Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

A Sin By Any Other Name Will Kill You Just As Dead For Eternity As Any Other

Not long ago in the Apprising Ministries article Homopression Is At Least As Bad As Homophobia I defined what I mean by homopression. It’s a counter-point to the charge of homophobia and refers to not telling the truth to someone, even claiming to be Christian, who self-identifies as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, queer (GLBTQ) thereby leaving them under oppression in their sin of practicing sexual immorality. This is what Chris Rosebrough of Pirate Christian Radio means when he said to “gay affirming pastor” Jay Bakker:

@jaybakker If you’re not proclaiming repentance & the forgiveness of sins to LGBTs then you don’t love them. Your sending them to hell. about 6 hours ago from TweetDeck in reply to jaybakker (Online source)

More on that in a moment. And while I am compassionate toward my GLBTQ neighbor, as a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ I am also to uphold the Biblical definition of practicing homosexuality, which is having sexual relations with another of the same sex outside of marriage. And marriage has been Biblically defined by Jesus of Nazareth—our Creator—Who, by the way, is speaking from the perspective of an eyewitness when He informs us:

But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female. Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh.’ “ (Mark 10:6-8, ESV)

This forever does away with any actual support in the Bible for “gay marriage.” Furthermore as with any other sin, e.g. heterosexual adultery or fornication, we are specifically commanded to tell people the truth; and then, according to God’s Word:

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:1-2, ESV) 

In the AM piece Indeed, Did God Really Say? I talked about my genuine respect for Bakker because unlike many others around the egregiously ecumenical Emerging Church aka Emergent Church—now morphing into Emergence Christianity (EC)—he is crystal clear in his teaching that the practice of homosexuality within a monogamous i.e. loving relationship is not sin. For example we remind you of the following from an ABC News piece where Bakker says:

“The more I follow grace, the more I’m drawn to him [God], the more I’m willing to stand up for people being persecuted,” said Bakker. “It sounds so churchy, but I felt like God spoke to my heart and said ‘[homosexuality] is not a sin.’ ” (Online source, emphasis mine)

Jay Bakker told Chris Rosebrough that he preaches repentance; but it’s a red herring, because he doesn’t believe homosexuality, as Biblically defined above, is a sin in the first place. Also, I have zero problem with the claim that God can speak to someone’s heart; however, 1 Thessalonians 5:21 instructs us to test by the Bible—the oldest revelation of God—what it is someone may claim God said to them. Because what you just read from Bakker is absolutely, and completely, in conflict with Scripture on the subject I then know with certainty that he did not hear that from the one true and living God.

Have We Now Become Your Enemy By Telling You The Truth?

Beyond this I make no assumption where that false information came from; I simply oppose the message, make sense. Personal feelings about Jay Bakker, or anyone else, have exactly zero to do with my Christian convictions. My point being, as you’ll see in Jay Bakker Misses The Point, Bakker’s supporters have been “comforting” him by telling him to ignore “the haters” like myself and Rosebrough, whom I’ve mentioned a couple of times now. However, Chris Rosebrough is a good friend of mine and I speak with him personally quite often.

So I happen to know for a fact that Rosebrough doesn’t hate Jay Bakker, or anyone else; and then again, neither do I. But as soon as Bakker’s supporters trot out that term hater the discussion ends because none of them will listen to anything afterward. But what they don’t understand is that what we’re talking about here is way bigger than any of us who are involved in this little alleged “attack.” Don’t you kid yourself, the EC is right now working to make affirming homosexuality an issue within your own mainstream evangelical church—soon.

You can see the further evidence for yourself in Oxymoronic ‘Homosexual Christians’ Focus Of Barna Report, and especially, within Tony Jones And Ken Silva Agree. So that’s why I see this as another good place to warn you once again: There’s a dark and threatening same-sex storm growing, which is rapidly picking up speed through the embrace of corrupt Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism—even within alleged Reformed circles of the pretending to be “Protestant” sectors of the visible church.

