They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. (1 Timothy 3:9)

The More You Look The Deeper It Gets

Years ago Dr. Walter Martin said the Church of our Lord was suffering from something known in the Latin as “Non-rock-a-boatus-ecclesiasticus.” Today I dare say, that as it concerns the insidious neo-liberal cult of the Emergent Church and its core doctrine of heretical Contemplative Spirituality, the Southern Baptist Convention has taken this “don’t rock the boat” to an even new low with “Looketh not with thine eyes, lest thy see.”

The deceptions invading the Body of Christ today with extreme rapidity are seemingly growing so fast and so deep that sometimes we feel like what’s the use? As I have been sharing, although this current apostasy looks to have suddenly erupted, it is my contention that it has actually been here all along and God is just now opening our eyes to it. Truly as an SBC minister I had long known all is not well as more and more leaders bow before the mighty Warren checkbook.

Then my friend Bob DeWaay asked me if I might want to look into a book called Red Moon Rising (RMR). At the same time I was also led across the website for Grand Valley Baptist Association of Grand Junction, CO (SBC) where their Director of Missions Kent Shirley includes this Emergent book which is steeped in the practices of Contemplative Spirituality that flowered in the anti-biblical monastic traditions of the apostate Church of Rome in his Recommended Reading for Pastor & Staff.

Let me also note here that this page was last updated 11/18/06 and still contains the Emergent and Contemplative titles. Men and women you don’t get any further than the front cover of RMR before you see the endorsement of Mike Bickle, one of the infamous “Kansas City Prophets” and founder of International House of Prayer. In any event, this would lead me to write Southern Baptist Convention Embracing Gnostic Mysticism.

Since then I have received so much response from brother pastors, as well as others, in the SBC that I have continued to write on this issue and even created a separate category for this at Apprising Ministries called SBC/Emergent/Contemplative. And when letters like the following begin to roll in it’s as if the Lord puts His hand on the shoulder of a very weary and suffering soldier and says to him, “You must go on.” I also feel led of the Spirit to tell you that this sad issue is only going to grow and it is much deeper within the SBC than I would ever have imagined as I examined books sold by Lifeway Christian Stores (SBC).

This had now become clear me by the time I wrote the article A Southern Baptist Pastor Investigates Emergent and Contemplative Within the SBC to which this person is referring within. You need to understand that this kind of contemplative mumbo jumbo of alleged “spiritual disciplines” sweeping through the entire of the Ecumenical Church of Deceit, actually culled from her mystic mother in Rome, comes slithering into your church under the guise of “Spiritual Formation.” More on this later…for now I share the following for your edification by permission of its author:

Dear Pastor Ken,

I just read your article today on your letter to Lifeway and trying to get some clarification. I am so happy you are doing this. I have emailed you a few times, but I wasn’t sure if I had mentioned I too am a Southern Baptist. My father was a Southern Baptist pastor for over 30 years before he passed away a few years ago years ago. My father fought on a grass roots level here in my state many years ago to get our state convention, and at the same time even the national convention, back in conservative hands.

It had become so liberal here with our having leaders who didn’t believe the Bible was inerrant, there are many ways to God, the first 5 books of the Bible are just stories not fact, the miracles in the Bible didn’t happen, etc. I could go on and on. The Lord won that victory here in this state and returned our convention, seminary, etc. back in the hands of Bible believing Christians. I can’t believe we’re up against this again. I know my father would be in tears as I have been for the past long months of finding out about this emergent/mystical movement.

These Christians who fought so hard to stand up for the Word of God are now letting an even worse movement come in seemingly unnoticed. I just don’t understand. I’m sure they are tired and I get that, but we can’t give up. Lives depend on the true Word of God getting out, not this counterfeit stuff. Anyway, my point in writing was to tell you that in trying to warn our state convention and hoping to get this info to the SBC as well, I was elected to the Executive Board of the state a while ago.

Some people were listening to the warnings of this I was sending, and thought I would have a chance of getting the help of leadership in this position. I am glad other pastors in the SBC are worried and contacting you. I have contacted a youth minister in another state who during the SBC this year made a resolution to convene a research committee to look into the dangers of the emergent movement. So far it’s only been through email, but I will be calling him soon as he said his info was too long for email. (kind of like what I’m doing to you now. sorry.)

He said in his email that he saw the emergent entering through the North American Mission Board. That scared me to death to think that we are sending missionaries with these beliefs out to witness to unbelievers. Do you think these other SBC pastors who are worried would be willing to help back me up when I bring this stuff up at our board meeting? I would love to know how they have noticed this emergent movement in their churches so I can show our board how widespread this is.

I am sadly starting to encounter this at my own local church. I didn’t think it would happen here. My pastor did a sermon series based on Dallas Willard because he had heard John Piper mention him and he loves John Piper. Then after doing the Willard series, we are now doing a discipleship series based on Richard Foster because Willard raves about him. Lifeway cannot tell me that they aren’t playing a part in this deception. Lifeway is the SBC bookstore. We support them with our money. These pastors trust what they sell as being sanctioned by the convention. It must be ok then, right?

That’s what a lot of these pastors think, and sadly are not even checking these books out. They figured it’s been done for them. Lifeway is not doing it’s job by selling Biblically sound materials, and the SBC is not doing it’s job by holding Lifeway accountable. I have cried so much over this in the past long months. How can we keep doing this to our Lord? Well, anyway, I’ll keep standing here at my end. Thanks for standing so firm on your end. I am so sorry this is long. I can’t seem to talk about this subject without going on and on. You and your ministry are in my prayers.

NOTE: This piece also appears at Slice of Laodicea for your chance to weigh in on the discussion in an open comment section.