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The contemplative prayer movement and the new emerging spirituality continue to wreak havoc on the body of Christ and on the preaching of the Gospel to the lost. For eight years, Lighthouse Trails has shown through one report after the next the teachings by many that outright or indirectly deny the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ (the basic essence of the salvation for the believer). And yet today many Christian leaders, professors, and pastors continue to promote atonement deniers or those who resonate with them. And we say again, it makes no sense to celebrate Easter while promoting those who deny the atonement.A case in point. Calvary Chapel teacher, Gayle Erwin, has his endorsement of The Shack on the back cover of the book and on The Shack website. Yet, Erwin continues addressing Calvary Chapel pastors (e.g. recently at the SW Calvary Chapel Pastors Conference with Greg Laurie and other Calvary Chapel pastors). But William Paul Young, author of The Shack has denied the biblical substitutionary atonement as we showed in John Lanagan's 2009 article, The Shack Author Rejects Biblical Substitutionary Atonement. Lanagan states, after listening to a radio interview with Young:
[T]he author of this bestselling book does not believe Christ was punished on the Cross by the Father for our sins. This is a central doctrine of our faith–that Jesus willingly took our place of punishment and that through His sacrifice we can have eternal life. (click here to read the transcript of the interview with William Paul Young)
Another case in point. Alan Jones, the Reverend at Grace Cathedral in San Fransisco, wrote a book called Reimagining Christianity. The book is filled with theology that negates essentials of the Christian faith. In that book he states:
The Church's fixation on the death of Jesus as the universal saving act must end, and the place of the cross must be reimagined in Christian faith. Why? Because of the cult of suffering and the vindictive God behind it.--Alan Jones1
Of the atonement, Jones also says: "Jesus' sacrifice was to appease an angry God. Penal substitution was the name of this vile doctrine."--Alan Jones, (Reimagining Christianity , p. 168) No one can argue that Brian McLaren's name on the back cover is an endorsement by McLaren on Jones' beliefs expressed in that book. In fact, McLaren, in his own words, calls the doctrine of hell and the Cross "false advertising" for God. But also on the back cover of Jones' book is Walter Brueggemann, who says that Jones' "vision of faith" and "ministry for the time to come" will be a "gift" for readers. For those who are not familiar with his name, Walter Brueggemann is one of the main editors for Richard Foster's Spiritual Formation Study Bible. Foster, a contemplative New Age sympathizer, is admired and even heralded by countless Christian leaders, teachers, ministries, and pastors around the globe. Two of those are Focus on the Family and Rick Warren. And yet, clearly Foster resonates with Brueggemann, or he wouldn't have him contribute to a Bible of all things. To resonate with Brueggemann is to resonate with someone who accepts the denial of the atonement. This is not guilt by association - this is guilt by promotion!....
