Unknown to his supporters, the respected pastor of Moody Church in Chicago, Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer, annuls key biblical texts with strange, unorthodox interpretations. By doing so, this modern evangelical icon promises paradise to the unrepentant and flatly opposes Moody founder Dwight Lyman Moody on the ABC's of salvation.
Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer, the esteemed pastor of Moody Memorial Church in Chicago, dilutes foundational passages of warning though masses of Moody supporters do not know it. Dr. Lutzer does so by promising the pearly gates to the apostate and in this plainly contradicts the founder of his own movement, D. L. Moody, on Christian basics.
Christians worldwide who otherwise extol much of Erwin W. Lutzer's instruction are not aware that their dear pastor and teacher (and his publisher Moody Press) has drifted far from the founding principles of D. L. Moody in general and of the Christian faith in particular. When these dear believers support Erwin Lutzer and Moody Press they believe that they are in step with historic Christianity as well as with the Moody name, is, however, such an assumption valid? To illustrate kindly read Galatians 5:19-21:
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. (Gal 5:19-21).
Such a text seems blatantly obvious without commentary, but I must ask: What do you think this warning to those practicing immorality and drunkenness means? That is, what does Paul intend by the phrase shall not inherit? "For if ye live after the flesh," says Paul in a similar text, "ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live." In keeping with thousands of years of Christian history, the apostle is clearly warning sinners about not entering the kingdom of God.
Interpreting these seemingly manifest passage Erwin W. Lutzer insists that, "Paul speaks of those who will forfeit certain kingdom privileges because of their sinful lifestyles....Those who practice such sins will not be barred from entering the kingdom, but will be barred from inheriting it" ( Lutzer, Your Eternal Reward, p. 70). Though many do not know it Erwin W. Lutzer guarantees streets of gold to unrepentant sinners who practice or are even characterized by immorality, idolatry or drunkenness! What devil does not do the same?
"If one or more of these sins characterizes their Christian lives, and they refuse to judge the evil, they will forfeit the honor of kingdom rule" (Lutzer, Your Eternal Reward, p. 70).
Refuses to judge the evil? Characterizes? To characterize, says Webster, is to be the distinctive character trait, or the distinguishing feature. Friend, may drunkenness be the distinguishing feature of a Christian inevitably bound for paradise? May the drunkard staggering from the local bar night after night be a Christian destined for an eternity in the holy kingdom of God? Dwight L. Moody, the man under whose name Dr. Lutzer's egregious notions are propagated, did not think so! Consider:
I pity any professed believers who rent their property for drinking saloons; I pity them from the deepest parts of my heart. If you ever expect to inherit the kingdom of God, give it up. This idea that all is well, and that all are going into the kingdom of God, whether they repent or not, is not taught in the Bible (D. L. Moody, Sermon: Heaven, Its Inhabitants).
Together with Paul and historic Christianity, D. L. Moody believed and taught that if we do not inherit the kingdom we surely do not enter it or even see it. Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer's unorthodox interpretation of Galatians 5:19-21 has given salvation assurance where none actually exists and it has strayed far from the scripturally vested opinions of the founder of his own movement. Though Erwin W. Lutzer, is a pastor and is published by "Moody Press" he does not accurately represent Mr. Moody or the scriptures. In our correspondence Pastor Lutzer did not respond to the fact that his teaching contradicts that of D. L. Moody on fundamental points.
Chuck Swindoll: Rewriting the Reformation
In his magnum opus, The Grace Awakening, Charles R. (Chuck) Swindoll sees himself as taking up "the torch of freedom" as wielded by protestant Reformers such as Martin Luther. In this he leads his readers to believe that by trusting his teaching in The Grace Awakening that they are being true to historic Reformation doctrines such as grace and faith alone, but is such the case?
Dr. Anthony T. Evans and The Carnal Christian
Bad doctrine has always crept into the Christian church. Among the believers of Paul's day men such as Hymenaeus and Philetus postulated ideas that Paul said "will eat as doth a canker" (2 Tim 2:17). In the modern Christian church one prevalent false teaching takes the form of a doctrinal half-breed known as the "carnal Christian."
Evans, Lutzer, Swindoll: An Evang-elastic Gospel
Preachers like Anthony T. (Tony) Evans or Charles R. (Chuck) Swindoll may appear to stand for truth and the Christian gospel, but if their teaching on salvation by grace allows a professing Christian to continue in willful rebellion against God’s moral law without fear, they destroy with one hand what they attempt to build with the other.
