Zahnd's three-step method for dismantling orthodox Christianity and replacing it with his own version

Step 1: Construct a straw man — Zahnd presents the ugliest possible caricature of orthodox Christianity (the 'monster God,' the vengeful deity) and shames the listener for holding it. Step 2: Present an idol — after destroying the straw man, Zahnd offers his own theology as the only humane alternative. Step 3: Neutralize the Bible — since Scripture directly refutes Zahnd's theology, he must provide a new interpretive framework that allows him to sideline inconvenient texts. Winger identifies this same pattern in other teachers including Bill Johnson and Greg Boyd. Understanding the template equips people to recognize it regardless of which teacher employs it.