The Highway Forums General Discussion Open Forum Ravi speaks at the Mormon Tabernacle

I once visited a Presbyterian Church in Hamilton, MA. which held to the same view, i.e., "distinctives only cause division within the church". It was rather strange to not see the Trinity Hymnal with the Westminster Standards in the back. There were no books, booklets, tracts nor pamphlets which one could read that would indicate that the church held to the Reformed Faith. After the service, which too was very "generic", which was especially true of the sermon, I approached one of the Elders and asked him why there was no literature which would inform people what made their church what it was; i.e., a PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. His reply was that not only do they not want any literature that speaks of the Reformed Faith specifically, but they discourage people from even speaking the word, "Calvinism" in the church because such things cause problems.

Personally, I found his response to be one of deceit as well as one that revealed that he had either little understanding of the glory that is to be seen in the doctrines of sovereign free grace, the long history of Calvinism, or that he did know these things intellectually and chose to ignore them; which to me indicates something of the condition of his heart. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/scratchchin.gif" alt="" />

So, what am I saying here, in regard to Ravi Zacharias? Nothing specifically, because as I said initially, I know nothing about the man nor his ministry. But what I am saying is that such "generic" statements raise the red flag before my eyes and I immediately become suspicious. The overwhelming majority of para-church organizations out there are "generic" in their beliefs and in what they teach. And consequently, to accomplish "success", the gospel and the doctrines of Scripture are most always "dumbed down". And you know full well what results flow from such things. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> A perfect, albeit extreme example of this type of approach; i.e., generic statements in the window so as to attract people to come inside, is Robert Schuller's ministry. I could also mention that the cults use the exact same approach. Have you had a Jehovah's Witness come to your door lately and listen to how they now deliver their "pitch"? If not, let me inform you that it sounds remarkably similar to what I hear from the typical "Evan-jelly-cal"........ generic, broad and "non-divisive" statements that are deliberately designed to get the "target individual" to let them in; into their mind and heart.

What Zacharias actually believes and how he actually runs his ministry is something you will have to judge. But the "store front" which he has designed does not attract me personally. Rather, it makes me want to <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/flee.gif" alt="" />

In His Grace,