Click here for the Shouts of Joy Ministries website
   
   

Click here to learn what 'masihiyyoon' means  
At the "Jesus in the Quran" Conference held at Christ the Rock Community Church (CTR) this past August, a series of ideas were taught to a number of young people considering the mission field; some staff at CTR; and a number of people interested in ministering to Muslims who attend a variety of churches here in the Fox Valley and surrounding area. These ideas are highly controversial at best. After much research I found that the Emergent Church and some larger Evangelical Churches have been embracing these ideas for the past few years. Locally, for the past two years, CTR has been involved with ministers teaching similar concepts to the "Jesus in the Quran" movement. Janet Lenz, Saharawi Director at CTR, has plans to have the "Jesus in the Quran" people join them on their next trip to Africa this November.

In 2007 the Lord had spoken to me about "pigeonholing" Christianity with Islam and how leaders in the Church would begin to do this by breaking down  the  line  of  demarcation between the two belief systems.
He said that He hated this. He then, this July, told me to post this prophecy publicly so I did so on my Shouts of Joy Ministries Facebook Group. It was in mid August that a long time member of CTR contacted me and informed me that CTR was in fact hosting a conference similar to the one that some members had previously attended in Minnesota. There were concerns and questions posed regarding what was taught so this member began to research the "Jesus in the Quran" / "Common Ground" information. Shortly thereafter she found the prophecy titled "Christianity and Islam" on the Facebook Group and contacted me. After attending the conference at CTR herself she gave me an audio recording of the entire event.

Pastor Tim Snell and I have taken a number of points that were taught in this particular conference and listed them below in short form for those who do not like to read lengthy articles. We have posted the full version below this article for those who want a more in depth look. First, there is a letter to the Body of Christ in the Fox Valley from Pastor Tim Snell. Next is his summary of the unbiblical points found in the "Jesus in the Quran" conference, where he has posted audio clips from the conference at CTR so that you can hear for yourself what was actually said in its context.   He has tried to get at least three audio quotes for
 
each point. Then is what the CTR leaders are saying about the conference. And lastly, from Pastor Tim, are questions that he suggests members of CTR ask their leaders. Finally is an article written by Douglas Pirkey that is a theological refutation of elements of C5 Contextualization as taught at the "Jesus in the Quran" Conference.
Unbiblical Ideas Taught at the CTR "Jesus in the Quran" Conference in August 2009:

  1. Muslims don't need to become Christians (or even leave Islam), nor should we ask them to. They can remain Muslims and simply "discover Jesus" in Islam. We should not convert Muslims. God wants people to "remain" in their current religious context.


  2. The Kingdom of God is not uniquely Christian (or even covenantal as in God's fulfillment of his covenant with the Jews), but equally draws from various faiths:  Christian, Muslim, etc.


  3. Muslims who have "discovered Jesus within Islam," since they are encouraged to remain Muslim, can continue to hold to the Muslim profession of faith, the Shahada, which says, "There is no God but Allah and Mohammad is God's prophet." (This in spite of the fact that Mohammed's "revelation" of Jesus included the denial of His divinity, death, burial and resurrection.)


  4. The Quran is a holy book which these believers should continue to look to, along with the Bible, in order to "discover this Jesus."


  5. Mohammed may be, in fact, a true prophet of God (some think he is and some think he isn't) and it is up to each conference participant to decide. Participants at the conference were encouraged to prayerfully consider if, in fact, Mohammad was a true prophet after all. Quotes in the workbook handed out specifically state that Mohammad is in fact a prophet.
The following Sunday after hearing this heretical teaching Pastor Bill Lenz made this comment,

"...the training was just absolutely excellent."

(Click here to listen to the comment in its context.) After hearing Bill's comment about the teaching I was shocked. How could he, a man of God who believes in the orthodox tenets of the faith, hear this pigeonholing of the gospel and say that it was excellent? How can the elders of CTR defend this teaching, much less allow it to be used in their mission work? They are accountable for this and so I am assuming have heard it and have either disagreed and remained silent or have taken it in without checking it with biblical teaching and are supporting it. Either way their reactions are not biblical. Like Paul does in the second book of Timothy and in Galatians, those promoting false teaching need to be publicly spoken to, the heresy addressed, and the ones following it prayed for and gently instructed.

