James MacDonald: Loving darkness rather than light

James MacDonald has it seems kicked Chris Rosebrough and Erin Benziger out of Elephant Room 2. So much for "tolerance." This verse aptly describe MacDonald and company:

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” (John 3:19-21)

It is time to treat MacDonald as a pagan (cf Mt. 18: 17), since TGC (The Gospel Coalition) has apparently abdicated their responsibility to admonish erring brethren.

The most grievous thing about this episode is how irresponsible and unbiblical TGC has acted in this fiasco, especially the leaders Don Carson and Tim Keller. Sure, I am not surprised over their New Evangelical conduct. But it is very very sad to see how church leaders basically abdicated their responsibilities before God. Sometimes I really wonder: Do they really fear God more than Man? By not admonishing MacDonald and being so polite over his resignation, they are letting the wolves have a free hand with the sheep. The blood of those who will follow MacDonald into error and sin is in their hands, for they did not warn the sheep of MacDonald's action.

And at the end of seven days, the word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked person shall die for his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die for his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul. Again, if a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die. Because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin, and his righteous deeds that he has done shall not be remembered, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning, and you will have delivered your soul.” (Ezekiel 3:16-21)

As pastors and shepherds over God's flock, they have a responsibility to warn the sheep. It's sheer parochialism and a denial of the universal nature of the Church to wash one's hands over the matter by claiming that MacDonald is not in one's church neither are anyone who will fall into sin because of MacDonald's actions in one's church. One wonders then why they even bother about evangelism in the first place, since the same logic applies. This type of "local-church-centrism" should logically lead to isolationism, and the attitude of Cain toward the Lord — "Am I my brother's keeper?"

I oppose New Evangelicalism not only because it is doctrinally and practically aberrant, but because of its pastoral errors. People are being led astray by false teachers, and these shepherds are more interested in collegiality than the protection of the sheep. Shame on them!