Thursday, August 28, 2014

SDA Issues - Spectrum plugs McLaren

From Spectrum
Spectrum Magazine, run by anti-Adventist Adventists, has promoted on it's main webpage an upcoming spiritual retreat with emerging church guru Brian McLaren.
Ya know, if E.G.W. were still alive, I could see her writing an entire volume 10 for Testimonies for the Church just on this topic alone.
Why do some have such HARD HEARTS?






A little about Brian McLaren of the Emergent Church:
1) He claims that --
    truth is a shifting thing,
    exalts doubt as highly as faith,
    rejects the infallible inspiration of Scripture,
    the substitutionary atonement

McLaren’s book A New Kind of Christian won a Christianity Today Award of Merit in

2002
A New Kind of Christianpresents theological liberalism in the guise of a wiser, kinder, gentler type of Christianity called “Postmodern.”

It teaches that the Bible alone should not be our authority,
but that the Bible should be one of many authorities,
such as tradition,
reason,
exemplary people and institutions one has come to trust,
and spiritual experience (pp. 54, 55).

It teaches that it is wrong and Pharisaical to look upon the Bible as
“God’s encyclopedia,
God’s rule book,
God’s answer book” (p. 52).

Gary E. Gilly hit the nail on the head in his review of “A New Kind of Christian” by observing:
“More specifically,
McLaren rejects
     absolute truth,
     authority,
     theology,
     objectivity,
     certainty and
     clarity.
He embraces 
   relativism,
   inclusivism,
   deconstructionism,
   stories (to replace truth),
   creative interpretation of Scripture,
   neo-orthodoxy, and
   tolerance.”

It teaches that it is right for Christians to use pagan practices such as the Native American sweat lodge, peace pipe, dance, dream catcher, and smoke (pp. 26, 74-78).
Apparently McLaren thinks that God’s warning, Learn not the way of the heathen,” (Jeremiah 10:2), is no longer in effect. 
from HSM


2) McLaren on Homosexuality:

"In my case, I inherited a theology that told me exactly what you said: homosexuality is a sin, so although we should not condemn (i.e. stone them), we must tell people to “go and sin no more.” Believe me, for many years as a pastor I tried to faithfully uphold this position, and sadly, I now feel that I unintentionally damaged many people in doing so. "

So,.....the Words of CHRIST are at odds with your socio-political worldview Mr. McLaren?


3) "Brian’s new book, Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road?:
Christian Identity in a Multi-Faith World, ...In appropriating Christian uniqueness for multi-faith engagement, Brian charts new territory......they will be thoughtfully challenged by Brian’s new, fresh approach."
thePalmerPerspective

As for that Fresh, New Approach of McLaren's -- let Solomon comment-- and there is no new thing under the sun. Ecclesisastes 1:9


4)  "....his latest book Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope.
McLaren continues to systematically dismantle doctrine after doctrine. “With no apologies to Martin Luther, John Calvin, or modern evangelicalism, Jesus (in Luke 16:9) does not prescribe hell to those who refuse to accept the message of justification by grace through faith, or to those who are predestined for perdition, or to those who don’t express faith in a favored atonement theory by accepting Jesus as their ‘personal savior.’ Rather, hell—literally or figurative—is for the rich and comfortable who proceed on their way without concern for their poor neighbor day after day.” Challies.com


5) "Brian McLaren’s book A Generous Orthodoxy: ...... The Seven Jesus I Have Known explores seven traditions McLaren has been part of or has investigated and shows the emphases each of them places on Jesus. The seven in question are: Conservative Protestant, Pentecostal, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Liberal Protestant, Anabaptist and Liberation Theology. One has to question how well he understands each of these, especially the Roman Catholic Jesus. He says that he came to know this Jesus through the writings of Flannery O’Connor, Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen, Romano Guardini and Gabriel Marcel as well as various medieval mystics.
 He believes that traditional views of Paul have pitted him against Jesus so that we have “retained Jesus as Savior but promoted the apostle Paul to Lord and Teacher.”


This is consistent with the New Perspective on Paul, a theological view espoused especially by N.T. Wright that is gaining prominence and teaches that the Reformers misunderstood Paul, interpreting his writing through their medieval mindset, rather than through Paul’s own context. This view necessitates radically redefining the doctrine of justification and is, at its core, ecumenism, making light of the differences that have seperated Protestants and Catholics.
In regards to Mary he expresses a realization that his Protestant faith has been impoverished “with its exlusively male focus.” (Page 228) He explains how much we have missed, as Protestants, by failing to see the beauty of the incarnation through Mary."  Challies.com



A WARNING about spectrum:


But there were
false prophets
also among the people,
even as there shall be
false teachers among you,
who privily shall bring in
damnable heresies,
even denying the Lord
that bought them,
2 Peter 2:1

Exhibit A: Brian McLaren
Exhibit B: Spectrum


P.S.-- IF Spectrum plugs for McLaren, Spectrum might as well promote the esoteric Teal Swan & her authenticity movement called "Emerge"....IF U think I'm
Next to be promoted by Spectrum?
Don't be surprised if one day they do....
They are one step away with McLaren...
being sarcastic just wait....I wouldn't be surprised
. The only real difference between McLaren's Emergent Church & Teal Swan's Emerge movement is McLaren might toss in a Bible verse now & then (albeit out of context).
WAIT----I shouldn't be giving Spectrum any ideas....