As this issue develops in the Fox Valley and God has His way in cleaning up the Church before He brings an outpouring of His Spirit, let us not forget that our enemy is the devil, not each other. We are seeking truth, obedience, the headship of Christ, and the repentance of our brothers; all of this to glorify the One who is worthy. We put before you what we believe to be true, biblical, and our responsibility as followers of Jesus Christ.

Joie Pirkey
Shouts of Joy Ministries

Click here for Catalog of Prophecies regarding 'Not Allowing Christ to be the Head.'

 
   
   

   
Dear Body of Christ,

The Apostle Paul, in giving his young protégé Timothy the charge to 'preach the Word...in season and out of season' speaks about a time when sound Biblical teaching will be discarded:

  • For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.  2 Timothy 4:3-4
 
Jude faced a similar situation in his day as teachers from right within the church introduced false teachings.

  • Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.  Jude 1:3
Today, more than ever before, the truth is under attack and the church must be vigilant. Postmoderism advocates reducing truth to nothing but a point of view. Relativism goes a step further and throws the idea of truth away completely. 'Your truth is your truth, and my truth is my truth' they say, but 'please don't rock the boat.' This has become the prevailing philosophy of many and 'tolerance' is the doctrinal measuring stick that holds it together.

Sadly, today these philosophies are even creeping into the church. The line between truth and falsehood is often being blurred and Biblical truth set aside.

One such example of this is the growing embrace of what is often called the 'Common Ground' teaching (also called C5, 'The Insider's Movement,' and 'Jesus in the Quran' depending on the group doing the teaching). This teaching advocates that we should not seek to convert Muslims to Christianity, but rather help them find Jesus 'inside of Islam.' Here, the church is functionally reduced to a non-important 'religious identity' which can be discarded, Jesus is no longer referenced as the 'Son of God,' and the Quran is still a book to look to for enlightenment and guidance. Furthermore these 'messianic Muslims' are told it is fine to believe Mohammad was a prophet (even though he denied the divinity, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus), are encouraged to pray to Allah within the context of the teaching of the Quran, and say the Shahada (the Muslim profession of faith).

Such teachings should alarm any of us who are followers of the Lord Jesus! What is next? Can you imagine church leaders advocating we let all people discover Jesus in the context of each of their own false religions? Where would it stop? 'Mormon followers of Jesus who follow Jesus through the book of Mormon,' or 'Hindu followers of Jesus who worship idols' or maybe even 'Wiccan followers of Jesus who continue in witchcraft'?

I'm reminded of the verse in 2 Kings 17:33 where the God condemns the blending of authentic faith with false religions:

  • They worshiped the Lord, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought.  2 Kings 17:33
I bring this up because this teaching has come to us in Northeastern Wisconsin very recently. In August of this year, Christ the Rock Community Church from Appleton hosted a 'Jesus in the Quran' conference which taught the Common Ground teaching.

I have been able to go through and listen to the entire audio of the conference. It was worse than I feared. At the end of it I wept for the darkness the body of Christ had been exposed to, all under the guise of being something 'godly and good.' To make matters worse, the day following, the Pastor at Christ the Rock church described the teaching given at the conference as 'Just absolutely excellent.'

As a minister of the gospel, I am deeply concerned about this teaching. I am deeply troubled for the damage such false teaching could have upon the body of Christ for our area. I know many other Pastors in the Valley are concerned as well.

Below you will find a summary of the teaching of the conference along with quotes directly from those doing the presenting. You will also find a list of questions which may be helpful as you talk to those leaders advocating or hosting such teaching. I share this so the body of Christ can be warned. Jesus will not give His glory to another, nor will He abandon headship of His church... but the truth must be contended for as Jude tells us. We simply cannot stand aside when significant falsehood is introduced.

