian McLaren or Rick Warren, will label this as evil or come up with some other interpretation in order to protect God’s reputation, but ignoring man’s wickedness. Today’s Christian fails to see that sinfulness of man can never allow him to come before God “just as he is”. God indeed expects us to change and to begin living as conformed to His Word, He does not accept us in our sinfulness. God is good in punishing man for his fallenness. But preachers today say that a “good” (according to humanistic definition) God will never punish man so severely for his sins. According to a human reasoning, God cannot be good if He reserves eternal lake of fire for the unrighteous. But according to the Bible, in spite having annihilated idolaters God is still good, and man is not. How can a genuine believer overlook man’s wickedness by manipulating Scripture to allow people in their wickedness while taking away the fear of God out of them by teaching that God is good to them?

If a preacher teaches that God still loves you just as you are, beware. “God you are so good, forgiving and accepting me despite my sins.. how can I thank you..” is a doctrinally incorrect prayer. God is not good if He accepts a person despite their unrighteous acts, be it crude jokes, skimpy clothing, dirty thinking etc. Such teachings give Christians the false assurance that despite their sinful lifestyle they are still accepted by God because man has redefined His goodness . (At this point I do say that it is impossible to sin once you are saved, however we are being sanctified by His Spirit and hence we must begin to live a lifestyle with His help that will become less sinful as time goes on.) I’ve been worship session in YWAM where there are tears of conviction, tears of gratitude, loud thanksgiving for God’s goodness but as soon as worship is done with everyone goes back to unchanged worldly behavior, thinking that God has accepted them despite their sins. Who is responsible for such teachings? The top-notch preachers like Brian McLaren, Rick Warren, Lynn Green, Loren Cunningham to name a few. They will be held accountable to the LORD at His throne!

I was pulled in with such teachings. Teachers at YWAM often encourage people to “be just as they are”, that they don’t need to be ” religious”. Sayings such as  “I’m being myself”, “Just being human” are a fallen mindset. We in ourselves are fallen, sinful, unrighteous, wicked. We were desperately wallowing in our filth when the Son of God was sent to save us from where we initially belonged – eternal lake of fire reserved for the devil and his stooges. Sin is still condemned, yet His grace is being taken as a sign for sin to be permissible. What are you being taught? That it is okay for you, a child of God, to be yourself? Where does the Bible say that? Saints, do not fall for this heresy as it will cost your life, for all eternity. God is good because He hates human wickedness, idolatry, homosexuality, fornication, adultery, gossiping etc not because He accepts those who practise these things. If you are in an act of sinfulness, and yet you thank God for accepting you be sure that you stand on quicksand. Cleanse your lifestyle with the Word of God and the power of His Spirit that is within you. God cannot be mocked. Let your prayer be this, “Lord, I cannot live a life pleasing to You without the help of Your Holy Spirit. I hate the sin I commit because it displeases You. Thank You for Your grace that has enabled me to better myself in Your sight!” If the Gospel has not convicted you every time of the sin you commit , then you are not saved, and have possibly been taught a false gospel of a humanistically good god!

YWAM’s heretic theology 1: Dominionism and the global agenda

In response to Jesus’ command to go into the world and make disciples (Matt.22:37-38;28:18-20) and the need for biblical transformation of peoples and nations, the U of N Kona is called to train servant leaders in the seven spheres of society (religion, family, education, government, media,arts/entertainment and business/science). We are committed to teaching, works of evangelism and mercy ministries. We want to see this campus become a hub for both new and existing ministries, and to see our facilities filled with people passionate for reaching the lost and the needy, both here in Hawaii and into the nations of the world.

To send out thousands of men and women who value God’s love for all people, who have vision and passion for discipling nations, who are equipped with essential skills, and who demonstrate His ways in service throughout society. –  YWAM Kona

 The keywords and phrases highlighted clearly unveil YWAM’s heretic theology of Dominionism. Many are unaware of this approach of missions, and its hidden agenda to bring about global peace.  Some would even argue that this theology is biblical because it is about bringing peace to the world. Christ sacrifice on the cross was to bring peace and reconciliation between God and the fallen mankind, and NOT the global peace (Rom 5:1).  Please note that I do not label all missions and ministries to have the same agenda in mind, however the missions that have gone global/international definitely lean towards Dominionism, and eventually the global peace agenda.

  Knowingly or unknowingly, YWAM has accepted an unbiblical conformation and love towards culture and society. This is exactly what the unchristian youth everywhere are also being taught – to conform, to tolerate and to ‘love’. This is the only way to bring about the false world peace. While with YWAM, I have often noticed the mental change brought about in the minds of orthodox Christian youth who go through the entry-level Discipleship Training School (DTS). They are made to believe that that which their parents or their church at home may call secular/worldly is in fact godly! These new bees then observe other indoctrinated youth on campus who go around with tattoos, men with long hair, women with fitting clothes, attending rock concerts, making crude jokes etc, and these are the staff! These take up spiritual responsibility of the students as well as physical responsibilities around the bases. The students are then desensitized to worldliness. To judge such staff would be narrow-mindedness, judgmental, legalistic, orthodox Christian.  To influence the youth to accept everyone just as they are is the way to peace, to live happily with other people while doing “good” works for God.

Basically, the youth’s mission is to be puppets in the hands of the global leaders who are determined to establish God’s earthly kingdom. Young people are the easiest to manipulate, and that is exactly what’s going on. I do not say that God cannot work through certain YWAMers, He can and I believe many have been touched by the love of God through certain dedicated, Spirit-filled missionaries; however, YWAM’s global agenda still stands.