And this growing and very angry storm, while currently just slightly off the coast of the mainstream evangelical community, is right now approaching hurricane force. But as our opening text tells us with crystaline clarity, unless one is willing to forsake sin in the first place, i.e. repent they will not enter the Kingdom of God. It’s also wrong, not to mention downright cruel and unloving, to simply leave anyone under the oppression of their sin—including professing believers should they transgress.

So the issue is not at all about whether or not Christians can commit sexual sin; only those with their heads deeply buried beneath the sand will deny that. Rather, as I’ve said before, the heart of the matter is the appalling homopression and hateful refusal to follow what the Bible says concerning those openly practicing the sin of homosexuality. Many today are flat-out lying to these GLBTQ people, precious souls for whom Jesus also died, and telling them that they are fine in the practice of their sin.

The truth is neither they, or anyone else, can ever be in right standing with God while remaining in willful sin. And shouldn’t the Body of Christ also love these people enough to admonish them to stop this madness, before it’s too late?  So I ask again concerning those in the EC who’re also as homopressive as Jay Bakker: Why No Condemnation For Christians Who Are Homopressive? Anyone who withholds the true saving power of Jesus Christ from a GLBTQ person is, in very real fact, oppressing them by leaving them helplessly in the chains of their sin when Christ came to set them free.

See also:

JAY BAKKER AND WESTBORO BAPTIST CHURCH SUFFER SAME SPIRITUAL DISEASE

“GAY-AFFIRMING” PASTOR JAY BAKKER TO SPEAK FOR ELCA GATHERING

EMERGING CHURCH PASTOR JAY BAKKER CLAIMS HE KNOWS THE SCRIPTURES BUT IS STILL “GAY AFFIRMING”

POPULAR EMERGING CHURCH WEBSITE THE OOZE SLITHERS OUT OF THE GLBTQ-AFFIRMING CLOSET

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

QUEERMERGENT AND NOW ADULTERMERGENT!?

ROB BELL, PETER ROLLINS, AND QUEERMERGENT’S ADELE SAKLER

You can read this post at Discerning The World by clicking here. In the video below:

Rob Bell interviews Shane Hipps about his new book “Flickering Pixels” during the 2009 National Pastors Convention in San Diego, CA.

See also:

SHANE HIPPS AND ROB BELL TEACHING HERESY

DID ROB BELL FORGET THE CROSS?

THROUGH ROB BELL “THE GREAT ENLIGHTENED ONES” TELL US MAN HAS DIVINE GREATNESS

IS ROB BELL EVANGELICAL?

MARCUS BORG AND ROB BELL: THE BIBLE IS NOT A DIVINE PRODUCT WITH DIVINE FINAL AUTHORITY?

INDEED, DID GOD REALLY SAY?

DON’T BE FOOLED BY THOSE WHO ONLY SAY THEY LOVE SCRIPTURE

 In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. (Isaiah 26:1-3, KJV)

Be you determined that if others do as they please, you are not accountable for their action; but you will do what you believe to be right. If you are a Christian, go through with it; be a follower of Christ in every respect as far as the Word of God and your conscience lead you.

I found that the habit of beginning to think for myself and to follow my convictions was useful to me, and it has been useful to me to this day; and at this moment, before the living God, I am able to stand on my feet, to lean neither on this man nor that, but only on that eternal arm which support any man and every man who, in the sight of God, determines to follow the truth wherever it may lead him.

Now, I earnestly pray every Christian person here, especially at the beginning of life, to look well to this matter, for the joy of your life, the peace of your life, the inward rest of your life, will much depend under God upon your being faithful to your convictions in every point God shall help you.

The great King Himself seems to say tonight, “Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me” (Psalm 101:6, KJV). He is the man whom I will pick out as My servant. (Charles Spurgeon, At the Master’s Feet, July 11)

 I will bow down toward Your holy temple and will praise Your name for your love and Your faithfulness, for You have exalted above all things Your name and Your word.

