The Tenor of Truth

Sing to the LORD a new song; Sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the LORD, bless His name; Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day. Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples. Psa 96:1-9

The tenor of something, according to Webster's Dictionary, connotes its habitual condition or essential meaning, and also stresses its "clearly perceptible direction on a continuous, undeviating course." It is in the tenor of God's Word, then, that we can we can trace His narrative flow and begin to grasp the essence of who He has revealed Himself to be. In other words, it's in God's tenor that we can actually start to "catch His drift." And when we learn the tenor of His voice, we can start to sing along, joining in Heaven's chorus, and echoing His truth—for He puts a new song in our mouth (Psa 40:3).

In order to discern God's tenor, we need to become intimately familiar with how it sounds. For isn't it true that most mothers can pick out the sound of their own child's cries from a crowded room of infants? This is because they know and love them intimately. In the same way, God's voice will be more easily distinguishable from that of the counterfeit when we know the Bible well and grow to love it.

If we know God's Word well, we will not be led astray when Scripture is twisted, cherry-picked, or misapplied. We will not be thrown off course by extra-biblical themes that distract from the thrust of the gospel message. We not be deceived when [often very popular] pastors use Scripture to back up their sermons of spiritual spin. We will not mistake eisegesis for sound, honest exegeses. For we can rest assured that His Word will be a lamp to our feet, illuminating the truth. (John 15:7; Psa 119:105). The premise that the study of God’s Word is paramount to understanding and loving Him more cannot be emphasized enough.

An oft-quoted, but useful illustration of this is the counterfeit money analogy: Bankers are taught to recognize counterfeit money by studying real bills. In the same way, learning the tenor of God's voice by studying His Word is vital—not to mention that sincere believers will have an inherently deep desire to know God better (Psa 25:4). God’s Word should be our “delight” (Psa 119:16, 24).

To help discern the tenor of truth, it's important first and foremost to remember, quite simply, that truth is Jesus (John 14:6). Remember also that just as Jesus is the truth, He is the Word (John 1:1,14). The tenor of God's truth, therefore, is always both Christ-centered and Bible-based. The Old Testament pre-echoes, and bares witness, to the gospel of Christ. The New Testament testifies to, and echoes, that same gospel message throughout. Simply put, the Bible is always all about Jesus.

Do not be led astray by what is becoming an overwhelmingly popular form of false teaching in the seeker-friendly movement that some have accurately termed, "narcissistic eisegesis." It is a self-centered approach to Scripture which involves superimposing oneself into the meaning of a Bible verse or passage regardless of its context. Often, the focus of narcissistic eisegesis is primarily on our success, our dream, our purpose, or our adventure. This, however, warps the Bible into a self-help guide in which Jesus shows up as some type of cheer-leader, facilitator, or navigator. But remember, the Bible centers on Jesus, not on the self. "For from Him and through Him and for Him are all things" (Rom 11:36). We may have the privilege to serve Him in exciting ways, yes! But the adventure that this may involve should not be our focus; the end-goal of God's glory is all that ultimately matters, if we are truly slaves of Christ.

With this in mind, we can identify several qualities that resonate in the tenor of God's truth:

The tenor of truth resounds with infallibility
This concept of truth in the tenor of God's Word is rooted in Scripture. God told Moses, "Write these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel." (Ex 34:27 NKJ). The word translated tenor, here, is the Hebrew, peh, which is used throughout the Old Testament to mean tenor, speech, mouth, command, or mind (Num 3;16, Eze 33;7; Lev 24:12). God's words in this verse are covenantally binding, exemplifying the tenor of His Word to be infallible—or as Jesus puts it, "trustworthy and true." (Rev 21:5).

The tenor of truth resounds with omnipotence
By His Word, God introduced the Abrahamic covenant (Gen 15:1) and gave Israel the Ten Commandments (Ex 24:3–4; Deut 5:5; Ex 34:28; Deut 9:10). By His Word, all creation came into being (Gen 1; Psa 33:6). The commanding tenor, or sovereign power, of God's Word is also illustrated in the book of Micah: "but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid, for the mouth [peh] of the Lord of hosts has spoken." (Mic 4:4). And if we live by His Word, we likewise live by His power. As Jesus put it, "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." (John 15:7).

The tenor of truth is unwavering
It is in the unwavering tenor of God's Word, therefore, that His divine and unchanging nature is revealed to us through the Holy Spirit. The most powerful way to get to know God, therefore, is not through our experience of Him (which is subjective), but through studying what God has said about Himself in the Bible. Experience-based faith, as opposed to biblically-based faith, doesn't lead to an intimate and enduring knowledge of Him. As our circumstances change, an experience-based faith may falter. But if our faith is based on God's Word, we will rest in the assurance that His love never changes, regardless of what we are going through.

The tenor of truth is uncompromising
There is currently, however, an increasing emphasis on experiential faith in mainstream evangelical Christianity in form of a growing tendency to base our relationship with God more heavily on our emotional response to Him rather than on our biblical knowledge of Him. These days, many believers are placing more stock in heart-feelings as a means to discerning God's will for their lives without also going to the Bible for direction. And increasingly Christians are turning to mystical or self-help books that contain spiritual fluff rather than solid biblical content. Often, these books call themselves "Christian," but they distract from the gospel message, quote Bible verses rarely, selectively, or out of context, and indulge the reader in an almost cartoonish portrayal of who God is. Jesus—if He is mentioned at all—is often presented as some type of Santa-esque caricature that bears little or no resemblance to the true Son of God as revealed in Scripture. "Jesus" takes on many different personas in these contexts. In fact, he conveniently morphs into whoever you want him to be.

...In contrast, the great "I Am," however, does not compromise on who He is. He just is.

The tenor of truth resounds with omnipresence
God's Word preaches His ever-present nature; Psalm 139 is a beautiful illustration of this. We cannot conjure up more of God's presence with us regardless of how we might behave or feel. Worship experiences or prayer sessions, for example, can encourage our intimacy with God, but they cannot make His presence with us stronger. For, "Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" (1 Cor 3:16). Watch out for teachers who claim we can cultivate God's presence through worship events. They are shifting the focus to the self by making such a claim. We cannot invite the Holy Spirit to "come" to us, if He is already in us! While we are certainly exhorted to draw near to God (as He will to us), this isn't so much about increasing His presence as it is about increasing intimacy. And, to know God intimately is primarily to know His Word; It is in His Word, for instance, that we learn we cannot flee from His presence (Psa 139:7-10)! Like worship, prayer is an essential outworking of our faith—but neither of these form the foundation of our faith. We draw near to God through faith in Christ who alone gives us access to Him (Heb 4:14–16, 7:25, Phil 3:9). And our "faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ.” (Rom 10:17).