My prayer is that God will be glorified and the Bride purified as we stand strong, side by side, defending the truth of the gospel for which Jesus gave His very life. May God bless you as you follow Him!

In Christ's Love,

Pastor Tim Snell
Christ's Church of the Valley
Appleton, WI.
www.ccvappleton.com


A Summary of the Teaching at
the "Common Ground" (C5) Conference
held at Christ the Rock Community Church
on
August 21-22, 2009
 
by Tim Snell

  1. Muslims don't need to become Christians (or even leave Islam), nor should we ask them to. They can remain Muslims and simply "discover Jesus" in Islam. We should not convert Muslims. God wants people to "remain" in their current religious context.

    2.
    • "Our goal in the morning, we lay out a foundation for the Kingdom of God. We become really clear about what we are doing when we are trying to talk about our faith or sharing our faith: that it's the message of the Kingdom of God, that we're not interested in any Muslim converting to Christianity..."    (Listen here.)

    • "So for us Jesus is the only way. Now, that may or may not mean you have to change your religious identity."     (Listen here.)

    • Telling of a 16 year old who was accepting Jesus under the "Common Ground" (C5) Strategy:

      • When he met Christians, they told him to leave Islam. But he didn't want to. He met the speaker of this conference. This man (the speaker) "He [God] made you Muslim. Why were you born in a Muslim family?"     (Listen here.)

        "I said, 'It seems to me like what you should be doing now that you know Christ is remaining where you are.' I said, 'You know what, we have enough Christians in our church. We don't need you, but your family does.'"     (Listen here.)

        "And that's what he did. He went home. He's the youngest of four brothers. He went home and basically what he did; an example, basically he went home; this is what we teach them to do; He goes home, and he tells his father, he says 'Yeah, something's happened to me in my life and now I really understand what you've been trying to teach me since I was a little kid. ... You know how you've been reading the Quran... And I've been reading it and studying it and I've discovered the message of who Jesus really is. And I've heard all the (arguments) because that's what the Quran tells me to do. And I'm a good Muslim. ... Thank you Dad.' ... That's what they are trained to say; they're not ashamed of that."     (Listen here.)

    • From Another Story

      • But she could never go back home, because she was already an outcast, already on the fringe of her community, and we didn't understand the principles we are teaching you here. It was that big 'convert' understanding, and she would have ripped up. And how could we ask that of her?"     (Listen here.)

      • "Then I'll say to her ... I said, 'You know what? I never want you to come over here [to Christianity] and I hope you'll never ask me to come over here [to be a Muslim]. But together we can study the holy books and find the secret of that straight path into the Kingdom."     (Listen here.)

    • From Yet Another Story

      • "And my friend (someone's name) loved the part about the Messiah but she couldn't agree with all this other stuff. It was from "the Bible is corrupt" point of view." [a reference to the perspective of the Muslim and why she couldn't agree with the statement of faith because she believed the Bible was corrupt.]     (Listen here.)

      • So when the speaker at the conference gets a hold of her, she reiterates that she won't ask her to be a Christian, ever. "So I went into it ... unlike the other lady's message, I said, 'I'm never going to ask you to come over to my circle [of Christianity]. Never."     (Listen here.)

  2. The Kingdom of God is redefined. The Kingdom of God is not uniquely Christian (or even covenantal as in God's fulfillment of his covenant with the Jews), but equally draws from various faiths:  Christian, Muslim, etc. The C5 strategy, in light of this theology, could potentially be adapted for other faith groups as well, such as Mormons. (A similar diagram can be found on the "Jesus in the Quran" website at http://www.jesusinthequran.org/?cat=11).
    3.
    • "God is radically at work amongst both the Christians and the Muslims drawing them together in His kingdom."     (Listen here.)