What Exactly Is There To Argue About; If You Really Do Believe What The Bible Says

A little bit ago in the Apprising Ministries piece Status Quo Christianity And Taking The Bible “Seriously” I referred your attention to a short post by lesbian “Christ-follower,” GLTBQ activist, and co-leader of the Richmond Emergent Cohort, Adele Sakler. We first met her courtesy of Emerging Church aka Emergent Church, now morphing into Emergence Christianity (EC), theologian Tony Jones in his Announcing Queermergent post.

For those who may not know, Sakler aka Existential Punk, heads up that Queermergent EC group. In her aforementioned musing, this person who’s living in open defiance of the Bible, erects a most sacred straw man of Emerging/ent/ence pseudo-Christianity:

Reading the Bible as a literal book without taking into account of seeking out what the authors might have really intended is disingenuous to them and the scriptures…

Among the problems for these EC neo-Gnostics, and their rebellion against Sola Scriptura, is they are relatively recent comers so 1) “the historic orthodox Christian faith,” as renouned apologist Dr. Walter Martin (1928-1989) would so often put it, has heard this screed many times before; and 2) the proper Protestant hermeneutic has always been historical-grammatical i.e. precisely what Sakler says she believes we should do.

In his very helpful little book Essential Christianity Dr. Martin, who converted from liberal theology and knew their pet arguments very well, gives us a lay-level understanding of the plenary inspiration of Holy Scripture and its critical importance:

The Word of God [the Bible] is God in His Word, speaking to us by His Spirit, through whom the message was initially inspired and infused into the souls and minds of His servants. These “holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:18-21). Speaking through the prophets, God bore record in the Old Testament of the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ the Living Word.

In the New Testament God testifies to the apostles and the disciples of the Incarnation of His Word (John 1:1, 14). These truths are confirmed experientially by the witness of the Holy Spirit, who carries on the work of confronting men with the written Word, which points them to the living Word. (21)

This is precisely why these EC rebels against the final authority of the Bible, like Adele Sakler and the “Rev.” Anne Robertson of something called the Massachusetts Bible Society (MBS) in the video below, must obfuscate the texts of Scripture that confront their false views/teachings with murky mystic myths and through tired old arguments already answered long ago; bottom line: They just don’t like what the Bible says.

My good friend, and Christian apologist, Chris Rosebrough correctly calls it a “theological smörgåsbord-i-tis” as you’ll hear in Jay Bakker And Westboro Baptist Church Suffer Same Spiritual Disease. And, no matter how kindly you try to do so, when you attempt to correct them about this very serious error concerning the only correct Christian approach to Scripture be prepared for their cries of “attack.”

But even those who do not claim to be in Christ recognized the truth of what Rosebrough said as you can see in Jay Bakker and Fred Phelps from former “fundamentalist minister” Brother Richard. Apparently now spending his “days building nontheist community, and encouraging others to come out of the atheist closet” at his Life Without Faith Richard said:

According to Chris Rosebrough from FightingForTheFaith.com, our friends at Westoro Baptist Church, and Jay Bakker (son of Jim and Tammy), are suffering from the same spiritual disease: “Theological Smörgåsbord-i-tis.”

That’s right, they both treat the Bible as a sacred salad bar. Westboro Baptist Church chooses only the law (God’s wrath), and Bakker only grace (God’s love). For those of you who don’t know, Jay Bakker is part of a new breed of Christian ministers who preach what is know as the “Emergence Gospel.” (Online source, bold his)

Not surpisingly “gay affirming pastor” Jay Bakker is accusing him of saying unspecified things “aren’t true,” which you’ll also see he has done with Rosebrough in Jay Bakker Misses The Point. But because Bakker’s false teachings are set to further infect the larger visible church now that Jay Bakker Is To Speak For The 2009 ELCA Youth Gathering I was lead of the Lord ala Titus 1:9 to try and offer Biblical pastoral correction and admonition to him.

However, rather then actually reading what I—and others—have been saying to him in genuine Christian love, and then going to the Scriptures, he has instead elected to play the martyr card publicly all the while whining that I’m attacking him personally. When the truth is crystal clear e.g. from Because I Love Jay Bakker And GLBTQ People that I am not attacking Bakker personally at all, and I will say I again that I actually do respect him.

