e-Book Break Down the Walls Workbook: Experiencing Biblical Reconciliation and Unity download

"... we want to come alongside and assist every church in the country that names the name of Christ to accomplish three specific goals: ... [#3] to intentionally pursue reconciliation among Christians of different ethnic groups and churches. ... A church intentionally pursues racial and denominational reconciliation in the body of Christ by educating its members of the need for reconciliation and demonstrating it in action." (Bill McCartney, PK News, Sept. 97, [...]

In 1997, the "ministry" of Promise Keepers continues to emphasize helping men experience "racial and denominational reconciliation" in the body of Christ. Recently, an official PK small group "course" workbook was published to implement this goal, Break Down the Walls (Moody Press, 1997), co-authored by Raleigh Washington (PK VP of Reconciliation), his ministry partner in the inner city of Chicago, Glen Kehrein, and Claude V. King (coauthor of Henry Blackaby's, Experiencing God). Apparently in anticipation of its extensive use, many Christian bookstores around the nation are now heavily stocked with this workbook.

The workbook contains eight "principles of reconciliation" which Mr. Washington and Mr. Kehrein claim to have "forged in the context of" their "ministry partnership" involving "ministry experiences." If it sounds suspiciously like a pragmatic epistemology was at work in this "forging" rather than a careful study of the Bible, and that therefore these eight principles are merely the teachings of men, we need not worry, for according to Bill McCartney in the Foreword, "a number of years ago Promise Keepers began to articulate God's heart for reconciliation." He goes on to explain that "committing to become an active agent of reconciliation requires training" which the workbook is intended to give, so that the reader will "discover what God wants you to do."

This article will examine the three primary "memory verses" of Scripture which the authors employ to back up their foundational, "big picture" principle of the eight, that being of "call".

CALL: "We are all called to a ministry of reconciliation, and we are all commanded to be reconciled with our brothers across racial, cultural, and denominational lines."

2COR.5:19

The authors use 2Cor.5:19 as their "memory verse" for their "ministry of reconciliation." While the context would indicate that the only "reconciliation" in view is between God and man, the authors have taken liberty with this passage to justify their "ministry of reconciliation" between races, cultures, and denominations: "When you're right with God and others get right with God, you will experience right relationships with each other. ... When God adds members to the body of Christ, He wants them to be one in Christ. That requires that brothers in Christ live out reconciliation with each other as well ... the kind of relationship you have with those brothers is one of the best indicators of the quality of your relationship with God. If one isn't right, the other isn't, either." (56, 62,63).

In the reconciliation between God and man spoken of in 2Cor.5:18-20, the reconciliation is preceded by man's sin that alienated him from God, all of this occurring in the realm of reality. In the context of Promise Keepers however, PKers are also encouraged to "experience reconciliation" (10) with people of different races or cultures, often times people they have never met; no relationship between these individuals previously existed, and thus no sin ever had the chance to occur that would therefore necessitate any "reconciliation." How then can Promise Keepers expect the two to "experience reconciliation" going through the workbook together when no need for reconciliation exists in the first place? Promise Keepers appears to be motivating men with an artificial guilt for a fictional sin of "isolation" (8) in order to bring two individuals to a "vital relationship" - this is a "vital" part of PK's "ministry of reconciliation." But if the cause of making friends with Christians who are "different" is something the Bible teaches, 2Cor.5:18-20 isn't the passage that supports such a pursuit.

In their obsession with "reconciliation", Promise Keepers has completely ignored the biblical concept that false teachers and false doctrine are often the cause of division among Christians. For example, Paul warned the Ephesian elders for three years day and night with tears, "Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves." (Acts.20:30).

In the world of Promise Keepers, however, many "perverse things" have been transformed into mere "differences" or "other Christian traditions". Those Christians who separated from those (the Roman Catholic Church, Modernists) propagating an Eph.4:14 atmosphere to start their own local church or denomination founded on Scripture so that everyone in the group would have a chance to grow and serve God effectively according to His Word ... they are now being asked by Promise Keepers, under the auspices of "the heart of God for reconciliation," to "reach beyond all denominational barriers" and be reconciled to the false teachers and their deceived followers, "demonstrating biblical unity" to "a watching world." And what of those false teachers who spoke perverse things to draw away disciples after themselves, starting their own church or denomination (like the Vineyard)? Pk is asking men to "reconcile" with such folks as well, to actively go looking for such folks and go through this PK workbook with them to the end of "experiencing biblical reconciliation and unity."

The Bible actually teaches Christians to avoid (Rom.16:17) and cleanse oneself (2Tim.2:21) from those who cause division via their false doctrine. The Bible would also direct the Christian to rebuke such false teachings (2Tim.3:16); the ability to do such was a qualification which Titus was directed to base his appointment of elders upon (Titus 1:5-14). The Bible teaches that God wants Christians to be "simple concerning evil." (Rom.16:19). Being in an "accepting" and "committed" relationship with those propagating evil is not the way to become wise in what is good, but is rather the way to become wise in and deceived by what is evil!

