Author: Peter Smith (psmith@courier-journal.com)
Publication: The Courier-Journal
Date: March 1, 2005
URL: http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2005503010369
The Kentucky Baptist Convention
withdrew a speaking invitation to a well-known pastor and author after
his latest book raised the possibility that people could be saved without
becoming Christians.
The convention had promoted the
speech by Brian McLaren of Maryland at a two-day evangelism conference,
which concludes today at Valley View Baptist Church in Louisville.
But church leaders withdrew the
invitation late last month.
"I respect Dr. McLaren greatly and
have appreciated his insights on reaching people in today's culture," the
convention's executive director, Bill Mackey, said in a statement. But
he said McLaren's "position diverges too greatly to be appropriate for
this conference."
McLaren, pastor of Cedar Ridge Community
Church in Maryland, was listed in a recent Time magazine article as one
of America's 25 most influential evangelicals.
He is a leader of what is known
as the "emergent church" movement. In a book published last year, "A Generous
Orthodoxy," he described this as an effort to go beyond traditional labels
of liberal and conservative and find new methods to reach people who aren't
being reached by churches.
McLaren wrote that that not all
people may need to be Christians to be followers of Jesus. Some people,
he suggested, may be able to be "Buddhist . (or) Jewish or Hindu followers
of Jesus."
That statement was "clearly out
of line," said Kentucky Baptist Convention President Hershael York, a professor
at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. "The one thing Kentucky Baptists
agree about is the exclusivity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That means
Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation."
McLaren told The Associated Press
yesterday that the Kentucky Baptist officials were "polite and cordial"
in withdrawing the invitation and that he had "no hard feelings."
Jim Holladay, pastor of Lyndon Baptist
Church in Louisville, called the cancellation of McLaren's appearance "a
shame."
He said it's important to hear speakers
with different and sometimes challenging views.
