In this section the ideology that drives Keller’s theology is examined in light of scripture. It will be very helpful to listen to and read the warnings and wisdom of a true brother in Christ, Timothy Kauffman, before proceeding in this section.

Who is Timothy Kauffman?

Brief bio http://trivector.us/who-we-are/leadership-team

Brief testimony http://www.whitehorseblog.com/2014/02/03/from-the-heart/

The first two links below are radio interviews in 2 parts with Timothy Kauffman on the BTWN Network. Both interviews are invaluable presentations of the very real danger Keller poses to the church. It is near the end of the part 2 interview that I finally heard another believer state something I have known for several years now; Tim Keller is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Both interviews are quite lengthy, but well worth listening to in their entirety.

*I recommend viewing this 25.42 mins video presentation by Trevor Loudon before going forward in this section:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLKwA2En5a4

Kauffman interview part 1

SRR #12 | Interview with Timothy Kauffman Regarding Tim Keller, Hermeneutics, and More!

Kauffman interview part 2

SRR #15 | Discussion with Timothy Kauffman on Tim Keller, Hermeneutics, and False Teachers

This last link is an excellent critique by Timothy Kauffman on the false theology of Keller. It is a thorough examination (based on Keller’s own words and writings) of the Marxist ideology he promotes as Christianity.  This is a must read in understanding Keller.

Article  http://www.trinityfoundation.org/journal.php?id=301

Below is a link to an excellent summarized and brief history on the invasion of Cultural Marxism into the visible church:  https://docsandlin.com/2018/08/31/evangelicals-and-the-encroachment-of-cultural-marxism-by-ardel-b-caneday/

Tim Keller on the Root Cause of “Our Cultural Tension”

Below is a summary of Keller’s lecture regarding the root cause of our cultural tension (individualism) and the dire need to move people toward a more collective (marxist) understanding of human existence as the means of restoring order and building self esteem. But God’s word reveals a very different “root cause”:

This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.  Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.  John 3:19-20

1. a decision on a disputed issue in a civil or criminal case or an inquest:

   synonyms: judgment · adjudication · decision · finding · ruling · decree · resolution · pronouncement · conclusion ·  determination

According to the Holy Spirit via the Apostle John, the verdict is in and it is settled- man’s problem is sin. Sin produces a great love of self – love of self has produced the “self esteem” concept – the self esteem concept opposes the Lord’s commandment to die to self (1 Cor 5:31). In his book, The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness, Keller touts Madonna as one who really has it together with regard to her self awareness! The excerpts below from Dr. E S Williams’ review of Keller’s book expose his man-centered concept of self :

“To support this concept of ‘ego’, Keller reveals his “admiration” for Madonna as an example of one who “shows a tremendous amount of self-awareness.” (p21) More ominously, he recasts the teaching of Paul as showing “how the gospel…transformed his sense of self-worth, his sense of self-regard and his identity” and how “his ego operates…now.” (p23) According to Keller, Paul wanted all to know “the verdict that he is a somebody.” Keller twists Scripture in an attempt to make it say that Paul has “discovered that sense of self, that sense of identity.” (p28)…”

Therapeutic foolishness abounds as he describes a “transformed” Paul whose “sins and… identity are not connected…He does not see a sin and let it destroy his sense of identity.” (p30) “His ego is not puffed up, it is filled up” (p31); he now is a “somebody”. Cloaked in this urbane language, Keller sees mankind in the same old way as the Christian psychologists of the past thirty years; that man has an empty love tank needing to be filled. When that magical filling has occurred, the ego is just like our toes. “It just works…the toes just work; the ego just works.” (p33)(Excerpts (posted by thereformedtraveler)

Why would a professing pastor put so much emphasis on the importance of self-esteem and self-awareness?

Death to self does not negate the biblical teaching of a godly, individual self interest that produces personally responsible, hard working individuals. There is no shortage of godly people in scripture blessed with material wealth; scripture never condemns wealth until a person makes it their god.

