Sunday, May 10, 2009

Francis Chan Heads Up Emergent Youth Specialties Conference

Francis Chan continues his plummet into ECM:

Last year Chan was involved in Exponential 08 which had some of the same Emergent leaders spewing their Post-Modernism.

The "Christian" Post reports:

Youth Specialties, one of the largest organizations equipping Christian youth workers, will be making some dramatic shifts this year at their popular convention.

One of the major changes includes featuring main session speakers who won't push the buttons of a theologically diverse crowd.

For years, Youth Specialties had brought in various speakers to the National Youth Workers Convention to cater to youth workers from different denominations, theological backgrounds and contexts.

"I think part of how we pursued that (serving a diverse crowd) is, to put it in a negative, we've almost built a convention where everybody has the opportunity to get pissed off or to get bugged by something," said Mark Oestreicher, president of Youth Specialties, in a webcast this week.

"It's like celebrating those differences was actually becoming divisive rather than bringing us together," he added.


Oestreicher explained that the organization received "so much more critique," some of which were ugly, from convention attendees last year who felt the youth workers organization was pushing an agenda of some sort.

One of last year's main sessions addressed the issue of homosexuality and youth. The featured speaker was Andrew Marin, president and founder of The Marin Foundation, an organization created to build bridges between the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender (GLBT) and religious communities through scientific research, Biblical and social education.

This year's featured speakers will "address the heart and soul of youth ministry rather than hot button issues," Oestreicher said.

"We're trying to be very intentional to choose speakers that are not there to push buttons or raise issues as much as to speak to your soul as a youth worker, challenge you in areas of leadership or carrying out your calling but not like hot button theological topics," the YS president stressed.

Speakers for the main sessions (now termed "Big Room" rather than "General Session") this year include Francis Chan, pastor of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley; Andy Stanley, founder of North Point Ministries; and Donald Miller, author of Blue Like Jazz.

While controversial topics such as homosexuality will not be discussed in the main sessions, Oestreicher noted that participants will still have the opportunity to engage in such discussions during the "labs" or seminars portion of the convention.

"It's not like we're trying to make this a vanilla event that is lowering the bar to the least common denominator so that we can all agree on everything and create some kind of false utopia," he stated.

Every year in the fall, Youth Specialties hosts three conventions. The 2009 National Youth Workers Convention will be held in Los Angeles, Cincinnati and Atlanta, respectively, beginning in September. More than 3,000 attendees are expected to attend each event.

So they still are offering their liberalism, but they want to keep their base broadened. It seems the president is ticked off at having to simmer down the brazen ungodliness. Oestreicher thinks that homosexuality is a hot theological topic, but its not. Scripture is clear: homosexuality is condemned by God and homosexuals will not go to heaven. Case closed. What GOD says is enough....but never enough for liberals.

Those of you who thought Chan was Reformed in any way, he's not. He's a pagan-friendly, man-centered teacher.

Diversity means disunity, Oestreicher. And there is no biblical unity with lies. In the words of World Net Daily, diversity is perversity. And the ECM is indeed pushing homosexuality and hate for God's Word and biblical doctrine with leads to godliness. For Youth Specialties to be amazed that some KNOW they have an agenda is just plain stupid.

Biblical doctrine isn't optional. Nor are God's commands. Homosexuality is not to be tolerated nor is foul language and course jesting or mixing pagan worldly practices with biblical Christianity.

9 comments:

Brian Gonzalez said...

This is quite possibly the worst blog I've ever read

Denise said...

And I care what you think because.....?

DMAC said...

Discernment is not simply a matter of telling the difference between what is right and wrong; rather it is the difference between right and almost right.” -Charles Spurgeon

"In many churches, Christianity has been watered down until the solution is so weak that if it were poison it would not hurt anyone, and if it were medicine, it would not cure anyone!" A.W. TOZER

The youth are being taken for a ride....a rock concert...a feel good time...entertained to death. The world is taking over the Church and no one seems to care.

Thank You for your blog!!

a girl with a smile said...

This is great. Thank you for the concerns.

wisdomseekerprov4 said...

You are right on target. It's all about the apostate church. It is very difficult and very disturbing because it is just about impossible anymore to find a "safe" church to attend. Most of them are worldly and even worse. I was trying to check out Francis Chan because I really don't know anything about him yet. Thanks for the info.

Denise said...

You are welcome wisdomseekerprov4. May the Lord continue to make things clear to us as we stay in His Word and test everything.

Mike Hagen said...

Denise,
Thank you for your heads up on Francis Chan. I will be looking further into this. I told my friend that we needed to find out more about "Crazy Love" because I've noticed that it's starting to ride what I call "the wave of Christiandom", meaning, every donomination likes its, embraces it, like they did "Purpose Driven :Life", "The Prayer of Jabez", etc. Do people not realize that when this happens...that something is SERIOUSLY wrong????

Denise said...

Mike you are very welcome. And I agree....when "everyone" is reading the book or seeing the movie (whatever it is), that is a red flag for me and I normally then refuse to jump onto the band wagon. If a book can appeal to a wide audience, it seems that it will be lacking in the Truth that divides, and instead appeals to the flesh. The fruit/results is also an indicator.The shallowness I've observed from Chan in particular is a serious concern. A true shepherd doesn't up and leave his flock because he's "restless". I fear the downgrade has begun.

Jenna G. said...

This is a wonderful blog. I too have definite concerns with the Francis Chan movement. In Crazy Love he quotes Henri Nouwen and Annie Dillard. He exalts the work of Shane Claiborne of the new monastic movement. Recently, in a interview with Christianity Today he said that Rob Bell's book Love Wins had some good things in it. This book is full of heresy! Very distubing. I've written a book review on Crazy Love. You can contact me at samandjenna@sympatico.ca if you would like a copy forwarded to you. Blessings to you, Jenna G.