PROMISE KEEPERS PUSHING ECUMENICAL UNITY

PROMISE KEEPERS PUSHING ECUMENICAL UNITY

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The following is by an eyewitness report by Bruce Caldwell on the Promise Keepers Clergy Conference in Atlanta, February 13-15:

Dr. John A Mackay, ecumenical Presbyterian leader, said in 1967 that the World Council of Churches would provide the organization and the charismatics would provide the spiritual power to build the one-world ecumenical church. This is coming to pass today and the Promise Keepers is leading the van of the new evangelical compromisers. Promise Keepers is glorifying left-wing racial agitators; it is engaging in joint worship with Roman Catholics; it is 100 percent ecumenical--even introducing heathen worship in the form of an African folk dance by Pentecostalist Jack Hayford. But the Bible says, "Learn not the way of the heathen" (Jeremiah 10:2).

Arriving at the Georgia dome in Atlanta, I received with difficulty a press credential and proceeded to cover the events of the Promise Keepers Clergy Conference for Men 1996, which was supposed to revive the preachers and send them back to their churches with a new vision. As I entered the media section Pentecostal Jack Hayford, the speaker, was attempting to influence everyone to "dance in the Lord," an unscriptural routine of the fanatical wing of the charismatics. He said he learned it in Africa and later the Lord spoke to him directly, "May I have this dance?" Then he began doing an African witch-doctor dance around the podium before about 40,000 spectators. Is this the Promise Keepers brand of revival?

The music was of the hard rock variety--ear splitting noise that was utterly without true spirituality. It was similar to [that used by] the World Council of Churches.

In the meeting they sang a chorus, "Working together, we're building the kingdom of God." In actuality they are building the same apostate one-world church as the World Council of Churches. The similarities are too numerous to quote. The great emphasis on unity with no criticism of any heresy. A non-questioning acceptance of Romanist idolatry. All under the cloak of charismatic fanaticism which justifies all errors in their eyes.

It was really a sell-out of the old-time evangelism. While paying lip-service in their literature to certain "core doctrines," in practice their meetings more resemble rock concerts than evangelistic meetings.

Promise Keepers is characterized by rampant Pentecostalism; 600 Roman Catholic priests in attendance; unity with all except Bible believers who stand against apostasy; New Evangelical leadership; roots in the Vineyard Movement; World Council of Churches-type unity; screechingly loud, hard rock noise replacing Christian hymns and choruses; gullible sports fans being brain-washed in a pseudo revival.

One of the books given to the Press, The Awesome Power of Shared Beliefs, by E. Glenn Wagner, Ph.D., discusses unity using the same false arguments from John 17 as the World Council of Churches.

"It has been ordained by God that a unified Body alone is equipped to inherit the lost, and provide support necessary to bring babes in Christ to maturity" (E. Glenn Wagner, The Awesome Power of Shared Beliefs, p. vii).

Promise Keepers claims that Roman Catholicism is valid if pentecostalized. They are building on a false foundation-unity with compromise and apostasy (Bruce Caldwell, "Following in the Footsteps of the Apostate Presbyterians," Christian News, March 11, 1996; Caldwell is a member of the First Bible Presbyterian Church, Grand Junction, Colorado).

O TIMOTHY EDITOR: Reporting on the Promise Keepers Clergy Conference in Atlanta, the Baptist Press noted, "Promise Keepers founder Bill McCartney started the meeting by pleading for an end to racism AND DENOMINATIONAL STRIFE. `The contention between denominations has gone on long enough,' he said with the enthusiasm of a former college football coach. `If the church ever stood together, almighty God would have his way.'"

Bill McCartney is confused about what the church is. It certainly is not all the alleged Christian denominations. The focus on the New Testament Scriptures is upon the church as a local body of baptized believers organized according to the apostolic pattern for the fulfillment fo the Great Commission. This is the church which is the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Timothy 3). To define the "church" as the denominations and to call for this hodge-podge of doctrinal and moral confusion "to stand together" is utter confusion. The denominations today are more akin to the Harlot of Revelation 17 than to the church of Jesus Christ.

To say that denominational division is sin is to say that doctrine is not important, because doctrine is one of the key things which divides denominations and churches! Some churches teach sound doctrine about Jesus Christ and some teach false doctrine. Some teach sound doctrine about salvation; some, false doctrine. Some teach sound doctrine about baptism; some, false doctrine. Some teach sound doctrine about the Holy Spirit; some, false doctrine. Some teach sound doctrine about the New Testament church; some, false doctrine. Timothy's job in Ephesus was "that thou mightest charge some that they TEACH NO OTHER DOCTRINE" (1 Timothy 1:3). When a church stands upon the whole counsel of New Testament doctrine, it automatically becomes divided from churches which stand for different doctrine. This cannot be avoided, and it is not wrong. In fact, God forbids sound churches from associating with those who hold different doctrine (Romans 16:17).

The walls which Promise Keepers is attempting to break down are doctrinal walls, and this is unscriptural and wrong. Promise Keepers has no authority meddling with the churches. In fact, it has no authority for anything it is doing. As we have noted, it is the church which is the pillar and ground of the truth--not some brash parachurch organization. And PK should keep its nose out of the church's business. PROMISE KEEPERS IS THE BLIND LEADING THE BLIND.