Before viewing the clip it will be helpful to note Keller’s sources of “truth” in this video presentation- the teachings and ideas of both men are a constant presence in Keller’s theology-a quick summary below:

1. Dr. Charles Margrave Taylor- Roman Catholic communitarian and philosopher, Wikipedia lists the greatest influences on Taylor’s thinking as follows:

• Influences
  Aristotle,Plato, Hegel, Marx, Tocqueville,Merleau-Ponty, Weber, Durkheim, Wittgenstein,M. Polanyi, Ricoeur, Heidegger, James,Dreyfus, Bell, Lasch, Lipovetsky^[1]

2. Robert Neelly Bellah – American sociologist, and Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley. While an undergraduate at Harvard, Bellah was a member of the Communist Party USA and a chairman of the John Reed Club, “a recognized student organization concerned with the study of Marxism“. During the summer of 1954, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard, McGeorge Bundy, who later served as a national security adviser to John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, threatened to withdraw Bellah’s graduate student fellowship if he did not provide the names of his former club associates. Bellah was also interrogated by the Boston office of the FBI with the same purpose. As a result, Bellah and his family spent two years in Canada, where he was awarded a post-doctoral fellowship at the Islamic Institute in McGill University in Montreal. He returned to Harvard after McCarthyism declined due to the death of its main instigator senator Joseph McCarthy.
   Bellah’s magnum opus, Religion in Human Evolution (2011), traces the biological and cultural origins of religion and the interplay between the two. Bellah is also known for his 1985 book Habits of the Heart, which discusses religion as it contributes to and detracts from America’s common good.

*Note that this lecture was given at Redeemer’s Center for Faith and Work initiative- it is titled “Beyond Collaboration: Discovering the Communal Nature of Calling”.

Video excerpt – Tim Keller on the root cause of cultural tension (31.18 minutes)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTxJ6HIh0U0

Pastor Keller’s lecture regarding that which ails the world bears no mention of sin, no reference to scripture and not a word regarding man’s deeply depraved state and dire need of repentance before a Holy God.  Repentance is mentioned only once- when he tells his audience the church needs to repent for their individualism because it has resulted in the church’s failure to solve the world’s problems.  At the heart of Keller’s “gospel” is the idea that the Great Commission is a call to social action; salvation is a collective event that serves the purpose of cultural renewal and the church’s “commission” is social justice; which is to solve the world’s social problems and eradicate poverty. Once this is understood you gain a real understanding of his redefinition of the church as an organized community of diverse people (not limited to believers in Christ) with different faith backgrounds and moral beliefs coming together in service to their communities for the common good of humanity, primarily by means of redistribution of wealth- otherwise known as Marxism.

“From the moment when individual property can no longer be transformed into bourgeois property, into capital, from that moment, you say, individuality vanishes. You must, therefore, confess that by “individual” you mean no other person than the bourgeois, than the middle-class owner of property. This person must, indeed, be swept out of the way, and made impossible.”   (Karl Marx & Friedrich Engles 1848 Communist Manifesto Chapter II)

social justice noun
Justice in terms of the redistribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. The concept of social justice, a phrase widely believed to be coined by the catholic, Jesuit priest Luigi Taparelli, is often referred to as a person’s right to receive what is due them from society.

Liberation Theology:  a movement in Christian theology which conveys the teachings of Jesus Christ in terms of a liberation from unjust economic, political, or social conditions. It has been described by proponents as an interpretation of the Christian faith through the suffering of the economically poor, their struggle and hope, and a critique of society and the Catholic faith and Christianity through the eyes of the poor. Liberation Theology is understood by detractors as Christianity corrupted by Marxism and Communism.

Through decades of books, counseling and public education, secular humanistic psychology’s “self esteem” concept birthed a movement, which produced the modern day entitlement mentality that in turn has produced the progressive cry for “social justice”, which is clearly defined in scripture as envy and covetousness. Tim Keller and others like him have been quite successful at “Christianizing” this ideology, but the Bible simply does not allow for this, as any & all generosity toward the poor in scripture is only portrayed as a voluntary act of mercy & charity:

Charity – the voluntary giving of help, typically in the form of money, to those in need.

Mercy – an undeserved act of compassion.