    • A diagram drawn by the presenter (to the right), p 24 of the workbook

    • Describing what they say to a Muslim who says they really are committed to following Allah (but has not accepted Christ)... "So I'll say, 'You've already started on that straight path. You've already stepped into the Kingdom.'"     (Listen here.)
    • "This is the Kingdom of God, right here, right in this room. We have a Jewish follower of Jesus sitting with a Muslim follower of Jesus, and a Christian follower of Jesus."     (Listen here.)
  1. Muslims who have "discovered Jesus within Islam," since they are encouraged to remain Muslim, can continue to hold to the Muslim profession of faith, the Shahada, which says that there is no God but Allah and Mohammad is God's prophet. (This in spite of the fact that Mohammed's "revelation" of Jesus included the denial of His divinity, death, burial and resurrection.)

    • "'Was Mohammad a messenger that pointed our people toward Jesus?' And we say, 'Yes.' And they all said, 'Yeah, we can say that. We can stand up anywhere before God and say that that was the first person that pointed us toward Jesus.' ... And so they felt like, 'Yeah, we think we can stand up and say the Shahada in public before God.'"     (Listen here.)

  2. Christians should be careful in presenting Jesus as the "Son of God" as this would be offensive to Muslims.

    3.
    • "We were in the furniture store and we were talking to this guy who was Jordanian and there were actually seven Muslims working in that store, and he just – boom: 'Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God?' And I said, 'No.' ... He said, 'Well what do you believe?' I said, "Well here's what I believe who Jesus is. Jesus is the Word of God, He is the mercy of God, and He is the beloved, not ..., but beloved of God, the soul of God, the spirit of God.' And the guy says, 'Wow!' He said, 'Are you Muslim?' And I said, 'No, I'm Christian, but this is what our book says, that's what He is."     (Listen here.)

  3. The Quran is a book which these believers should continue to look to, along with the Bible, in order to "discover this Jesus."

    4.
    • "Now this afternoon we are going to look into and spend some time with the Quran and see what it really says, and how the Quran lays out a straight path for a Muslim to walk on."     (Listen here.)

  4. Mohammed may be, in fact, a true prophet of God (some think he is and some think he isn't) and it is up to each conference participant to decide. Participants at the conference were encouraged to prayerfully consider if, in fact, Mohammad was a true prophet after all.

    5.
    • The speaker presenting his view: "And the final little piece of it would go, 'Was Mohammad a messenger of God?' I'll leave that to you to determine. Something you should wrestle with, think about, ponder. Think about, thoughout the Bible, how many different people God used, of different backgrounds, different – sometimes unsuspecting – cultures and positions. I mean God spoke through all kinds of different people throughout the Bible. And so I'll let you guys figure out what you think about that."     (Listen here.)

    • But the workbook left little doubt where they wanted the students to go. Here is how the workbook asked and answered the question of how to see Mohammad – no other written qualification was given:

      • "So...was Mohammad a messenger of God?

      • 'My own judgment is that I see Mohammad as an authentic prophet of God, even though like other prophets after the time of our Lord, neither morally perfect nor doctrinally infallible.' --Richard Henry Drummond, Islam for the Western Mind: Understanding Muhammad and the Koran (2005)" p. 45 of the workbook.

    • At the very least participants were encouraged to view Mohammad positively. Mohammad was always portrayed positively, even from a spiritual perspective in the conference. There was no consideration of whether he might be, in fact, a false prophet.

      • "But when we talk about Mohammad, we need to be able, as Peter tells us, to have in our hearts things that actually honor him."     (Listen here.)

      • "I've heard a number of quotes from Christians who just dishonor Mohammad. And scripture, honestly, doesn't give us space to do that."    (Listen here.)

What Are CTR's Leaders Saying and Thinking Regarding "Jesus in the Quran," "Common Ground" and the C5 contextualization Strategy They Presented?

  1. "A couple years ago a friend of ours who is a professor at Bethel Seminary introduced us to some people from an organization called 'Common Ground.' And the ministry of Common Ground has vast experience in working among Muslims and reaching them for Christ. And they have really helped us in thinking through how to effectively engage Muslims and how to influence them to become followers of the Lord Jesus. And there are some people from a church in Atlanta, Georgia called Grace Fellowship Church that have gotten some training from Common Ground, who have lived out that training on the field, who were here Friday and Saturday doing some training with some of our people, with some of our leaders, that are involved in the Muslim world. And the training was just absolutely excellent."

