Andy Britz, seeker sensitive youth pastor of Cedarbrook church

Seeker Sensitive youth pastor Andy Britz makes the papers:


Cedarbrook Church lays down roots
http://www.dunnconnect.com/articles/2010/06/16/religion/doc4c0ec453bda29388822841.txt

I posted a comment here, and you may think it's a bit harsh to post this publicly, especially those of you who know both of us...because I'm just... "not nice," and Andy is in my recollection perpetually fun and jovial (except when you question his discernment or even, as I did, hint at such a thing). You may think it harsh to post about a friend publicly, but the apostle Paul did it... and I had already tried to talk to Andy a few years ago. I grew up with Andy Britz. It is sad for me to see him depart from sound doctrine, but it is happening to so many. I do this out of grave concern for him and his hearers. I hope that someone will read this and be able to talk to him where I cannot. That is always my hope when I post something like this.

here is the comment I posted on the news story:
Your comment has been posted!
qeylar wrote on Jun 29, 2010 11:12 AM:
"Do we really need ANOTHER seeker sensitive church to corrupt the precious Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ? I have listened to Cedarbrook sermons and the pastors preach all about themselves with cute little irrelevant stories that make you laugh. I really don't want to hear about pastor Andy's dating life in high school. That does not help to save me from my sin. I would far rather hear about Jesus and who he is, what he has done, and why I need him. Not because I can't balance my checkbook, or have an anger management problem, but because I am a sinner by nature that needs saving and forgiveness DAILY. I don't need 'how to have a better life' sermons. I need Jesus. Tell me about JESUS, from all of Scripture, for all of Scripture speaks of him! Don't tell me your own imaginations. The more details about Jesus the better. I want to get to know HIM. "


I mentioned to Andy about 2 years ago how unbiblical the seeker sensitive approach is and he never spoke to me again and immediately defriended me on facebook.

Aapparently his mother doesn't know the situation, I think back in 2006 (?) when I talked to her she assumed he was kicked out of I think an Evangelical Free church for similar reasons to why WE were kicked out of our Evangelical Covenant church, but she didn't know details. So when you go through something like this, and you hear of someone else who has been persecuted for standing for truth, you want to hear their story. So I had been trying to get some information on it directly from him, and checking out his new church, and I got a very sick sinking feeling in my stomach when I started to see what his church was about and listen to Andy preach. They were openly seeker sensitive and Andy's sermons are all about himself (the one that sticks in my head is about his meeting his girlfriend's dad. He spent a lot of time talking about his dating life, but I don't remember much about Jesus)...and moral lessons from Scripture (e.g. law). Jesus might make a cameo appearance from time to time.

That's when I asked "So Cedarbrook is a seeker sensitive church?" and he replied glowingly how wonderful it was. So I said "I got the impression from talking to your mother last time that you understood how unbiblical seeker sensitive is."

We hardly had begun the conversation, but he shut me out. This is typical "seeker sensitive" behavior. This is a scourge on the church. I am not telling you this for any reason than to pass on the information that people's kids are growing up and departing sound doctrine because they have no idea why they believe what they believe. They seem to think that moralism is the point of Scripture... e.g. teaching people how to behave.

Ironically, he went TO the very apostate denomination we left. (Evangelical Covenant)

Another one bites the dust.



P.S. (added 6-30-10) Just listened to the recent sermon "Rethink church" and they promo'd a video by Craig Detweiler. Ugh.

Craig's blog:
A Purple State of Mind (yup, that's politically purple, folks... e.g. 'moderate' social justice folks, Sojourners "Jesus is not a Republican (or a democrat)" types. Yes he makes some valid criticisms but like most emergents, he doesn't do it from a Scriptural point of view and just substititutes his own unscriptural solution. Very sad, but typical that an Evangelical Covenant church should be promoting an apostate like this.

Why We Shouldn't Judge John Piper, Really! (Phil Perkins)

I thought this was a great lighthearted read. Thank you to Phil Perkins!

WHY WE SHOULDN'T JUDGE JOHN PIPER--REALLY



Recently, there's been a huge flap over John Piper's invitation of a false teacher to preach at a conference. I think I jumped the gun a bit. As soon as I heard that Piper had sinned like this I thought he should be censored.

Fortunately, cooler heads reminded folks like me that before we insist that a pastor like Piper obey Scripture we should wait and see if the false teacher might be reformed by the experience of preaching in Piper's conference. Some even suggested that Piper might just have a "plan" and we don't know what that is.


Ridiculous? Well, let me tell you a short story from my past that really is true and plainly illustrates just how a preacher preaching one religion can accidentally convert himself to another religion just so long as we all wait to see:

read more at AL TOSAP AL DAVARAIV

Ergun Caner demoted at Liberty U

At SBC Today there is a statement from Liberty University regarding Ergun Caner

Dr. Ergun Caner Investigation Completed


Kind of limp wristed, if you ask me. Doesn't seem like "misstatements" is a strong enough term. He was lying to create a whole persona that doesn't exist. Would they look as kindly on it if he was, let's say, making up that he was not married so that he could marry a 2nd woman? Same sin, different victim. Something tells me that if he were secretly doing something like bigamy, where there's really only one direct victim, they would be far more severe with him than they are when he has lied to thousands upon thousands of people.

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Don Whitney's spiritual disciplines at Desiring God

Pursuing a Passion for God Through Spiritual Disciplines: Learning from Jonathan Edwards


I just listened to Don Whitney at Desiring God 2003. Ugh. Something is short circuiting in my brain.

