Grace To You blog posted about Calling out the Wolves and said in part:
Quote:
Sadly, Brown is not alone in his sentiments. Plenty of charismatics are incredulous at the thought that they have a responsibility to police their movement. Charismatic blogger Adrian Warnock tweeted his reaction during the Strange Fire conference: “If we researched & criticised all the crooks, cons, and cookies in the Charismatic Movement we’d have no time for anything else.”
Indeed. That’s the very point we are making. What Warnock and others like him fail to realize is that their argument is self-refuting and self-perpetuating. The overabundance of “crooks, cons, and cookies” in the charismatic movement is a direct result of the epic failure of charismatic leaders to warn about false teachers—blended with a truckload of doctrines, practices, and superstitions that undermine the authority and sufficiency of Scripture. Sadly, by refusing to protect the sheep, Warnock is accommodating the wolves—making the charismatic movement an even more noxious breeding ground for error and confusion.
In fact, when it comes to outlandish faith healers and prophets, Warnock—like many leading charismatics—openly advocates what he calls the “Gamaliel approach.” Gamaliel was an unbelieving Pharisee who counseled his underlings to stop harassing the apostles of the early church and let time determine the validity of their ministry (Acts 5:33-39). Essentially, Warnock prefers the pharisaical response to apostolic teachers over the apostolic response to false teachers. It’s a wait-and-see attitude that allows charismatics to overlook the worst examples of unbiblical doctrine and practice in their movement without ever openly disavowing them.
That’s not what a true shepherd does.
On that point God’s Word is inescapably clear: The responsibility of the shepherd is to identify the wolves and protect the sheep. Embracing and executing that responsibility in wisdom, grace, and conviction is one of the distinguishing marks of a true shepherd. It indicates the difference between those who truly love the flock, and those who are mere hirelings (cf. Matthew 10:12-13).
End quote.
~GTY (italics and maroon font, original)
Very true. However, I would point out that the problem with Charismatics is that first they dismiss Scripture as being the fully sole authority for the Christians' doctrine and practice, they rely on experiences, which then leads to their "epic failure" to warn about false teachers.
It is precisely because of a low view of Scripture and a high view of man that the Charismatics refuse to rebuke and reject false teachers. And that's exactly what you have in New Calvinism and its refuse to rebuke and reject false teachers like Piper, Warren, and Driscoll.
I remember when Phil Johnson told us discerning bloggers to give Piper grace and respect and wait to reach any conclusion about him (this after years of seeing his downgrade and at that time, after Piper had invited heretic Rick Warren to his conference).
And now look at Piper. He's defiantly Charismatic, denies the Genesis account of Creation, and has rejected the necessity of Justification by faith in the Gospel, has tweeted his prayer for a more righteous blasphemous pope of the RCC, and is going to be a speaker at mystic Linger Conference, among other things.
Seems to me Johnson took the Gamaliel approach: wait and see and just overlook serious doctrinal issues and practice.
And why is John MacArthur joining forces with Charismatics Piper and Chandler at the "Together For the "Gospel" conference this year?
Should leaders not only protect the sheep from the wolves (and remove them from the sheepfold), but also protect them from the strange fire keepers like Piper and Chandler?
As I've stated before,
The only way people like John MacArthur and Phil Johnson won't see the need to reject Piper is if they don't believe this:
2Jn 1:10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching,do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; 11 for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds.
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