NEW WILLOW CREEK PASTOR JOINS THE POPE, PITS GRACE AGAINST REPENTANCE
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
Willow Creek was Saddleback Church before Saddleback. For more than
30 years, Willow Creek Community Church in the Chicago area has been the
flagship of the Church Growth Movement. By watering down doctrine and
adopting (in some ways, inventing) the “seeker-sensitive” approach to
ministry, Willow Creek herded goats into their doors, fed them sugar
blocks, and slapped the word “church” on it. In 2015, the church
announced that after a year of research into its membership, it recognized that their seeker-friendly approach was a near-total failure at creating serious disciples
and pledged to change their ways and focus more on teaching the Bible
(novel approach, we know). Since then, Willow Creek has changed
leadership and seems to be struggling to change from their doctrineless,
watered-down, evanjellyfish ways. Its new upcoming lead pastor, Steve Carter, recently joined the Bishop of Rome for warm fellowship and ostensible partnership.
According to this Protestant (lol) evangelical pastor, the Bishop of
Rome (aka the Holy Father, Vicar of Christ and Head of the Church –
three names reserved for God the Father, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus
Christ) is the type of listener, pastor and encourager that he wants to
be.
Gross.
Maybe Willow Creek’s new pastor hasn’t heard of the Protestant
Reformation. Maybe he didn’t know that the Pope is the type and shadow
of the antichrist who has raised himself up to be God. Maybe he hasn’t
heard about things like the Council of Trent or Vatican I or Vatican II.
Maybe he’s unaware of the Pope’s doctrines of papal infallibility, the
immaculate conception and bodily assumption of Mary, purgatory, or
denying Sola Fide. Maybe Steve Carter doesn’t know what he’s supposed to
be doing or teaching. Maybe he’s just vaguely unfamiliar with Christian
doctrine in general. It’s either that, or Carter himself is a wolf in
sheep’s clothing who’s as wicked as the Pope himself.
Some social media followers questioned Carter about becoming an odd
bed fellow with the Scarlet Harlot. His response in unsurprising, yet
nauseating.
Firstly, writing as a Protestant here, heck yes the photo triggers us. Are you new to Protestantism, Steve. Why wouldn’t it trigger us, especially when it is laced with a compliment?
Secondly, what’s the thought here, Steve? Do you think you’re going
to spend some time making selfies with the Antichrist and then become
his text-buddy? Are you two going to exchange pen-pal letters now and
you hope to sneak a rebuke for idolatry in there somewhere? Will there
be tin cans with string tied betwixt them strung up somewhere between
Chicago and Vatican City so that you and the Pope can have some long,
heart-felt late-night talks? Is the presumption that the Pope just
hasn’t heard of Christianity yet, and by his relationship with Steve
he’ll come to Jesus? I mean, he’s the Pope. He’s heard of the Gospel.
It’s anathematized in his church councils and he stands against all that
is good and pure.
If you only had a few seconds with the Pope, what would you say? Here’s how Ian Paisley handled that opportunity.
Thirdly and most importantly, Steve Carter equates “grace” with “not
telling someone they’re in sin.” This is a perverse understanding of
grace for a pastor. As John Newton wrote, “Twas grace that taught my
heart to fear…” To call someone to repentance is an act of God’s grace
toward that individual. To meet with the Pope and not frantically tell
him that he is Satan’s gimp is not gracious, it is treason against God
and hatred toward whatever fleshly body currently sits in the
Antichrist’s seat. Grace calls to repentance; not calling to repentance
is hate.
One can expect the tenure of Steve Carter at Willow Creek to be
graceless, because its pastor has tragically confused niceness with
grace.
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