Here at Apprising Ministries I’m doing what I can, as but one man, to show you why it is that back in November of 2005 I told you the Emerging Church—as a developing neo-liberal cult—is following along the very same lines of what the late Dr. Walter Martin, a recognized expert in cults having their origin in the United States, labeled “the cult of liberal theology.” 

In concluding his lecture, which specifically concerns the forebears of this Emergent Church, Martin emphatically stated of modern theology aka liberalism: 

It is a cult because it follows every outlined structure of cultism; it’s own revelations; it’s own gurus, and it’s denial—systematically—of all sound systematic Christian theology. It is a cult because it passes its leadership on to the next group that takes over—either modifying, expanding or contracting—the same heresies; dressing them up in different language, and passing them on. It is theologically corrupt because it is bibliologically corrupt; it denies the authority of Scripture, it ruins its own theology. And it ends in immorality; because the only way you could have gotten to this homosexual, morally relativistic, garbage—which is today in our denominational structures—is if the leadership of those denominations denied the authority of the Scriptures and Jesus Christ as Lord. 

That is the only way you got there. And there’s a remedy for this, my brothers and sisters; the remedy is to start asking questions, start demanding definitions of terminology; start insisting that people tell you what they’re giving your money to before you give them a dime. Examine the people that occupy the chairs of theology in the seminaries, and if they are not given to the historic Christian faith—”out with the rascals!” Examine your churches, your sessions, your Baptist boards—and everything else—and find out who is in the faith. You’re told to do that in 1 Corinthians; you’re told to do it in Galatians, you’re told to do it everywhere in Scripture—examine to see whether you’re in the faith [see—2 Corinthians 13:5]. 

Test all things; make sure of what is true [see—1 Thessalonians 5:21]. I’m not being harsh; I’m not being judgmental. I am being thoroughly, consistently, Christian; in the light of historic theology, and the holy Bible. And I think we have a right to demand that the men who occupy the seats of learning, and who preach from the pulpits, either preach Jesus Christ; or cut off their pensions, their salaries, their golf club memberships, and let them go earn their living as social workers because it is obvious they don’t have any theology that is going to save anybody. With Luther, here I stand; God help me, I can do no other. [1] 

Judging by Dr. Martin’s reference to Luther, and earlier in his lecture admitting, “I risk my credibility when I say it as bluntly as this,” he didn’t make these statements without much thought and prayer. If you’re at all following the development of the EC it would be pretty hard to miss the uncanny resemblance it has to the original cult of liberalism, and its own offshoot Progressive Christianity. Having long studied liberalism myself, this is what I’ve been attempting to show you in recent articles such as Philip Clayton And The Emerging Church 2.0 and Philip Clayton And His Transforming Theology. 

Modern/liberal theology was the doomed attempt to come up with a verison of Christianity compatable with the modern culture of its day; and with the EC, what we’re dealing with is the same ill-fated idea; only this time to a postmodern culture. You also need to know that the latest book by Brian McLaren, A New Kind of Christianity (ANKoC), begins laying out systematically the newer postmodern form of progressive Christianity—Liberalism 2.0—that the EC has been advancing through its Emergence Christianity. It’s well past time that you come to see the EC is not dead; rather, it sees as the new reformation of the Church. [2]

And as you can see e.g. in Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Panel Discussion On Brian McLaren Dr. Al Mohler and some of his professors held a round table discussion on ANKoC; and Dr. Mohler himself said, “If you actually read the Bible, you are going to end up having to say that this is a dishonest attempt to make the Bible say what is does not say.” The reason being, McLaren’s book “amounts to an undermining of the biblical storyline of creation-fall-redemption-consummation.” [3] So it’s not like some evangelical leaders haven’t been able to see ANKoC itself for what it is; a theology that’s already compatable with liberalism. 

In fact, this is the heart of the matter; Brian McLaren claims to be evangelical all the while espousing a newer hybrid form of big tent progressive Christian theology (universalism) that’s completely at odds with historic Protestant evangelicalism, and which is still being cobbled together by his friends like Harvey Cox and Philip Clayton. Dr. Michael Horton is very helpful here as he correctly teaches us that: 

The term [evangelical] itself derives from the Greek word euangelion, translated “Gospel,” and it became a noun when the Protestant reformers began their work of bringing the “one holy, catholic and apostolic church” back to that message by which and for which it was created. People still used other labels, too, like “Lutheran,” “Reformed,” and later, “Puritans,” “Pietists,” and “Wesleyans.” 

Nevertheless, the belief was that the same Gospel that had united the “evangelicals” against Rome’s errors could also unite them against the creeping naturalism and secularism of the Enlightenment in the eighteenth century. The so-called “Evangelical Awakening” in Britain coincided with America’s own “Great Awakening,” as Wesley, Whitefield, Edwards, Tennant, and so many others centered their preaching on the atonement. (Online source) 

Brian McLaren can’t even see the evangelical neighborhood from where he’s currently drifted to; and in my opinion frankly, I don’t think he even wants to see it. It’s also interesting to note that we’ve not heard any strong public criticism concerning ANKoC from other emerging “evangelicals” who have worked very closely with McLaren such as Leonard Sweet, Dan Kimball and Alan Hirsch. Yet there are the last two currently working alongside Ed Stetzer, president of Lifeway Research of the Southern Baptist Convention, and reformed evangelical pastor Tim Keller in something called MissionSHIFT, and its new “Missional Manifesto.” 