"journaling"??? is a Biblical spiritual discipline? Maybe I'll have to go back and listen again. That can't be right.

Meditation. "if you only have ten minutes to read your Bible don't read for ten minutes... read for five and meditate for five."

Apparently meditation is how God REALLY works through his word and how we access this intimacy with God, according to Whitney.

Sure, read less Bible. If "meditation" is how God really works through his word, then why not read for a half a minute and meditate for 9.5 minutes?

Why can we not meditate day and night, at work and play, e.g. THINK about what you have read, in quiet times and in noisy times? I can't STOP thinking about it, Don! If i have to force myself to sit still in order to think about i.e. 'meditate' on God's word something is wrong. And it's something I think law and GOSPEL will fix, if it is going to be fixed at all.

The way he is describing these things sounds like Means of Grace...all these 'practices' we find in the Bible by which we experience God.

It strikes me, this spiritual disciplines stuff and spending so much time on "how to" grow yourself in the Lord by doing all these things is a bit like telling a sheep that doesn't want to eat the right way to eat grass. If a sheep doesn't want to eat, it's very SICK and needs you to FEED it that life giving food (i.e. the gospel). It doesn't need you to tell it how to properly eat grass. Maybe it's not a sheep at all if it doesn't like the grass.

I spent some time looking for the phrase "spiritual disciplines" on desiringgod.org They sure do like the throw that term around. I see positive references to Don Whitney, Dallas Willard... I have not seen a disclaimer that says (even about Willard) anything like "now, he gets a lot of things wrong but I like this one quote from him..." no both men are promoted as valid with no disclaimer.

Same with Richard Foster, as Brannon Howse mentioned (I do differ with Brannon on some things, just to be clear as well) the other day on his shows here:
http://www.worldviewweekend.com/worldview-radio/episode.php?episodeid=16770

http://www.worldviewweekend.com/worldview-radio/episode.php?episodeid=16780


Bob DeWaay deals with Don Whitney's book on Spiritual Disciplines here
Donald Whitney and Spiritual Disciplines
Spirituality Without Boundaries

A friend pointed me to this transcript about Contemplative prayer from an "ask pastor John" episode where he was asked about it:
http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/AskPastorJohn/ByTopic/35/4627_What_do_you_think_about_contemplative_prayer/

I just read that transcript last night, having found it myself, and all I could do was squint and go "now, WHAT did he just say?" Always a bad sign for someone who communicates eternal truths for a living.

These are all very bad signs for John Piper's ministry, and from that, it is natural that he would start to consort with people like Rick Warren.

A facebook friend of mine quipped: "Why do people who should know better think they can find a gourmet meal by digging through the garbage can?"

To which I answered: exactly. The answer to that is "well I guess they don't recognize it as a garbage can." and THAT is alarming in itself.

Southern Baptist Convention motion rap, sliding further downhill

The SBC is clearly sliding further downhill. Oh man look at all the older folks looking at him and beaming, almost like they're thinking "boy this is very cool!"

ick. This is stupid, they all thing it's awesome and cute. UGH. I can't even understand what he is saying.


SBC 2010 Acts 29 Motion Rap (June 15)

Who is this chairman that just sits there grinning like a complete fool?

(UPDATED) OH That's Johnny HUNT? I thought he wanted God to give him a "bark and a bite" not "farce and hype."

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The Assemblies of God leadership swipes church building in defiance of court order

This is very disturbing that church leadership can so blithely steal church property from the people who paid for it, even in the midst of negotiations. These are congregationally structured denominations, and these leaders should not be acting like Popes and Kings.

see video here

http://wcbstv.com/video/?id=142451@wcbs.dayport.com

See also the attached informational pdf's from people involved in the conflict:

DO_YOU_KNOW_THE_TRUTH.pdf


LETTER_CROSSWAY_CHRISTIAN_CENTER.pdf

more here

Crossway membership may disolve ties with Assemblies


and here
USA Assemblies of God (AG) Pastor Dismissed For Encouraging His Church To Leave The Movement Due To Its Departure From Biblical Standards

USA Assemblies of God (AG) Pastor Dismissed For Encouraging His Church To Leave The Movement Due To Its Departure From Biblical Standards

The AG in the USA died a self inflicted spiritual, moral, and ethical death during the Pensacola fiasco under Thomas Trask, their former Czar in Springfield, Mo.

The heir to his throne, Dr. George Wood who actually authored a booklet attacking the Toronto Experience predecessor of Pensacola compromised when the same unbiblical phenomena he himself rightly condemned transpired within the AG. We find this hypocritical. Since that time Dr. Wood, a man we believe to know better, has ignored the unbiblical agenda of Rick Warren’s marketing psychology oriented ‘Purpose Driven Lie’. A position he persists in defending despite Warren’s interfaith pronouncements at Davos, his contra scriptural definition of evangelism, his ecumenism, his involvement with Yoga and apostate Brian McLaren at the 2004 National Pastor’s Conference, and his forwarding with McLaren of Dan Kimbell’s book “The Emergent Church”. (read more at last link)


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John Macarthur takes down Joel Osteen, The Secret, The Shack, and the Word of Faith Movement

This is a fanstastic takedown of The Secret, The Shack, Joel Osteen, and the Word Faith movement by John Macarthur at Ligonier Ministries' Christless Christianity 2010 conference.

High bandwidth video

Low bandwidth video

Audio only (best for dialup)

I've never heard Macarthur quite this pointed! Refreshing.

:-)