The tenor of truth is humbling
While knowing God should not be primarily experiential, nor should it be exclusively theological either, however. Bible knowledge and sound theology are far better than gold when they fuel our trust in, and intimacy with, God (Psa 19:10). But when our exegesis becomes a self-motivated means to bolstering our theological presuppositions, this only fuels our pride (1 Cor 8:1). In the same way, if our self-focused accumulation of holy experiences become the basis of our relationship with God, our ego is fed, but our faith ultimately withers. In other words, theology—just like experience—plays a role in knowing God. But intimacy comes from a humble desire to learn the tenor of His voice. It's not about hearing what we want to hear, but listening to what God has already said.

The tenor of truth is life-giving and sanctifying
Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. All three are inseparable aspects of Jesus' saving power. God changes the believer's life through His Word; just as Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your Word is truth.” (in John 17:17 ). God transforms the believer's heart through His Word. "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." (Heb 4:12). And He renews the believer's mind though His Word, which reveals His will (Rom 12:2).

The tenor of truth is both convicting and redemptive
The tenor of God's Word is not only reassuring, it can also be unsettling at times. Because the tenor of truth reverberates with the gospel message, it does not diminish the seriousness of sin, for this would be to downplay the power of the Cross. When the tenor of truth convicts our hearts and the double-edged sword pierces our soul, it can be uncomfortable, even painful at times. But the truth is, "the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God," are inextricably intertwined (Eph 6:17). The tenor of truth brings not only conviction, but also redemption and sanctification. It is then that we truly understand that to live is Christ, and to die is gain. It is then that we truly experience His great love.

The tenor of truth is an harmonic unison
Discerning the tenor of God's Word, involves a comprehensive reading of Scripture. Each verse works together in perfect harmony. Claims of contradictions and inconsistencies can be thoroughly refuted with careful apologetics. An important rule of biblical hermeneutics is that Scripture is always the best interpreter of Scripture. And while it's tempting to cherry-pick Bible verses to suit ourselves, God's Word needs to be understood in its entirety. Only then can the harmonic unison of the redemptive story which resonates through all parts of the Bible, truly be heard.

The tenor of truth is love
All of the accents and tones that make up the tenor of God's truth resound above all with His great love. For just as He is truth (John 14:6), He is love (1 John 4:8). The two exist in perfect harmony within the very nature of who God is and His Word echoes this throughout.

The tenor of truth is pure
On that note, the tenor of truth is purely good, purely just, and purely holy. It cannot be mixed with lies, or it is no longer truth. In contrast, he who masquerades as an angle of light masterfully mixes truth with lies. Sometimes his tenor even sounds Christian. The enemy loves to spout off about love, peace, truth, and spiritual fulfillment. He might talk about "god." But if we listen discerningly—especially when his deadly tenor resonates through the mega-popular spiritual and self-help icons of contemporary culture—we might realize that what he means by love, peace, truth, and god, is very different from the biblical definitions of those things. "Love" is a mere emotion. "Peace" is mental detachment. "Truth" is relative. And "god" is the inner light within ourselves. The enemy claims that we create our own truth, that we shape our own destinies, and ultimately that we can save ourselves. He can use "Christian" terminology, while at the same time convincing us that we have no need for a Savior.

The tenor of truth is always about Jesus

When we understand that the tenor of God's Word always points us to the risen Christ, we will not be led astray. Watch out for Bible studies or sermons that thematically emphasize a particular verse of the Bible more than the Bible itself does (the Word of Faith movement does this and hence preaches a different gospel). God's Word consistently expresses a narrative flow (an undeviating course!) in which the redemptive story unfolds to lead us to Jesus. In fact, every passage of Scripture either echoes or proclaims the gospel. For as Jesus said, "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about Me." (John 5:39). Just as the tenor of truth always leads to Jesus, it also starts with Jesus. John opens his gospel with these words, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning." (John 1:1). Jesus is the Word made flesh (John 1:14).

God's tenor resounds with His glory

Essentially, the desire for, "more of Him, less of me," encapsulates the gospel; it expresses the truth that while I have a problem (a sinful heart), it is He who has the solution (Christ). And the beauty of this is that reading Scripture with a heart that yearns for God, and a mind that is yielded to His will, is how we come to know the tenor of His voice. He starts to replace our thoughts with His and our ways with His. He starts to renew our minds, transform our hearts, and replace our fallen nature with His righteousness.

Do you find you're often placing your spiritual focus on your own works, gifts, politics, circumstances, strengths, and weaknesses? As Alistair Begg often puts it: "Does your faith start with an I or a He?" Because if your spiritual conversations and your prayers constantly include sentences that start with "I" then you might be idolizing yourself instead of worshiping God. Remember that the tenor of God's Word consistently emphasizes His glory not our own. The truth of this rings clearly and unwaveringly throughout Scripture (Ja 4:10; Phil 2:7; Luke 14:9-11; Rom 12:3; 1 Cor 1:28; 2 Chron 7:14; 2 Kings 22:19; Psa 24:9...and on).

John the Baptist knew that in order to serve God fruitfully, "He must become greater, I must become less." (John 3:30). Consistently, John's entire ministry, as well as his personal faith, pointed away from himself and toward Christ. And ours should, too. Because when we get too focused on our own theology, our own circumstances, our own dreams, spiritual gifts and purpose, and less on Christ, we start to deafen ourselves to God's voice by filling our ears with our own self-generated monologue.

In light of this, every Christian should ask themselves, whose song am I really singing? Does my life resonate with the tenor of truth? Or am I humming along to my own tune? Can I echo the words of the psalmist, "He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God." (Psa 40:3)? Or have I elevated myself to the level of songwriter?

