So says John H. Armstrong, president of ACT 3, in his blog post today Whither Brian McLaren? This is not to be seen as an endorsement of Armstrong by Apprising Ministries; but rather, I draw your attention to this piece from Armstrong because he tells us:

I started reading Brian when his first book came out years ago. On the whole I would describe my view back then as one of appreciation. I encouraged missional thinkers to read him and to wrestle with his ideas,… and for the sake of complete honesty, I have spent some time hanging out with Brian. I like him a lot!… (Online source)

It’s one thing when Christians like respected Reformed blogger Tim Challies says of McLaren’s latest book A New Kind of Christianity (ANKoC), “it has taken him into outright, rank, unapologetic apostasy” [1]; or pastor Kevin DeYoung of The Gospel Coalition tells us that McLaren’s Christianity is “liberalism dressed up for the 21st century” [2], or Ingrid Schlueter, host of Crosstalk America, shares her view that with this latest book McLaren has now revealed that he “is the second coming of Harry Emerson Fosdick.” [3]

But is also quite telling when people who have been supportive of Brian McLaren—without a doubt a major voice in the Emerging Church (EC)—such as EC theologian Scot McKnight, and now John Armstrong, are also calling McLaren out for his liberal theology. In fact in his post today Armstrong is interacting with McKnight’s recent review of ANKoC in Christianity Today where even McKnight said:

One thing about this book is clear: Orthodoxy is not central… [Brian McLaren] has fallen for an old school of thought…it’s a rehash of ideas that grew into fruition with Adolf von Harnack and now find iterations in folks like Harvey Cox and Marcus Borg. (Online source)

Today Armstrong adds:

I thank Scot for having the grace to write such a generous review and the courage to tell thousands of readers how Brian McLaren has moved away from…orthodoxy… Frankly, it grieved me to read Scot McKnight’s review… Brian’s agenda will bring spiritual illness to man. (Online source)

As one who’s been following this Emergent Church, which is a cult of neo-liberalism now injecting its spiritual poison into mainstream evangelicalism, I can tell you that what men like McLaren and his process theologian friend Philip Clayton are advancing as “big tent” Christianity is an updated form of the Progressive Christianity of Marcus Borg and Harvey Cox—a Liberalism 2.0. You see, the following from McLaren on the back cover of Cox’s current book The Future of Faith really couldn’t be any clearer:

This important book has not only helped me understand the past. present, futre of this amazing phenomenon called Christianity . . . it has also motivated me to keep working to help make actual the possible future Cox envisions.
—Brian McLaren, author of A New Kind of Christian (bold mine)

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Endnotes: 

1. http://www.challies.com/book-reviews/a-new-kind-of-christianity, accessed 3/3/10.
2. http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/files/2010/02/Christianity-and-McLarenism.pdf, accessed 3/3/10.
3. http://www.crosstalkblog.com/2010/03/brian-mclaren-an-old-kind-of-liberal/, accessed 3/3/10.

See also:

BRIAN MCLAREN INVITES YOU ON HIS QUEST TO DESTROY CHRISTIANITY

BRIAN MCLAREN A NEW KIND OF CHRISTIAN?

MEET MENTORS AND METHODOLOGY OF BRIAN MCLAREN

PHILIP CLAYTON WITH “BIG TENT” CHRISTIANITY IN THE EMERGING CHURCH

EMERGING CHURCH AND PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY

TONY JONES, THE EMERGING CHURCH AND PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIANITY

DOUG PAGITT AND ARROGANCE OF LIBERAL/PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIANS