'InterSpiritual Day' to Feature Panel of Religious Leaders

The head of a spiritual discernment ministry says two prominent emergent church leaders are participating in an ecumenical forum today in Seattle because they believe dialogue with Hindus, Buddhists, and Muslims will not only enrich their fellowship, but give them another view of Jesus the Bible doesn't give. 

Today marks the final day of the "Seeds of Compassion" gathering in Seattle. "InterSpiritual Day" will feature a panel of religious leaders discussing how to "nurture youth with spirituality." The panel includes the Dalai Lama, South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Muslim and Sikh scholars, as well as emergent church leaders Rob Bell and Doug Pagitt.

But the president of the Berean Call ministry, Tom McMahon, says he is not surprised Bell and Pagitt would take part in the interfaith event because emergent church writers argue they need to "reinvent" or "reimagine" Christianity in order to reach the young culture.

"They teach that you really can't understand the Bible, nor are you supposed to. Rather you need to experience it; it's not what God says, but how you feel about it; its content is to be received really subjectively or experientially." McMahon explains, adding that such teaching essentially rejects the authority of the Bible. "They believe that preaching or teaching Bible doctrines is too authoritarian, so they turn to conversation ... about the Bible -- and [in many emergent churches] that replaces teaching from the pulpit ...."

McMahon warns that the emerging church believes all religions contain some "truth" that is "beneficial" for Christianity, and toward that end embraces practices such as yoga, mystical rituals, and even the teachings of ancient Catholic mystics. He says they incorporate such practices because they believe that the "post-modern" is a "visual, active generation."