The Real Enemy

By this time, after reading my articles and seeing the blogs and sites that link to them, people may be thinking that I am a member of the movement that has formed to protest what is called "The Emergent Church". Many of my articles are of an anti-Emergent genre. I disagree with many, if not all, of the tenets of the belief system promoted by the Emergent Church, and I feel that it presents a real danger to youth. That is why I have spent so much time discussing people that are a part of it (Rob Bell, for example).

In spite of this, however, I am not a "member" of those who have banded together to fight the Emergent Church. I appreciate their interest in and support of my blog, but I cannot really "join" their ranks because I disagree with them on two main points. First of all, their approach to the Emergent Church is often wholly unbiblical, in violation of 1 Peter 3:15: "But in your hearts set Christ apart as holy [and acknowledge Him] as Lord. Always be ready to give a logical defense to anyone who asks you to account for the hope that is in you, but do it courteously and respectfully." (Amplified Version, emphasis mine.) Making snide or insulting comments about the leaders of the Emergent Church will make their efforts to stop it ineffectual, even if their central message is correct. They give those Christians who disagree with Emergent philosophy a bad name.

But there is one other important point on which I disagree with these people. It is a mistake to limit the work of Satan against the body of Christ to the Emergent Church. It is a mistake to limit the work of Satan to anything. He does not remain within the confines of a specific group, religion, or nation. His influence is everywhere. While we are fighting him in the false ideas in a new Bible study at church, he may be attacking us in the form of a new "Christian" novel with an incorrect interpretation of the Bible. While we are struggling to keep Islam from pervading our schools, we may ignore the new witchcraft-related material added to the shelves of the school library. While we are trying to war with a threat from outside Christianity, he may be launching a campaign within the church itself. While we are dealing with the named, black-and-white dangers that come at us, Satan may be taking control of our own hearts.

Be vigilant! There is more to this world than what we can label and file away. We must be ever on our guard against any attack of the enemy on any front. If we fail to do this, it may prove fatal to our cause, and to our faith.

True or False? - Stephen Baldwin

Stephen Baldwin is rapidly becoming a household name in the church today. As a famous actor who suddenly and surprisingly became a Christian after 9/11, he's gotten both good and bad press from the secular media - and mostly good press from the Christian media. His new books, films, and projects have mostly been geared toward youth, and the Christian market has responded overwhelmingly.

What concerns me is that, apparently, no one has really taken the time to carefully weigh Baldwin's teachings and ideas before thrusting them upon youth and youth ministry. The general consensus seems to be, "He's popular, he's 'hip', he's Christian, he'll work. He's a little over-the-top, but I think we can risk it." No, we can't risk anything where the souls of young people are concerned. In your youth ministry, never use any teachings without making one-hundred-percent sure that they line up with the Bible.

So, let's take a closer look at what Baldwin is saying. First of all, he has recently begun publishing a series of "Christian comic books" called "Spirit Warriors", aimed at preteen and teen age groups. I have personally read these books, and I can say with complete certainty that they do not promote the kind of Christianity we want to teach to youth. The books are rife with violence on the part of the characters who are supposed to be Christian, and they present God's power as something that Christians can harness and use against their enemies. If one takes the time to read what Baldwin says about faith and Christianity elsewhere, the content of these books is no longer surprising. Baldwin's entire approach is excessively bold, angry and "in-your-face". But there's more to it than that.

Baldwin is a major promoter of the "make the church look more like the world in order to attract youth" approach to youth ministry. "If you bring the kids dorkville they don't listen," he once said in an interview. "If you bring them really cool, they'll listen ... because all of this is really about sharing the news about a man named Jesus Christ."

First of all, how can normal, unaltered Christianity patterned on a Biblical paradigm be called "dorkville"? Is Baldwin calling Christians who don't use "contemporary" Bible paraphrases and don't dress in black, Gothic-style clothes with Christian symbols on them "dorks"? As I am one of these people, I find Baldwin's comment offensive and completely un-Christian. If he thinks Christianity has to be offered in the context he defines as "really cool" in order to appeal to youth, his theory is wrong both empirically and biblically. Also, why did he define the Son of God as "a man named Jesus Christ"? Aren't we supposed to tell youth that Jesus is something far more than that?

The other cause for concern in Baldwin's teachings is the way he talks about his life before his conversion. I'm not trying to condemn him in saying these, but there are quite a few things in his past that he has reason to regret and feel some sense of shame over. I am not judging him; I say this based on what Baldwin himself has freely admitted. He led a life full of sexual sin and starred in many movies with blatantly immoral scenes. As Baldwin is now a Christian, these things should no longer be held against him - that is, if he has sincerely repented of them. But when he talks about them now, it is with more pride than regret. He spends nearly half of the first chapter of his new book, "The Unusual Suspect", talking about how he knew which steps of the staircase to the basement of the Playboy mansion triggered a silent alarm. He is not at all graphic in his descriptions of what he did or saw in his former life. I'm not accusing him of that. I merely object to the tone in which he discusses these things. As a Christian, his attitude toward his past should be one of abhorrence and repentance. That is not what one finds in his book. You can read the first chapter at his web site, stephenbaldwin.com, and see what I mean.

