For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. (Romans 8:6-9, NASB)

Evangelicalism Opening The Same Door Of No Return As Did Mainline Denominations 

Christianity21 is less a conference and more a happening, an event—a gathering of voices and ideas that will shape the future of our faith.

We live in a time of epochal change. Many find this change exciting; for others, it’s a challenge. Call it globalization, pluralization, or postmodernism, this change affects our economy, politics, government, and education—all of society. And, of course, our faith and our churches are not immune to change.

So we have gathered 21 of the most important voices for the future of Christianity—21 voices for the 21st century—to speak into our future as people of faith in this age. They represent a diverse array of backgrounds, interests, and passions, and they will provide a wide range of innovative and challenging presentations. (Online source)

One of these “most important voices for the future of Christianity” who’ll “speak into our future” in order to “shape the future of our faith” is a somewhat shadowy figure named Seth Donovan:

presently wondering how she’s going to come out to her queer friends about the fact that she is presenting at a “christian” conference in October.

Other things she’s thinking about today: how she’s tired of deriving identity from the two dozen social justice organizations she works with/for; why her 362nd attempt to leave “the church” in the last decade of her life has failed again; and how she’s going to weave that new cello part into the song her band is working on.

She hopes to have that all figured out by the time she gets home tonight to 3 housemates, 2 cats, 1 tarantula, and her homeslice. (Online source)

 For our purposes here, let’s just leave her quandry about “presenting at a ‘christian’ conference” aside. However, as we look at the works of Seth Donovan, as it concerns her being one of the “most important voices for the future of Christianity,” unfortunately she seems to fall well short of anything close to that.

Indeed Donovan, who is a trained social worker, does appear to be very involved in labors completely consistent with the spiritually bankrupt social gospel of the original liberal theology; but one is hard-pressed to find any real reference whatsoever to the genuine Gospel of Jesus Christ in what will follow below. 

It turns out Donovan is “Program Organizer” with something called Prax(us), which:

continues to be the only program in Colorado dedicated to serving youth in human trafficking situations and domestic human trafficking victims… Prax(us) believes in an anti-oppression model of community work. This means……we believe the communities most effected by an issue are the ones who should address it… 

we believe that in order for us to take steps to freedom, we must all be engaged in a constant process of reflection and action on our lives and on the world in which we live…that hope must exist in our work…that personal experience must be weaved with political movement…and that we must be always connected to the story (Online source)

Admirable; yes. But merely humanistic social work that’s dependant upon the ill-conceived idea that (on some level) a human potential exists—with any real power to effect any lasting change—is at best, wrong; and at worst, never addresses mankind’s real problem—his fallen sinful nature—which the Bible above refers to as the flesh.

Last year Donovan was also a keynote speaker at The Human Trafficking Awareness Conference, which took place in Denver, CO where we learn more about her own world-view. We’re told that Donovan’s:

core values include communities being empowered to address their own change processes, compassion and accountability within communities through relationship, and holisitic care as the foundation of promoting freedom in individuals and groups. (Online sources)

Christians Know Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes Are Actually Impossible Without The Power Of Christ

But people “being empowered to address their own change” doesn’t exactly read like someone whose “core values” would be those to shape the future of the actual Christian faith. Our opening text from Romans is quite clear that without Christ one’s “change” is only at a superficial level because our degenerate nature is actually hostile toward God, and as such, is not even able to change from its inherent love of self.

This now brings us to the heart of why it is that, while the Christian works alongside our fellow man, we—as ambassadors of Jesus Christ—also need to preach His Gospel to them. We are to offer them real hope for real change by proclaiming that He died for people powerless in their sin; and further for the glory of God, Jesus then rose from the dead to empower all those who would believe upon Him.

Yet in Rap-Up: Flobots.org host Fight With Tools National Conference we find Donovan involved in more laudable, but still humanistic, social work:

The Flobots are finally home this week but they’re not arriving quietly. Along with their New Year’s Eve show at the Gothic Theatre, which benefits Flobots.org, the band will be hanging out with more than 100 people from Fight With Tools street teams from across the country at the first official Fight With Tools National Conference. The street team members will be coming together to learn more about social justice, civic engagement and to plan the work for 2009 for 98 different street teams…

“This is a time for us to gather as a Fight With Tools community in person in order to engage in a deeper level of anti‐oppression work and to organize ourselves for the upcoming year. It is significant that we are doing this work as a gathered community over the turn of the new year,” said Seth Donovan, National Street Team Coordinator of Flobots.org…

For those unaware, Flobots.org facilitates the social networking website http://www.fightwithtools.org/ on which individuals engage in conversations about social justice, visions for a better America, and how to make change in local communities. (Online source)

For those who don’t know all of this extends out from a band by the name of Flobots, whom you can see in the video below:

