Mart De Haan and Emergent Church Influence?
I got a piece of literature in the mail today from Radio Bible Class. RBC was started in 1938 by Dr. M. R. De Haan, then continued by his son Richard De Haan in 1965, and in 2006 his grandson, Mart De Haan took over. Mart has a blog called “Been Thinking About” and the literature I received was taken from a four-part series of posts written in that blog during October of 2008.
I’d like to point out that I like RBC Ministries and that “Our Daily Bread” has been a real blessing to me. I’m not addressing the ministry as a whole, just this particular article.
The literature was titled “Emerging Churches.” In it, Mart points out the pros and cons of the emergent movement. He closes with a plea:
Whether in emerging or traditional evangelical churches, all of us have our blind spots. Only when we are willing to listen to one another, and to come to terms with the downside of our own way of “doing church,” will we have the humility and spiritual sobriety we need to work for, rather than against, the body of Christ we share.
I agree that different churches have different ways of “doing church,” but I don’t want to fall into the trap of making excuses for bad doctrine, either. Mart uses the Seven Churches of Revelation 2 and 3 as an example of church issues and after citing their various problems, he states:
In each case, the Lord encouraged them to look at Him, as a way of seeing themselves, and then work to come to terms with the problems that were threatening their ability to represent Him.
But what if the seven churches had been doing the equivalent of writing books, posting Internet articles, and adding to the rumor mill about the problems of the other “six.” What if they had been calling attention to the failures of one another as if there were not serious issues with themselves?
So it is today.
Mart writes in a blog comment on his post that “the ‘elders’ who are doing the confronting and correcting need to do so with the attitudes of Christ…” But a reading of Revelation two and three will indicate just what the attitude of Christ really was when doctrine was corrupted:
Revelation 2:14-16 – But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
Revelation 2:24 – Now to you I say, and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not have this doctrine, who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say, I will put on you no other burden.
Revelation 3:19 – As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.
In his defense, Mart does say that “if someone within any church, either traditional evangelical or emerging, denies that the Bible is the Word of God or that Jesus, who died and rose for us, is the only way to God, they are denying foundational truths of following Jesus and need to be confronted in the appropriate manner.” On the individual level, if you know someone struggling with or questioning core biblical truths, a loving and measured response will go a long way toward resolving their problem. But a response in needed.
Jude 3 – Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.
Last note: While doing a little searching, I found an Christian research organization that charges RBC with allowing references of books written by proponents of “contemplative spirituality” to be placed in RBC’s publications. Lighthouse Trails Research defines “contemplative spirituality” as:
A belief system that uses ancient mystical practices to induce altered states of consciousness (the silence) and is rooted in mysticism and the occult but often wrapped in Christian terminology. The premise of contemplative spirituality is pantheistic (God is all) and panentheistic (God is in all).
You can find the article here.
Comments
Comment from Don Blosser
Time: November 5, 2009, 2:50 am
I have some related concerns about Mr. DeHaan and the future direction of RBC ministries. These concerns arose when I did a search on their website for “The Shack”. I was curious if RBC had taken a stand regarding W.P. Young’s heretical and blasphemous book. I was disappointed (if that is a strong enough word) to learn that not only had Mart DeHaan spoken glowingly of this book, he had even gone out of his way to speak disparagingly of the book’s critics, coming just short of accusing them of taking book passages out of context.
I have posted 3 or 4 comments on that article page and have yet to hear back from Mr. DeHaan. When I used the [Contact Us] link to voice concerns, I heard back from a different member of the RBC staff who, while admitting that many of his friends and family think The Shack is “a blasphemous book”, unashamedly admitted that he himself loves it very much. Personally, I cannot comprehend how someone who truly knows Jesus as Lord and Savior could tolerate, much less appreciate, a book that presents the One who holds in perfect order billions of galaxies as a bumbling incompetent oaf who spills thing on people and can’t catch one lousy fish that he really wants to catch. Nor can I fathom how a believer in the Bible as the revealed Word of God could speak well of a book that puts in the mouth of its false god, lying words which dare to contradict what God has clearly revealed as true. I put this in similar terms to both RBC staff. Neither has bothered to address my question.
I fear that (unless we see a parenthetical period of revival in response to a desperate cry from God’s people) we are just now seeing the small, beginning waves of a soon-coming tsunami of apostasy. The signs are clear: Many formerly sound ministries going ecumenical at the cost of truth. Dehaan & RBC drifting. The Gaithers flirting with W.P. Young and Emergent leaders. Billy Graham on Schuller’s show saying a person can be a born again, heaven -bound Muslim or Atheist, never having heard the gospel or even the name of Jesus. The “Emerging “church” downplaying the Bible, the Church and the Cross. The brain washing of American youth re: homosexuality (an all out attack on the inspiration and reliability of the Word of God). The recent poll showing 57 percent of evangelical church attenders believe many religions can lead to eternal life…and on and on… grab a flashlight, the lights are going out fast!
Comment from Thomas
Time: April 7, 2009, 11:34 pm
A friend of mine made these comments about contemplative spirituality:
“Regarding your remarks about the Emergent Church movement: the potential trouble with quiet contemplation is that the individuals participating in this are alone with their thoughts. The original deception of Genesis 3 consisted of Eve’s failure to accurately recall the commands of God, and her being convinced to rely on her own assessment of what her course of action would be. Trust in God, in contrast, infers an necessary distrust of one’s self; a reliance upon Divine revelation and not one’s own insights, as Proverbs 3:5,6 indicate.”