Here at Apprising Ministries I have been covering Ed Young, Jr.’s upcoming Creative Church Conference 2007 (C3 2007) featuring Oneness Pentecostal Dr. T.D. Jakes. In Placement of non-trinitarian conference speaker defended, his excellent and very balanced article on C3 2007, Managing Editor of the Southern Baptist TEXAN Jerry Pierce writes:

For the second year, Pentecostal mega-church pastor T.D. Jakes of Dallas, often criticized for holding a non-trinitarian view of God, will speak during Fellowship Church of Grapevine’s Creative Church Conference (C3) for pastors. (Online source)

but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools (Romans 1:21-22, NASB)

Young Is Sharing The Pulpit Of His Local Church With Jakes

I have already covered this C3 2007 in more depth in But Southern Baptists Say Ok To “Bishop” T.D. Jakes. And then because T.D. Jakes denies the Holy Trinity, a cardinal doctrine of the historic orthodox Christian Church concerning the actual nature of the one true and living God, I have also written to Jakes giving him the chance to clear the record. This forms the basis of T.D. Jakes Be A Man And Answer The Question. As of this writing (1/25/07) Jakes has not answered my letter and I believe we all know why he won’t.

So now let’s focus our attention where it needs to be. In his own piece Pierce goes on to let us know that, “Young has done a sermon series on the Trinity titled ‘Tri-God,’ a doctrinal topic he said every church should study.” Pierce then tells us that Ed Young, Jr. feels Creative Church Conference 2007 concerns church leadership and is not about theology:

“But our conference is a leadership conference; it’s not a theological conference,” Young told the Southern Baptist TEXAN. “We will bring in, and we have brought in, a number of people whom I personally would not agree with theologically. In fact, I think Bishop Jakes is a great communicator, a great leader.” (emphasis mine)

That’s right, you just heard a leading evangelical–number 26 according to ChurchReport.com–Southern Baptist Pastor Ed Young, Jr. say that if a man is “a great communicator, a great leader,” then in the SBC we can share our pulpit with him and his theology really isn’t important. So apparently there’s no need to bother with that old Bible where it clearly says that in worship and religious settings – Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14)

As amazing as it seems for a Pastor who is in charge of the spiritual welfare of his local church Young says he has never even discussed the nature of God with Jakes:

Young told the TEXAN he has not talked about the doctrine with Jakes, but might do so in the future. (emphasis mine)

“We’ve talked about some other issues,” Young said. “We’ve had great discussions about churches and just the issues that we face, that he faces, and things like that. But you know, I’ve never talked with him about that. I’m sure one day we will though. And I’ll look forward to it.” (emphasis mine)

C3 2007 Is Being Held In A Local SBC Church

It’s well past time that someone reminds Ed Young, Jr. and other leading SBC figures such as Dr. Ed Young and Dr. Frank Page that the local church is an extension of the Body of Christ which just happens to be – the church of God, which he bought with his own blood (Acts 20:28). Because Young, Jr. is also quoted in the TEXAN as saying:

“I love Bishop Jakes, but we’ve had many people in Fellowship Church over the years … whom I would not agree with concerning all of their theology,” Young said. “We’ve interviewed people here from Jerry Jones [Dallas Cowboys’ owner], we’re in a series of interviews right now with Hulk Hogan, all sorts of people. But when you have a leadership conference, I think it’s important to hear from people in different realms, different companies, different churches. So I embrace it. I think it’s a great thing. I don’t see it as a negative thing at all.”

If C3 2007 was held in a secular venue and if it was only a Conference about “leadership” in general then Ed Young would not be in violation of God’s Word. But Oneness Pentecostal T.D. Jakes–who out rightly denies Who the Bible says God is–is not being “interviewed,” rather he is speaking from the pulpit of Fellowship Church as “one of the country’s most influential pastors.” In fact the brochure sent out to SBC churches to advertise C3 2007 literally says:

WHAT IF you could spend two days with the greatest church leaders in America? The Creative Church Conference, led by Ed Young, will unite five of the country’s most influential pastors. Find out how these diverse and dynamic leaders have turned ‘what if’ into ‘what is’ in their ministries and their lives. (Copy on file, emphasis mine)

So anyone with even a modicum of discernment can see here that Ed Young’s explanation above fails miserably. Here are the facts, C3 2007 is a Conference held in Fellowship Church, a local church which is an SBC affiliate, and we’ve just been told that we will spend two days with “the greatest church leaders in America” who are “five of the country’s most influential pastors.” And even though Ed Young, Jr. has “interviewed” Jerry Jones and Hulk Hogan these things could hardly be said of them.

No, Ed Young, Jr. clearly understands the Holy Trinity himself and with his also having been made aware that T.D. Jakes in fact denies it; here we now have a defining moment for the Southern Baptist Convention. Will influential SBC leaders such as current SBC president Dr. Frank Page and Dr. Al Mohler stand up and speak out about this heresy or will they chose to hide behind the SBC idol of autonomy. Because in the eyes of our Lord what was heresy 1800 years ago concerning His Triune nature is still heresy today.

To Share A Pulpit With T.D. Jakes Is Not Biblical

My SBC brethren, the eyes of the Body of Christ are upon us and since Ed Young, Jr. is in clear violation of God’s Word to share his pulpit with Oneness Pentecostal heretic T.D. Jakes then we have to fight this blasphemy. Today with all the fire of my faith in Christ I implore you that we simply must heed the words of former SBC President Dr. James Merritt:

Now I want to say this straight and I want to make it plain… I believe in local church autonomy… I don’t want any leader,… any agency,… any institution or any convention giving orders to me or my congregation but hear me and hear me well… the ocean of church autonomy stops at the shore of biblical authority…

Local autonomy without biblical authority becomes spiritual anarchy!! My friend, it is the height of spiritual callousness and theological hypocrisy to hide behind the skirt of local church autonomy or the priesthood of the believer while pretending that churches can do anything they want to do and believe anything they want to believe and still be a Baptist church!! (Online source)

In a time such as this I ask you just where are the Southern Baptist soldiers of the Cross…