New prayer letter

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Christianity and McLarenism

From Justin Taylor at The Gospel Coalition, commenting Kevin DeYoungs review of MacLarens latest book:
Again, let me strongly encourage you to read Kevin’s entire review. Here is his conclusion:

"The message of McLarenism is pretty simple: God is love and wants everyone to be kind and inclusive and care for the poor and the environment. This is what Jesus was like, and we should be like Jesus. This is, of course, not wrong in so far as it goes. The Liberal/McLaren emphasis on the kingdom is right, their concern for the “other” is right, much of their ethics is right. But McLarenism, like liberalism, cannot be right. It has its emphases all out of proportion, its right statements thrown out of whack by all that is missing. In McLarenism there is no original sin, no wrath, no hell, no creation-fall-redemption, no definite future, no second coming that I can see, no clear statement on the deity of Christ, no mention of vicarious substitution or God’s holiness or divine sovereignty, no ethical demands except as they relate to being kind to others, no God-offendedness, no doctrine of justification, no unchanging apostolic deposit of truth, no absolute submission to the word of God, nary a mention of faith and worship, no doctrine of regeneration, no evangelistic impulse to save the lost, and nothing about God’s passion for his glory. This is surely a lot to leave out.

McLaren’s Christianity is not new and certainly not improved. I don’t believe you can even call it Christianity. It is liberalism dressed up for the 21st century. We can only hope this wave of liberalism fades as dramatically as did the last."

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Silence is not always golden

From Världen i dag (Swe): "Freedom of speech is to give room for the uncomfortable, for the politically incorrect, for minority views, for the odd, and for the ordinary. This is the basis for political debate and activity. Freedom of speech must be used - otherwise it dies. The very foundation of democracy is freedom of speech. This is well known in Sweden and in Western democracies, or is it? Two frightening examples to the contrary."
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Evangelicals Band Together to Keep Gospel Alive in PC(USA)

From The Christian Post:
"Evangelicals in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) have banded together and committed themselves to hold to the biblical faith as their denomination continues to "stumble," as they put it.
With the PC(USA) losing churches and conservatives beginning to feel like they have no voice or reason to stay in the denomination, remaining evangelicals have decided to support one another with the formation of the Biblical Presbyterian Network.

"[I]t feels as if there is a sense of helplessness within the evangelical community within the PC(USA). The old strategies do not seem to be holding us together and the vision for a renewed Presbyterian Church USA seems more faded than ever," the network states.
"And yet, even our denomination fails, stumbles and so often impedes the work of God’s Spirit, we acknowledge that this reality does not change our calling to be faithful where we are."

In recent years, dozens of churches have left the PC(USA), citing the denomination's liberal direction on scriptural authority and homosexuality. Most recently in 2008, the General Assembly – the denomination's highest governing body – approved a proposal to delete from its constitution a requirement that clergy live in "fidelity within the covenant of marriage between and a man and a woman, or chastity in singleness." The proposal requires a majority approval from the PC(USA)'s 173 presbyteries."

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