Those Who Do Not Revere God’s Word Must Be Confronted; Before It’s Too Late

Unlike many others around the EC Bakker is honest about what he believes; Rob Bell could learn from him. And God alone be praised, this presents a good opportunity in the midst of my brother choosing to end his own life Wednesday to demonstrate how the pastor-teacher truly sent by Jesus should now be reacting to a veritable onslaught of toxic doctrine being spread as spiritual cyanide by EC vipers and then injested by kind-hearted men such as Jay Bakker.

And this also brings me back around to Anne Robertson of MBS below who responded to, what I see as a genuine request on Bakker’s part, to have people pray for me:

@jaybakker You have our prayers for Ken Silva 9:53 PM Jul 8th from TwitterFon in reply to jaybakker (Online source)

As nice as that is, however, Bakker’s point is that I need to be changed from my so-called harsh and unloving attacks, i.e. a hater in their pseudo-street parlance, over to his very wrong understanding of God’s grace. The fact is men like Bakker have made this attribute of God into an idol and have also over-emphasized it to the point of the antinomianism the Lord has warned us would be coming—again—and again:

For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. (Jude 4, ESV)

Well, I’m not here in ministry to win some kind of a popularity contest; which is good for me, just Google my name if you want see an actual witness of one being attacked. And this is not some kind of an intellectual game. Whether these EC dreamers want to acknowledge it or not, eternal souls hang in the balance, and mainstream evangelicalism is—right now—devoid of leaders willing to confront these white-washed tombs.

Now, is Jay Bakker, or Adele Sakler, or Anne Robertson, one of such; I don’t pretend to know, God knows. However, I can tell you this: Right now the Lord is not going to hear prayer from them, or others in their camps following foolish teaching, concerning someone like me who, in his unworthy state, is still holding up His Word as my standard. How do I know that you ask; easy, because God the Holy Spirit told us so.

And in His infinite wisdom He did so through the lowly faith-filled man whom the song Amazing Grace actually references in the line: Was blind; but now I see. God rebukes those who’d make an idol out of His grace by the pen of John Newton, a very undeserving wretch—like me—who literally means, “how sweet the sound.” As the Lord attempted to instruct an earlier group of religious leaders just as wrong as EC pastors like Jay Bakker et al are right now He says through His holy man:

“We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him.” (John 9:31)

And Bakker, along with Robertson, are in sin right now concerning Holy Scripture; they do not properly fear God or they would never say the kinds of things they do against the Word of God. Sadly, their view of the Bible is the same as was my brother’s; pick and choose what we want to believe, and then “question” the rest when we don’t like what it says. Below you’ll hear Robertson ever so sweetly hiss how she’s takes the Bible “seriously, but not literally.”

But as I pointed out before, if you’ve ever wondered what Satan sounded like when he seduced Eve into questioning what God said, now you’ll know…

See also:

DON’T BE FOOLED BY THOSE WHO ONLY SAY THEY LOVE SCRIPTURE

MARCUS BORG AND ROB BELL: THE BIBLE IS NOT A DIVINE PRODUCT WITH DIVINE FINAL AUTHORITY?

THE EMERGING CHURCH SOWING ITS NEO-ORTHODOX CONFUSION ON SCRIPTURE

NEO-ORTHODOX APPROACH TO THE BIBLE PERFECT FIT FOR EMERGENCE CHRISTIANITY

JOHN MACARTHUR: EXISTENTIAL NEO-ORTHODOXY DENIES SOLA SCRIPTURA

BOB DEWAAY: EMERGENT CHURCH ASKS “HAS GOD SAID?”

HERESCOPE: THE EMERGING CHURCH—CIRCA 1970

I’ve said it before, and here I’ll say it again, the EC is no move of the Holy Spirit, it is a counterfeit Christianity. For years now I’ve talked with many in “the conversation” who are the heart and soul of it, as well as studying their false teachings in the light of Holy Scripture, and the egregiously ecumenical EC at its corrupt core is a rebellion against Sola Scriptura.

