Northern Seminary (NS) in Lombard, IL tells us its an evangelical community, rooted in Baptist heritage and we read in its History: 

By the second decade of the twentieth century, many evangelicals in the old Northern Baptist Convention (now the American Baptist Churches in the USA) were concerned about the spread of theological liberalism within the denomination… (Online source) 

But apparently some of their faculty have gotten over that concern as: 

Under our current President, Dr. Alistair Brown, the seminary remains strongly evangelical, curious, open-minded, ready to explore new ideas and take risks. We are convinced that effective ministry in the next millennium will demand a special kind of evangelical faith,… (Online source) 

Well, it seems, “strongly evangelical” depending upon how in our day of postmodern Humpty Dumpty language we define “a special kind of evangelical faith.” Yesterday over at his blog Dr. Michael Quicke, “C.W. Koller Professor of Preaching at Northern Seminary” at NS, tells us of A Bold Weekend Ahead. It seems for a while now Dr. Quickie’s been “working with leaders who are interested in renewing preaching and worship within three congregations in Oak Lawn.” 

He also informs us that because of a grant from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship they’re now investigating  “how there might be greater participation of the congregation in the planning and actions of worship.” And Dr. Quickie would certainly seem to be quite excited about: 

This coming weekend the congregations are taking a bold step. Doug Pagitt of Solomon’s Porch, Minneapolis is coming to conduct a workshop all Saturday afternoon and early evening, followed by a joint Sunday service, when he will model his new way of preaching. Doug has written a provocative book: Preaching Reimagined, in which we [sic] calls for a different kind of preaching that helps create communities. He is unhappy with much traditional preaching – speaching he calls it – because he claims that it just doesn’t build communities. 

Rather, he want to encourage “progressional dialogue,” developing healthy relationships between presenter and listeners with open discussion during the sermon. I have never met or seen Doug in action but will be involved on a panel with him, as well helping guide the Sunday congregation in their responses to his visit. (Online source) 

Apprising Ministries wonders just why it is that a professor at NS, rooted as it is in Baptist heritage and once concerned about the spread of theological liberalism, would wish to expose churches to the theological virus of Liberalism 2.0 carried by the heretical quasi-universalist Doug Pagitt. Maybe Dr. Quickie is unaware that Pagitt is a leading voice in the sinfully ecumenical Emerging Church de-formation of the Christian faith aka Emergent Church—that’s now morphed into Emergence Christianity (EC). 

That’s what Pagitt’s version of preaching and worship helped produce. I would suggest that Quickie, as well as people with students at Northern Seminary, and in the churches Quickie’s set to expose to the theological infection of this EC slant of Progessive Christianity ala liberal theology, make the time to read Doug Pagitt And Arrogance Of Liberal/Progressive Christians where you’ll find further fruit. You’ll see that Dr. John MacArthur, one of the most respected voices within the Body of Christ has said, “Let me just cut to the chase on this one: [Doug] Pagitt is a Universalist.” 

I showed not too long ago e.g. in Emergent Pain And Discord In The Emerging Church that Pagitt, along with his equally heretical “theologian in residence” Tony Jones, were responsible for the the recent EC apostasia-palooza Christianity 21 featuring such purveyors of spiritual skubalon such as Phyllis Tickle, the Empress of this whole neo-liberal cult of Emergence Christianity, “queer inclusive” ELCA “pastor” Nadia Bolz-Weber, Makeesha Fisher, Julie Clawson, and gay affirming PCUSA “pastor” Nanette Sawyer. 

And in the aformentioned Doug Pagitt And Arrogance Of Liberal/Progressive Christians you’ll also see the following excerpt from an interview with Todd Friel where we can easily observe that the theology of Emerging Church pastor Doug Pagitt is actually much closer Buddhism than Baptist: 

Todd: What’s… what’s going to happen to the… How is God going to judge the good Muslim? 

Doug: Does it.. God’s going to judge the life and repair and restore and heal the life of everybody in the same way. There’s gonna be no difference between what God… 

Todd: So the Muslim is ultimately not going to be… go to a bad place. He’s ultimately going to be restored with God when he dies? 

Doug: No, there’s going to be no difference between the way God going to interact with you when you die and the way God’s going to interact with a Muslim when a Muslim dies. (Online source) 

I would suggest that Dr. Michael Quickie of Northern Seminary should immediately reconsider his plan to expose those Christian churches he speaks of in his above blog post to the heretical pseudo-Christianity of Doug Pagitt; because in my view, he holds to the “McLarenism” as taught by his friend and EC guru Brian McLaren, who in his new book Invites You On His Quest To Destroy Christianity. And of this McLarenism Kevin DeYoung, author of Why We’re Not Emergent, correctly pointed out yesterday: 

The message of McLarenism is pretty simple: God is love and wants everyone to be kind and inclusive and care for the poor and the environment. This is what Jesus was like, and we should be like Jesus. This is, of course, not wrong in so far as it goes. The Liberal/McLaren emphasis on the kingdom is right, their concern for the “other” is right, much of their ethics is right. But McLarenism, like liberalism, cannot be right. It has its emphases all out of proportion, its right statements thrown out of whack by all that is missing. 

In McLarenism there is no original sin, no wrath, no hell, no creation-fall-redemption, no definite future, no second coming that I can see, no clear statement on the deity of Christ, no mention of vicarious substitution or God’s holiness or divine sovereignty, no ethical demands except as they relate to being kind to others, no God-offendedness, no doctrine of justification, no unchanging apostolic deposit of truth, no absolute submission to the word of God, nary a mention of faith and worship, no doctrine of regeneration, no evangelistic impulse to save the lost, and nothing about God’s passion for his glory. This is surely a lot to leave out. 

McLaren’s Christianity is not new and certainly not improved. I don’t believe you can even call it Christianity. It is liberalism dressed up for the 21st century. We can only hope this wave of liberalism fades as dramatically as did the last. (Christianity and McLarenism) 

See also: 

DOUG PAGITT AND JOHN SHELBY SPONG 

DOUG PAGITT AND A “CHRISTIANITY” HE LIKES 

DID BRIAN MCLAREN OVERPLAY HIS HAND?  

THE NEW CHRISTIANS WITH CHRISTIANITY WORTH BELIEVING—NO SOLA SCRIPTURA: YES, WOMEN PASTORS AND QUEER CHRISTIANS 

TONY JONES, THE EMERGING CHURCH AND PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIANITY 

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

DISSENTION GROWING AROUND THE EMERGING CHURCH