Steve Chalke: Heretic

Steve Chalke
Steve Chalke (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A few weeks ago Premier Christian Radio made available a series of discussions between Steve Chalke (Oasis Trust) and Andrew Wilson (New Frontiers Church). Not sure if they happened in one session but they have been released as four 30 minute discussions on ‘Did Jesus make mistakes’ ‘Violence of the OT’ ‘The Atonement’ & ‘Homosexuality’. I do not recommend these to anyone that is already struggling with doubts about the Biblical text or to any young or newly converted Christian. They are confusing. Wilson is helpful but not always. There were places in the discussion that were confrontational and they needed to be, but it all just seemed so pally. Especially when Chalke claims to be Biblical. I don’t advocate confrontation for the sake of it but Steve Chalke is dangerous – even heretical. I’m staggered that he is allowed to preach. But then after listening to ‘Fighting for the Faith’ for a little while nothing surprises me any more what is preached in the name of Jesus.

What I found rather irritating was Chalke’s Mantra that he loves Jesus and has a very high view of the Bible. I wonder who he’s trying to convince. He prefaces most of what he says with something like ‘but I believe these things because I have a high or higher view of the Bible – those other people haven’t thought about it as much as I have’. Or he simply appeals to his experience as being authoritative or ‘I love Jesus’ as if that settles the issue. It doesn’t. The love of God is in the context of the Cross of Christ and our need of Salvation.

One of the most telling comments was his description of homosexuals that came to his church. When Chalke looked at the list in Romans 1: 16-28 he realised none of the homosexuals in his Church fell into that category. They were loving committed homosexuals that love Jesus and wanted to serve in the church. What that tells me about Steve Chalke is that he not only has a seriously defective (read Heretical) doctrine of sin but makes me wonder if he actually knows what sin is at all! The fact is the list in Romans 1 applies to us all. Chalke has no understanding of the law of God or its application. If none of these descriptions apply to his homosexual congregation because they are so loving (BTW. They may well be loving people) then to whom do they apply. Obviously to the really bad people out there. Probably those nasty ‘Traditionalist non-loving homophobes’. The sad thing is – he’s not helping the homosexuals in his church but confirming them in their sinful rebellion against God.

This isn’t a minor side issue, a debate within Evangelicalism. Steve Chalke has placed himself outside historic Evangelicalism. This gets to the heart of the matter – the Gospel itself. Those that follow Steve Chalke down this path will in the end find there is no Gospel to believe any more. With no Gospel the Church has Nothing to say to the world at all and this completely undermines the finished work of Christ. Without the Gospel there is no hope. Praise God there is a Gospel and the message must not and cannot change because some media savvy personalities put themselves in the place of God. God has said ‘I will not share my Glory with another’. Ultimately this will end in failure and destruction. God will be seen to be true and the Gospel of the Grace of God will conquer all.

Why did Jesus need to die? If we are not all sinners in need of the grace of God to rescue us from the wrath to come – Jesus died for nothing. Steve Chalke has no Gospel. He needs to repent of his heresy and cast himself upon the mercy of God.

 

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