Eternal Approach

“Why trimmest thou thy way to seek love? therefore hast thou also taught the wicked ones thy ways.” (Jeremiah 2:33)

Brian McLaren, along with other Emergent and Progressive teachers, states that he is not being absolute in his statements. He says that he may be wrong. But, then again, he may be right. And that he is trying to be provocative in order to make people think.

How nice.

This has become a popular way of writing and teaching today. Christians think they are being humble by not taking hard positions on Truth. By not being so dogmatic about their beliefs.

They think that casting doubts upon biblical truth is not harmful. That it is a neutral thing.

But it isn’t.

It is simply another technique used to De-Construct “the faith once delivered unto the saints“.

The Starving Sheep

The De-Construction of solid, biblical faith has become the modus operandi of many Evangelical teachers.

They fellowship in an atmosphere where church leadership calls false teachers, “brothers in Christ”, and who join with apostate religious groups in order to do good works in Jesus’ name.

In this age of massive shifting unbelief, Mr. McLaren somehow feels comfortable questioning the most important doctrines of scripture. As if that isn’t already being done everywhere else now days. As if we actually need Mr. McLaren’s doubts and questions tossed into the heretical soup of our day.

One has to wonder what he actually preaches in his church. As a pastor, why does he even teach from the Bible? Especially, if you’re not sure of what you believe.

If a pastor doesn’t believe and faithfully adhere to the word of God, how does he ever feed the sheep under his care?

But, I digress. Mr. McLaren is simply one of many apples on the tree of unbelief.

Loving People into Heaven

So, how does one really go about having a more “generous orthodoxy”?

For one thing, it boils down to what a church will and will not preach. As well as how it preaches.

Which generally translates into Not talking about hell, and Not scaring people away from hell; but, instead, loving people into heaven.

This is often the litmus test for those who are more “woke” in Evangelicalism.

For example, it’s about how they feel about men like Jonathan Edwards and his sermon, “Sinners in the hands of an angry God“. Or how they feel about preaching “fire and brimstone”. Or how they feel about standing against specific sins.

Such as preaching against pornography, or adultery, or pre-marital sex, or abortion, or homosexuality. Or just preaching in general about sin (while carefully avoiding specifics).

They follow this pattern so that they will not offend those who are attending their churches. Such as Metro churches that draw in a lot of younger people that are having sex outside of marriage or who engage in a homosexual lifestyle.

Being careful not to single out homosexuality as a sin. Or not to identify it as a sin worse than other sins. Or as a sin that carries a specific judgment against it.

In other words, they choose their doctrines very selectively — along with their message, and the presentation mode, and how the church is decorated.

All to suit the feelings and sensibilities of the “seekers”. So that they will keep coming back week after week. But never clearly seeing their sin or their need for repentance and faith in Christ. 

The Non-Negotiable Gospel

The idea of creating a “kind gospel” or a “kind orthodoxy” or a “generous orthodoxy” is not biblical.

We can’t cherry pick doctrinal truth so that people will accept Jesus Christ. We can’t hold back or soften truth so that our gospel is acceptable to the world or the specific culture we are dealing with.  

Thinking that our doctrinal beliefs can be trimmed or softened is ridiculous. To imagine that we can cut things down to some short list of essential beliefs and just focus on them, is a popular idea that is not taught in the Bible.

To do this is to sacrifice biblical truth that is necessary to save and to sanctify people.

If we do this, we are allowing the world to be our guide. We are caving-n to Humanism or “woke” philosophy or a thousand other influences which demand that we change the gospel of Christ.

The gospel is more than “saying, “yes”, to Jesus”. It’s far more than the Four Spiritual Laws or the Four Steps to Peace with God.

The Full-Meal Deal

We don’t have to be jerks when we preach or teach. And we don’t have to be mean. And we don’t have to yell. And we don’t have to be insensitive about what we say to people; and what they may or may not understand.

But we’d better have the spiritual courage to stand upon the clear Truths of the word of God. And not allow our message to be diluted, softened, or watered down to suit the culture.

Because if they don’t preach the full meal deal of the scriptures, we will be held accountable. Accountable for trimming the truth to gain acceptance from others.

The Lord have mercy upon us if we do that; and may He have mercy upon all those from whom we hold back the truth; regardless of the apparent results of such a ministry.

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay