Dear Editor,
The warning to be on the lookout for a new wave of liberalism (‘Churches in Jeopardy’ December en) is much needed and the two letters published in January taking issue with reference to ‘spiritual formation’ and ‘Lectio Divina’ miss the point. It is not the use but the misuse of these and many other terms, including claims to be ‘evangelical’, that lies at the heart of the Emergent Church deceit. The Lord Jesus warned: ‘Watch out for false prophets. They come among you in sheep’s clothing.’
The false teaching peddled by such as Brian McLaren is leading many astray. As Eric Barger points out, Emergents embrace the post-modern view that there is no absolute truth. It follows that the Bible cannot be trusted as the inerrant Word of God. This opens the door to their rejection of doctrines that conflict with the spirit of the age, including judgment for sin, the need for salvation and the substitu-tionary death of Christ on the cross. These fundamental doctrinal errors come cloaked in mysticism, yoga and shamanic drumming.
In February 2017, the CofE Dioceses of Canterbury and Oxford sponsored a conference for youth workers with the characteristic Emergent title ‘The Conversation: re-imaging ministry with children and young people’. Brian McLaren gave the opening address, heading up a team of speakers who all embrace an Emergent theology. This conference was also promoted by the URC and an evangelical youth work with close links to Scripture Union was actively involved in the planning. The publicity is already out for a repeat of this conference in December 2018.
There is ‘a clear and present danger’ of a new wave of false teaching sweeping through churches, but the issue is not the threat to sound doctrine – that is nothing new since the Gnostics – but how biblical evangelicals will respond. As Eric Barger’s article demonstrates, those who put their heads above the parapet can expect to be shot at.
Yours sincerely,