Many know that back in 1994, three years before the Terranova Project would germinate the EC tree we can trace today, extending from a mother SBC church in another city I would plant a misison church. Heavily Arminian in theology, being “relevant” and “missional” before they became buzzwords, with hair down the middle of my back and my secular rock band coming out of the church.

I did play in bars, I hung out with sinners engaged them in conversation…well, you know. If the EC we see today was around then, I would have immediately joined up with it; which is why I know it was not a “movement” as such back then. This background brings me to introduce an excellent series being done by my friends at the fellow online apologetics and discernment ministry Herescope.

Their research team is currently doing a series, which I highly recommend, on what was going on circa 1970 that would produce the spurious seeds which began sprouting up circa 1997. This Emerging/ent/ence pseudo-Christianity just didn’t happen on its own:

The Emergent/emerging church movement was first tried with that name back in 1970 at a series of conferences sponsored by Faith at Work. This fact is disclosed in Hiley Ward’s book Religion 2101 A.D.: Who or What Will Be God? (Doubleday, 1975). The book is a compendium of futurist thought, including the science fiction and paranormal and metaphysics activities extant in the early 1970s…

In his book Religion 2101 A.D. Ward reveals that he had been meeting regularly with Billy Graham “in interviews… over the years.”[5] His book is a compendium of what was going on with futurist thought, conferences, writings and activities prior to 1975. By this time period evangelical leaders had already been working on futurist projects and doctrines…

All of these evolutionary theologies can be connected in one form or another to the emerging church movement’s theologies today. Interestingly, Ward cites an International Convention of the Religious Education Association held in Toronto in 1973 in which Matthew Fox led a workshop promoting “Panentheistic Spirituality: The Religious Education of Tomorrow?”

[Fox] defined “panentheism” as an “experience of the whole.” Beyond pantheism, which is a passive look at the universe, panentheism emphasizes experience, not of a doctrine or revelation or a Deity, but the experience of the whole. [15]

This original move to create an emerging church movement was set in the rebellious early 1970s, a time when anything connected with “tradition” was being dismantled, discarded and deconstructed… (Online source)

Below are links to the other parts of this must read The Emerging Church—Circa 1970 series thus far from Herescope:

Part 2: Early Experimental Emergents

Part 3: Retro Emergent

Part 4: “The New Thing”

See also:

THE CULT OF LIBERAL THEOLOGY ROTTEN ROOT OF THE POSTLIBERAL EMERGING CHURCH

ROB BELL, PETER ROLLINS AND PHYLLIS TICKLE TOGETHER ADVANCING EMERGENCE CHRISTIANITY

TONY JONES ON PHYLLIS TICKLE’S EMERGENCE

TONY JONES AND KEN SILVA AGREE!

SHANE HIPPS AND ROB BELL TEACHING HERESY

THROUGH ROB BELL “THE GREAT ENLIGHTENED ONES” TELL US MAN HAS DIVINE GREATNESS

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

Like more and more associated with Emerging Church aka Emergent Church, now morphing into Emergence Christianity (EC), Bakker is “gay-affirming.” This means that he takes the position homosexuality, which Biblically is the unrepentant practice of the sin of sexual immorality with a member of the same sex, is not sin and is a viable lifestyle for the Christian.

This is what Rosebrough was talking about on the segment of his broadcast by citing the interview Larry King conducted with Bakker, which you can see for yourself in Emerging Church Pastor Jay Bakker Claims He Knows The Scriptures But Is Still “Gay Affirming.”

Bakker has been publicly airing criticism about some of my writings attempting to correct his wrong view of homosexuality, which is fine as far as I’m concerned. However, it appears to me that Bakker plays the martyr in his insinuations that I am “attacking” him personally in a loveless manner, when it’s quite clear I am only criticizing his unbiblical position.

He even contacted someone via Twitter whom I barely know and said he wanted to talk with me. Really; that’s odd, Bakker has yet to attempt to do so. But e.g. Bakker’s friend Tony Jones had no trouble contacting me, nor has his pastor Doug Pagitt, whom I spoken with now on a few occasions.

