As part of our online apologetics and discernment labors Apprising Ministries been documenting the New Downgrade within evangelicalism, the root of which roughly begins with the charismatic revival as it spreads through the Jesus People/Movement circa early 1970′s out into various denominations and into what became the Fuller Theological Seminary School of World Mission.

This is the spiritual cesspool from which the new liberalism of the seeker-friendly/sinner-sensitive methodology of letting culture define the church visible would spring. Then circa 2005 mainstream evangelicalism would became spiritually spineless and begin to embrace the warped and toxic teachings of EC leaders e.g. like the Emerging Church rock star pastor Rob Bell.

Sadly, in the very heart of the visible church we’ve seen this spiritual cancer metastasize throughout its body spreading the awful influence of sinfully ecumenical neo-liberal cult of the Emergent Church aka the Emerging Church all throughout its ailing body. Now upgraded to the Emerging Church 2.0—with its newer, more clearly delineated, postmodern Progressive Christian theology, which these rebels against the final authority of the Word of God will often refer to under their circus “big tent” as Emergence Christianity.

You should know that the first line of attack upon the heart of the church visible by these rebels against the final authority of the Word of God was to batter down sola Scriptura, the key pillar of proper Christian spirituality. This is critical to understand because in articles like Jay Bakker Critiques Ken Silva At Religion Dispatches and Doug Pagitt And The Emerging Church Gay Agenda I’ve explained that the tip-of-the-spear for this area of attack upon proper biblical Christianity is gay-affirming “pastor” Jay Bakker of the “church” Revolution:NYC. Unfortunately the very near future for foolish evangelical leaders who’ve embraced these EC rebels against the authority of the Word of God can be seen simply by looking at mainline denominations, who long ago gave in to the Cult of Liberalism and kicked out sola Scriptura as well.

Currently they’re being torn apart by this powerful, and highly divisive, pro-gay lobby. Let me simply highlight for you where the battle lines are now being drawn; because of progressive/liberal rebels against the authority of the Bible masquerading as evangelicals like Doug Pagitt, the front line is already being moving closer to your own mainstream evangelical church than you likely realize. Perceived conservative evangelicalism had better heed the wake-up call; you’d best prepare for the very same debates within your own halls. It’s going to be a huge surprise, and soon, when evanjellyfish—unity at all costs—leaders find out that most professing Christians don’t actually hold to the final authority of God’s Word in the Bible at all. And so what are you then left with; doing what is right in your own eyes ala Judges 17:6.

In earlier articles, e.g. Gay Christian Singer Jennifer Knapp Out On Larry King Live and PCUSA Votes To Allow Openly Gay Clergy, I’ve been doing what I can to remind you that there is indeed a same-sex storm gathering hurricane force, which is right now, looming only slightly off the horizon of the mainstream evangelical community. I also shared, once again, why the Lord moved me to begin covering the issue of a growing acceptance within evangelicalism that the deviant and sinful lifestyle of having sexual relations with another of the same sex, i.e homosexuality, is a viable one for the regenerated Christian. The imagery I’ve been using is that of fire bases in Vietnam, which were temporary artillery encampments there to provide fire support and quarters for ground operations near the front lines. Being so close to the front, in the dark of night many times enemy forces would try and move in for a sneak attack.

That’s why periodically flares were shot high above the area to light up the night sky in order to monitor any possible movement of enemy troops. And even in this spiritual war Satan’s seducing spirits sneak around in the darkness with their didaskaliais daimonion (doctrines of demons). Well, I’m using the issue of homosexuality to light up the sky with the Word of God to give you a chance to see the wide, and very rapid, advance of the Emerging Church and its postmodern Progressive Christian theology. Their full frontal attack on Biblical Christianity is also being pushed along by the corrupt Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism (CSM) that’s responsible for creating the current evangelical fad of practicing what’s merely refried mysticism-lite of apostate Roman Catholicism.

So instead of going to Holy Scripture, now issues are instead being dealt with by how people feel about them. Against this background I now give you another vivid illustration as ABC affiliate KETV.com brings us this bit of nauseating capitulation to caprious culture Clergy Proclamation: Being Gay Not A Sin: Omaha Minister Organizes Effort To Welcome Gays To Church:

Omaha area ministers will publicly unveil a proclamation on Wednesday calling  for an end to religious and civil discrimination based on sexual orientation. Rev. Eric Elnes, pastor of Countryside Community Church, said the  proclamation was created because, “we were just fed up with the popular notion  that the Christian point of view is anti-gay.” (Online source)

No, the Christian position is anti-sin and to preach the Gospel of repentance and forgiveness of sins in Jesus’ Name for all those for whom Christ died, which certainly includes people in the LGBT community. We’re also told that Elnes, “who leads an Omaha church of 1,500 members,” is not alone in his apostasy and homopression as “more than 100 ordained Christian ministers have signed the proclamation, including leaders from Lutheran, Episcopalian, United Church of  Christ, Methodist and Presbyterian churches.” The pro-gay agenda is not only swallowing up the mainline denominations, it’s also rapidly gaining ground within the mainstream as well.