Scripture knows nothing of the progressive cry for social justice, defined as that which is “owed” to people. Nothing is “owed” to anyone. Nothing is “due” anyone. In scripture it is only charity- only mercy. We must remember that the moment the word “justice” is invoked it ceases to be charity.

And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made?  For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her. And Jesus said, Let her alone; why do you criticize her? she hath wrought a good work on me.  For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will, ye may do them good: but me ye have not always.      (Mark 14:4-7)

Please note the Lord’s clear statement that in a sinful, corrupt world there will always be poor people among us- and don’t miss His use of the term “ye will” with regard to helping those in need. If it is not an act of the free will that derives from the heart it is not of God.  Tim Keller’s collectivist, Marxist and redistributive schemes of eradicating poverty in pursuit of Utopia are in total opposition to scripture. And please note that in scripture these acts of mercy are always extended to the truly “downtrodden”, not the lazy, irresponsible, entitlement minded people that permeate today’s society. The masses of unemployed people crowding the homeless shelters are getting younger and younger. Paul warns us, “if a man not work, let him not eat” (2 Thess 3:10). It is important to note that all “beggars” recorded in scripture are blind, crippled, deaf or afflicted with a debilitating condition, such as a leper, and therefore incapable of self-sustainment. Search the scriptures and you will never see the Lord’s people aiding and abetting the sinful, irresponsible behavior of able-bodied people- some of whom have families they have abandoned in favor of a more carefree, nomadic life- whereby food, shelter and clothing are readily available to them, compliments of the local “church.” I think of a quote by the late Vance Havner, who said:

“If they had a social gospel in the days of the prodigal son, somebody would have given him a bed and a sandwich and he never would have gone home!”

It is vitally important for all believers to remember specifically what drove the prodigal son to his knees in a deep state of conviction over the destructive consequences of his sinful choices; extreme hunger, to the point of near starvation! The result is a beautiful picture of a grievously heartfelt repentance:

¹⁴ And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. ¹⁵ And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. ¹⁶ And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. ¹⁷ And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! ¹⁸ I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, ¹⁹ And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
Luke 15:14-19

Have you noticed that when an obstacle is put in front of an ant, say a rock or a deep crater, they do not sit down and dissolve into a session of self-pity? When circumstances block their path, they simply keep going. Whether they take a route around or over that obstacle, they just keep moving tirelessly toward their goal. They do not give up…Ever.    (source: learn.eartheasy.com)

Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
Proverbs 6:6-9

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Below is an excellent video critique of Keller’s Marxist ideology and affections for the Frankfurt School of Marxism by Dr. E.S. Williams:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3MjiW8ib1E

Link below to Dr. Williams’ complete website:

http://www.newcalvinist.com/

A constant theme of Keller’s sermons, conference speeches and essays is the subject of work and labor. While it is true that believers are to do everything to the glory of God and this would surely include our work, I have never seen or heard such an obsession with career and the workplace in the church. The Redeemer church network has established multiple workplace related “ministries”; from The Center for Faith and Work (CFW) to The Faith and Work Institute (through Keller’s Gospel Coalition), you will find that his network is deeply concerned with shaping society’s understanding of work and the labor force. There are countless online sermons and speeches in which Keller devotes an entire presentation to the subject. This obsession is evident in many of his books, such as “Every Good Enveavor: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work”.  This was quite curious to me and as I continued to research his beliefs and teachings a definite pattern emerged, as outlined below:

-Open criticism of free-market Capitalism

-Frequent references to and promotion of Karl Marx and many other communist thinkers in his teachings

-Frequent references to and promotion of Liberation Theology and its proponents in his teachings

-Heavily promotes socialistic, progressive Catholic philosophers

-Open support for the ideology of the Frankfurt School of Marxism (Germany)

-Constant call for social justice in his teachings (and church website mission statement)

-Multiple “work” related ministries in his Redeemer network

-Constantly distorts scripture to fit his progressive, political ideology

-Heavily promotes Jesus the social revolutionary narrative touting social justice as the Great Commission.