Spiritual Spin-Mastery: A Slippery Slope

It's common knowledge that news anchors, journalists, political pundits, and the like, often quote a person's statement in partial form, or out of context, in order to put their own spin on it. This use of spin is usually intended to create impact, to sell a story, to push an agenda, or even to slander. In other words, spin is always used with an ulterior motive.

Misrepresenting a person's statements is widely looked down on. The fact is, however, Christians can do exactly the same thing with our own handling of the truth. Just like the tabloid reporters we vilify, we can also put our own spin on God's Word—unintentionally or otherwise.

If we're really honest, we could probably all think of an occasion when we've twisted God's Word to suit ourselves. It's tempting to quote Bible verses selectively to prove a point, isn't it? It's comforting to cherry-pick tidbits of Scripture to support our presuppositions or to satisfy our emotional needs. It's convenient to filter the Word of God through the lens of our own theology or circumstances rather than letting our view of Scripture arise from an honest, humble examination of the text.

Our intentions in spinning God's Word may be well-meaning. We might want to be sensitive, relevant, or tolerant. We might want to present a more culturally acceptable, less polarizing, version of our faith to the world (lest anyone be offended) rather than speaking the truth in love (which isn't always well received). But the problem is, the more we systematically approach Scripture from our own perspective rather than from a desire to understand God's, the more we will find ourselves in it, and the less we will find Him. In other words, we can put ourselves in danger of becoming spiritual spin-masters.

In truth, we are all subjective beings, and we'll always get bits of ourselves mixed up in the text to some extent. But the less we do this, the better. When studying God's Word, reading a Christian book, or listening to a sermon, Christians need to exercise discernment, asking ourselves: whose voice am I really listening to? Am I submitting to the guidance of the Holy Spirit as I humbly seek truth or am I tight-fistedly gripping the control? Am I being diligent in testing every teaching or am I absent-mindedly letting myself be deceived?

Spinning God's Word is dangerous. It can create an entire web of lies. Is this not how Joseph Smith was able to found what is now the fastest growing religion in America? He closely mimicked the Word of God, and put his own spin on it—even to the extent of adding to it and rewriting chunks of it! And think of the greatest spiritual spin-master of all time... Satan masterfully mixes truth with lies. He tweaks, twists, and intertwines God's truth with lies to trick us and tempt us into sin just like he did to Adam and Eve.

But spiritual spin-mastery can also appear in other less obvious places, even emerging on the mission field. In Islamic contexts, for example, a growing number of missionaries have begun to contextualize biblical truth in an effort to win more converts in what has long been a very hostile mission field. Some degree of cultural contextualization is necessary. Too much, however, is a slippery slope that quickly leads to syncretism. For example, in order to contextualize the gospel in a culturally sensitive way for the purpose of "building bridges" to Muslims, certain outspoken—but widely influential—leaders in Muslim ministry have encouraged using the Koran (as opposed to the Bible) to introduce Muslims to Jesus. Numbers-driven strategies in missiology such as the C5 (or the high-spectrum contextualization) method and the Jesus in the Qur'an trainings (CAMEL), are examples of this. In addition, Muslim idiom translations of the Bible have been promoted in these contexts, which remove un-Islamic concepts (such as God as Father) from Scripture, even though doing so is to take away from God's Word and obscure the doctrine of the Trinity. And in an effort to make Jesus more "accessible" to Muslims by repackaging Him in a Muslim-friendly way, some C5 missionaries go so far as to effectively extract Jesus from Christianity altogether. Christian speaker and Muslim, Carl Medearis, for example, likes to state that Christianity has laid unfair claim to Jesus anyway.[1]

The problem is, however, the Jesus of Islam is an entirely different person from the biblical Jesus and when you extract Him from Christianity there's no longer clear doctrine to define in absolute terms who He is and what He has done for us on the Cross. It all becomes culturally relative. These contextualization strategies go way too far in spinning the truth. And this results in false converts.

It is important to remember that it is the role of the Holy Spirit to convict hearts, not ours to finesse and spin the Word of God to make it more culturally appealing. We are to proclaim the gospel message, and let the gospel stand for itself. Or as Paul puts it: "renounce disgraceful, underhanded ways" and "refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's Word, but by the open statement of the truth...commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God." (2 Cor 4:2). For seeking to ingratiate ourselves with a world that has rejected Christ is like trying to mix God's light with darkness. This dangerous form of spiritual spin will undoubtedly result in 50 shades of grey.

Spiritual spin-masters are everywhere. We need to be aware of them, and identify them, in order to guard ourselves and others. Remember: Satan masquerades as an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14). He doesn't only try to destroy our faith by denying the Bible; he often quotes it out of context to lead us into disobedience—just as he attempted to do to Jesus in the wilderness (Matt 4:1-11). Evidently, just because someone quotes Scripture, doesn't mean they speak God's Word!

Are we just nit-picking by trying to identify the spin-masters in our midst? Why be so negative? If people get something positive out of a Christian book even if it's not in line with Scripture, why make a fuss about it? There's a short answer to this: Because Jesus did.

Jesus repeatedly warned against false teaching and urged His followers to watch out that they are not deceived, for “many will come in My name” to lead people astray. (Luke 21:8; Mark 13:6). Jesus' description of false teachers is sobering: “They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.” (Matt 7:15-16). The Epistles and Proverbs contain many of the same warnings. As a result, people who claim to have information from God should be tested carefully (1 John 4:1). In fact, every teaching should be tested (1 Thess 5:21).

Take for example the vastly popular "prosperity" teaching of the Word of Faith mega-pastors. While they call themselves "Christian," and have mass-appeal among many professing Christians, these preachers are in fact promoting a false gospel and a false Jesus. They preach the Convenient Christ—a lovable, Santa-esque figure who wants to make us happy and bless us abundantly. Their Jesus wants us to be comfortable in the world and for the world to comfortable with him. He always refrains from saying things that might offend people (conveniently skipping over the polarizing, convicting things that Jesus actually said). Their Jesus wants us to be successful, wealthy, and healthy above all else!