    • Bill Lenz on the Sunday morning following the Jesus in the Quran (C5) conference as he shares with the CTR body about the conference.   (Listen here.)

  2. "And we are excited to see what God's going to do in the future. That the, uhm, the "Jesus and the Quran" Material and the broader Common Ground training came to us at that present time as God was leading us into their spiritual world, uhm, to help us not totally mess it up."

    • Janet Lenz speaking at the Jesus in the Quran Conference, presenting CTR's approach in using the Common Ground strategy in their ministry to the Saharawi people.  8/22/09   (Listen here.)

  3. "We didn't come here to convert anyone. We're trying to open up conversation so we can better love our fellow man."

  4. I (Pastor Tim Snell) personally called the office of "Jesus in the Quran" (the people who did the training at CTR) on 9/17/09 and asked them if they have or are currently working with CTR in their work with the Saharawi people in Northern Africa. They confirmed they are currently working with CTR in their outreach to the Saharawi people using this approach, have in the past "for several months," and plan to work with them directly on the field in November 2009. This confirms what both Bill and Janet themselves have said.


  5. "The seminar was taught by a few key leaders and missionaries from a church in Atlanta, Georgia called Grace Fellowship Church.... Another organization that does similar training is called Common Ground."

    • Bill Lenz on the 2nd Sunday morning following the Jesus in the Quran (C5) conference as he shares with the CTR body and attempts to further explain the conference.   (Listen here.)

Questions to Ask Leaders Who Advocate or Practice "Common Ground" Teaching

Questions about Belief:
  1. "Common Ground" / "Jesus in the Quran" teaches we should encourage Muslims not to convert to Christianity, but "follow Jesus" within the context of Islam? Do you believe this teaching is okay?
  2. Do you believe God is drawing Christians and Muslims equally into the Kingdom of God, as is presented by those who hold to this teaching?
  3. Since this perspective is promoted by those within Common Ground movement, do you believe it is okay for "messianic Muslims" to look to Mohammad as a true prophet/messenger from God even though he denies Christ's divinity, death, burial and resurrection?
  4. Do you believe it is okay for "messianic Muslims" to continue to pray to Allah as he is revealed in the Quran?
  5. Common Ground and Jesus in the Quran teach that it is fine for Muslim followers of Jesus to say the Shahada which states, "There is no God but Allah and Mohammad is his prophet." Do you believe this is okay?
Questions about Practice:
  1. Does our church hold to or practice ANY of the teaching of "Common Ground" or "Jesus in the Quran?"
  2. Why did our church host a conference promoting these teachings?
  3. What is our church's current relationship to those who promote and practice these teachings? Have we had any past relationship? If so, for how long? Do we have any ongoing or future relationship (such as mission's trips where this teaching will be used, or these groups will be involved?)
  4. Which leaders from our church were at the conference? Did any leader stand up and object to this teaching at the conference?
  5. Why has our church praised this teaching?
  6. (If anyone besides leaders received this training...) Why were young people training for short term missions [or the appropriate group who received the training] exposed to this teaching?
  7. Will you as a leader publicly repudiate this teaching to our church body?
  8. Will you as a leader repudiate this teaching to all those who attended the conference through a letter or some other means?
  9. Will our church cut off all ties with those who practice and advocate this teaching? If so, when?

 
   
   
 
    
Refutation of the Teaching at
the "Common Ground" (C5) Conference
held at
Christ the Rock Community Church
 
by Douglas Pirkey

 
The attitude of church leadership during the late first century and early second century toward that period's purveyors of deception was one of intense disagreement. The church father, Ignatius, bishop of Antioch in Syria who was martyred in c. 115 A.D. said the following: "Avoid heretics like wild beasts; for they are mad dogs biting secretly. You must be on your guard against them; their bite is not easily cured." (Bettenson 55)  So I write this refutation of representative elements of what was taught this past August at the Common Ground conference hosted by Christ the Rock Community Church in Menasha, Wisconsin.

