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October 18, 2003
Dear Michelle Bearden, Tampa Tribune,
I am all for “Keeping the Faith in Christ.” But
honestly, what did yesterday’s article on the “Purpose
Driven Church” have to do with promoting faith in the Biblical
Jesus? I found your article to be very seductive, somewhat subtle
and wildly manipulative.
Well, it looks like the “Me” generation has finally
done it. They have created for themselves another idol. This
is an idol that comforts them and promises them wealth and prosperity,
an idol that tickles their ears and gives them permission to
do what ever they want, whenever they want. That’s how some
people describe success. The idol they have fashioned for themselves
drives home the message that every person has a given purpose
in life. Of course, this may well be true but what purpose is
mainstream Christianity driving for?
Is man not seeking glory for himself rather than God? Is man
not making promises in God’s name without God’s permission?
Does it not seem that our ever changing desires and lusts lead
us to reinterpreting the unchangeable Word of God thus facilitating
moral decadence? Is man not elevating himself once again to “God
hood?” Oh my, are we looking at a society that has fallen
from grace or a society that has always rejected the grace Christ
afforded us? Can you fall away from a place or loose your direction
when you never arrived let alone, follow the road signs? How
can one depart from a place if he never had arrived in the first
place? Many Christians today would call this backsliding but
Scripture calls it Apostasy; they never arrived at, they repelled
from grace rejecting the Gospel of Christ crucified.
The preachers of this new form of ecumenicalism are promising
abundance of worldly wealth and riches and to support their claims
to this being the will of God; they dress themselves in finely
tailored suits and often times brag about their new car or motorcycle.
I have nothing against what a man wears or what he drives but
when you dress for success and parade about in expensive automobiles
in today’s world; you flaunt the image of success which
is nothing less than vanity and idolatry. When you trade in your
perfectly good Ford or Chevy for a BMW or Mercedes then you are
saying in essence, “Look what God has blessed me with.”
In Christian circles, this means to give the praise, glory and
honor to God while the impoverished of society are made to feel
like they are the weak or incompetent and it should not be this
way. The Christians that do this are saying that God is partial
and that He favors or respects one person over another. Christians
who do this are saying, “God loves me more than he loves
the poor man who has nothing.” This new “Purpose Driven”
wave that is sweeping America comes in on the coat tails of secular
preferences disguised with a cloak of religion and is sweeping
the globe in all directions.
The better part of our world today is envious of what Americans
are perceived to have. Much of the big draw to this new brand
of Christianity is the perceived wealth, the promise of riches
and glory that the Purpose Driven Church promotes. Because of
human envy, foreign populations are motivated by what Americans
show them because they are in large part, poor Nations and are
looking of course for the wealth to be distributed a little more
evenly. It stands to reason that if one is made to feel bad about
his poverty then he will likely want to do something to change
that condition. If people could only stop to consider how much
this contrasts with Biblical fundamentals, they might not be
so quick to run after the promised gold.
All these idols man creates for himself serve a greater idol
whose power reaches around the entire globe. The majority of
mankind is comforted by his new god. This god appears to have
the power to make rich and destitute, to save and destroy. Its
name is MONEY.
Dr. Rick Warren has influenced thousands of Churches and believers
who continue to absorb new and creative ways to utilize witnessing
techniques and build church growth. His whole agenda is indeed
about building up super churches and as I clearly point out,
rejects the more traditional and fundamental methods employed
by the examples of Christ’s Apostles and some of today’s
remnant of traditional value churches. By the methods he employs
and trains pastors with, he has and is compromising the most
basic and fundamental necessities called for in scripture regarding
Christ’s teachings.
According to his “Saddleback Sam” approach, the
newer approach must be aimed at drawing the “unchurched”
and the “unsaved” into services so that his “so
called” method of gospel teaching can be employed. He does
this a number of ways. In his words, “A church service must
be non threatening and comfortable to the seeker and un-saved
visitor.” He declares that the message in Sunday services
must only be positive in order to attract the diverse crowds.
He also achieves this goal by offering LOUD rock and roll music
to appeal to the secular youth and ridiculous skits and stage
antics are a common denominator. To watch one of these services
in action is disgusting and down right revolting. Dr. Rick Warren
is levitating away from the fundamental examples of what a scripturally
correct gathering of believers should look like. This smacks
against the teachings of much of the New Testament as I clearly
point out.
I consider these methods to be heretical because what he is
doing in essence is to make those who attend feel better about
themselves and equal with one another; both the so-called “saved
and unsaved.” His dynamic and charismatic sermons are mixed
with psychology and positive projection techniques. He deals
with such topics as guilt, self-esteem, interpersonal relationships,
mood enhancement and spends a good deal of energy on positive
motivation to encourage the worldly without employing the very
Word of God to lead his hearers to repentance. I ask you Michelle,
what is our lord’s command in regards to shepherding the
seekers and believers?
As a whole there is no doctrinal instruction given in the
church on Sunday services and it all looks more like a concert
fest without the cops to keep the unruly tamed. This is in clear
contrast to the very instruction given us and set forth by the
early Church according to the apostolic teachings of Christ’s
disciples (Paul) as described in Acts 20:20-31.
According to Dr. Rick Warren, The church leaders who are interested
in dynamic growth must embrace the attitude that says, “Don’t
try to tell me that the Bible requires holiness or a style of
worship and ministry that is different from the worldly or secular
thinking.” This clearly denies what Paul exhorts in his
epistle to Timothy in I Tim 3:15 just before he goes into an
exhortation of the apostasy being manifested in the churches
in latter times according to what the spirit explicitly says,
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times
some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits,
and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their
conscience seared with a hot iron;”
My dear friends and fellow citizens, this is blasphemous and
nothing short of another type of heresy designed to draw potential
souls away from God’s calling to holiness. The way he comes
across is like so many I have experienced in today’s contemporary
churches. We at Cephas are a “Discernment Ministry”
devoted to preserving the purity of Christ’s teachings and
application of “true discipleship” over mainstream
heretical teachings of which we were forewarned would be increasing
in these latter days of accelerated apostasy. I invite you to
check out our websites as they are full of qualitative and relevant
information and new exhortations to dispel the lies and hidden
agenda’s of men and their apostate doctrines and precepts.
I am hoping that an objective reporter who writes for a typically
better than average objective Newspaper will see her way to making
sure that equal time and space is given to those like us here
at Cephas Ministry and others who are in the trenches fighting
hard to KEEP THE FAITH. Please, find a spot to print my letter.
It should be read by all your readers.
- Nicholas A. Stivers, a humbled man, scribe and messenger.
- Author: “Apostasy Revealed” ISBN: 1-928602-92-4
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