Members of a prominent Florida megachurch voted
overwhelmingly Sunday to call the Rev. William Graham Tullian Tchividjian to
serve as its new senior minister.
Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church members also agreed to merge with
Tchividjian’s New City Presbyterian Church in Margate and elected its officers
to serve the Fort Lauderdale congregation.
Tchividjian, a grandson of world renowned evangelist Billy Graham,
called Sunday “momentous and historic.”
“91% of the congregation voted to support the call,” he reported Sunday
in his church blog. “That is a much higher percentage than I anticipated given
the fact that this call involved a merger of two congregations.
“God made his will known with an exclamation point this morning,”
the 36-year-old minister exclaimed.
First of all, and I've seen this always proclaimed by both the voting congregation and the man who is candidating for the job of pastor: numbers dictate to them if its God's will.
This is a problem because its relying on sight not faith, on majority not Truth. When Moses Joshua was to lead the Jews back to the Promised land, there were twelve spies and only two came back with a report of assurance of overtaking the land. The rest thought it was impossible. See Numbers 13:30-31 and also chapter 14. Had Moses (and eventually Joshua) gone with today's "majority means God's will" view, he would have NEVER entered into that land as God commanded. Majority in this case was really the fear of man. As it is today. Security in numbers is NOT fear of God nor trust in HIM. This is absolutely the wrong way to determine God's will. After all His ways are narrow and the pool of biblical believers is few in number anyway.
Now, on to Tullian's hiring as senior pastor. I've noticed that Reformers have been enamoured with this grandson of Billy Graham. I find that interesting considering the man-centeredness that flows through that family's beliefs.
Consider these things:
His second book, Unfashionable: Making a Difference in the World by Being Different (foreword by Tim Keller), is due out from Multnomah next month."
Keller is Emergent with a Reformed bent. But as long as he claims TULIP he gets a free pass AND a big push by Reformers.
The latest on Keller:
Tim Keller is to be a speaker at the 2009 Leadership Summit at Willow Creek Community Church, which includes speakers like: Bill Hybels; Dr. Henry Cloud; Bono.
“Innovation3 is happening later this month in Dallas… January 27-28 to be exact.
Leadership Network has invited over a hundred of the best and brightest ministry leaders to present at Innovation3. You’ll hear from people like Tim Keller, Mark Driscoll, Dino Rizzo, Nancy Ortberg, Larry Osborne, Matt Chandler, Dave Gibbons, Darrin Patrick, Dave Ferguson, Ed Stetzer, Neil Cole, and many more. We’ll be lead in worship by the Robbie Seay Band!” Also Chris Seay will be mc’ing.
Leadership Network is a well established Emergent company that pushes this movement hard, especially this year.
As is normal for Emergent gatherings, many women will be teaching men. This also includes women “ministers” such as Nancy Ortberg who is a teaching pastor at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois,Theresa McBean, Pastor Laurie Beshore,Missy Hannon is co-executive pastor of Living Hope Church.
Tim Keller is sharing the pulpit with these people.
Tim Keller shares the platform with Gary Lamb at Exponential 09: “Gary Lamb is on the record saying that one of his biggest regrets is that he didn’t club a church lady with a baseball bat, punch her husband in the face and set fire to the church organ.” –Slice of Laodicea
Go here to hear him say it. Note the background stage production (Las Vegas style). He calls the woman he hates “Lucifer” from his last church, blamed that church for almost divorcing, and was responsible for him hating Christians. Yup that’s the man to speak at this conference. NOT.
A Little Leaven reports:
Read what Lamb wrote on his blog to the person who stole one of his church’s trailers:
To the people who stole our trailer:
First let me say, God loves you. Second let me say we forgive you. We really don’t want to forgive you, but God says we should so we do. Third of all I want you to know that I think you are scum bags. I think you are lowlife degenerates who need a good butt kicking. Matter of fact I feel so strongly about the fact that you need a good butt kicking that I am volunteering to do it. I hope you believe in God because you should get on your knees and cry out to Him like never before because if we find you, I can promise we will kick the crap out of you. It won’t be pretty, it won’t be over quickly, and it will be very painful. I know that doesn’t sound very nice but I feel pretty strongly that is what you need.
Unquote.
Note the women who will be teaching men at this conference.
Francis Chan and Tim Keller will be sharing the pulpit with:
Ed Stetzer, John Burke, Alan Hirsch, Erwin McManus, ECM leaders
So to have a connection with Tim Keller isn't good; its bad.
Tullian's list of favorite books include interfaith and ecumenical authors listed. Shane Trammel notes: "T.M. Moore, J.I. Packer, Os Guinness, and Chuck Colson. All four of these men signed the document “Evangelical and Catholics Together”"
Tullian likes Rick Warren. Go here and here on why Rick Warren is a false teacher.
A woman is Director of Ministry Development at his New City Church. Her "testimony" as well as having this kind of leadership role over the direction of the church gives one pause.
His New City Church is EPC which is doctrinally find with the ordination of women. How is this biblical or reformed?
All these issues gives a red flag for Tchividjian being a senior pastor of anything. Of course, D. James Kennedy was pretty man-centered as well, so I think this is actually a good fit. However, the rubber stamping of men who either have famous connections or claim TULIP or Reformed, is utterly shameful, when its clear that such men have shown a lack of biblical discernment.
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