The first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions him.
(Proverbs 18:17)

Sowing Division With A Gentle Voice And A Smile

This piece Brian McLaren: Religion of Mass Distraction from Brian McLaren is a very good example of his quiet and smug arrogance. In fact, we can even see it from the very title of the piece itself as with “Religion of Mass Distraction” Guru McLaren is aiming his critique at those of us who insist on the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ. He begins with very subtle praise of himself for his own “way” of following Jesus by using a quote from a another writer who tells McLaren:

Your religion doesn’t seem to keep you constantly dividing the world into us and them, in and out, good and bad. Is that legitimate, or is that compromise?

Way to go Brian! You’ve found the way to make the offense of the Cross null and void. Can’t you see this is McLaren setting the reader up to already be sympathetic to his Emergent message of generous orthodoxy before they read his article. And then in typical McLaren fashion he’ll use a twist of a partial truth, “I explained that as a follower of God in the way of Jesus, I am taught to see every person as my neighbor… Seeing others this way isn’t a compromise of my Christian commitment; it’s an expression of it, I explained.”

But There’s More To The Story

Yes, we are to love our neighbor as ourselves but not in the way that the new cult of liberalism the Emergent Church teaches in their own warped and toxic view of what it means to follow Jesus. And Brian McLaren is a leading theologian among the Emerging Hollow Men of this rebellion against the Bible. And McLaren’s arrogance begins to be expressed in his saying, “my Christian commitment, it’s an expression of it,…”

And it’s an expression of what, Brian? Well, of the correct way to be a “follower of God” as he will further indoctrinate the undiscerning reader in the rest of this short piece. McLaren’s Emergent message is just a reimagined–or repainted as under-rabbi and McLaren disicple Rob Bell would put it–social gospel. Here is further example of the Emergent cult’s conceit as their supposedly superior view, McLaren’s “correct” understanding of The Secret Message of Jesus, means that God is trying to unite all people of all nations together here on earth.

Setting The Old, Old Story Straight

Brian McLaren concludes this piece by saying:

Those of us who see religion in a different light – who see religion as a powerful motivation to care for the widow and orphan, to seek justice and peace, to love our neighbors and our enemies – shouldn’t feel superior, but we should keep practicing, and preaching, with humility and focus.

But we need to help the young people who fall for this subtle distortion of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ to be able to see through Emergent cult leaders like Brian McLaren and Rob Bell with their own air of “superiority” and their false humility. O, these new Gnostics have no problem repainting someone like myself as a right wing fundamentalist – which really couldn’t be more ridiculous – all the while claiming that we are arrogant but that they have the correct “expression” of the Christian faith.

Men and women, the absolute Truth remains that the primary message of the historic orthodox Christian Church has always been summed up in the following: 1) Jesus says, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10). No social gospel of uniting all cultures there. 2) After His glorious Resurrection from the dead Christ Jesus later says, “As the Father has sent Me, I am sending you” (John 20:21). Again, no social gospel of uniting all cultures found here.

And 3) from the Great Commission:

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in Heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

Again, we see no social gospel of uniting all cultures found here. Of course those who are already ensnared by the false teachings of McLaren and Bell–and even the fools within the alleged Transformational Leadership of the Southern Baptist Convention elevating the dominion theology of blatant promoters of self like Erwin McManus–are now scratching their little-used heads. They will likely say: “But it says right there, “make disciples of all nations.”

Yes, it does. Their human pride loves that part of the verse. However, and look closely now, the Master also says – “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” You see boys; you just can’t have your social gospel in that verse unless you are also then prepared to teach proper Christian doctrine as well. So however will we reconcile this difficult dilemma? Actually, quite easily. Christ Jesus–the LORD God and our Creator Himself–didn’t unite all the various peoples in the Jewish and Roman pluralistic culture of His day.

No, our Lord called to His elect and His sheep hear His Voice. Then the Master tells His Christians to do just as He did. Go forth among all the nations calling His sheep out and when they hear God’s Voice they come to the Father. Now exactly what disposable vessels (aka jars of clay) our Master chooses to use is irrelevant. And when they come outt from among these nations we are to teach them exactly what God the Holy Spirit told us to in the Holy Scripture He wrote through other disposable vessels of His choosing.

This is the true work of the Christian Church and what I have just taught to you is to bring all glory and honor to Christ alone. I can also tell you one other thing in the Spirit as well. If you truly are a Christian then what you just read will make the hair of on the back of your neck stand up. You will feel God’s Spirit witness with your own and rejoice within as you see me draw attention away from man and intead to exalt our great God and Savior.

And if it doesn’t, then in loving compassion I now commend the following verse of Scripture to your attention:

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you–unless, of course, you fail the test? (2 Corinthians 13:5)

Shalom.

See also:

BRIAN MCLAREN QUESTIONS THE GOSPEL

BRIAN MCLAREN IN DENIAL

EMERGENT CHURCH: GURU BRIAN MCLAREN