For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. (2 Timothy 4:3-4, NASB)

Warning: Listening To Blind Fools Is Hazardous To Your, Individual, Salvation!

Katharine Jefferts Schori is the Jezebel who heads the Episcopal Church, now in its death rattle, who knows heresy alright; but not the way she thinks. You may be aware that Schori has recently stated “the great Western heresy: [is] that we can be saved as individuals, that any of us alone can be in right relationship with God.”

You’ll hear her say this herself in the episode of Fighting for the Faith below from Christian apologist Chris Rosebrough of Pirate Christian Radio, also a fellow contributor at the online apologetics and discernment ministry Christian Research Net. For those who aren’t aware of what Schori said, Apprising Ministries cites the Associated Press story Episcopal Bishop calls individual salvation ‘heresy,’ ‘idolatry’.

The excerpt below comes from Soundings, which “is the official weblog of the Diocese of San Joaquin“:

From the Associated Press – July 9, 2009

ANAHEIM, CA – Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori says it’s “heresy” to believe that an individual can be saved through a sinner’s prayer of repentance.

In her opening address to the church’s General Conference in California, Jefferts Schori called that “the great Western heresy: that we can be saved as individuals, that any of us alone can be in right relationship with God.”

The presiding bishop said that view is “caricatured in some quarters by insisting that salvation depends on reciting a specific verbal formula about Jesus.”

According to Schori, it is heresy to believe that an individual’s prayer can achieve a saving relationship with God. “That individualist focus is a form of idolatry, for it puts me and my words in the place that only God can occupy.” (Online source)

The reason AM feels it’s important to make sure to bring this to your attention is because, as Rosebrough also points out, in what she’ll muse Schori actually sounds a lot like more and more leaders in the egregiously ecumenical Emerging Church aka Emergent Church—morphing into Emergence Christianity (EC).

It’s critical to note that there is a growing Christian Universalism, aka Universal Redemption, right now slithering even into the outskirts of mainstream evangelicalism. Since this isn’t the focus of this particular article I’ll instead refer the interested reader to Doug Pagitt And Christian Universalism and Rob Bell And Christian Universalism.

Here our interest is to give you some ammunition with which to deal with the real heresy; the stupid things Schori has just said. Pastor Larry DeBruyn, in his post Saved, One-by-One at the online apologetics and discernment ministry Slice of Laodicea, refutes Jezebel as he correctly shows—from the Word of God—that each of us individually must come to saving faith in Christ: 

According to the bishop-ess, “That individualist focus is a form of idolatry, for it puts me and my words in the place that only God can occupy.” Say what . . . ?

The third chapter of John records Jesus’ encounter with Nicodemus who by himself came to Jesus at night (John 3:1-14). John is clear on this. Two times he records that “a man” came to Jesus—one man, not two (John 3:1, 4). Furthermore, Jesus addresses Nicodemus in the singular personal pronoun “you” (Greek, soi; John 3:3, 5, 7, 11).

Furthermore, the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus sees them mutually interacting as they use the abstract, but personal singular pronoun “he”—“when he is old . . . He cannot enter . . . he cannot enter . . .” (John 3:4, 5). In reading this passage, the only possible understanding is that salvation is individual.

So the bishop-ess’ remarks stand blatantly opposed to both the word and example of Jesus (John 3:7). It’s not whether we should believe we’re individually saved; it’s rather that we must be individually saved. (Online source)

And we then refer you to Rosebrough’s thorough, and also Biblical, demolishing of Schori et al’s mystic myths below. What you’ll hear Schori say has about as much to do with actual Christian theology as does the Dalai Lama. Rosebrough is right on target when he says of this “odorous,” and brazen, heretic who’d dare to try and stand in a pulpit belonging to our Lord:

By making [the claim cited above], actually she is the one who has become the great heretic; ok. Katharine Jefferts Schori is no longer—if she ever was…she’s no longer an under-shepherd of Jesus Christ; she has become an agent of the Devil.

I know that’s strong language; I understand that, this woman is not—is not—an agent, or representative, of the Jesus Christ [in Scripture]. She is- she has become, an agent of Satan… That means the Episcopal Church USA—literally—is under the direction, and control, of the woman who is an agent of the Devil.

I know that’s strong; but that woman is not only wrong, she is actually now hostile against orthodox Christianity.

See also:

EMERGENCE CHRISTIANITY—A POSTLIBERAL CULT SLITHERS INTO EVANGELICALISM

MAINSTREAM EVANGELICALISM NOW ON THE RAPID SLIDE TO APOSTASY

DOUG PAGITT AND A “CHRISTIANITY” FOR THE DECEIVED

PHYLLIS TICKLE: THE REFORMATION IS OVER AND REFORMERS HAVE NEW NAMES TODAY

THE NEW CHRISTIANS WITH CHRISTIANITY WORTH BELIEVING—NO SOLA SCRIPTURA: YES, WOMEN PASTORS AND QUEER CHRISTIANS

QUEERMERGENT AND NOW ADULTERMERGENT!?

THE NEW CHRISTIANS WITH CHRISTIANITY WORTH BELIEVING—YOGA