Bakker has also taken issue with Chris Rosebrough, whom he publicly accused of not having his facts straight as well as not telling the truth about Bakker. Well, Chris happens to be a friend of mine and I know he has tried to contact Bakker, but he has blocked Chris from doing so:

@jaybakker Tell you what. 1st. Unblock me. 2nd email me and let’s dialog so I can get to know you. talkback@fightingforthefaith.comabout 9 hours ago from TweetDeck in reply to jaybakker (Online source)

@jaybakker You can also contact me via Facebook http://www.facebook.com/piratechristian about 8 hours ago from TweetDeck in reply to jaybakker

piratechristian

Chris Rosebrough (Online source) 

The truth is, both myself and Jay Bakker are pastor-teachers who minister in the very public arena of the Internet as does Chris Rosebrough e.g. as an apologist along with me at Christian Research Net, on his PCR program and with A Little Leaven. So our teachings are fair game and none of us is under any Biblical mandate requiring that we must talk with each other prior to issuing a public rebuke.

However, at the same time, it is rather disingenuous of Bakker to make it appear that we are not willing to speak with him.

See also: 

“GAY-AFFIRMING” PASTOR JAY BAKKER TO SPEAK FOR ELCA GATHERING

EXCELLENT ADVICE FOR EC PASTORS LIKE JAY BAKKER

Q&A FOR “GAY AFFIRMING” EMERGING CHURCH PASTOR JAY BAKKER

POPULAR EMERGING CHURCH WEBSITE THE OOZE SLITHERS OUT OF THE GLBTQ-AFFIRMING CLOSET

OXYMORONIC ‘HOMOSEXUAL CHRISTIANS’ FOCUS OF BARNA REPORT

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

QUEERMERGENT AND NOW ADULTERMERGENT!?

For those who don’t know PPP was sponsored by Zondervan and hosted by Rob Bell, an icon in the egregiously ecumenical Emerging Church de-formation of the Christian faith aka Emergent Church—now morphing into Emergence Christianity—(EC). PPP also featured Bell’s friend, and rapidly rising, EC darling Peter Rollins. As you’ll see from Rosebrough’s Biblical refutation of the mystic musings of Hipps, rooted as they are in corrupt Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism, we are dealing with a panentheistic neo-Gnosticism.

And after hearing Rosebrough turn over the rocks while observing the garbage of Eastern religion that Rob Bell allowed to be taught at PPP come slithering into the Light of Scripture, Apprising Ministries now echoes Rosebrough’s dead-on-target assessment and admonition:

This is not Christianity; this is Eastern mysticism… You believe this stuff!? You are off the Christian reservation; you are now off-roading into other religions, and this is not Christianity—nor is it even compatible with any of the truth claims Christianity—and, by the way: You disagree with me; then go and get your Bible and show me from the Scriptures where Jesus taught any of this stuff; where the Apostles taught any of this stuff, where the prophets taught any of this stuff, or where Moses taught any of this stuff.

From the Book of Genesis to the Book of Acts, you will not find any of this garbage in there. This is not Christianity. Rob Bell, now, is openly allowing—and teaching—heresy, and Eastern religions; false religions at his so-called “church” up there in Grand Rapids. This man is a dangerous threat to Christianity, and Zondervan needs to cut him loose and say, “No way; we have to stay by the Truth. This is not orthodox Christianity. Rob Bell, we don’t care how much money we’re making from this guy. We’ve got to cut him loose; and basically, reprimand him and rebuke him.”

 This is not not Christianity; this is panentheistic, Hinduistic, Eastern crap—this is not Christianity… Our prayers go out to the folks there at Mars Hill [Bible Church], they are being deceived in the highest order of deception. And anybody who would defend Rob Bell and Shane Hipps at [PPP], at this point, do not know what the Bible says or teaches; they don’t have a clue about…Who Jesus is, and what He’s done for us on the Cross.

See also:

DID ROB BELL FORGET THE CROSS?

THROUGH ROB BELL “THE GREAT ENLIGHTENED ONES” TELL US MAN HAS DIVINE GREATNESS

IS ROB BELL EVANGELICAL?

