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Kalled2Preach said:

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Pilgrim said:
One must first assess whether or not those in the Emerging Church movement are, in fact, "preaching [teaching] Christ". Personally, I cannot find the biblical Christ being preached nor taught in any of the Emerging Church literature, video clips, etc. that I have had the extreme displeasure of being exposed to. (Gal 1:7, 9)
As far as I can tell, they proclaim Christ crucified and that He came to save sinners. What is unbiblical about that? My question in response here is: What is your understanding of the Biblical Christ? I don't ask this as a point of debate, I am just curious as to where you are coming from and how you can say that "I cannot find the biblical Christ being preached nor taught in any of the Emerging Church literature, video clips, etc. that I have had the extreme displeasure of being exposed to".
Rarely will you find anyone in the Emerging Church movement, who holds to the Doctrines of Grace, which is the "truth once delivered unto the saints". I am including those who profess to do so but in practice deny it. But allowing for the possible exception, I would therefore boldly say that 99% of those involved in this heretical movement teach and/or preach semi-Pelagianism/Arminianism and worse.

What is my understanding of the Biblical Christ and the Gospel? Well, that is easily answered by referring you to all the articles which I have online on the main website. But here are a few that deal with this matter specifically:

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Kalled2Preach asks further:
What constitutes vain worship though? Just because something doesn't look like how we think it should look doesn't make it vain. What if a liturgical service is vain worship? What do we do then?
"Vain" worship is anything which is offered as worship to God which He Himself has not required, either by direct command or by inference in the Scriptures. "Vain" worship can be said to be anything which is not in accord with God's revelation of Himself, i.e., His person and attributes. Thus all worship must in "spirit", i.e., from a regenerated heart, and in "truth", i.e., in accordance with His divine revelation. Here are some salient articles on this subject of worship:
  • Do You Worship God? by George Swinnock
  • Pleasing God in Our Worship by Robert Godfrey
  • Worship by A.W. Pink
  • Church-o-Rama or Corporate Worship by Monte E. Wilson
  • Impatience and Idolatry by Ligon Duncan
  • A Consuming Fire by R. Kent Hughes
  • The Contemporary Church by John H. Armstrong
  • Worship in the Melting Pot by Dr. Peter Masters

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    Kalled2Preach suggests:
    If we don't clothe and feed homeless people, then we can't properly share the gospel with them because we aren't giving them what they need at that moment. It is possible that they are already Christians in the first place.
    And where did you get the idea that to "properly share the gospel" necessitates giving someone what the "need" at the moment? Who determines what a "need" is? It would seem that you are equating "need" with something physical and/or emotional. But the Scriptures teach that man's more fundamental NEED is to be reconciled to God; God Who is wroth with man for his constant and deliberate rebellion against Him and all that is good. Thus it is the message of the Gospel (see the first part of my reply above) which man needs most. And what if one doesn't have that which would meet the physical need(s) of the person met, e.g., clothing, food, money, etc? Is it therefore forbidden to speak of that person's need for repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? Are only those who are active in social concerns qualified to speak of Christ?

    As I clearly stated, the Church should be concerned with the temporal needs of those around them. But this is NOT the primary responsibility of the Church. To totally ignore and/or refuse to help those in need is against the teaching of Christ to be sure (cf. Jam 2:14-17), but such a thing is indicative of one's faith and not some qualification to proclaim the Gospel.

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    I remarked:
    What McLaren &co. are doing is deliberate, calculated and well planned. They know exactly what they believe and what they hope to achieve, both of which are contrary to sound biblical teaching.

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    Kalled2Preach protests:
    I really highly doubt that they are out to destroy us and our faith. This is nothing more than an unfounded personal attack on the men, and these have no place in the Christian community.
    The "attack" is anything but unfounded. What McLaren believes and is teaching personally and through his books is antithetical to historic biblical Christianity. He is spreading his venom for the sole purpose of CHANGING/EXCHANGING that which has been believed and taught in the Church for something far different; something which he has fabricated and believes to be "good". These teachings don't exist on their own. They come from McLaren &co., and thus it is they who are responsible for foisting them on people. This false outcry of "intolerance" has always been and will continue to be one of the Devil's ploys in order to gain entrance and/or influence in the Church. However, the Church is to be "intolerant" of anyone or any teaching which is contrary to that which is true. (cf. Gal 1:6-12; 2Cor 11:3, 4)

    In His grace,

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simul iustus et peccator

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