Category Archives: Brian McLaren

Those that deny ‘penal substitution’ are “the enemies of the cross of Christ”

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Over recent years there has been a steady build up of opposition to and outright rejection of what some term as ‘the theory’ of ‘penal substitution’. Amongst the definitions for ‘theory’ is one that reads – ‘a conjectural view or idea’. When it comes then to understanding what was happening on “the cross of Christ” for the faithful Christian the doctrine of ‘penal substitution’ is not a matter of ‘conjecture’ but it is the factual and glorious heartbeat that sustains God’s gift of “eternal life” [Romans 6:23]. ‘Penal substitution’ is a factual divine truth that leaps from the pages of the Bible and to deny otherwise is quite simply to set oneself up as an ‘enemy of the cross of Christ’.

To begin with I want to quote a few lines from my own personal testimony that for years has been posted to our ministry web site –

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‘Synagogues of Satan’?

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Green Belt 2008: Spring Harvest 2009: Summer Madness 2009

Whilst 3 different ‘Christian’ festivals are listed in the title to this article, the article itself will for the most part concentrate on the upcoming Spring Harvest 2009 festival scheduled for 4th – 19th April 2009. I will be focussing on the ramifications of their willingness to include a certain individual amongst their invited speakers and this ‘invited speaker’ is actually the common thread linking in the other 2 ‘Christian’ festivals, Green Belt 2008 and Summer Madness 2009 to this article.

Before proceeding any further I want to give some insight into the main heading for this article – ‘Synagogues of Satan’? The Lord Himself used this expression when He wrote to the Church in Smyrna. He was referring to a group of people in that area who clearly claimed to be God’s people but He said of them that they were “the synagogue of Satan” [Revelation 2:9]. They were a group that rejected both the Divine Person and the Redeeming Work of Jesus Christ. 

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Make ‘MANDATE’ a ‘NO-DATE’ on 17th November 2007

Keeping up the flow of scripture-destroying ‘preachers’ lined up to visit Northern Ireland during 2007, the following link

http://www.emins.com/template.aspx?parent=220&pid=243&area=18&aNAme=&textsize=A

gives details of a return visit to Belfast by Erwin McManus, this time at the Odyssey Arena [cost £30.00] and this time under the auspices of ‘Evangelical Ministries’.

Last year he was a guest speaker at the CFC [Christian Fellowship Church] in Belfast and in advance of that visit I posted a warning on our website and this link will take you to that warning article –

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News From The Front – December 2006

Dear praying friends,

Paul wrote “ the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine” [2 Timothy 4:3] and you will read clear examples of that prophecy coming to pass in our day. Whether ‘they’ be ‘trendy-photographers’ at a ‘Christian’ youth event, or ‘church-growth experts’ and ‘innovative philosophers’ or ‘gospel-denying’ supposedly ‘Christian’ TV presenters or ‘ecumenical-evangelists’ or ‘religiously-misguided’ politicians, ‘they’ all share one thing in common, an ignorance of Biblical, Christian “doctrine”. During this past summer, Margaret and I received the gift of a signed Study Bible and in an article at the front entitled ‘How We Got The Bible’, the closing section, ‘The Bible’, reads as follows – ‘This book contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners and the happiness of believers. Its doctrine is holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be saved, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveller’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword, and the Christian’s charter. Here heaven is open and the gates of hell are disclosed. Christ is the grand subject, our good its design and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently and prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, health to the soul and a river of pleasure. It is given to you here in this life and will be opened at the judgment and is established forever. It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labour and condemn all who trifle with its contents’. May we all truly treasure it in 2007 [DV].

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News From The Front – September 2006

Dear praying friends,

It is always a matter of great sadness and regret in coming to the realisation that individuals or organisations that were in former times a source of much spiritual blessing have now chosen a path of compromise and so there must be a parting of the ways, a separation, in obedience to God’s Word. The first and last articles in this newsletter represent just such matters of sadness and regret for both Margaret and I myself personally. We would ask you to join with us in praying that God, by the convicting work of His Holy Spirit, might draw both the individual and the organisation to ‘the straight and narrow’ and that they would depart from the broad, but no doubt popular road of compromise.

Earlier this year during the ministry visit of Gary Gilley, we were alerted to the unscriptural, gospel-denying views of American, Brian McLaren, regarded by many as ‘the God-Father’ of what is known as ‘The Emerging Church’. Mr McLaren has been invited by the large youth gathering known as ‘Summer Madness’ to be one of their speakers in June 2007 [DV]. I hope to write further on this in due course but meantime, if you have any influence where ‘Summer Madness’ is concerned, please encourage them to rescind the invite to Mr McLaren. Thank you for all your ongoing encouragement and support.

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The ‘Summer Madness’ of an invite to Brian McLaren

This article has turned out to be much longer and a lot more ‘in depth’ than I thought it would be. Nevertheless I believe it is one of urgent and great importance as it highlights the danger posed, particularly to young professing Christians by men who, as you will read, are ‘wresting [twisting, torturing] the scriptures’ [2 Peter 3:16 to the destruction of both themselves and others and are also ‘perverting [transforming into something of an opposite character; totally changing] the gospel of Christ’ [Galatians 1:7].

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Pastor Gary Gilley – DVD

Between 19 March 2006 and 4 April 2006 Pastor Gary Gilley of Southern View Chapel, Springfield, Illinois spoke on 18 occasions in Northern Ireland about the dangers posed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ by movements such as the ‘seeker sensitive’ movement [pioneered and promoted by Bill Hybels of ‘Willow Creek’ and Rick Warren of the ‘Purpose Driven’ movement] and the ‘emerging church’ movement headed up by people like Brian McLaren [USA] and his close friend, Steve Chalke.

Pastor Gilley’s talk was recorded and is now available on DVD. There is an introduction of about 8 minutes by myself [Cecil Andrews] and Pastor Gilley’s talk lasts 45 minutes.

For those in the UK, DVD’s can be ordered by writing to me [enclosing cheque for £8.00 payable to ‘Take Heed’ Publications] at ‘Take Heed’ Publications, PO Box 13, Ballynahinch, BT24 8AL, Northern Ireland.

As an alternative folks in the UK could order by email from me on takeheed@aol.com and could then make the appropriate payment of £8.00 through the secure ‘DONATION’ facility found on our website of https://www.takeheed.info

If you live outside the UK and wish to order the DVD please email me in the first instance on takeheed@aol.com so that I can advise you of the total costs, including overseas postage, and also discuss the payment alternatives available to you.

Cecil Andrews – ‘Take Heed’ Ministries – 8 April 2006