But to obey such passages in the Bible that would command separation and rebuke is characterized by Promise Keepers as "a factional spirit that judges and condemns" (6). PK exhausts Roget's Thesaurus in compiling a list of 66 "fruit sins" those who have remained faithful to God's word are guilty of, including such terms as "faultfinding, anger, bitterness, critical spirit, malice, jealousy, independence, arrogance, fear, slander, keeping a record of wrongs," etc., and they then boil it down to three "root sins": "unbelief, rebellion, pride."

JOHN 17:23

PK has always waved the promise of worldwide revival before folks to bait them into embracing their "biblical unity" doctrine (cf. 10/95 CC, the book review of, The Awesome Power of Shared Beliefs, by E. Glenn Wagner, 1995). By far their most favorite passage to appeal to is John 17 (for an extensive examination of this passage, cf john17.html). In the workbook, they direct the reader to memorize John 17:23, which they associate with "complete unity" "for His people today. ... Jesus said the world would come to know he was God's Son by the unity displayed by His disciples. ... Biblical unity such as Jesus prayed for may be the best way we could reveal Christ to a watching world." (6).

In referring to this passage, Pk ignores several key things:

knowing and believing that the Father sent Jesus, although a good start, does not in and of itself save anyone, nor does knowing that the Father has loved Christ's disciples ("them") as He loves Christ save anyone, nor could Jesus have had the salvation of the world in mind in His prayer, since it distinguished the world from those whom the Father has given Christ out of the world, not to mention that Rev.13:8ff (cf. also Luke 18:8) does not exactly indicate that Christ will come back finding "the entire world knowing God's love";

since Jesus was praying according to His Father's will, when the prayer is answered, as the text indicates, all Christians will be involved, including those who have since "fallen asleep" (1Thess.4:15); PK's interpretation of John 17 on the other hand depends on 1990's Christians, and only 1990's Christians, being the subject of Jesus' prayer for oneness - such an "interpretation" cannot be justified from the text, and would thus not be an answer to Christ's prayer in John 17;

This oneness will be "perfect" - such a perfection of unity (also spoken of in Eph.4:13) is already scheduled to occur upon the resurrection/"rapture" of the Church, the very time God plans to gather together His Church (1Thess.4:17), both those who are in heaven, and which are on the earth (Eph.1:10). This is the only time that qualifies as the time Jesus' prayer in John 17 could be answered.

PK has it all backwards: They believe the prayer must be answered, that the Bride must be "without spot or blemish" (5), that the Bride must "make herself ready" (19), by the Bride complying with PK's "biblical unity" before Christ can come back, this despite the fact that so many of the Bride have died not having experienced the "biblical unity" PK says is required!

EPH.2:14

Eph.2:14 is another verse PK loves to twist, and they do not fail to twist it again in this workbook. The verse speaks of the breaking down of the wall of division which God Himself has erected between Jew and Gentile via the law of commandments (cf. Gal.2:15), as God said through Moses in the Pentateuch:

Lev 20:26 'And you shall be holy to Me, for I the LORD am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine.

Deut. 26:18 "Also today the LORD has proclaimed you to be His special people, just as He has promised you, that you should keep all His commandments,

While asking PKers to memorize Eph.2:14, PK has hijacked the "break down the wall" phrase from Eph.2:14 and has used it as a springboard to claim that God is interested in breaking down "the walls" in general, regardless if doing so would allow false teachers (such as PK leadership) to enter into local churches to lead Christians astray with their false doctrines.

CONCLUSION

The foundational "call" in PK's quest to "experience biblical reconciliation and unity in the Body of Christ" has nothing whatsoever to do with the passages in Scripture which they use to make their "call" look biblical. 2Cor.5:19 has nothing to do with a "ministry of reconciliation" involving races, cultures, or denominations, but rather deals exclusively with a reconciliation between God and man. John 17:23 has nothing to do with a "unity" the 1990's Church should expect will be attained by following PK's eight principles of reconciliation, but rather involves a unity that will be accomplished in all in the Church (who have lived since Acts 2) at the resurrection/"rapture". Eph.2:14 has nothing to do with "breaking down the walls" PK is attempting to "break down", but rather with the wall (singular) between Jew & Gentile which God built via the law of commandments, which wall Christ has now broken down in forming one new man, the Church.

We plead with PK leadership to respect the context of Scriptures, employing biblical verbiage in a biblical manner rather than hijacking the words of Scripture out of context to mean something different. The Promise Keeper who memorizes these verses is likely to associate what they have memorized with PK leadership's contrived "interpretation", deceiving the Promise Keeper in the process.

By far the best book on racial reconciliation. Clear and well written. It's
hard to put down.
The book is based on the author's actual experience with their church in
Chicago, which I've visited.
Don't miss this book. It's a must read.