Erik Dykstra repents??? Well, maybe not... just repackaged false teaching

For What it's worth I did find this claim by someone that there has been genuine repentance at Crossing Church by the pastor:

GENUINE REPENTANCE AT THE CROSSING CHURCH

I'm listening  to the sermon to see if it really indicates what this guy says it does. I hope you will check it out too. I'm going to remain skeptical... but I am listening. So far it is a vast improvement. I hope it is for real.

In the middle of the sermon it sounds like he has been talking to Tullian Tchividjian. He actually mentioned a pastor that he has been listening to... and that he is a "presbyterian reformed guy." He's even using Tullian's phraseology in places.

He also mentions that he's been listening to some charismatic pentecostal guy. I sure hope that isn't Joseph Prince. sigh. But, regardless, though there are some sloppy parts, this particular message is a huge improvement. So I set out to listen to some other more recent messages.

and...sigh. It sounded good at first, but now listening to some more recent messages (the ones right after "Time Machine," he definitely still sounds somewhat word faith-y. He just emphasizes God's love as the "word" you are supposed to confess in order to get the things you want like a raise/promotion/ avoiding a layoff (and like, for him in this particular sermon we are listening to, on his day off, catching a fish was what he prayed for). Is that what Jesus prayed in the garden?

He's turned belief into a work we must do to get what we want. sigh. Still not good at all.  Very little emphasis on Christ and his perfect finished work on our behalf.

In addition, their "code" on their website is still organized around everyone aggressively defending and supporting the "vision" of the "visionary" (i.e. the pastor) and if you don't like it you can go somewhere else. I wonder if it's changed enough so that people will still talk to you, if you do, though.

He's now constructing straw men about those that 'divide' the church into those that are loved by God and those that aren't. i.e. if you say someone isn't repentant, and therefore not saved,or is wrong, and that that issue is worth fighting about, that somehow necessarily means they aren't loved by God and that we hate them.

**
Update
**

So, we listened to five or six different messages and some of them were actually OK with some sloppy spots. (Still not something I felt particularly gung ho about, but couldn't say they were totally off.) Others were just sloppy mixed word faith positive confession type stuff.  He still has his theology of glory mixed in with this new focus on grace.  And of course there's the problem of a woman pastor.

I was also right in my suspicious I think.  I scrolled back through his twitter feed to about the time where he gave that first "Time Machine" sermon and there were quite a few retweets of Pastor Tullian appearing on Erik's feed, along with a bunch from Joseph Prince.  Sigh.  No Art Azurdia unfortunately.  And lots of Joel Osteen. (vomit)

It's funny how you can very often guess who someone's been listening to by how they sound, if you listen closely enough.

I do hope this is a transition into sounder doctrine.  Since it's only been about 8 months, maybe it's still a work in process. I pray it is the case.

Finally, a perfect explanation for the purpose of my blog (and also why it's not interactive)

This is exactly how I felt reading so many blogs about the problems of Purpose Driven.  I found it very comforting to read other's thoughts that echoed my own when I was going through the church discipline process, which was really a kangaroo court church discipline process.  It happened to me when I rebuked my Evangelical Covenant pastor for his meddling/manipulative/micromanaging behavior, for his overlooking, wrist-slapping on real interpersonal sin, for his attempts to undermine the decisions of the various commissions if he didn't agree with them...and mostly for wanting Biblical Doctrine taught to my family.

Some of the worst "Lutheran" sermons I've ever heard....

Seriously. And this is from a denomination that is supposed to be theologically more conservative than the ELCA.

Is Jesus ever mentioned except "in Jesus name" at the end of the prayer?

http://www.stjohnsfreelutheran.com/downloads.html

Names of God 5: El Roi
October 10, 2010

Names of God 6: Adonai Ro-i
October 17,  2010

Names of God 7: Adonai Tsebaot
October 24, 2010

Names of God 8: El Elyon
October 31, 2010

Truly bad stuff.  At least the last one gets to the gospel because he's talking to kids and focusing on Reformation Sunday.  But he still says the first thing to remember is go shine God's light to the world.  And the SECOND thing is that God has given this to us as a gift.  In the context of the regular omission of the gospel and the name of Jesus, it'd be hard to remember the gospel from week to week.

It's hard even to know where to begin.  It makes me fear for the future of the AFLC. How do these guys get approved to serve a congregation? How do they get passing grades in seminary? Zeal shouldn't be the primary qualification for ordination.

I sure hope he's improved in 2.5 years.  But I'm not optimistic.

Anyway, just had to share. As usual, you're welcome.

Regressive Justification: Righteousness Proximity (Worldview Everlasting)

I'm working my way through Broken right now.  Fabulous stuff: 

... "the danger is, that by being so concerned with these hypocrites in the church you end up starving the sheep. And the end result of that, starving yourself as well." - Jonathan Fisk

(10:47) How often does it turn out that we even start on this path from the "if we can just" mentality that is mentioned in the book (Broken) that I'm looking around and I'm looking at the church and I'm seeing that the church isn't looking like what I think it ought to be. That is: "I'm not so worried about my own standing before God, I've come to a point where I think I'm doing pretty good. It's everybody else!" This is especially an easy thing for a pastor to do because of course we're spending our lives in the midst of this and we've got membership in this congregation or church that we have that well they just don't look like they really care. Yeah, I know how that is and so what's easy to do is to start trying to pinpoint what's wrong with that individual that they are perhaps not having faith, and then wanting to fix it. But then here's the thing. Why do you think that fixing it is a matter of the law? Because if they're not living the Christian life, as in they are not living in the "new obedience," the problem is not that we haven't taught them the law enough. But they don't really believe the gospel.