Earlier this year, Mega-Pastor Joel Osteen, for example, explained on a special Easter edition of CBS Sunday Morning, why he specifically chooses not to preach on repentance: "You know, it's not hellfire and brimstone [at Lakewood Church]. But I say most people are beaten down enough by life. They already feel guilty enough." As is often the case with prosperity preachers, calling for repentance is mistaken for guilt-tripping, and conviction of sin is muddled with beating people down. But, in actuality, preaching the gospel of Christ necessitates preaching repentance—otherwise the atoning power of the Cross is completely negated. As a result, the message Osteen preaches, bears very little resemblance to God's Word. He has put his own health-and-wealth spin on it, with a wink and smile to boot.

Beware of preachers who stick to positive, crowd-pleasing topics, dodging Bible verses that could ruffle feathers—like, for example, when Jesus said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?" (Matt 16:24-26). Or when He said, "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword." (Matt 10:34). And what about the multiple times He talked about sin, hell, repentance, salvation, and eternity? There's certainly very little emphasis on cross-bearing or eternal salvation from within the Word of Faith camp. Instead it's all about Your Best Life Now![2]  Know your Bible.

...And then there's the enormously popular book (dare I even say it), Jesus Calling, in which the author, Sarah Young, writes in the inspired first-person voice of Jesus.[3] While she states up front that, unlike Scripture, her writing is not inerrant, she nevertheless presents words received directly from the "spirit of Christ." In fact, she has given interviews in which she describes the process by which she received the words, which involved sitting before a blank piece of paper with pen in hand and "listening" for guidance (perhaps due to criticism, this point has not been emphasized so much by the author of late).

This is problematic. Firstly, the method of receiving inspiration that she describes is akin to the occultic practice of "automatic writing," and has absolutely no biblical basis. Secondly, the words she received, while alluding to certain Bible verses, do not reflect the same themes of Scripture as those Jesus actually preached during His earthly ministry. Her consistent emphasis is on how much God delights in us as His children, which is certainly true, but Scripture consistently points us to Christ, and not back to ourselves like Young's book unfortunately does. In essence, her words do not echo the tenor of God's Word.

Jesus' teaching certainly didn't take the form of a crooning love song. It was a soul-piercing, hard-hitting, life-and-death message of repentance, hope, and salvation. In Jesus Calling, the author seldom speaks of sin and repentance and even less of Christ’s work on the Cross. There is almost nothing of the gospel in her book. But why would the tenor of Jesus' teaching change now in the 21st century? Remember that God never changes (Num 23:19; Heb 13:8; Jas 1:17). We can trust, therefore, that His voice is consistent and unchanging also. In truth, the author's voice in Jesus Calling sounds suspiciously more like a middle-aged woman in living in post-modern suburbia than it does the voice of the living God.

We are commanded to hold all teaching up against God's Word, like the "noble" Berean Jews were commended for doing in the Book of Acts. For we've been forewarned that "the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths." (2 Tim 4:3-4). It is crucial, then, that we equip ourselves with a thorough knowledge of Scripture, and biblical doctrine (such as that of the Trinity and biblical inerrancy), in order to distinguish absolute truth from lies in a relativistic culture of deception.

As James Montgomery Boice, late pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church, so rightly pointed out, the great issue of our day would not be the authority of the Bible, but its sufficiency. The temptation for Christians today is to turn to other revelation and experiences of God, instead of relying on Scripture. In actuality, it's a form of spiritual greed. Jesus Calling represents just that trend. As Kathy Keller puts it in her emphatic warning against the best-seller, "Young had the Bible, but found it insufficient."[3] Or as Young herself puts it in the introduction to her book, "I knew that God communicated with me in the Bible, but I yearned for more."[4] 

Just because a particular book, teaching, song, or other spiritual resource seems appealing, helpful, comforting, etc., that doesn't always mean it is from God. He might redeem the use of that resource in your life by His grace, but this doesn't mean He has ordained it...

Why bother with books like these that have received so much criticism from credible sources? Why tolerate preaching in our churches that doesn't point to Christ? Why bother dabbling in Eastern philosophies? Why bother taking cues from secular self-helpism or New Age spiritualism? If we take God at His Word, we will believe that His Word is sufficient (2 Tim 3:16). And God promises that the work He has begun in you, He will bring to completion (Phil 1:6). Why look elsewhere?

For the Bible tells us, “Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Do not add to His words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar." (Prov 30:5-6). And this sobering warning is echoed at the end of the book of Revelation: "I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll." (Rev 22:18-19). Be on guard against extra-biblical writing that claims to contain new messages from God. Avoid books like these and stick to Scripture as the sole source of God's truth.

Don't overlook a little Scriptural twist here and a little Scriptural tweak there, because if you start inching off in the wrong direction, in time, you will find yourself way off course. If we keep spinning Scripture, in the end, we'll spin out of control. But if we know the Word of God well, we will not be led astray when Scripture is twisted or misapplied! If we abide in God's Word, we can rest assured that He will abide in us and His Word will be a lamp to our feet. (John 15:7; Psa 119:105).

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[1] Speaking of Jesus: The Art of Not-Evangelism, Carl Medearis, 2011
[2] Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential, Joel Osteen, 2007
[3] This is a particularly controversial topic as many mature believers enjoy her book and get a lot out of it. It is unpopular to bring up concerns over it, and doing so almost always offends people. My concern here, however, is that while the book is not heretical in itself, it is not reflective of the tenor of God's Word. On this, I cannot remain silent, despite the fact that there is always backlash.
[4] Jesus Calling by Sarah Young: A Review by Kathy Keller (wife of Pastor Tim Keller)

Ten Ways to Distinguish the Voice of Darkness from the Word of Light

The voice of darkness makes me shudder. But it's not an eerie moan or ghastly wailing that chills my soul. I do not shudder from fear. I shudder because the voice of darkness tickles my ears pleasantly with cheerful sounds—and I know that its siren songs lead many astray (2 Tim 4:3).

For the voice might tell us to think positive thoughts. How could it be evil? The voice might tell us that we deserve the best life has to offer. How could it be bad? The voice might tell us that we are special. It makes us feel better about ourselves. The voice tells us that the truth lies within us. It sounds enlightening. The voice tells us to believe in ourselves. It is inspiring. The voice tells us to chase our dreams and reach for the stars. It is uplifting.

