And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. (2 Peter 2:1-3, ESV)

The Bad Dream Continues With These Emerging Church Wolves In Sheep’s Clothing

Emergent Church pastor Doug Pagitt wants us to know about an upcoming Emerging conference called Christianity 21, which he says:

is quickly shaping up to be one of the most important Emerging Church events of the year. Utilizing innovative adult learning approaches, creative use of speakers and media, interactive design, cutting edge thinking from the nation’s top religious thinkers & community practioners, a rarely assembled network of attendees, and an unusually economical price this event is one you will not want to miss.

Consider joining these attendees and hundreds more at Christianity 21:
Shane Claiborne, Chris Seay, Tim Conder, Mark Scandrette, Becky Pierson,  Shane Hipps, Tony Jones,… (Online source)

Tony Jones also tells us that philoso-theologian Peter Rollins, a friend of Rob Bell and darling of the new reformation now morphing into Emergence Christianity, will be on hand as well. In fact, in the Apprising Ministries post Tony Jones And Christianity 21: The Future Of Apostate Christianity we showed you what Jones, “theologian in residence” at Pagitt’s Emerging Church Solomon’s Porch, had to say in his blog post Why Christianity 21 over at the interspiritual (Hello!) website Beliefnet:

Next fall, Doug and I are hosting a learning party in the Twin Cities for people who love Christ, love Christianity, and are interested in the future. The two of us have been given the microphone a lot in the past decade, and we began our event company with the express intent of giving the mic to others.

Our first few events have spotlighted one or two presenters, but for Christianity21, we wanted to follow the excellent example of TED Talks and give some of the most provocative and innovative voices in the faith 21 minutes each to communicate their passion… (Online source)

Now as a way to publicize their new JoPa joint venture Pagitt and Jones want us to know that their “event company” is “hosting”—i.e. putting on—this Christianity 21 spiritual shebang, which will feature “cutting edge thinking” from these O so uber important “voices in the faith.” For those who may not already know, last year the ever “innovative” and resourceful re-imaginers Pagiit and Jones formed:

JoPa Productions, LLC [which] exists to bring people together around today’s most innovative ideas. Founded by Doug Pagitt and Tony Jones in 2008, the initial endeavor of JoPa was the Church Basement Roadshow which “reinvented the book tour” (Publisher’s Weekly) and The Great Emergence National Event, a celebration of the release of Phyllis Tickle’s eponymous book. JoPa is continuing this work in 2009 with two more events – the Moltmann Conversation and Christianity21 – as well as expanding the business into social media and marketing consultations (the consulting business will launch in the summer of 2009)… (Online source, bold theirs)

As my friend Ingrid Schlueter, of the online discernment and apologetics ministry Slice of Laodicea would often say, once again we notice the interlocking concentric circles leading us back around to the same old names of these spiritually vacuous voices. Of particular interest here at AM is the “National Event” celebrating the book The Great Emergence by Phyllis Tickle, who is essentially the Empress of Emergence. You can learn more about this leading ear-tickler in Who Is Phyllis Tickle?

But these Emerging voices in this rebellion against the final authority of God’s Word really rally around Tickle because she’s telling them something they REALLY, REALLY want to hear! As we get set to close this out for now I point you to Missio Dei, which is the blog of Jonathan Brink. Brink, who wants us to be sure we know he’s “Advocate, Vissionary,” is involved in this Emergence uprising against Sola Scriptura as “Managing Director” of something called Thrive Ministries.

And the reason I bring you to Brink is because he was actually at the Great Emergence to give us the following eyewitness account:

Today was day one in The Great Emergence conference.  To a large extent it was a deeper summary of each part of the book, including some of the keys dates, pivotal moments and events that helped create what we’re experiencing now. [Phyllis Tickle] made a significant point about how this turn is deeply affecting the concept of Sola Scriptura.

One of the things that caught my attention was Tickle’s comment that there are forty-four specific events that underline the move away from Sola Scriptura.  I would love to see what those 44 are but that would be like icing on the cake.  The final subject in the turn away will be how we address homosexuality in the church.  She reiterated that it’s not if Sola Scriptura ends but when…

The central point of Tickle’s book is, “Where is our authority?” And much of the underlining question for those in this conference is the step and subsequent journey out of traditional church expressions and into new ones. (Online source, emphasis mine)

Yeah, big surprise; those whose counterfeit version of Christianity cannot pass the test of Holy Scripture (see—Acts 17:11) attacking the authority of the Bible. And note also how the death of Sola Scriptura will also affect the way “we address homosexuality in the church.” Yes, indeed it will. And as you can see for yourself in For Emergence Christianity Out Goes The Bible And In Comes “Queer Christians”, it’s already begun. Well, it’s not exactly like they’ve been trying to hide their inclusive agenda.

To see it, one only need to look at what happened years ago to the vast majority of the now long dead mainline denominations when the liberal forebears of Emergence slithered in. Out went Sola Scriptura; and in its place came highly subjective Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism. I mean, Emergence Guru Brian McLaren did tell you back in the 2004 Christianity Astray Today article, The Emergent Mystique, that Living Spiritual Teacher and Quaker mystic Richard Foster along with his spiritual twin Dallas Willard were “key mentors for the Emerging Church” (Online souce)

So, did you really think that they were mentoring these rebels in proper Biblical hermeneutics? 

See also:

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

DOUG PAGITT AND CHRISTIAN UNIVERSALISM

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?