| Introduction: A Look At The Teachings of Dr. Tony Campolo |
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by Ingrid Schlueter and Rev. Wayne Sedlak Next Page: Who Is Tony Campolo?
"Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart and not out of the mouth of the Lord. They say still unto them that despise me, the Lord hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you..." Jeremiah 23:16-17
Education is held in high regard in the church today. There are many Ph.D.'s and Th.D.'s among those who call themselves Christians. Despite this fact, a man by the name of Dr. Tony Campolo remains largely unchallenged by his evangelical academic peers. Certainly there are those who disagree with him, many who are squeamish about certain chapters of books he has written. But few so far have attempted to publicly speak out against the man's consistently unbiblical teachings. Those who have tried have met the wrath of the evangelical establishment media. They have been labeled as mindless legalists, intent on destroying those who don't agree with them. They are accused of embarking on a fundamentalist "jihad" with little regard for truth or accuracy. The result? There is cowardice in the tents of the faithful. It is time for those of us who believe in the absolute authority of God's Word to begin to wield the Sword of the Spirit, which is our only sure weapon against the prevailing deceits of our age. We believe that Tony Campolo has been deceived. As a result, he has become an enthusiastic purveyor of the same. Such deceits teach that you can have intellectual autonomy in the field of scholarship. They teach that it doesn't matter whether there is ethical conformity to God's Holy Precepts as long as you talk about a "relationship" with Jesus. These deceits further teach that one can support and encourage evil doers and still call oneself a follower of Christ. In accepting these deceits, Campolo has become a frontman for a movement that is at war with the clear dictates of God's Word. Tony Campolo is a communicator by profession. He has been prolific in his writing and speaking. He has become a public figure who calls himself a close personal friend of President Bill Clinton. The Christian public has thousands of pages of his writing, hours of video and countless speeches and sermons to weigh against God's standard, the Bible. In that Campolo has presented his views to the masses for public consumption, those views are open to public critique. The authors here are not interested in engaging in a personal attack, for these are not personal issues. We are responding to what has been publicly taught for years to hundreds of thousands of young people across America. His record speaks eloquently for itself. The following pages contain excerpts from the book, Renegade Prophet? A Look at the Teachings of Tony Campolo, which is to be released in the future.. We encourage those with any doubts to read Campolo's works in their entirety and compare them with the Word of God. We have carefully footnoted all quotes. We the authors have undertaken this project with a foundational belief that in Christ are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, (Colossians 2:3-8); that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom, (Proverbs 1:7); and that the knowledge of the holy is understanding, (Proverbs 9:10). We are motivated by our love for Jesus Christ and the knowledge that our Saviour has been shamed by the church's acceptance of false teaching. In addition, we are moved with grave concern when a popular teacher of young people openly admits that "...anyone who accuses me of violating the biblical message is correct." (See page 20) Such an admission should give strong cause for reconsidering the message being taught in the Name of Christ. May the Holy Spirit of God grant His discernment to hearts and minds as these important issues are addressed.
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