The truth is, the voice of darkness doesn't always sound so dark. The Father of Lies prefers to fly under the radar, avoiding scrutiny, glossing over inconvenient truths, and making light of it all. To those who question him, he'll whimsically respond, what's all the fuss about? Can't we all just get along? ...The voice delivers a positive, inclusive message! It stirs in us warm and fuzzy emotions! How could it be so dark if it seems so enlightening?

1. Because the voice comes from one who masquerades as an angel of light. While the voice of darkness might mimic one that comes from the light, uttering positive and uplifting things, remember that this is an optical illusion (2 Cor 11:14). In actuality, it comes from one who displays fifty shades of grey. And when contrasted with God's true light, which chases away the darkness, his shadowy lies remain exposed. The lies may initially seem inspiring, comforting, encouraging—but ultimately they lead to death. While the darkness constantly shifts and contorts itself into many different shapes and takes on many different voices, God's light is unchanging, steadfast, and pure. For in the true "Father of lights" there is "no variation or shadow due to change." (James 1:17b).

2. Because the voice twists the truth. It masterfully mixes truth with lies. And sometimes the voice even sounds Christian. It might teach us about love, peace, truth, and spiritual fulfillment. It might talk about "god." But if we listen discerningly—especially when the voice emanates through the mega-popular spiritual and self-help icons of contemporary culture like Oprah Winfrey, Eckhart Tolle, and others—we might realize that what the voice means by love, peace, truth, and god, is very different from the biblical definitions of those things. "Love" is a mere emotion. "Peace" is mental detachment. "Truth" is relative. And "god" is the inner light within ourselves. The voice claims that we create our own truth, that we shape our own destinies, and ultimately that we can save ourselves. It can use "Christian" terminology, while at the same time convincing us that we have no need for a Savior. 

3. Because the voice points us away from Christ. It is always coaxing us to take our eyes off Jesus and to focus on cheap substitutes—often on ourselves. If the words of a preacher, religious leader, spiritual teacher, or "Christian" author are not rooted in the gospel of Christ, then be on guard! Because if they are not speaking God's Word then they are speaking the words of the enemy. There is no in between. Remember that the Word is Jesus (John 1:1-3). And Scripture always points to Jesus; for as He said Himself, "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about Me." (John 5:39). Beware of self-help teachers who claim that self-actualization is life's ultimate goal. When you hear teachers who urge you to rely on your own strength and fulfill your own dreams—run! Even if their teaching is sprinkled with a Bible verse here and there, they are preaching nothing more than a false gospel of personal godhood. Just like Satan span together partial truths with lies to tempt Adam and Eve with promises of their own godhood, the voice will often dangle the carrot of self-deification before us. Simply put, if it's not about Jesus, then it's not of God.

4. Because the voice preaches counterfeit christs. Jesus warned that, “Many will come in My name” to lead people astray. (Luke 21:8; Mark 13:6 emphasis added). Jesus urged us to, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.” (Matt 7:15-16). Indeed, some "woolly" forms of false teaching use deceptively Jesus-friendly language, as is now becoming common in today's religiously pluralistic culture. False teaching gives rise to counterfeit christs, who not only appear as the more easily identifiable false messiahs (such as the recent Korean false messiah, Sun Myung Moon), but more insidiously in the form of misleading "Christian" teaching that distorts people’s view of who Jesus really is. Take, for example, the Convenient Christ of the powerful celebrity-pastors who preach Word of Faith theology. The New Age Jesus is another shadowy counterfeit that has even permeated the Church. You might think the Muslim Jesus would be a more obvious offender, until you realize that this treacherous counterfeit is cozied up to by an alarming number of evangelical missionaries and missiologists in Muslim ministry like those practicing "high-spectrum" contextualization or the "Jesus in the Qur'an" method. And it is becoming increasingly common to hear outlandish lies about Jesus—even from prominent evangelical leaders like that made by former Fuller Seminary President, Richard Mouw, when he pronounced on CNN.com that the Counterfeit Christ of Mormonism is essentially one and the same as the biblical Jesus. Do not be surprised when you encounter the voice of darkness in form of the false teachers about whom Jesus forewarned us—whether it comes from professing Christians or not. Test everything.

5. Because the voice adds to, or contradicts, Scripture. The Word of Light is God-breathed, profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that believers may be complete, equipped for every good work (2 Tim 3:16-17). Remember that Scripture is sufficient for all teaching and is the basis for sound biblical doctrine. If the voice you hear doesn't hold closely to biblical truth, beware. If the voice comes from a pastor who likes to veer frequently from Scripture and add his or her own voice, gimmicks, and clever ideas more than adhering to the purity of God's Word, beware. If the voice you hear preaches a doctrine that distorts Scripture, or takes verses out of context, to corroborate that doctrine, beware. As believers, we are called to examine every teaching and hold fast what is good (1 Thess 5:21). We are to hold all teaching up against God's Word, like the "noble" Berean Jews were commended for doing in the Book of Acts. For we've been forewarned that "the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths." (2 Tim 4:3-4). It is crucial, then, that we equip ourselves with a thorough knowledge of Scripture, and biblical doctrine (such as that of the Trinity), in order to distinguish absolute truth from lies in a relativistic culture of deception.

6. Because the voice quotes Scripture to trick us. And just because a Christian teacher or a spiritual adviser might quote Scripture, doesn't mean they are reflecting the Word of Light. Satan knows the Bible well and loves to quote Scripture in order to destroy faith or lead others away from Christ. For example, when he tempted Jesus to throw himself down from the temple roof, he argued from Scripture, saying, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written: He will give his angels charge of you.” (Matt 4:6 emphasis added). Beware! Satan does not always try to ruin faith by denying the Bible. He often tries to destroy our faith by cherry-picking one Bible verse out of context to lead us into disobedience. But if we know the Word of God well, we will not be led astray when Scripture is twisted or misapplied! If we remember that all Scripture points to Christ, we will not be duped when we encounter teaching that ultimately points away from Him, or to a counterfeit of Him. If we abide in God's Word, we can rest assured that He will abide in us and His Word will be a lamp to our feet. (John 15:7; Psa 119:105).