OneIowa.org shares the whole “Heartland Proclamation” by the Heartland Clergy for Inclusion and also informs us:

they will be officially unveiling the Proclamation during Pride Month, on Wednesday, June 15, at 6 p.m. on the Omaha side of the Kerrey footbridge. (Online source)

Sadly, these deceived clergy people actually attribute the document to God the Holy Spirit. Elnes is then quoted by KETV spouting the requisite pro-gay party line:

“We believe homosexuality is not a sin. It’s not a birth defect or a  choice. God created people this way. And if God created them this way, they need  to be honored for who they are, and fully included in church life and wider  society,” said Elnes, whose words are reflected in the document. (Online source)

Now I bring to your attention that Elnes et al are merely believing something apart from God’s Word, which is exactly what I continue to warn you about in my latest articles like The Emerging Church On A Wild Goose Chase and Adam And Eve Did Exist: Evolutionists Get Over It. You’re going to see this more and more because in large part the influence of the Emerging Church within younger sectors of mainstream evangelicalism was a reaction to the pallid pragmatism of e.g. Purpose Driven Pope Rick Warren.

For you see, having not been properly taught concerning the all-suffiency of Holy Scripture has made them ripe for the picking by neo-Gnostics like Living Spiritual Teacher and Quaker mystic Richard Foster—and his spiritual twin Dallas Willard—corrupt Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism (CSM). As Dr. Gary Gilley has pointed out “there is nothing new about God’s people believing that the Bible is insufficient to meet their needs.” In fact he says we see it in the New Testament itself:

Col 2 describes a church during the NT era that felt it was necessary to add several things to the Scriptures in order to move on to maturity. The church at Colossae apparently had come under the influence of the early stages of Gnosticism. Gnosticism taught that certain Christians were privy to a mystical source of knowledge beyond the Scriptures. If one wanted to move on to maturity, according to the Gnostics, they had to tap into this extra Biblical knowledge through the methods that they taught.

The Colossians, under this influence, were leaving behind their early instruction concerning the Christian life (v1-7) and were being deluded into adding at least five things to God’s Word. (Online source)

Gilley then explains those five things included precisely what we see many evangelicals involved with right now: philosophy, legalism, asceticism, pragmatism and CSM:

The final addition to God’s Word is one which we would like to spend some time discussing. Paul describes mysticism/experience in Col 2:18,19. The Gnostics taught that a few elite had received the gift of direct inspiration through the Holy Spirit. These moments of inspiration took place through visions, dreams, and encounters with angels (see The Gnostic Gospels pp49, 139-142, 163-166). This divided the church into two classes, the haves and the have nots (the truly spiritual and the unspiritual).

The parallels with our modern day Charismatic movement are hard to miss. Since the 1960’s, the church has been divided into two camps: those who possess supernatural gifts and receive special revelation from God and those who do not. While there are numerous errors in the Charismatic movement, the heart of their problems are found right in these verses: they are basing their theology on experiences rather than on the foundation of Jesus Christ as found in His Word. The end result is that such people are “defrauded.”

They are missing out on true Biblical living because of their beliefs. Unfortunately, the influence of the Charismatic movement has infiltrated many who would deny any involvement in that system. (Online source)

While he might deny involvement in the charismatic movement, this is precisely the case with the aforementioned Eric Elnes, which has led him into his current apostasy. The report I cited above also tells us:

Elnes said after sharing his point of view, he’s learned that many Christians hold the same beliefs, but have not openly expressed them. That’s the  reason the proclamation also includes an apology to the gay community. (Online source)

But Elnes is in error; professing Christians and likeminded apostates such as Jay Bakker, along with fellow wild goose chasers like universalist EC pastor Doug Pagitt and self-professed “queer inclusive” ELCA pastrix Nadia Bolz-Weber, hold those same beliefs; however, they’re not Christians in the first place. And the only apology Elnes et al owes is to the LGBT community—containing precious for whom Christ died—for leaving them locked away in the chains and darkness of their own personal prison cell of sin.

That is a real travesty. And so I ask again: Why No Condemnation For Christians Who Are Homopressive?

See also:

THE SIN OF HOMOSEXUALITY IS DIFFERENT

JAY BAKKER REFLECTS THE SAD CONDITION OF THE VISIBLE CHURCH

JAY BAKKER CRITIQUES KEN SILVA AT RELIGION DISPATCHES

DOUG PAGITT AND HOMOSEXUAL SIN

AFFIRMING CHRISTIAN NETWORK, PHILIP YANCEY, AND GAY CHRISTIAN NETWORK

THE EMERGING CHURCH AND TRANSGENDER AGENDA IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

GAY WRITER: WE DO WANT TO INDOCTRINATE CHILDREN