Dr. Michael Horton is very helpful here as he correctly teaches us that: 

The term [evangelical] itself derives from the Greek word euangelion, translated “Gospel,” and it became a noun when the Protestant reformers began their work of bringing the “one holy, catholic and apostolic church” back to that message by which and for which it was created. People still used other labels, too, like “Lutheran,” “Reformed,” and later, “Puritans,” “Pietists,” and “Wesleyans.” 

Nevertheless, the belief was that the same Gospel that had united the “evangelicals” against Rome’s errors could also unite them against the creeping naturalism and secularism of the Enlightenment in the eighteenth century. The so-called “Evangelical Awakening” in Britain coincided with America’s own “Great Awakening,” as Wesley, Whitefield, Edwards, Tennant, and so many others centered their preaching on the atonement. (Online source) 

Quite obviously, the sinfully ecumenical (at best) Brian McLaren could never be confused with the above…except in the eyes of the public. Consider the following puff piece from CanadianChristianity.com called McLaren’s emergent evangelism not ‘pushy’ by Lloyd Mackey. Of course it isn’t; because it’s de-evangelism i.e. there’s no conversion needed because everybody’s already in. Mackey tells us:

WHEN ’emergent church’ proponent Brian McLaren and musician Steve Bell come together May 28 – 29 at Christ Church Cathedral in Victoria, B.C., the church leadership hopes the conference will be “an empowering weekend of sharing and discussions on engaging the world around us.”

Exploring ‘Evangelism and Transformation in a Secular Society,’ the event will culminate in a Saturday night concert featuring the Juno-winning Bell, whose latest CD is Devotion… The author of A Generous Orthodoxy is a well-known – and, in some circles, controversial – advocate for the ’emergent’ approach to the faith.

McLaren’s thinking and witness come out of an evangelical perspective that was honed from an upbringing in the Christian (Plymouth) Brethren on the American eastern seaboard, and his early adulthood college English teaching experience… (Online source)

Transformation for McLaren and his Emergent cult means re-education into following God in the way of Jesus; sounds good at first glance. But notive what’s missing; there’s no preaching the actual Gospel, there’s no need for regeneration. Mackey then tells us something that’s really quite important:

The reason he will be at a stately and traditional Anglican cathedral in a west coast capital that particular week can be traced to the 2008 Lambeth Conference. Lambeth is an Anglican ‘summit’ convened every 10 years by the worldwide head of the communion, the Archbishop of Canterbury.

McLaren told Lambeth conferees: “So many of our forms, structures and assumptions about evangelism are not biblical – or even traditional in the ancient sense . . . Evangelism is not revivalism [or] colonialism. Nor is it sales and marketing, [or] argument.”

Evangelism, he asserted, “is the gentle and respectful relational process . . . of understanding and responding to people’s questions . . . so they can find the hope that flows from the good news that Jesus Christ is Lord . . . not Caesar, not capitalism, and not even the Christian religion.” (Online source)

No, historic Protestant evangelicalism remains “against Rome’s errors,” McLaren is not; and evangelism in Protestant evangelicalism is to preach the Good News of repentance for the forgiveness of sins in Jesus’ Name by God’s grace alone; through faith alone in the finished work of Christ alone on the Cross. Sadly, evangelicals love to quote Charles Spurgeon; however, they then forget what his stance against McLaren’s liberal forebears would cost him in what’s called The Downgrade Controversy. You see, Spurgeon didn’t just sit idly by as squishy evanjellyfish leaders are today while such as McLaren hijack the visible church.

One day, should the Lord tarry, I;m afraid an epitaph for this New Downgrade No-Controversy will read: “And there wasn’t a Spurgeon among ’em.”

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Endnotes:  

1. Walter Martin, (circa 1985) The Cult of Liberalism, CD Rom, available from Walter Martin Religious InfoNet.
2. Consider the video below of which “podcaster and Kingdom Journalist” Jonathan Blundell informs us, “A couple of weeks back, Brian McLaren talked to a room full of missionally-minded church planters and lay people at the TransFORM East Coast Conference”: http://tinyurl.com/2b5myhe, accessed 5/20/10.
3. http://tinyurl.com/yhdcx44, accessed 5/20/10.

Brian McLaren on TransFORM from TransFORM on Vimeo.

See also: 

THE NEW CHRISTIANITY OF BRIAN MCLAREN AND THE EMERGING CHURCH 

KEN SILVA ANSWERS PHILIP CLAYTON 

MARCUS BORG AND CHRISTIANS WHO DON’T BELIEVE IN JESUS

THE EMERGING CHURCH, A LAVA LAMP, AND LEAVEN

LIBERALISM 2.0 THE NEW PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY 

 THE EMERGING CHURCH AND THE NEW PROGRESSIVE THEOLOGY ON OTHER RELIGIONS 

THE EMERGING CHURCH AND THE NEW PROGRESSIVE THEOLOGY ON CHRIST