Another curious aspect of Keller’s “ministry” is the regularity of his involvement in official public policy discussions with various government or policy driven organizations such as the Council on Foreign Relations (May 19, 2011) and the Ethics and Public Policy Center (March 17, 2013). He even had two official appointments at the White House during the Obama presidency in April 2011 and November 2013, though as a spiritual advisor to the former president there could have been more unlogged visits. (link to WH visitor log http://white-house-logs.insidegov.com/d/a/Tim-Keller )

As I researched it was impossible to miss the fact that Keller’s “theology” mirrors the ideology of many others throughout history who shared his vision of a “just”, utopian society:

“The common good before the individual good.”  (Adolph Hitler, The Nazi 25-point Programme February 24, 1920 Munich)  German chancellor Nazi party leader 1933-1945. Millions were murdered by Hitler’s Nazi regime, Jewish-Polish-Serbian-Russian, as well as untold numbers of handicapped and disabled German citizens through the Nazi euthanasia program Aktion T4.

“In a higher phase of communist society, after the enslaving subordination of the individual to the division of labor, and therewith also the antithesis between mental and physical labor, has vanished; after labor has become not only a means of life but life’s prime want; after the productive forces have also increased with the all-around development of the individual, and all the springs of co-operative wealth flow more abundantly—only then can society inscribe on its banners: “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs!”
(Karl Marx- Critique of the Gotha Program 1875)
German revolutionary socialist and author of The Communist Manifesto- forced his family to live a destitute life of poverty , whereby 4 of his 7 children died young from poverty related illnesses. 2 of the 3 that made it to adulthood would later commit suicide. He is widely believed to have been deeply entrenched into satanic occultism.

“Because it seems inseparable from the social idea and we do not believe that there could ever exist a state with lasting inner health if it is not built on internal social justice, and so we have joined forces with this knowledge. Socialism as the final concept of duty, the ethical duty of work, not just for oneself but also for one’s fellow man’s sake, and above all the principle: Common good before own good!”  (Adolph Hitler August 15, 1920 speech in Munich at the Hofbrauhaus)

“My object in life is to dethrone God and destroy capitalism.”  (Karl Marx The Communist Manifesto 1848)

“As the result of the accumulation of much labor, capital being accumulated labor; as the result, therefore, of the fact that more and more of his products are being taken away from the worker, that to an increasing extent his own labor confronts him as another man’s property and that the means of his existence and his activity are increasingly concentrated in the hands of the capitalist.”  (Karl Marx, Wages of Labor 1844)

“The Communists disdain to conceal their views and aims. They openly declare that their ends can be attained only by the forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions. Let the ruling classes tremble at a Communistic revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win!”  (Karl Marx- The Communist Manifesto 1848)

“Attention must be devoted principally to raising the workers to the level of revolutionaries. One of the basic conditions for the victory of socialism is the arming of the workers and the disarming of the bourgeoisie (the middle class); the goal of socialism is communism.”
(Vladimir Lenin  1904)   Russian communist revolutionary, leader Russian Communist Party and Marxist Ideologue – Untold millions were killed under his regime from 1917 to 1924.

“I honor Lenin as a man who completely sacrificed himself and devoted all his energy to the realization of social justice. I do not consider his methods practical, but one thing is certain: men of his type are the guardians and restorers of humanity.”   (Albert Einstein)  German theoretical physicist, committed socialist and agnostic with a pantheistic “gods” view.

“If you wish to live exactly as you please, the Angkar will put aside a “small piece of land” (grave) for you and if you have a disease of the old society, take a dose of Lenin as medication.”  (Pol Pot)  1963 Cambodian genocide communist party leader Angkar Khmer Rouge  1.7 million people killed under his regime

“As an intellectual I have never wanted anything other than social justice for my countrymen.”   (Khieu Samphan)  1975 Communist crusader and high ranking member Angkar Khmer Rouge on the Cambodian genocide in the name of income equality and social injustice – 1.7 million killed

“Mankind is divided into rich and poor, into property owners and the exploited, and to abstract oneself from this fundamental division and from the antagonism between poor and rich means abstracting oneself from fundamental facts.”
(Joseph Stalin)   Communist dictator Soviet Union from the mid-1920s until his death in 1953. Ideologically he was a Marxist-Leninist. An estimated 40+ million people were killed by the Stalin regime in labor camps, the gulag and maniacal military prisons.