Here is the most offensive quote I have found from Stephen Baldwin so far. I hesitate to post it here, but I feel my readers need to understand fully why I am rebuking Baldwin. He speaks of his book, "The Unusual Suspect":

“Well, I jokingly call it 'The Gospel According to Stevie B.' I said some things in the book that I’m getting a lot of flack about—people are saying, 'Well you can’t talk about sex and you can’t talk about this.' Well, as long as it’s sex with your wife and as long as it’s within a decent taste [it’s ok]. I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired of the Christian movement being so stuffy and farty. The whole thing’s gotta relax. It’s the reason why people are so against it here in America.”

If Baldwin objects to the status of the Christian movement, must he condemn it in such an excessively blunt and even profane way? It would be more to his advantage for him to logically present his objections and then discuss, with courtesy and respect, what the Christian response to the problem should be. And no, it is not correct to talk about sexual intercourse - something that God has meant as a private, beautiful thing between a man and a woman - in a flippant manner, even if it is between a man and his wife. As for "The Gospel According to Stevie B.", wouldn't it be better for him to talk about "The Gospel According to Jesus Christ"? To use such a phrase borders on irreverence.

In your youth ministry, do not make the mistake of using Stephen Baldwin as an example of someone who has made a complete turn-around and is now following Jesus with his whole heart. His actions, words, and attitude are not befitting a true Christian. Give youth a better role model if you want to make headway in leading them to Christ.

True or False? - Rob Bell

Rob Bell is the founder and pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville, Michigan. He attended Wheaton College without any specific goal in mind as to what he would study. At this time, he gained some attention locally from his work with the indie rock band _ton bundle. (That was not a typo). His rise to popularity in the Christian sphere later on was due to the NOOMA films, a series of short ministry films. Recently, he authored two books, “Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith” (Zondervan, 2005) and “Sex God: Exploring the Endless Connections Between Sexuality and Spirituality” (Zondervan, 2007). As he is relatively young and increasingly popular, many Christians consider his teachings to be useful in youth ministry. As a youth minister, it is highly likely that you will hear of or have already heard of Bell and his ministry.

However, as with all teachings, those of Rob Bell must be compared with the Word of God in order to determine whether or not they are true. Let's look at a quote from Bell in which he discusses the Bible:

The Bible itself, he writes, is a book that constantly must be wrestled with and re-interpreted. He dismisses claims that “Scripture alone” will answer all questions. Bible interpretation is colored by historical context, the reader's bias and current realities, he says. The more you study the Bible, the more questions it raises.

“It is not possible to simply do what the Bible says,” Bell writes. (Online source.)

The idea that the Bible must be "re-interpreted" is one of the most dangerous doctrines in Christianity today. There is only one correct interpretation for each verse of Scripture, and those interpretations do not change over time, just as God does not change. And what does Bell mean in saying that "Scripture alone" will not answer all questions? Sure, it won't tell you which pair of socks to put on in the morning, but answers to every problem a Christian faces can, indeed, be found in the Scriptures. If this is not true, then why even waste time going to the Bible for help?

In his books, the Bible translation primarily used by Bell is the new TNIV (Today's New International Version). Not only is this translation a paraphrase, but it is gender-neutralized, to the extent that it changes the meanings of many Bible verses. If Bell is using this "translation" as his guide, how much can we really trust his teachings to be accurate?

Elsewhere, Bell says, "We're rediscovering Christianity as an Eastern religion, as a way of life." An Eastern religion? Are we going to incorporate Hindu philosophy into our faith, like the New Agers, and thus come up with a mystical, humanistic "new" gospel?

And finally, let's simply look at the title of Bell's latest book: "Sex God". If that wasn't irreverent enough, what about the title of the first chapter, "God Wears Lipstick". How could anyone who truly wants to glorify God through his teachings and ministry ever make light of God in such a vulgar fashion?

Throughout his writings, Bell emphasizes "the glory of mankind" and proclaims a self-centered gospel based upon inaccurate paraphrases of Scripture and the teachings of less-than-Christian philosophers. I have only been able to give a short synopsis of his false teachings here, but I would encourage you to do more research on your own. As a youth minister, you must be zealously careful to analyze each new "fad" in Christianity using the Bible to keep false, detrimental teachings from pervading your ministry. Remember 1 John 4:1: "Beloved, do not put faith in every spirit, but prove (test) the spirits to discover whether they proceed from God; for many false prophets have gone forth into the world." (Emphasis mine.)

Note: The views and opinions expressed on sites linked to in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Fishers of Youth.