I have been asked why I am “so mean.” But I’m really not mean at all, it’s just that you’ve made yourself part of a rebellion against the Word of God. What am I supposed to do? Just stand there and watch you destroy yourself? Not if I care about you and for some reason Christ keeps bringing you back to my heart. So even though I know I can’t really do anything–nor do I have much faith you’ll actually listen–still in obedience to my Master I write anyway.

This past year the Lord has led me into studying the Emergent Church which has now grown into a neo-liberal cult. What is often missed concerning my work is that, similar to Dr. Walter Martin’s ministry in the kingdom of the cults, it is my love for young people that compels me to study this EC movement in such depth. I have also done much work with kids in sports, and as a matter of fact I was the head football coach at our local high school for years.

I also wish you to understand that this is not a “personal” issue with me concerning any individuals. You should know that as a pastor a large part of my job is to defend the Gospel as well as to preach it. And by the way I’m not against certain styles of worship or music or manner of appearance in and of themselves either. You see as a former professional singer/songwriter/guitarist who also used to be a street musician in L.A. I’m really not easily shocked.

But since in this Emergent Church we are seeing outright denials of sola Scriptura and the penal substitutionary atonement we now have reason for serious concerns as to whether leaders within this movement are even saved themselves. Now think with me for a moment, we don’t seriously believe that the first century Gnostic teachers condemned within the pages of Holy Scripture itself were bad people. Can we not just see them also as plain ol’ “regular” folk of that day, pleasant, and even looking like the real deal?

But John and Paul clearly tell us that they were counterfeit. You see they looked like authentic Christians, but inside they were spiritually corrupt. Can you see it? Just as the Pharisees in Christ’s time. Surely these men also looked “nice,” maybe even “cool” to their own culture. This is what counterfeit means right; something must look and act like the real thing to be considered counterfeit. I pray this helps put this in a different perspective.

What these counterfeit Christians you are aligned with (remember they deny the Reformation as well) in the EC are currently doing is providing food within the Body of Christ which is actually laced with spiritual poison. These anti-doctrines are helping to warp an entire generation of young people. Man, I care deeply about that. I am investing a lot of time and money to study exactly what these people around you believe and why they believe it so that I might “lay my life down” for them to come back into the knowledge of the Truth.

I pray you will feel the Lord in what I have been sharing with you here. You may also wish to keep this in mind because you have lumped me in with “Christians who bash other Christians over doctrine.” I’ve told you this before as nicely as I can but there are those of us in the Body of Christ who’ve grown quite tired of the Emergent Church misrepresenting to people what it is we actually believe. You see, this “conversation” cuts both ways.

Perhaps a group like the Emergent Church, who decide they have the better way to do church in this day we live in and then turn their back on the Biblical doctrine recaptured in the Reformation, are actually the ones guilty of being like “Pharisees.” This is an accusation that Emergents seem so quick to toss around. Did you ever stop and think that those who practice Gnostic mysticism culled from the long apostate Roman Catholic Church are the ones who are most guilty of these words from the Master:

“Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “ ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’ You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.” (Mark 7:6-8)

So here is an example of real Christian love in that I must warn you that the Emergent Church is an organization which is a move taking people away from God while bringing them through Contemplative/Centering Prayer (transcendental meditation) toward all religions (and their “gods” which are demons) working together to usher in a Global Family. And so now I ask you to please ask God to give you the strength to leave this neo-liberal cult of the Emergent Church.

I know I for one for one will welcome you.

Yours in Christ,

Ken Silva, pastor-teacher