Roger Oakland: RETHINK CONFERENCE REPORT

Well, I may be a bit late getting this posted, but better late than never. Here's an excerpt:

"Apprising Ministries would like you to know that Roger Oakland of Understanding the Times files a personal report on his trip to the Rethink Conference. This event was put on by Robert Schuller, a major figure in the Church Growth Movement which has severely retarded the advance of the genuine Gospel of Jesus Christ, along with cultural architect Erwin McManus of the emerging church.

McManus, like Schuller, is also a human potential advocate; their flawed view of the state of unregenerate mankind summed up in the following statement from Robert Schuller in his travesty of a book Self-Esteem: The New Reformation:

The core of original sin, then is LOT—Lack of Trust. Or, it could be considered an innate inability to adequately value ourselves. Label it a “negative self-image,” but do not say that the central core of the human soul is wickedness. If this were so, then truly, the human being is totally depraved. But positive Christianity does not hold to human depravity, but to human inability (67).

Oakland begins his commentary on Rethink by telling us:

Over the 30 years I have traveled the road of life as a born-again, Bible-believing Christian, I have experienced a number of significant events that have provided inspiration and direction for the ministry God has given me. The Rethink Conference held at Robert Schuller’s Crystal Cathedral, January 17-19, 2008 can now be listed as one of those watershed events.

While I was not able to attend the entire conference because of a missionary trip scheduled to the Philippines, the opening day of Rethink: new perspectives from global influences provided ample evidence to evaluate the significance of the event. For nearly two thousand years, most professing Christians have seen the Bible as the foundation for the Christian faith. The overall view at the Rethink Conference, however, is that Christianity, as we have known it, has run its course and must be replaced.

Co-hosted by Erwin McManus and Robert Schuller, the conference declared that a paradigm shift is now underway. Speakers insisted that Christianity must be re-thought and re-invented if the name of Jesus Christ is going to survive here on planet earth now that we are in the twenty-first century.

With the risk of being labeled a negative divisive critic who is against everything, I am compelled to tell you what I witnessed at this conference. This commentary will paraphrase the actual statements made by the speakers as I took extensive notes...

And for those who doubt that Robert Schuller was a mentor to Rick Warren note that in this eyewitness piece by Oakland he also informs us that:

Schuller gave a brief overview of his accomplishments through his many years of ministry. He explained how pleased he was to be able to look back at the tremendous leaders he had mentored over the years, which include Willow Creek’s seeker-friendly pioneer pastor Bill Hybels, the six million member Church of God in Christ’s Bishop Charles Blake, and Rick Warren who has pioneered the purpose driven church and the purpose driven life."

The rest is over at Apprising Ministries...