Brian Zahnd's false gospel is a core-level attack on Christianity, not mere theological disagreement

Winger argues that Zahnd's errors are not peripheral but strike at foundational Christian doctrines — penal substitutionary atonement, the inspiration and authority of Scripture, and the exclusivity of Christ. He characterizes Zahnd as a skilled rhetorician rather than a theologian, someone who uses language to confuse and manipulate rather than to engage honestly with the biblical text. Zahnd's influence is spreading in Missouri, Canada, and broader circles, with endorsements from Rachel Held Evans, Tony Jones, Walter Brueggemann, and Brian McLaren — all of whom Winger considers to have compromised the gospel by associating with Zahnd's work.