Paula

Charis,

I agree that evil in any form must be confronted. It may not be my business what God is doing with someone else, but it surely is my business to expose sin and stand against it. That’s why egalitarians have to speak up and not remain silent. Whether the message is received or rejected, we must speak the message. I will not defer to evil or sin in the naive hope that it will just go away. “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

Regarding emergent church, the same principles hold. If something is sinful or spiritually dangerous, and I do not speak out, that is surely sin on my part. I will not defer to evil, no matter how harmless it may appear, or how long its been practiced, or how many influential people say it’s okay. If it could possibly be just a “gray area” where Christians can disagree I wouldn’t say anything. But I know better, and have read a lot about it, and examined its roots.

My motives for both cases are the same: Warn people so they can escape a trap. I must speak the message regardless of how it is received, because I honor God more than my personal popularity or any kind of political or spiritual correctness. Such messages are offensive and confrontational. But that’s what “salt” does.