NOT THE GOSPEL OF JESUS ROB BELL; IT’S NOT ANYWHERE NEAR IT

ROB BELL, PETER ROLLINS AND PHYLLIS TICKLE TOGETHER ADVANCING EMERGENCE CHRISTIANITY

PHYLLIS TICKLE PREACHES FOR MARS HILL BIBLE CHURCH AND ROB BELL

TONY JONES, PETER ROLLINS AND ROB BELL

Rosebrough is absolutely right that Bakker ends up with essentially all grace and no law, which also equals no gospel. So Phelps and WBC, as well as Bakker, are equally as sick in their theology—albeit from opposite sides of the deviant lifestyle of those who are unrepentant in their sinful practice of sexual immorality with a member of the same sex i.e. homosexuality. And by the way, that is precisely what homosexuality is in practice.

You see, marriage was Biblically defined by Jesus of Nazareth—our Creator—Who, by the way, is speaking from the perspective of an eyewitness when He informs us:

But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female. Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh.’ “ (Mark 10:6-8, ESV)

Now the laws of a nation are an entirely different matter. The fact is, all who engage in sexual relations outside of marriage commit the sin of sexual immorality—period; at that point, it matters not whether it’s homosexual or heterosexual. This is what’s at issue and why it is that souls in sin of any kind are in peril. Consider the following from Jesus while He gave His disciples a post-Resurrection Bible study:

Then He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. (Luke 24:45-47)

And, as I pointed out in Because I Love Jay Bakker And GLBTQ People, when it comes to any issue which relates to faith and morals our existential, highly subjective opinions, and/or notoriously fickle feelings are irrelevant. The only question that actually matters for those of us who are ambassadors for Jesus Christ is: What does the Bible itself say about the issue at hand; in this case the sin of practicing homosexuality.

But based upon his last message Good Theology That Makes You a Jerk Isn’t Good Theology what Jay Bakker doesn’t understand is that I’m hardly being a jerk in trying to get him to address what God has said concerning homosexuality; in fact, it’s the most loving thing I can do. Being that we are both pastor-teachers I’m well within my mandate ala Titus 1:9 to encourage Bakker to uphold sound doctrine, and to even refute him, because on this issue he’s eternally dead wrong. 

In that same verse God commands that Bakker must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, and in “affirming” that GLBTQ people practicing same-sex relations are not in sin, he is lying to them. It also needs to be understood that Bakker is going to be judged, as will I, according to James 3:1 — Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.

God is my witness here that I have sincerely been praying for Jay Bakker to repent; and in Will Rob Bell Now Follow Tony Jones Out Of The Closet I’m already on the record publicly, as one who has been quite critical of his teachings, in wanting to give Tony Jones some due respect for being man enough to plainly state what he believes. Jesus also knows I tell the truth that I have even more respect for Bakker because he was on record long before the rest of those ’round Emerging Church circles.

Sadly, many of them have yet to go on the record as to what, in my opinion, they have long believed. McLaren’s moratorium likely had more meaning than many knew, all the while waiting for the winds of change now set to destroy the mostly unware, and definitely apathetic, mainstream evangelical community to reach their current near hurricane force. And make no mistake, Bakker’s spiritual star is rising as demonstrated by a post today from “sociologist and author” Gerardo Marti and the fact that Jay Bakker Is To Speak For The 2009 ELCA Youth Gathering. 

See also:

EMERGING CHURCH PASTOR JAY BAKKER CLAIMS HE KNOWS THE SCRIPTURES BUT IS STILL “GAY AFFIRMING”

Q&A FOR “GAY AFFIRMING” EMERGING CHURCH PASTOR JAY BAKKER

POPULAR EMERGING CHURCH WEBSITE THE OOZE SLITHERS OUT OF THE GLBTQ-AFFIRMING CLOSET

OXYMORONIC ‘HOMOSEXUAL CHRISTIANS’ FOCUS OF BARNA REPORT

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

QUEERMERGENT AND NOW ADULTERMERGENT!?

ROB BELL, PETER ROLLINS, AND QUEERMERGENT’S ADELE SAKLER