Now it may be a matter of the law not being taught enough in a manner in which it condemns them, and makes them aware of their need for the gospel, but it is a lack of faith that is the issue. Not a lack of "obedience."

reads a bit from the Augsburg confession article VIII

which is to say, we recognize that in the church there are going to be false brethren.... we recognize this and we confess this as a reality lest we somehow become extremely surprised when we find that there are sinners in the church, not just sinners, there are unrepentant sinners. That means sinners without any faith at all. Now again here's the question. Having maybe been concerned about one of your sheep that they are an unrepentant sinner, is the answer then to make the entire sheepfold begin to believe that the mark of their Christianity is obedience, and put them back on the treadmill of the law? Or is the issue to go directly to that one unrepentant sinner who has no faith and actually speak words of conviction to them? Which isn't 'you need to be a better person so you can be a Christian!" the issue is "I'm not so sure you're a Christian." And the answer to that is repentance and faith in Christ, not 'oh, be good now.'

That's the challenge. The difficulty, the danger is, that by being so concerned with these hypocrites in the church you end up starving the sheep. And the end result of that, starving yourself as well."

Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled

In light of so many tragedies and horrors occuring this very week, as well as this month in history, let me direct you to a wonderful post entitled Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled.

"I am a man who had to tell my wife she was going to die. I can tell you confidently it is no easy thing to let your heart not be troubled."

Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled.

I am hoping you will read it before you look to see who wrote it.  Be encouraged.  God is still in control, as bleak as it appears.

A Little Gem From A Christian Journalist Covering the Gosnell Trial

Being subtly snubbed by the ‘inner ring’ - Andrée Seu Peterson
This short article was shared to me by someone who I have considered a friend who I have watched this very thing happen to, not so subtly at all, but very blatantly. But it is telling that many in leadership in the church today can't even hack the subtle version. And then they wonder why people despise a lot of male leadership in the church.  It's mostly networking, with very little leadership.

[No, I do not believe in female leadership in church, but when men don't act like men, protecting the flock, willing to confront error even in their friends, it's very hard to tell whether we actually HAVE men leading.  Sorry, feel a bit cynical about this subject.]

I've often quoted Cyrano De Bergerac when I see this happen:

Le Bret: Why go about making enemies?

Cyrano: Watching other people making friends, everywhere, as a dog makes friends... I mark the manner of these canine courtesies, and think, Here comes, thank heaven, another enemy!

Peterson, the author makes some great observations that Christians everywhere should pay attention to. It seems this is the obvious besetting sin of anyone who has a popular/growing ministry (Discernment ministries, bloggers included).

...if one is not careful of one’s heart, there is the tendency to desire the respect of the world—or at least the avoidance of ostracization.

But I find, lo and behold, that Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians and Timothy are much about ostracization, and Paul’s layered exhortations to not mind it at all, and to persevere in being bold even if you are not liked.

Read more at World Mag

Well, this didn't take long. Rick Warren, And Beth Moore join forces to exploit Matthew Warren's death... And Mark Driscoll is not to be left out!

Let me repeat, I am truly horrified and grieved at the death of Rick Warren's son by his own hand.  People of sound theology have tragedies happen to them all the time.  That is not the point.

But we all knew it wouldn't take long before they would do exactly as we were supposedly supposed to do, being haters and all:

Rick Warren Exploits Son’s Death to Attack Critics

I am truly horrified at both Beth Moore and Rick Warren.  May God help them to see their error, and I pray that Matthew's soul is resting in peace.


Mark Driscoll has also weighed in
Rick Warren, critics, and the hope of God’s Son

He admits most of the Christian posts were good, a few bad ones, and then goes on to talk about all the hate from the world. Well Doh! it's the WORLD Mark, remember that place, the WORLD? Don't you live in Seattle? HELLO!  The world hates Christians (or those they think are Christians), it doesn't matter if they're suffering.  They hate us every day.  What gets me is how much time Warren wastes trying to curry favor with them by compromising the message he claims he isn't compromising.... the one message by which some of them might be saved.  And yet, this is how they repay him.  It's a crying shame, I agree. And yet he continues to do it, while neglecting the one gospel that he is supposed to be preaching to them.

I mean, Sure, he's a nice guy.  No one ever said he wasn't.  But niceness doesn't mean much in the kingdom of God.  It doesn't equal 'sanctification.'  Nor does it mean the person's teaching is sound.  You of all people ought to know that.

I truly do grieve for them.  I am not attacking Rick Warren over his son.  His son's death doesn't erase Rick Warren's false teaching or automatically make him a candidate for canonization.  He is still the same.  So am I, so are all of us.  Evil doesn't take a break for you, or Rick Warren, or me.  Now if something bad happens to any of us bloggers, EVER, can we blame Mark Driscoll and Beth Moore for hating on us and making us miserable?

Related:
Why I don't do Beth Moore Anymore
More Beth Moore
Beth Moore
Some Reviews of Beth Moore
Beth Moore - False Teacher (Do Not Be Surprised)
Beth Moore - going Seeker Sensitive?
Extreme Theology - Beth moore's Dangerous Bible Twisting