7. Because the voice tells us not to think. When you hear teaching that tells you to relax and let your conscious mind go, let your thoughts go, let your ability to exercise judgement, reason, and discernment fly away, beware. Today's increasingly popular mindfulness teaching, for example, does just that. But Scripture teaches us that using our minds—our God-given ability to exercise critical thinking—is a crucial part of our Christian faith (Matt 22:37; Luke 10:27; Rom 12:2; 2 Cor 10:3-6; Phil 2:5). A cognitive grasp of God's Word is essential to Christian living. Learning, pondering, and examining Scripture in order to know God more is fruitful (2 Tim 3:16-17; John 15:7). And biblical truth is worshipfully mind-stretching, not mind-detaching or -emptying. Rather than letting our thoughts drift away, Christians are called to love and honor God by taking captive every thought in obedience to Christ and by being transformed by the renewing of our minds (Cor 10:3-6; Rom 12:2). The enemy, however, wants us to feel, not think. Emotions are not bad in themselves. But they shouldn't be the basis for life decisions or form the foundation of our faith. Because our emotions tend to change with our circumstances, a perspective fueled by feelings rather than one built on our knowledge of God's Word, will cause us to be tossed about by every wind of teaching and our faith will not stand firm when times get tough.

8. Because the voice is disorienting. The Word of Light brings clarity and stability of mind, but the voice of darkness muddles our minds and darkens our understanding. And while the Word of light imparts wisdom, the voice of darkness promotes foolishness and sends its listeners on an emotionally exhausting rabbit trail of futility. The voice hisses its lies in slithery and surreptitious ways. It is confusing and hard to pinpoint as it twists, turns, and contorts. This is because it is infused with serpentine trickery. Characteristically, then, it doesn't often deny Christ outright, but pays Him lip service before gradually nudging us down a path of thinking that does just that. But the Word of Light is clear, pure, and accessible. Like an arrow, it unmistakably and unwaveringly points to Christ.

9. Because the voice sings a deadly lullaby. Not only does the enemy want us to stop thinking, he wants us to fall asleep spiritually. In other words, we can be tempted to stop living out our faith actively, and to merely go through the motions or become despondent and apathetic towards our relationship with God. The voice of darkness can become a deadly lullaby to those who lend it an ear. It can lull us into a spiritual slumber. Jesus warned us to "stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man." (Luke 21:36). And Paul exhorted us, "with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming." (1 Peter 1:13). And as he cautioned the Thessalonian believers, "So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober." (1 Thess 5:6). Rather than slumbering lazily in the world, then, we are to remain spiritually active and alert until we are called home.

10. Because the voice is double-minded and manipulative. It changes its tone and takes on different personalities in order to trick us. In one breath it tells us we aren't good enough, we'll never succeed, we're worthless, we're a failure, things will never get better. In the next breath, it feeds us self-help advice and sends us on an endless quest for self-improvement to be accomplished in our own strength. The voice of darkness always prays on our fears and anxieties. The voice tears us down, and then builds us up on self-absorbed shaky ground. The niggling voice that chatters negatively at us one moment, contorts into an inspiring voice that fills our desperate ears with false hope in the next. And after years of listening to it, and constantly failing because of it, the voice leaves us feeling hopeless and defeated. Ultimately, it leaves us for dead. Remember that the voice comes from one who yearns for your spiritual ruin. He longs to see you stray from the Father. He will use trickery and temptation without hesitation. He will beat you down until you're emotionally exhausted. He prays on your weaknesses and appeals to your fleshly desires. He will gladly feed your ego, and tell you that you don't need God. Remember that Satan cannot destroy the gospel, so he will do all he can to distract us from it.

Remember that if the voice you're listening to doesn't come from God, then it is of the enemy. It is black-and-white. There is no grey. God doesn't share the stage with anybody. For, "what fellowship can light have with darkness?" (2 Cor 6:14). Why tolerate preaching in our churches that doesn't point to Christ? Why bother dabbling in Eastern philosophies? Why bother taking cues from secular self-helpism or New Age spiritualism? If we take God at His Word, we will believe that His Word is sufficient (2 Tim 3:16). And God promises that the work He has begun in you, He will bring to completion (Phil 1:6). Why look elsewhere?

Yes, the voice of darkness makes me shudder. But it's not from fear (Psa 23:4). For while the voice of darkness speaks death, the Word of God speaks life, which is the light of men. (John 1:4). The light has overcome the darkness. And Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12).

Loving Our Neighbor, Neglecting Our God—Tolerance Over Truth

Part II: When loving neighbor promotes tolerance over truth...
(See also Introduction and Part I)

Scripture says, "let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love." We know from this passage in 1 John that love is intrinsically gospel-centered because the next verses state: "In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." And in light of this, the subsequent verses exhort us into action: "Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and His love is perfected in us." To love others, then, is a necessary outworking of our faith—it is an extension of God's unconditional and gospel-centered love for us. (1 John 4:7-12).

In more and more churches today, however, the biblical concept of loving one's neighbor is becoming twisted into something entirely different from the self-sacrificial love that Jesus demonstrated for us on the cross. "Loving" others has instead been reduced to a flimsy paper-chain of feel-good human relationships that flutter and tear in the winds of emotion and circumstance—these relationships aren't rooted in Godly love, but are tied together by a frail substitute.

In keeping with the politically correct mantra de jour, Emergent[1] or liberalizing Christians tout tolerance as an authentic expression of Jesus' love. Inclusivity is prized over the "who's in, who's out" mentality seen to prevail within traditional evangelicalism; "loving neighbor" is, in application, to embrace—not alienate—those outside of the Christian faith. Yet while this might lead us appropriately away from the machine-gun evangelism and the fire-and-brimstone preaching of yesteryear, Emergents have swung the pendulum too far in the opposite direction (as reactionary movements tend to do). In other words, Emergents go far beyond our calling to be outreach-minded. Rather, they have become all-inclusive—even to the point of promoting an inclusivist soteriology (in which salvation is universal) in an increasing number of cases.

The Emergent emphasis on tolerance and acceptance distinctly echoes the religiously pluralistic mandates of our secular culture, and accordingly demonstrates an unflinching disregard for God's Word. Loving our neighbor by "accepting"—not "condemning" others—as well-intended as it may be, is tantamount to enabling sinners to continue walking in darkness. Exercising tolerance of evil is not an expression of God-honoring love that rejoices with the truth (1 Cor 13:6). As Paul urged the Roman believers: "Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good." (Rom 12:9). Encouraging others to be comfortable "being themselves," and remaining unchanged, fails to point them to a new life in Christ. And so "love" when expressed in the form of tolerance actually undermines the gospel rather than being an outworking of it.