“When we hang the capitalist, they will sell us the rope we use!”  (Joseph Stalin)

“Capitalism as a whole will now be destroyed, the whole people will now be free. We are not fighting Jewish or Christian capitalism, we are fighting very capitalism: we are making the people completely free.”  (Adolph Hitler April 12, 1922  Munich speech)

“Fascism accepts individualism only insofar as the individual’s interests coincides with the state.” (Benito Mussolini 1923)   Italian dictator and leader of the National Fascist Party 1922-1943,  He founded Italian fascism and killed 300,000+ people in Ethiopian and Yugoslavian genocide

“Capitalism has neither the capacity, morality, or the ethics to solve the problems of poverty. We must establish a new world order based on justice and equity to restore peace.”  (Fidel Castro)  Cuban communist revolutionary and politician who governed the Republic of Cuba as Prime Minister from 1959 to 1976 and then as President from 1976 to 2008,  Adopting a Marxist-Leninist model of development, Castro forcibly converted a democratic Cuba into a one-party, socialist state under Communist Party rule, resulting in widespread poverty. 30,000+ communist dissidents are believed to have been killed and many more imprisoned by the Castro regime.

“It’s not my fault if reality is Marxist. The merit of Marx is that he suddenly produces a qualitative change in the history of social thought. He interprets history, understands its dynamic, predicts the future, but in addition to predicting it he expresses a revolutionary concept: the world must not only be interpreted, it must be transformed. As Marxists we have maintained that a peaceful coexistence among nations does not include coexistence between exploiters and the exploited.”  (Che Guevara)  Revolutionary-  Ernesto “Che” Guevara was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary and major figure of the Cuban Revolution- As Treasury Secretary under Fidel Castro’s regime he had a chance to put into practice his economic vision—his idea of social justice—as head of the National Bank of Cuba and of the Department of Industry of the National Institute of Agrarian Reform at the end of 1959, and, starting in early 1961, as minister of industry. The period in which Guevara was in charge of most of the Cuban economy saw the near-collapse of sugar production, the failure of industrialization, and the introduction of rationing—all this in what had been one of Latin America’s most economically successful countries. Castro would later appoint Guevara as Chief Operating Officer of the regime’s political prisons where he would execute 14,000+ communist dissidents. Geuvara also murdered untold hundreds, even thousands, of political opponents, as well as extensive involvement in criminal activity to financially support “the revolution.”

“Socialist revolution aims at liberating the productive work force. The changeover from individual to socialist, and from capitalist to collective and socialist ownership in private industry and commerce is bound to bring about a tremendous liberation of the productive work force.”
(Mao Tse Tung  1956)   Chinese communist revolutionary who ruled as the Chairman of the Communist Party of China from its establishment in 1949 until his death in 1976.  His theories and political policies are collectively known as Maoism or Marxist-Leninism.  Estimated 40+ million people died in a famine under the impoverished Marxist policies of his regime, as well as his anti-capitalistic genocide of the Tibetans.

“Youth should learn to think and act as a mass. It is criminal to think as individuals.  (Che Guevara)

“My nostrils dilate while savoring the acrid odor of gunpowder and blood… Crazy with fury I will stain my rifle red while slaughtering any surrendered enemy that falls in my hands! With the deaths of my enemies I prepare my being for the sacred fight and join the triumphant proletariat with a bestial howl! I don’t care if I fall as long as someone else picks up my gun and keeps on shooting!”   (Che Guevara)

“I’ve always considered Christ to be one of the greatest revolutionaries in the history of humanity.”   (Fidel Castro)

Keller shares Castro’s view of Jesus, as he continually touts his “Jesus the social revolutionary” narrative in his teachings, articles and books. This narrative is especially dominant in his book “Generous Justice”, which is really nothing more than a Marxist manifesto cleverly cloaked in Christian language. Below is an excerpt from Keller’s article based on a sermon titled “Life in an Upside-Down Kingdom” that clearly illustrates Keller’s upside-down theology regarding  Jesus, His mission and His gospel.