------

    From the "Common Ground" (C5) Conference held at CTR:
    "Our goal in the morning, we lay out a foundation for the Kingdom of God. We become really clear about what we are doing when we are trying to talk about our faith or sharing our faith: that it's the message of the Kingdom of God, that we're not interested in any Muslim converting to Christianity because that wasn't Jesus's way and it was an old message."
With immediacy upon considering the quote above my mind flooded with John 3.1-15. "We're not interested in converting", as the quote puts it, is clearly in conflict with what Jesus says in verse three: "...unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God"(English Standard Version). Note Nicodemus' reaction. He asks, "How can a man be born when he is old?" The word "born" (γεννάω) means figuratively, of the influence exerted by one person on another. (Bauer 155) Scripture here makes clear that indeed conversion should be our interest and it was Jesus who makes that very point. In John 7.50 Nicodemus' sympathy for Jesus is scorned by his fellow Pharisees, and then, later, with Joseph of Arimathea, he assists with the body, brings seventy-five pounds of spices, and helps with Jesus' burial. In some sense, Nicodemus did not remain a Pharisee but did things out of character and contrary to the typical pharisaical attitudes and actions recorded in the Gospel of John.

To refute further the Common Grounders' teaching that one need not leave his religion to follow Jesus I turn to Galatians, chapter one: "...there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ." (v. 7)

The Apostle Paul in this letter lays out his defense of the Gospel defending it from the hypocrisy of some Jewish Christians. Peter, a Jew, while not in the presence of those other Jews, lives free of the Jewish religion but when those other Jews come around, not only does he revert he pressures gentile Christians to adopt the legalism of the Jewish religion. (2.12,13) Note the rebuke in verses fifteen and following of the Apostle Peter by the Apostle Paul:

    "We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified....For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God."
Here Paul says that it is through the law and its inability to make us justified before God that the ultimacy of faith in Jesus Christ is understood. Note what he says proves him to be a "transgressor," the rebuilding of what he has torn down. Transgressor (παραβάτης) is a term used mostly for "warrior" or "foot soldier," infantry beside the charioteer. (Bauer 612)  The image conveys the idea of battle, and within the immediate context Paul is saying that to rebuild the religion he left is to fight against Christ and the gospel. Common Grounders are transgressors; they intentionally build Islam in the lives of Muslims: "God made you Muslim. Why were you born in a Muslim family?" That is what a leader in this heretical movement told a sixteen year old boy when the boy complained to the leader that some Christians had said he should leave Islam. The leader went on to say, "You know what, we have enough Christians in our church. We don't need you, but your family does." This man was rebuilding, preventing the demolition of Islam, and ultimately fighting against Christ. The dialogue went on to say that the boy went home and declared to his father, "I'm a good Muslim." But the effect of true allegiance to Christ was prophesied by Jesus:

  • "I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother...." (Luke 12.49-53)
When Luke writes "from now on" (v. 52) he is using freight-filled vernacular, the connotation of crisis that would pertain to even family relationships. Think of the crisis of faith with its implications as recorded by the Apostle Mark:

    "And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it....For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.'" (8.34, ff.)
The cross, the symbol of the ultimate form of Roman capital punishment that was inherently unclean to the Jew, was scandalously offensive when associated with the Messiah. Yet this was the crisis that Jesus imposed on the minds of his hearers. Think of it: that which to the Jews was anathema was the symbol of their only hope! Not only did Jesus not minimize the symbolic impact of the cross, he maximized it by using it to show the Jews just how objectionable, problematic, and radical the life of his follower would be. Compare and contrast the Common Grounders' disregard for conversion, their allegiance to Islam and indifference to the gospel, and their prioritization of temporal relationships over that of the radical relationship called for by the Son of God.

