An Apprising Ministries Exclusive:

I have to take serious issue with the theology of this book.  In the introduction Sweet and Viola say:

The historic Christian creeds are an expression of the need to answer Jesus’ “Who do you say I am?” question. But that “you say” is contextual. Each new generation, in every culture, is given a “you say.”

This is just a flat out lie.  When Jesus asked the “Who do you say I am?” question, the answer given by Peter was NOT contextual, it was eternal.  Said Peter, “You are the Christ the Son of living God.” Jesus praised Peter and told him that answer was revealed to him by the Father. Then Jesus said, “on this rock I will build my church.”  Jesus’ church is built on the eternal truth that Jesus is the Christ the son of the living God. 

Who Jesus is, is not contextually determined by any culture or community.  The creeds themselves confess eternal and transcendent truths about Christ NOT contextualized truths that were true for the cultures of the 4th and 5th centuries.  This is a SERIOUS and Dangerous false teaching on the part of Sweet and Viola.

Chris Rosebrough, host of the Fighting for the Faith program on Pirate Christian Radio.

See also:

LEONARD SWEET, FRANK VIOLA, AND MYSTIC MEISTER ECKHART

LEONARD SWEET ON THE GOSPEL

EMERGING CHURCH THEOLOGIAN LEONARD SWEET AND CALVARY CHAPEL OF ALBUQUERQUE

CONCERNING LEONARD SWEET OF THE EMERGING CHURCH AND CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

EMERGENCE CHRISTIANITY: QUANTUM SHIFT TO PANENTHEISM

POSTMODERNISM IS SINFUL AND NOT COMPATABLE WITH CHRISTIANITY

THE EMERGING CHURCH SOWING ITS NEO-ORTHODOX CONFUSION ON SCRIPTURE