If you were a revolutionary or wanted to bring in a new kingdom or new administration, you were a hunted man. So you would hide out in the mountains. Just as the revolutionaries hide in the mountains, so Jesus Christ goes to the mountains: He is bringing about a revolution. He is a subversive. In the first verse of His sermon, He says, “I am coming to bring a new administration. I’m coming to bring a kingdom, a new kingdom to replace the old kingdom” (v. 20). Now, when you understand what He says this kingdom is, you realize that every other revolutionary who ever lived was really just trying to make small, fine tunings to the old kingdom, to rework or reshuffle it. Jesus Christ brings the most radical revolution because the pattern of values, power, and product of His kingdom are utterly different. Riches and poverty are really a matter of power so if this world is all there is, and if working for injustice means losing my job, my reputation, or my life, then I won’t do it. But if I have a blessedness and I can leap for joy because of my standing in heaven now, I see my standing in heaven. That means I can work against injustice. Is the gospel really for the literally poor? The answer is there’s a deliberate duality or ambiguity. The gospel will grab middle-class people. The gospel will take Christians and turn their hearts toward the poor. Whereas, the gospel will also take the poor and turn their hearts toward the rest of Christians. The poor know that salvation has to be by grace. You never find the poor having a very nice ethical religion. The poor tend to say, “I believe in the blood of Jesus. I believe in salvation by grace.” Why? Because they don’t have the illusion of being in control of their lives; that the reason you’re on top of things is because you worked so hard. The poor know that everything is a matter of grace; therefore, the poor are more open to the gospel. But the gospel will take a middle-class person and say, “You are saved by grace alone,” and will turn their heart toward the poor.       article link    http://www.newcityindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/Upside-Down-Kingdom.Tim-Keller.pdf

³⁶ “Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.”  John 18:36

Below is the mission statement from the website of Keller’s Redeemer Presbyterian church, New York City:

Our Vision

The Redeemer family of churches and ministries exist to help build a great city for all people through a movement of the gospel that brings personal conversion, community formation, social justice, and cultural renewal to New York City and, through it, the world.

Below is a link to a presentation by Dr. Robert Klenck who has done extensive research on “consensus thinking” and the compromise that has infiltrated the church via the Hegelian Dialectic process; a method introduced by German philosopher Georg William Friedrich Hegel. The idea is to move people away from deeply held personal convictions into a more universally acceptable “truth”, thereby redefining truth altogether. Tim Keller has been wildly successful with this method.

Who is Dr. Robert Klenck?

Brief biography  https://health.usnews.com/doctors/robert-klenck-858962

Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich

Hegel’s philosophy slowly moves people away from divisive beliefs and deep convictions via a “process.” The method has been widely used in business and the public school system curriculum for decades but is now a widespread method in the church- especially in the so-called “church growth” movement via books, conferences and other related material. The idea is to promote unity and group harmony via relationship building– this quest for peace quickly begins to trump Truth because Truth is divisive. The goal is consensus; everyone feels their opinion is important, thereby dismissing any and all dissent to avoid any and all division in the church. The enormous success of this method inside the church is largely fueled by the constant cry to use whatever means necessary to get as many “unbelievers” as possible into the church; the mix of people who may hold strong convictions vs. the unconverted who hold to a secular, politically correct worldview will surely produce many opportunities for “compromise.”  Many well meaning church leaders are easy prey, as they scramble to get the latest insights on how to “grow” their churches. But they are using dangerous, worldly methods and this abandonment of scripture has led to an opportunity: And our adversary never misses an opportunity.