Jesus said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life." (John 12:24-25). And He said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." (Luke 5:23). For "those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." (Gal 5:24).

If we truly loved others as ourselves, would we gloss over the seriousness of sin in order to make everyone feel more comfortable or more "accepted"? Or would we be motivated to share with them their need for a Savior and the life-changing truth of the gospel? Would we want our neighbors to experience a new life in Christ? Would we be motivated to sacrifice ourselves—perhaps our comfort level, our popularity, our social standing, or even our personal safety—to stand for Jesus in a world that has either rejected Him or recreated Him in its own image?

It seems that the unspoken, yet implicit, answer among a growing number of Christian leaders today is...perhaps not.

For the trend of promoting tolerance over truth in the name of love, unity, and diversity is not isolated to Emergent or liberal believers alone. Mainstream and prominent evangelical pastors are displaying varying degrees of the trend's influence. The tendency to remain silent on polarizing issues of right and wrong in our culture or to refrain from confronting false teaching in the Church for the sake of peace and unity, for example, is increasingly common. Often, this behavior is promoted under the "love" banner—and, consequently, those who uphold truth can appear hateful and rigid in contrast.

It's true that Christians should strive for unity in the Church, but not at the expense of the truth of God's Word on fundamental doctrinal matters. While we are urged to live in peace with everyone as far as it depends on us (Rom 12:18), we are also called be guardians of the faith (1 Cor 16:13; 2 Cor 10:5). For what unifies us as believers is not brushing core truths under the carpet to keep the peace, but upholding the gospel of Christ in our churches and uniting together in the name of Jesus—who is the truth (John 4:6). It is He who unites the Body of Christ with a love that endures forever. Tolerance may promote some semblance of unity for a time, but unity achieved in human strength cannot last.

And so, we are called to speak the truth in love with gentleness and respect when the truth of gospel is being undermined or when false teaching has entered into the Church. Doing so may sadly cause conflict and disunity. But to value unity at the expense of the gospel is to put human relationships before God—friendship before faith—which is an unbiblical approach to loving our neighbor. It's important, then, to unite with other believers in a way that honors God first and foremost.

Loving God above all else, then, will lead us to rebuke liberal or straying churches that fail to make Christ their Lord and His Word central. It will lead us to stand firmly against false teaching with no compromise. And if the motivation for doing so is our love of God as well as our neighbor, then prayerfully seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit before we speak or act is a must. Otherwise, we are in danger of falling into the trap of prideful legalism and unmerciful judgmentalism. In other words, we might be tempted to act out of anger, not love.

Yet, sadly, there are many leading evangelicals in the West who are losing sight of the need to love our neighbor in a way that honors our God. They are giving into false teaching and worldly influences inch by inch, often under the banners of diversity, love, and tolerance, for fear of being judgmental or rigid.

Think of how many respectable evangelical leaders have appeared on Glenn Beck's show, for example, with no public mention of the false teaching he promotes. Beck has repeatedly made the false claim that Mormonism is a Christian denomination. Yet many evangelical leaders are unwittingly fueling this lie, giving Beck and his cultic faith credibility by joining with him on his prominent stage to teach others and promote their books. In doing so, they appear as if they are of the same mind, even though they are not—a false impression that Beck certainly likes to perpetuate.

I'm not suggesting here that Christians should have nothing to do with Mormons and should shun them as opposed to reaching out to them in Christlike love. But it's the motivation for doing so that needs to be considered, as well as the nature of the outreach.

Beck's celebrity status and impressive viewership should ultimately be a non-factor in any decision to appear on his show, as should his bold conservatism and love of liberty—both of which he articulates masterfully, it is true. His charismatic leadership of the Right and well-reasoned conservative voice may be music to the evangelical ear, but this should not distract us from the gravity of his insidious claims about the Mormon faith.

And so it was revealing—and alarmingly refreshing—recently when an unnamed "big evangelical" actually refused to go on Beck's show unless he was able to address the differences between Mormonism and Christianity. Beck was outraged by this, as demonstrated by his reaction when he spoke of the incident on his show. Beck said,

I had a conversation off-air with a big evangelical recently. And he said “you know, if I’m going to come on your show, it’s important for me to point out the differences between our religions." And quite honesty I almost hung up the phone. I was like…. but I didn’t. And the reason why I almost hung up the phone was because I thought: Are you really this small? Are you really this small? Do you see what’s happening to us right now? Nobody cares what my religion is. Nobody really cares what your religion is. What they want [is] are you putting your principles in action right now? [Do] what demonstrates [to] me—don’t talk to me. Don’t preach to me, demonstrate to me. Who are you? What do you believe? What are you doing about it right now? Do you know why 20-something’s don’t go to church anymore? Because church doesn’t do anything. You gonna sit here and talk about it, are you gonna talk about the things that change lives, or you gonna do the things that changes lives. Don’t talk to me about theology. Talk to me about God in practice. How can I be a better man. How can I survive today?

Beck's outrage and confusion are understandable; there's a reason why he thinks "nobody cares what my religion is." For he's been encouraged by so many prominent Christians—inadvertently albeit—to think that what he actually believes doesn't really matter to them! One can only infer from Beck's reaction that the countless Christian guests who've appeared congenially on his show have made no mention to him of the fact that he's in a cult. If they had, why would he be taken so evidently off guard when one Christian leader refuses to go along with it all? Beck was shocked, confused, and incensed at this. And rightly so. If so many Christians have complied thus far, why wouldn't he expect them all to do so?

My heart aches for Beck, whom I believe to be a well-intentioned, sincere, and certainly a likeable man. His false religious views have been tolerated by so many influential Christians, which is almost like tying a weight around his neck and dropping him into the ocean. It gives him a false sense of security in a false faith, not to mention the fact that it sends a confusing message to his viewership, many of whom think he's a Christian or think Mormonism is a Christian denomination.

The groundwork for Beck's false impression that his faith holds some level of legitimacy among evangelicals was perhaps cemented when leading evangelical school, Liberty University, gave him an honorary doctorate and—several times now—their own stage from which to preach his false gospel.

