McLaren Endorses Campolo

I have been wanting very much to do a series of Blogs on the church and the importance of local church membership. But things keep coming to my attention. Yesterday I finished listening to a lecture series given at Masters Seminary on the Emerging Church Movement (click here). Once again the name Tony Campolo was directly linked to bad theology.

I had shown in past Blogs the dangers of Campolo's low view of Scripture and his understanding of salvation as being more of saving society. The picture seems to be becoming clearer for me as to why. Liberal theology as it is being expressed in the Emerging Church movement has Campolo's approval.

Brian McLaren is a leading proponent of the Emerging Church movement. He has written an endorsement for abook called Speaking My Mind written by Campolo. Critics of McLaren's books have shown his disdain for Historical Orthodox Christianity. Yet read Brian''s endorsement of the book:

“If you paid the full price for this book and only got chapter 8, you’d be getting a great bargain. The same is true for chapters 4,6,9,10, and 11. At a time when the term ‘evangelical’ is up for grabs, Tony’s voice needs to be heard”.

It is ironic that Emerging Church prophets are willing to literally embrace anything except for...yup, you guessed it...conservative Christianity. People who believe the Bible to be God-breathed and inerrant are seen as being dangerous.

It gets even better though when Shane Claiborne interviews Campolo. He asks, "When we talk about inter-religious cooperation [with Muslims], does that mean that we need to stop trying to convert each other?" Campolo responds:

We don't have to give up trying to convert each other. What we have to do is show respect to one another. And to speak to each other with a sense that even if people don't convert, they are God's people, God loves them, and we do not make the judgment of who is going to heaven and who is going to hell.

I think that what we all have to do is leave judgment up to God. The Muslim community is very evangelistic, however what Muslims will not do is condemn Jews and Christians to Hell if in fact they do not accept Islam.

Isn't that just wonderful? God loves the Muslim just like He loves Christians.

Doesn't Paul say men outside of Christ have God's wrath abiding upon them, building up until the day of wrath? I guess warning sinners of their impending doom is not as big of a concern as it is in building inter-faith relationships (whatever that may mean).

Campolo goes on to say in another portion:

Catholicism would say that at the moment of death every person is confronted in that split moment with Christ and is given the opportunity of saying yes or no. To say otherwise is to say God has got to be a pretty unfair deity, to condemn three quarters of the human race to hell without them ever having a chance.

God is unfair if he doesn't give everyone a chance? Chance for what? To reject God some more? God is being unfair if he judges a sinner for his sin? Whatever happened to Romans 1-3? Truth is, what is unfair is that God would give anyone a chance! Grace by definition is radically unfair.

So you might be asking by this point, "Why do you care about this Tony Campolo guy?" Well, Tony Campolo is a very well known pastor with a lot of influence. He made the cover of American Baptist Men Ministies periodical. He is an American Baptist. Therefore, he is as dangerous as any liberal theologian within my own denomination's walls.

As a Christian who loves the Word of God, I would simply encourage you to listen to the lecture series. You will especially be blessed by McArthur's opening lecture. Christians may not remain ignorant of the inroads theological liberalism has made. Campolo's attacks on the faith do not come from without but within the crumbling walls of evanjellyism.