Promise Keepers Preaches Unity

By David W. Cloud

[The following articles is from O Timothy magazine, Volume 12, Issue 9, 1995. These articles cannot be stored on BBS or Internet sites without permission from the author. Any articles which are redistributed by e-mail or print must be left intact and nothing must be removed or changed, including these informational headers. All rights are reserved. O Timothy is a monthly magazine. Annual subscription is US$20 FOR THE UNITED STATES. Send to Way of Life Literature, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061-0368, fbns@wayoflife.org. FOR CANADA the subscription is $20 Canadian. Send to Bethel Baptist Church, P.O. Box 9075, London, Ontario N6E 1V0. The Way of Life Literature web site is located at http://www.wayoflife.org/]

A Promise Keepers (PK) "ambassador" for Whatcom County (northwestern Washington) said in an interview with a local paper that Promise Keepers "preaches unity across denominations." The PK ambassador, Jim Fleishman, also said, "WE NEED TO BRING THE WALLS DOWN TO DEMONSTRATE THE TRUE BIBLICAL UNITY WHICH THE LORD CALLS US TO. You've got Catholics who don't like the Protestants, and the Baptists, they dunk, and the other guys they sprinkle. The bottom line is, we all believe in what Christ did on the cross for us. We believe in his death and resurrection" (Bellingham Herald, Sat., July 15, 1995, p. C1).

It is obvious that a chief goal of Promise Keepers is radical ecumenism. Whether or not a "church" preaches the true Gospel of the grace of Jesus Christ does not matter. There must be unity, according to PK. Fleishman's remark that "we all believe in what Christ did on the cross for us" evidences a gross ignorance of what the various denominations teach. Most of the "Protestant" groups have abandoned what little doctrinal purity they had in the beginning and are modernistic and worldly. Few of "Protestant" pastors believe the Bible is the absolute perfect Word of God, and a great many have doubts about Christ's deity, virgin birth, miracles, atonement, and resurrection. Romanism is utterly apostate and has been throughout its ugly history.

Fleishman said the county PK chapter aims to train "point men" in area churches, and that they will begin to bring in speakers next year. Those speakers, of course, will bring with them an ecumenical, New Evangelical philosophy through which they will influence any men who are involved.

It is the Fundamental, Bible-believing Baptist who has the most to lose through ecumenical alliances like this. A wise preacher noted that one must have "a limited fellowship, or a limited message." The Christian who refuses to limit his message, who aimsto contend for the whole counsel of God as it is found in the Scriptures, will automatically limit his fellowship. It is only the man who is willing to limit his message who can have the type of broadbased fellowship required of ecumenical alliances.

"Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God" (Acts 20:26,27).