Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. Not even those who are circumcised obey the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your flesh. May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. (Galatians 6:12-14)

Relevant Or Relativism?

Unfortunately one of the warped and toxic effects upon the Body of Christ caused by the meandering musings of men associated with the neo-liberal cult of the Emergent Church like Donald Miller and Brian McLaren and Rob Bell is this mistaken idea that the Gospel must be made relevant to this pagan “postmodern” society.

This has resulted in an emerging smokescreen within the Church of our Lord that we must supposedly be “missional.” But what that actually works out to be in reality is praxis over doctrine. Here, l’ll spell it out for you: c-o-m-p-r-o-m-i-s-e. And these kinds of things now penetrating the once conservative Southern Baptist Convention is what led my friend Phil Perkins to write Open Letter To Dr. Frank Page And Kent Shirley.

Shirley did not choose to reply directly but he does appear to have sent a message which I discuss in Update on SBC D.O.M. Kent Shirley of GVBA. We noted previously that Dr. Page did reply to Brother Phil’s first letter. However, since then he has been unable to receive direct answers to a few important questions in a couple of private email exchanges.

So Perkins has now written a second open letter which we also publish here at Apprising Ministries in prayerful hope that our concerns will be addressed. The Emergent Church with its core doctrines of anti-Reformation Contemplative Spirituality and seeker sensitive social gospel is nothing more than reimagined and repainted liberal theology.

And today Brother Phil and I serve notice that we do not intend to stand idly by and watch this current infiltration of deceitful spirits now spreading the leaven of their emerging doctrines of demons throughout SBC ranks:

Dr. Page,

Thank you for your response to my open letter. In it you have stated that you know of Emergent churches that are biblical. I’m curious.

Could you please provide for our readers and me the names of three Emergent SBC pastors so I may contact them? I want to ask them what Emergent leaders and doctrines they follow that are biblical?

Could you also list for us what Emergent leaders you think are orthodox so we may read them as well? Most of us would like to judge for ourselves.

Also, you stated that the leaders and groups I mentioned were not among the ones to whom you referred, but some of them are on Kent Shirley’s list of recommended reading for pastors under his authority.

What, if anything, are you going to do about that?

Awaiting your answer,
Phil Perkins.

You are welcome to visit Brother Phil’s website to share your encouragement and/or comments as well as to see the original letter here.