I personally witnessed this method in a church I attended for many years- two separate incidents are illustrated below:

Firstly, I was asked to join a new “assimilation” committee designed to focus on ways to attract and assimilate newcomers. Elite parking spaces had already been reserved for “visitors” and they were in the process of painting the white sanctuary a warmer, more inviting color, as well as totally revamping the vestibule to create a more comfortable, welcoming feel. It is worth mentioning that the sanctuary did not need the very expensive paint job. Also, the walls of the vestibule in this church were lined with fairly large, lovely framed pictures (or a sketch) of every man that had pastored this church since its founding in 1785; what a rich history that really made an impression when one walked into this church, but the assimilation committee by and large wanted them removed. I expressed a soft protest to a couple of people that day and I’m really not sure what became of the pictures, or if they were returned to the vestibule after the paint job. But it was when the Sunday school classes were divided into age groups and completely re-constructed as “a time of fellowship” that I had to ask if there would be any teaching at all…I was told: “Yes, but this will be more a time of fellowship to be centered around “relationship building.” That is a direct quote.

Secondly, I attended a meeting about a new method of outreach via small group Bible study that was introduced to us as a “conducive” Bible study. The buzzword was “consensus”, as we were told that the idea was to move away from one authoritative figure leading the study (that would be an elder, the only person the Bible permits to teach and lead) to “group leadership” which would promote an “inclusive feeling” among all participants. We were even told never to address controversial matters like evolution, as that could surely be offensive to some, and therefore divisive.

CONDUCIVE:
(adjective)- something designed to make a certain outcome likely or possible
synonymns – favorable to – beneficial to – advantageous to – opportune to 

Link to video presentation by Dr. Robert Klenck
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJxUUaJjUTc&t=7641s

“Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on, five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three.”
Luke 12:51-52

Still skeptical of such conspiratorial nonsense? Well, consider this:

Below is a link to a brief but very telling article written by a pastor regarding “the mission” of the church. It best illustrates the result of a mind that (by his own admission) has been saturated in the theology of Tim Keller.  Nothing in this dreadful article has anything to do with the gospel, or Christ’s commission to believers to “preach the gospel to every creature”.

http://www.goodmanson.com/church/gospel-centered-entrepreneurship/

Below is a link to a sermon at Keller’s Redeemer NYC campus illustrating his Marxist, social gospel that he claims is “especially” for the materially poor; it is a typical sermon for Keller but it sounds much more like a progressive, political stump speech.  Keller’s misrepresentation of scripture is staggering in this sermon, as he tells us that “disadvantaged blacks and minorities join gangs, commit crimes and use drugs because they have no choice”; scripture knows nothing of such a claim, but instead attributes any and all such behavior to a corrupt heart that loves the darkness (Jer 17:9, John 3:19). Note that the various links I have obtained online to this particular sermon have been disabled or made private several times by the Gospel for Life wing of Keller’s Redeemer Presbyterian Church network. If this link has been disabled but you wish to hear the sermon, search the web for “blessed are the poor Tim Keller/6457” and you should land on a “live” link.   https://www.acast.com/timothykellersermonspodcastbygospelinlife/blessed-are-the-poor

Social equality for the Negro is a major slogan of the Communists. They use it on the one hand to mislead the Negro American thereby exempting him from any sense of personal responsibility while on the other hand creating anxieties and fears among white Americans- they do this to better exploit both racial groups. The past was to be forgotten in the face of “a need for a common front against the white oppressors.” At the root of all racial unrest is the clammy, cold, bloody hand of Communism.  Manning Johnson (Communist Party USA defector) from his book “Color, Communism and Common Sense”  1958

“And the beggar gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said, silver and gold have I none; but such as I have I give thee: “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.”  And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.”     (Acts 3:5-8)

Contrast the above verse from scripture with the below tweet by Keller:

If you wish to share your faith with needy people and do nothing about their painful conditions, you will fail to show them Christ’s beauty.