In April 2014, for example, he preached tearfully on campus about the importance of reading God's Word. Flanked by top university administrators and evangelical heavy-hitters, he gushed on stage about the atoning power of Jesus Christ, which was followed by rousing applause from the audience. He bemoaned how little the Bible is actually read and urged his audience to study it. But, what is easily forgotten when listening to his resonating words, is that Scripture for Beck is an entirely different thing from what it is for Christians; He believes the Bible has been corrupted and the revised Joseph Smith Translation to have restored lost truths, which is on a par with the Book of Mormon and other holy Scriptures of the Latter-Day Saints. What is conveniently ignored is that the actual meaning underlying Beck's Christianese isn't really Christian at all. What is glossed over is that the atonement he speaks of is ultimately a path to self-deification as per Mormon theology. And what is brushed under the rug is that the Jesus he follows is a false Christ, the spirit brother of Satan, who bares little resemblance to the true Son of God.

During his delivery of what one Liberty student described as "a more biblical-sounding speech than most Christians I've heard," Beck launched into an unwavering LDS apologetic before a captive audience of young evangelicals, making syncretistic statements like, "I am a Mormon, but I share your faith in the atonement of the Savior Jesus Christ." He gave a stirring exposé of founding Mormon Prophet Joseph Smith’s death, describing Smith as a martyr of the faith. (According to Beck, a Sheriff falsely accused Smith of owing a debt for stealing a stove).

This was not the first time a Mormon has spoken at Liberty. Mitt Romney, delivered the school's commencement address in 2012. So, why are Mormons given a platform at a long-established evangelical school? Spokesperson Johnnie Moore explained to the Christian Post that such addresses are part of the school's attempts to expose their students to a broad array of political, theological, and cultural ideas and affiliations: "Diversity is important to us...a convocation invitation doesn't necessarily mean that Liberty agrees with everything speaker says...The best convocations aren't those that tell students what to believe, but those that leave the campus all abuzz in conversation."

Okay—to the extent that we're dealing with a school here, not a church, this may be arguable in the sense that it's vitally important to expose Christian students to other religious perspectives and secular ideologies. If they are stuck in an ideological bubble they will be ill-equipped and unprepared to defend their faith in a hostile world when the time comes. And it is true that inviting Beck to speak doesn't mean LU agrees with everything he says. But Beck wasn't invited to participate in a panel discussion or debate. He wasn't giving an honest overview of Mormon beliefs. He was essentially given a prominent platform from which to preach a syncretistic and insidiously false gospel, unchallenged and uncorrected. This runs directly counter to the words of the Apostle John:

Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them. Anyone who welcomes them shares in their wicked work. (2 John 1:9-10).

As a Mormon, Beck does not have both the Father and the Son, because he doesn't believe in the Trinity. So, why are LU administrators welcoming him to preach? You have to stop and question the true motives behind the university's invitations to the likes of Beck and Romney. They are certainly big names who will generate "buzz" as the university's spokeswoman unabashedly pointed out. But is that where we are now as Christians? Is generating buzz more important than guarding the gospel?

Generating buzz will certainly get the world's attention, that's for sure. We mustn't lose sight, however, of the end goal. Any student can go online and view one of Beck's rants on Mormonism. In fact, they should be encouraged to do so. Christian students simply must be well-informed of popular and influential views that counter the biblical perspective. But this doesn't mean Beck needs to be given the opportunity to preach a false gospel in form of a compelling—almost memorizing—speech at an evangelical school, without immediate rebuttal. Otherwise, quite frankly, the school is guilty of sharing in his wicked work—if we're going to go by what the Bible says, that is. Certainly, for the immature or undiscerning believer, LU's showcasing of Beck's speech was like serving them a deadly cocktail of partial truths mixed with insidious lies. Unfortunately, Beck is a wolf in sheep's clothing who should be exposed, not promoted.

So what? The fact is, there has been of late a great effort from within the LDS Church to be reclassified as a Christian denomination—which is likely why their more blatantly heretical theology was removed from the LDS website prior to the 2012 presidential election in which practicing Mormon Mitt Romney sought the evangelical vote[2]. Yet despite deal-breaking, fundamental differences between biblical and Mormon Christology, there is a push from within the LDS Church to emphasize the “Christ”-centeredness of Mormonism. Their relatively new emphasis on grace and atonement, has led some Christians, like former Fuller Seminary President Richard Mouw, to argue that Mormonism is not a cult after all and to perceive the religion as close to Christianity, if not qualifying to be a denominational part of it. Christians need to be aware of, and guard against, this as a very real, demonic threat.

As Beck's own words above demonstrate, the false notion that "loving neighbor" is all about forgetting your dogma, your theology. Just be my friend and don't question my beliefs (ie tolerating sin and false teaching) is alive and well. Sadly, however, as appealing as this sentiment may be, it places tolerance of falsehood over truth for the sake of friendship and unity. Simply put, it is loving our neighbor while neglecting a God who cannot be separated from truth.

Let's not forget that the truth of the gospel is the purest expression of love—ever. As believers who are called to love Mormons as ourselves, we should point them to the true Christ, even if this means sacrificing a powerful political alliance with them.

Does this sound like stating the obvious? Sadly, it is not obvious to some of our leading evangelical pastors. This is because there has been a push over recent years in some of our biggest evangelical churches to put our friendships before our faith. In the hearts and minds of more and more believers, love is becoming separated from truth in order to keep friendships intact. Concerning examples of this are on the rise. The following article addresses some big ones.

< part III: friendship before faith >
Coming soon!

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1. The Emerging Church movement is a broad, yet controversial, movement that seeks to use culturally sensitive approaches to reach the postmodern, un-churched population with the Christian message. Emerging churches often promote a feelings- and experience-based relationship with God, while downplaying the need for doctrinal understanding. In this context, the gospel can be diluted in a sea of emotion and a church culture is created that caters to human needs first, which sadly results in promoting self-indulgence while de-emphasizing the Lordship of Christ.

2. After perusing the LDS website thoroughly a couple of years ago, I was horrified to find later that much of the more descriptive information on Mormon theology I had previously seen was removed altogether prior to the presidential election of 2012 in which practicing Mormon, Mitt Romney, endeavored to win the evangelical vote.