------

    From the "Common Ground" (C5) Conference held at CTR:
    "The Kingdom of God is redefined. The Kingdom of God is not uniquely Christian (or even covenantal as in God's fulfillment of his covenant with the Jews), but equally draws from various faiths:  Christian, Muslim, etc. The C5 strategy, in light of this theology, could potentially be adapted for other faith groups as well, such as Mormons."
The Common Grounders are attempting to redefine for the church the Kingdom of God. By doing this, not only are they violating the biblical teaching, they are usurping leadership, posing as authorized by Christ. While preparing to address this point the Lord highlighted a verse I was reading that is Old Covenant background to the verse I was studying, so I include its significance. In Matthew's gospel Jesus says to the disciples about those who believe in Jesus but are vulnerable in their child-like trust and dependence upon leadership, "...but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea." (18.1, ff.)  Malachi, calling for the repentance of a corrupt priesthood (2.8), identifies the covenant of Levi, hearkening back to the time of Moses when
    "...the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel." (Numbers 25.1, ff.)
The Bible goes on to say that Phinehas "turned back my wrath from the people of Israel in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy." Before Phinehas made atonement for the people the Lord had called for the hanging of all the chiefs of Israel. Who were the chiefs but the leaders of the people. It is leadership through whom Common Grounders disseminate their deception, like a farmer broadcasting mingled seed. Note that, in the Parable of the Weeds, it was while they slept that the enemy came and sowed the weed seed. In Jesus' explanation of this parable he identifies the weeds as "...the sons of the evil one...." (Mt.13.24-30; 38)  We must not sleep!

The following is a quote from the same conference held at Christ the Rock Community Church: "This is the kingdom of God, right here, right here in this room. We have a Jewish follower of Jesus sitting with a Muslim follower of Jesus, and a Christian follower of Jesus." The above is thoroughgoing heresy! The conference presenter had illustrated in a workbook a diagram of this conception. Below is a facsimile of it.


Those who teach this conception are irresponsibly philosophizing at best or intentionally misrepresenting the Word of God. The following is what they said in the conference they say to a Muslim that is committed to following Allah but has not accepted Christ:
    "So I'll say, 'You've already started on that straight path. You've already stepped into the Kingdom.'"
The quote corresponds with the diagram in that this theology equalizes Islam with the church. But this is not a biblical conception of the Kingdom of God and its entry. Note the phrase "straight path" that the conference presenter used in his description. How, and by what path, has the Muslim entered God's kingdom? By following Allah? So then, according to his premise, it is equally tenable to say that an adherent committed to any religion has also entered the Kingdom. Nothing could be further from the truth!

"Truly, truly I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber." (John 10.1)  Jesus explains this verse in verses six and following: "The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." (v.10)  The Greek words translated "thief" and "robber" are κλέπτης and ληστης. The former "implies subtlety and trickery"; the latter "connotes violence and plundering." (Tenney 107)  Jesus is referencing the leadership of Israel and how, after the death of Herod the Great (4 B.C.), there had been so many who had attempted to assume the nation's leadership and overthrow the Roman occupation, factions violently contending for political power. (Tenney 108)  There had been much political intrigue and militancy, and Jesus was teaching the people that he was not a "thief" or "robber." The theological subtlety and violence of the model of C5 contextualization that was taught in the conference is exactly the kind of violation that Scripture is here condemning. It is as if the Common Grounders believe that the theological expedience of redefining biblical truth is, in and of itself, the wresting away of the Kingdom! Many are being deceived!

"The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1.15)  This is THE proclamation of Jesus' ministry! It is the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, his death and resurrection, and faith in him that stands as the entry to the Kingdom! And whose kingdom is it?
    "They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful." (Revelation 17.14)

Holy Bible; English Standard Version; 2007

Bauer, Walter; A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature; The University of Chicago Press, 1957

Bettenson, Henry; Documents of the Christian Church; Oxford University Press, 1963

Tenney, Merrill C.; The Expositor's Bible Commentary (The Gospel of John); Gaebelein, Frank E., General Editor; Zondervan, 1973

Conference Quotes are from a conferee's audio recording of the Common Ground Conference hosted by Christ The Rock Community Church in Menasha, Wisconsin, August 21 and 22, 2009.

The Kingdom diagram is a facsimile that I created myself of the Common Ground conference workbook diagram.