— Tim Keller Wisdom (@DailyKeller) September 23, 2018

Jonathan Cousar (former member of Keller’s church) has written a thorough critique of Keller’s false, social gospel- link below.
https://gospelmasquerade.com/tim-kellers-social-justice/

Paul Fahy (Understanding Ministries-UK) has written a great overall critique of the false theology of Tim Keller- link below.
http://www.understanding-ministries.com/docs/Tim%20Keller%20%20Whats%20so%20wrong.pdf

It is important to note that though Marx hated religion he did not consider it a force to be defeated, but instead an institution that could easily be infiltrated and manipulated into submission, as he pointed out regarding the heretical Roman Catholic church:

“Nothing is easier than to give Christian asceticism a Socialist tinge. Has not Christianity declaimed against private property, against marriage, against the State? Has it not preached in the place of these, charity and poverty, celibacy and mortification of the flesh, monastic life and Mother Church? Christian Socialism is but the holy water with which the priest consecrates the heart-burnings of the aristocrat.”  (Karl Marx & Friedrich Engles 1848 Communist Manifesto Chapter III)

The Apostle Paul to the church in Thessalonica:

For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. It was not because we do not have authority to do so, but to give you in ourselves an example to follow. For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.  If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed.  (2 Thessalonians 3:7-14)

Once the tactic of infiltrating religious organizations was set the actual mechanics of implementing the “new line” was a question of following the general experiences of the living church movement in Russia, where the Communists discovered that the destruction of religion could proceed much faster through infiltration of the church by Communist agents operating within the church itself.  The Communist leadership in the United States realized that the infiltration tactic in this country would have to adapt itself to American conditions and the religious make-up peculiar to this country. In the earliest stages it was determined that with only small forces available it would be necessary to concentrate Communist agents in the seminaries and divinity schools. The practical conclusion drawn by the Red leaders was that these institutions would make it possible for a small Communist minority to influence the ideology of future clergymen.  In general, the idea was to divert the emphasis of clerical thinking from the spiritual to the material and political—Instead of emphasis towards the spiritual and matters of the soul, the new and heavy emphasis was to deal with those matters which, in the main, led toward the Communist program of “immediate demands” [or “felt needs”].  This infiltration into seminaries was expedited by the use of considerable forces the Communists had in educational institutions which were eligible for hire by divinity organizations. The plan was to make the seminaries the neck of a funnel through which thousands of potential clergymen would issue forth, carrying with them, in varying degrees, an ideology: this policy was successful beyond even Communist expectations and was executed with great success among large elements of American church life. Communists operating a double-pronged infiltration, both through elements of Communist clergy and Communist laymen, managed to pervert and weaken entire strata of religious life in the United States. In the early 1930’s the Communists instructed thousands of their members to rejoin their ancestral religious groups and to operate in cells designed to infiltrate the churches.  The devil was sick—an angel he would be!
Manning Johnson (Communist Party USA defector) excerpts from his testimony to The Committee on Un-American Activities – House of Representatives, 83rd Congress, First Session July 7 and 8, and July 13 and 14, 1953

http://www.crossroad.to/Quotes/communism/communism.htm  link to Congressional testimony excerpts

Karl Marx is historically presented as an atheist but there is overwhelming evidence that he was actually a satanist, heavily involved in occult practices. Though there is an abundance of research on the matter, one of the most reliable sources on the subject is communist prisoner Richard Wurmbrand’s book titled MARX & SATAN.

This is not an endorsement of Wurmbrand’s theological beliefs, as I have not researched the topic and I wholly reject what appears to be an acceptance of Catholicism as Christianity in the book. I only recommend his research and testimony on the issue of occultic satanism within Marxist and communist circles. Based on the writings of the Marxists and communists themselves, it has become more an more apparent in the last few decades that their ideology is steeped not so much in unbelief as it is a deep hatred of God. The back cover of the book reads as follows:

Wurmbrand’s book issues a strong warning to the church not to be fooled by the “love thy neighbor” façade of Christianized Marxism. This book is an excellent resource in understanding the theology of Dr. Tim Keller.

“Whatever account we may give, however, of the power of the world’s thought over Christian men, it seems pretty clear that the “concessive” attitude which leads men to accept the tenets which have originated elsewhere than in the Scriptures as the foundation of their thinking, and to bend Scripture into some sort of conciliation with them, is the ruling spirit of our time, which may, therefore, be said to be dominated by the very spirit of error in which a perversion of Christianity arises. In a time deeply marked by “concession,” at all levels, it is worth our while to remember on the one hand that concession is the high road to heresy.”

B.B. Warfield  (1851-1921)