The purpose driven and emergent hijacking of Christianity

By Don Koenig

  

I have come to the conclusion that I needed to do a follow up article to the purpose driven church growth movement because I simply cannot believe how thoroughly Christianity has been hijacked by this purpose driven dumbing down of Christianity.

This purpose driven mentality has infected and in many ways it has hijacked Christianity. I have to wonder if the leadership in the church are this blind or if they have become totally corrupted by worldly motives? Do they really want the church to be taught biblical doctrines so the people can live out their faith or do they just want bigger numbers, bigger churches, and bigger bank accounts so they and their church organizations will appear successful in the eyes of the world?

Sunday worship and Sunday Bible study was traditionally the time when church members met to be taught sound doctrine. Is Sunday now the time to entertain unbelievers hoping that a few will see the flood lights? Many pastors pushing this philosophy believe people will see the light without even teaching about man's sinfulness and his need to be saved by the blood of Christ.

I have a hard time believing some of the names in Christianity that have given glowing endorsements to Rick Warren's book, “The Purpose Driven Life” and now his new Global Peace Plan agenda. The book has some good points but many people can and do take subjective points in his book in ways even Rick Warren should not believe. I also see well known secular people supporting him and then supporting worldly garbage in their next breath in the public media.

What we are seeing in our time is a generation were truth is relative to what people wish to believe. Those with this mindset have now infiltrated and are actively taking over our Christian institutions. They believe if it works it is right and God or some higher power is in it. The latest survey said that only 10 percent of Evangelical Christians believe in absolute truth. The church has obviously become brainwashed by the world.

The well known names in Christianity have jumped on the purpose driven bandwagon because it is popular. It certainly can't be because of any profound doctrine in the book because there is none and it should not be because of its church growth agenda because that agenda is based on theories of satanic secular psychology. Just about every one of the the well known Christian leaders seen in the media seems to have missed the boat on teaching sound biblical doctrine these days or else these leaders do not live out the doctrine they preach to others.

I used to argue against those who attacked BGEA when they told me they were compromising and ecumenical. However, I can no longer defend BGEA. When they turn those who make an emotional driven decision for Christ back to the same denominational wolves in sheep's clothing that kept them blind in the first place, I have to wonder what their real purpose is.

 

When other well known names in Christianity support questionable books and use Madison Avenue techniques for fund razing they lose my support. When pastors no longer study to teach on Sunday but instead buy purpose driven sermons, I have to wonder what their own purpose is? When I send a donation to an organization and the postage spent asking for addition donations exceeds my original donation, I have to wonder what purpose they have. When they use paid fundraiser collection agencies that take a large part of the donation off the top, I have to wonder what is their purpose? When they build extremely expensive elaborate centers by fleecing Christians out of money, I have to wonder what purpose are they serving. Now it seems that every conceivable Madison Avenue technique is fair game to fleece the sheep. I won't even get into the fund raising techniques at Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) or I might lose my lunch.

The Purpose driven seeker friendly movement has now even infiltrated a large segment of Calvary Chapels and Evangelical free churches. These used to be great Bible teaching churches where you could be taught through the word of God on Sunday by an able teacher. Now in some of those churches you get a watered down Christian lite message on Sunday instead of solid Bible teaching.

I really have to wonder where the voices of the leaders of Christianity are? Why are they not speaking out against this Sunday watering down of the Christian message? Are they walking in the footsteps of the giants who gave their lives to proclaim the true gospel to the world or are they walking in the shadow of a bandwagon driven by self help success psychologists. To be frank, if what they practice does not hold to the requisites of the movement or denomination then why does the leadership still allow them to use their name? Let them start their own denomination. A fitting name for their denomination would by the second church of Laodicea.

(I understand that since I wrote this article Chuck Smith (The Founder of the Calvary Chapel movement) has asked churches to take the Calvary Chapel name off the door if they do not abide by the precepts of the Calvary Chapel movement. I commend him for that courageous stand and now others in leadership do have a wonderful example to follow.)

The Emergent Church movement?

Now a new name has popped up and their movement has been endorsed by Rick Warren and other leaders. It is called the emerging church movement or the emergent church movement. The philosophy behind this growing movement is that purpose driven churches were designed to appeal to baby boomers but now they need churches that will appeal to the post modern younger generations. The emerging churches will be more experience orientated and will rely more on story telling on Sunday then on teaching scripture. Some in this movement have called the teaching of Christian doctrine divisive and say that everything has to be redefined in the light of modernism. After all, the post modern generation have no moral absolutes and neither will these churches. One should wonder what they base their Christianity on? I will tell you. They base their Christianity on a Jesus conjured up in the crystal ball of their own mind. They embrace mystical experiences, feelings, and goose bumps instead of biblical truths! Their beliefs are very compatible with those of Eastern religions. Jesus just happens to be their own personal Guru.

Vintage Christianity

Within this emergent Church movement, there are those who say we have to return to vintage Christianity to appeal to the latest generation. The vintage Christianity that they speak of is returning to a mystical environment with stain glass, dark churches, candles and emphasis on mystical things like Christ being present in the bread and wine. In other words return to everything Catholic.

This is really heading toward the world church and the Antichrist

It really should be clear to any astute Christian where this is all heading. It is heading to a type of Laodicean pseudo Christianity that can easily fit the role of the one world ecumenical movement that eventually brings in the Antichrist.

You Christian leaders can say how wonderful this seeker-friendly Christianity lite movement is and be part of this purpose driven hijacking of Christianity or you can take a stand now, police your denominations, seminaries and all the organizations that you have influence over. The choice is yours, but the consequences are eternal.

The common lay Christians who see this happening need to get rid of leaders who buy into watered down Christianity or they will soon find themselves while looking in a mirror made in Laodicea.

My substitute for this church growth movement is to emulate a worthy model for Christian growth and not just church growth

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