The Highway Forums General Discussion Open Forum Emergent Church

You are misunderstanding me.
What I was responding to is your quote:
I am not in support of reading books by people like McLaren at all for the purpose of gleaning truth. But when I was reading his book (because it was on my daughter’s bedside table), I noticed something he said that was true. But I noticed his solutions were wrong, but the solutions don't make what he said that was true wrong.
In other words, I don’t think it is necessary to throw out the baby with the bath water, simply because the water (solution given) is wrong.

As you said , lets call that the “baby”. If I throw out this “baby” I have now denied that the “baby” is a good thing, thus your comment about people bringing up good things, would be incorrect.
Rarely is any heresy based on complete lies. Otherwise people would see right through those lies and not follow them. Most of time, they start with a truth then subtly bring lies into the mix to fool the undiscerning.



Ok, let’s take Pharaoh for instance, according to Romans 9:17 God raised Pharaoh to show His power in him, so that God’s name could be declared throughout all the earth.
I am sure you know that Pharaoh was an evil man and how God used him, so I will not go into details there. Hopefully you understand my point.
Even the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ had to do with evil people putting our Lord to death.
Shortly after I became a believer, for what ever reason God allowed me to go through a period where I was under the teaching of Word of Faith heretics. I have many scars even today from that time in my life, but I can’t say that God hasn’t used some of these things for my good, or for that matter those around me.
Back then, I was quite naïve in the faith and I thought for a time I was following the way God wanted me.

Tom

Ruth
As I said to Janean, I am not in favor of reading books like McLaren's simply to glean what is good out of them.

Personally, I am trying to understand what I said that would lead you and Janean to believe that I would. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

Tom

Thanks for clarifying things a bit. I think it helps. I think the confusion for me was this statement It sounds like you can possibly glean something personally could from an erroneous author or erroneous book. I guess when I've run into things that I'm in agreement with from an erroneous teacher I have a difficult time to "use it to take stock in my own life" (as you said) simply for the fact the the author is not coming from the right place and something not from God.". Yes I'm in agreement with you about that there's always some "truth" in heresy/error/false teaching. I guess for me the whole thing becomes false then because of the twisting of the truth. I think we're probably just looking at things from a little bit of a different perspective.

Janean,

I agree again with your wisdom. Although there may be found some "truth" amongst the errors of these false teachers, I think it is unwise to allow that alleged truth to change our thinking or the way we live out our lives before God. Perhaps the repository of truth, the Scriptures, can be instructive here.

Luke 4:9-12 (ADV) "And he led him to Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou art the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee, to guard thee: and, On their hands they shall bear thee up, Lest haply thou dash thy foot against a stone. And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not make trial of the Lord thy God."

In this event, the Devil, the father of lies, quotes Scripture to the Lord Christ. In fact, he quotes it correctly unlike what he did when he challenged Eve. (Gen 3:ff) However, the application of that passage was corrupt and thus the Lord Christ rejected the Devil's temptation. The point is that one can say there is "truth" to be found in a false teacher's words, but it would be wise to reject it and get that "truth", if in fact it is a truth, from the Word of God; the original source. One can wrongly interpret Scripture and yet have a reasonably correct application which the Scripture teaches. Or, one can have a correct understanding of Scripture and wrongly apply it.

It's one thing to find error with someone who is biblically sound the majority of the time. And it is another thing to find some "truth" from someone who is wrong the majority of the time. I certainly wouldn't waste my time trying to sift some possible "wheat" from the "tares" that the Devil sows.

In His Grace,

Pilgrim

I certainly don't want to make anyone think I would "waste my time trying to sift some possible "wheat" from the "tares" that the Devil sows."
If I gave that impression, I assure you that was not my intention. The only reason I was even reading the book was because I am concerned about what my daughter reads.
However, I am not sure I can explain myself any clearer than I already did.

Tom

Tom you did explain yourself well. I am just glad you see the error of the author. Now if only the associate pastor at my church did!!!!

Amen to that!