When we’re not out on the road playing music, we’re hard at work on our Non-Profit group, Flobots.Org, which is focused on creating Street Teams across the country that are focused on bettering their community and the lives around them. (Online source)

Though certainly not wrong in and of itself, the building and bettering “community,” is just not the same as spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is evident in what follows by noting to whom the credit for the work done by these street teams is attributed—man i.e. flesh:

We are building up the new world. Reach within yourself and find the tools… Join us today at FightWithTools.org to find a Street Team in your area or start your own! You can also upload your own photos, videos and customize your own FWT page. (Online source, emphasis mine)

Siren Song Remains The Same For Emergence Christianity And Its Homosexual Agenda

But finally, when we turn to another aspect of Donovan’s many humanitarian efforts we can once again see emerging the inclusive homosexual agenda of Emergence Christianity. It would also likely explain just why it is that Tony Jones and his quasi-universalist pastor Doug Pagitt would wish to make sure Donovan receives Emerging Church exposure at their Christianity 21 gathering.

We find that last year Donovan was one of the presenters at Out on the Colorado Plateau for their “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer Summit” (usually abbreviated GLBTQ); and in addition, it turns out Donovan is also quite active in “anti-violence work in LGBTQ, immigrant, and youth communities.”

Although I have yet been unable to find such a committee (at least by that name) at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America website, Seth Donovan is also supposedly involved with something listed as the “Evangelical Lutheran Church of America Full Inclusion Committee.”

Over at the Transgender Religious Leaders Network we’re informed that she was among those who signed Letter From Transgender Religious Leaders To Legislators In Support Of Inclusive Hate Crimes Bill:

We the under-signed support an inclusive federal hate crimes bill (HR 1913) because we think it is good for the community to take seriously crimes such as the brutal murder of Angie Zapata in Colorado this past year.

Reflecting upon the past weeks of Allen Andrade’s court trial, we are grateful for responsible investigators, prosecutors, and a jury who invalidated a harmful and re-victimizing “trans-panic” defense…

Seth Donovan (Denver, CO)
Evangelical Lutheran Church of America Full Inclusion Committee (Online source)

I have said previously in Will Rob Bell Now Follow Tony Jones Out Of The Closet, as in also publicly supporting unrepentant GLBTQ people as Christians, it’s my opinion that the “moratorium” on discussing the issue of homosexuality suggested by Emergence Christianity guru Brian McLaren was largely a ploy in order to buy more time for the postliberal cult of the Emergent Church to further penetrate evangelicalism. 

One can see in Christianity 21 And Alleged Innovative Voices In The Faith: Nadia Bolz-Weber, according to practicing lesbian “Christ-follower,” co-leader of Richmond Emergent Cohort, and budding LGBTQ activist Adele Sakler, “pastor” Bolz-Weber—who refers to her own church as “queer inclusive”—is also “a big supporter” of Sakler’s Queermergent group. 

To be clear Seth Donovan gives every appearance of being a loving person who is genuinely concerned for her fellow man, which is very commendable. Many indeed would place her among what some would call a “good person.” However, the Christian can’t afford to let our emotions rule here because our text above negates such an idea.

This is absolutely not to say that Donovan herself is definitely not a Christian; rather, it is to say God clearly tells us — There is none who goes good, there is not even one (Romans 3:12, NASB). The point in this piece, as it concerns Donovan supposedly being one of the “most important voices for the future of Christianity,” is that we see no evidence of her preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to these people attempting—in vain—to make any lasting change.

And as Peter Barnes so aptly puts it:

“Looking after the poor is a very important biblical injunction (see Lev. 19:9-10; Deut. 24:10-22; Gal. 6:10; Rom. 15:26-27), but it is not the gospel. To the Jehovah’s Witness at the door or to liberal bishops or theologians, the Christian message is not ‘Remember to pay your Compassion sponsorship’.

Rather, it is to point to the sufficiency of the divine Lord of glory who died in the place of sinners, and then rose from the dead. Nevertheless, those who stand together on God’s free grace in Christ should also unite in doing good works. As Luther put it, in faith we ought to be harder than the adamant stone, but in love softer than a leaf in the wind.” (Online source)  

See also:

APPRISING MINISTRIES WITH A PEEK AT THE COMING SOTERIOLOGY OF EMERGENCE CHRISTIANITY

EMERGENCE CHRISTIANITY REPAINTING THE SOCIAL GOSPEL AND LIBERATION THEOLOGY

NO-CONTROVERSY FOR THE NEW DOWNGRADE 

PHIL JOHNSON: JOYRIDING ON THE DOWNGRADE AT BREAKNECK SPEED

ROB BELL, PETER ROLLINS, AND QUEERMERGENT’S ADELE SAKLER

NOT THE GOSPEL OF JESUS ROB BELL; IT’S NOT ANYWHERE NEAR IT

WHY NO CONDEMNATION FOR CHRISTIANS WHO ARE HOMOPRESSIVE?