Dr Paul Allen

A few weeks ago Tim Challies set out on a series of articles to examine some of Christianity’s most notable false teachers and to examine the false doctrine each of them represents. Along the way we have visited such figures as  Joseph Smith  (Mormonism),  Ellen G. White  (Adventism),  Norman Vincent Peale  (Positive Thinking) and  Benny Hinn  (Faith Healing). Today we turn to a man who helped lead the Emerging Church and who was once named by  TIME  as one of the 25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America. Brian  McLaren Brian McLaren (born in 1956) studied humanities at the University of Maryland and graduated with graduate and post-graduate degrees in English. Beginning in 1978, he taught college-level English, before founding Cedar Ridge Community Church in 1986. He served this church as its founding pastor until 2006, when he handed off the role so he could focus on writing and public speaking. In 1986 Zondervan released McLaren’s first book,  The Church on the Other Sid

Image via Wikipedia We are living in a confused and confusing time for Christians (Christians who are anchored by a public and corporate theological commitment to be faithful to the Bible’s teaching on faith and practice as expounded by the great confessions of the Protestant Reformation ).  We are witnessing the final demise of theological liberalism, the rise of Pentecostalism , the beginnings of the so-called emerging church movement , the breakdown of evangelicalism, and an utter discombobulation about how the church is to conduct its life and ministry in an increasing “ post-Christian ” culture.  All around us, in the name of reaching the culture with the Gospel , we see evangelical churches compromising (usually without intending to) in both message and methods. It is not uncommon today to hear certain buzz-words and catch phrases that are meant to capture and articulate new (and presumably more culturally -attuned) approaches to ministry: “ Purpose-driven ,” “missional,” “cont