The letter that will follow below comes in response to my article Tony Jones and the Emergent Sacred Way. This is an indication, though shorter than some, of the type of letter I will receive whenever I dare to criticize leaders within the neo-liberal cult of the Emergent Church.

It also seems good to also include my response which over the past couple of weeks has condensed some important information about Apprising Ministries which I’m now releasing.

Normally a letter like this comes when I write about Rob Bell or Erwin McManus or Dan Kimball or Rick Warren but as I said this one is defending Emergent anti-theologian Tony Jones:

—–Original Message—–
From: “harry”
To: apprising@hughes.net
Sent: Thursday, June 28, 2007 4:25 PM

Subject: tony jones

As a practising Christian i am appauled at the contribution you making to tearing the Church apart. Do you not understand that non-Christians are watching and rubbing their hands in glee at Christians at war with one another.

Hello “harry”,

Thank you for contacting Apprising Ministries/Christian Research Net. The noted Christian philosopher and apologist Dr. Francis Schaeffer used to say: “Honest questions deserve honest answers.” I believe this as well and so I will respond from a position of no offense taken and no intention of causing any. Setting this upfront due to the limitations of the written language.

You say: “As a practising Christian i am appauled at the contribution you making to tearing the Church apart.” Now let me give you the “practicing Christian” a point of reference. You have chosen to write a pastor-teacher who has been in ministry for 20 years. I am also one who has planted a mission church in 1994 with hair down the middle of my back, with my secular rock band coming out of my church and I was dong the emerging thing before there even was an emerging thing.

Later I was a professional musician in Los Angeles which led to two CDs of my own material and then coached high school football while pastoring a church that also ran a Christian House aimed at young people where I regularly performed solo acoustic. The Lord be praised I have also been specifically trained in counter-cult evangelism, Comparative Religion, apologetics and further I happen to be one whom God has also given two well-respected websites–one of which has four other pastors and a number of other ministers under my supervision.

My point is that I am in a very good position to know exactly what men like Tony Jones teach. And just so you know Apprising Ministries always has been a fully integrated auxiliary of my local church Connecticut River Baptist Church where I am pastor and the leadership there helps oversee it with three other ministers as a separate board of directors. Out of AM itself also comes Christian Research Net with multiple volunteer contributors and pastors, which of course is itself under AM’s leadership.

Then from CRN extends Symphony of Scripture another website where I am pastoral advisor in conjunction outreach of my local church with a few 22-23 year-old men from a church in Sydney, Australia. The Lord be also praised that through these ministries I have been given the extreme privilege of personally advising numerous other pastors from all around the country. So maybe now you’ll realize the scope of my labor in Christ extends well beyond the blogosphere and you have marshaled a rather ill-advised attack.

O and by the way, “harry” please do yourself a favor and toss this tired old new evangelical argument of the emerging church into the trash can: “non-Christians are watching and rubbing their hands in glee at Christians at war with one another.” The vast majority of them really couldn’t care less what “Christians” do (you are assuming all involved are Christians), and quite frankly if the early Church was as filled with spiritual sissies as the American Christian Church is right now there wouldn’t even be a Christian faith.

The fact that I am bold and direct most certainly does not mean I have no love for the people I speak out against. Quite the contrary I spend hours and hours studying their materials that I often purchase out of my own pocket to try and understand their views from their perspective. But you need to understand this is no game and this is no time for a “business as usual” approach to the Christian faith.

Our Lord is at war and I am a soldier doing what I am personally asked to do for Him. What others do they will have to one day stand for themselves before God, as will I. May the Lord open your eyes “harry” that you might see the dark red sky this morning and recognize the time in which you live. I am afraid this is only the beginning and should the Lord tarry things are going to get mighty rough spiritually in the days ahead.

You may believe me when I tell you that I sincerely wish I had better news.