Rev. Dr. Nice
Rev. Dr. Nice
Dear Dr. Schuller,
When thinking about well-known and great men who have faithfully proclaimed the gospel of Christ, men that come to mind are Calvin, Luther, Edwards, Whitefield, and others. What is distinctive about their preaching and proclaiming the gospel? They have proclaimed the true gospel given to us in Scripture. They have not added to nor taken from His Word. They have unfolded the words of the Bible that man is a fallen and sinful creature. They are not afraid to tell us that God is angry with sinners and will punish them eternally for those apart from Christ. These men have carefully pointed out that our sin is so great that we don't realize just how bad we are. We are sinners and sinfully muddy that fact. This is a deception of the worst kind. Not understanding this fatal flaw has lead to the many heresies throughout church history including Arminianism. The great men of the Reformation have consistently used the Scripture proofs to remind us of the sinfulness of sin, the extent of its damage on all creation, and that the only remedy is the true gospel written on the pages of the Bible, the very work of Jesus Christ.
You, like those great preachers I listed above, are also a well-known man. You have an audience of perhaps millions. You reach your audience through many forms of media such as television, radio, books etc. All of these forms have shown to be, at least to some degree, effective means of communication to the masses. However, you are communicating the WRONG message. You have long departed from the ranks of the Reformed and embraced psychology and humanism both of which are clearly evident in your ministry. You have taken theological terms and redefined them to support your false apologetic. Here are some examples of redefining words quoted from your book "Self-Esteem: The New Reformation." Sin by your definition is "Any human condition or act that robs God of glory by stripping one of His children of their right to divine dignity, that deep lack of trust that separates me from God and leaves me with a sense of shame and unworthiness, any act or thought that robs myself or another human being of his or her self-esteem." Being 'born again' is redefined as "we must be changed from a negative to a positive self-image, from inferiority to self-esteem, from fear to love, from doubt to trust." Salvation by your definition is "rescue from shame to glory, guilt to pride, fear to love, distrust to faith, hypocrisy to honesty. Hell is taught as "the loss of pride that naturally follows separation from God. A person is in hell when he has lost his self-esteem." These are unbiblical, heretical redefinitions that lead a person away from the truth taught in the Scriptures.
From your 1997 interview with Dr. Billy Graham:
Dr Schuller: "What I hear you saying [isj that it's possible for Jesus Christ to come into a human heart and soul and life, even if they've been born in darkness and have never had exposure to the Bible. Is that a correct interpretation of what you're saying?"
Dr. Graham: "Yes, it is, because I believe that. I've met people in various parts of the world in tribal situations, that they have never seen a Bible or heard of Jesus, but they've believed in their hearts that there was a God, and the have tried to live a life that was quite apart from the surrounding community in which they lived."
Dr. Schuller: "This is fantastic. I'm so thrilled to hear you say that. 'There's a wideness in God's mercy."
Dr. Graham: "There is. There definitely is."
You explicitly deny original sin. You have said, "Adam's sin should not be charged to his children." You have also said "the doctrine of sin is the reason why Christians have behaved so badly for the past two thousand years." According to your redefinition, the truth of inherited sin becomes this, that everyone is born with a negative self image, an inferiority complex that must be overcome. According to your "gospel" the truth of the cross is that the cross shows us how worthy every man is, for Jesus died for every man. He would not have died for unworthy people; therefore, everyone is shown, by the cross of Jesus Christ, to be good and worthy. ATROCIOUS!!! The jaws of hell are gaping wide open as you preach a gospel other than the once and for all delivered faith. You are among those, like the Galatians, who come preaching another gospel. He says that such should be damned.
You are selling to the consumerism, which our sinful culture loves to buy. Our culture wants to be told that they are good and if they have a problem it is a lack of self esteem which has caused this. Your "gospel" has married the spirit of the age, the perpetual craving to be gods and find our own path to the Tree of life by our own willing and running.
You think your gospel is nicer than the true gospel. The true gospel is the remedy for sin and punishment, but the gospel you preach is a cruel lie. Your consumers think they are buying salvation and they are buying condemnation. Your broadcasts cross land and sea, and once there, make your converts twice the children of hell that you already are.
Dr. Schuller I am writing this letter to make people aware of the errors of
your teaching. I am writing this letter knowing that God is sovereign and is
able to bring people, people not with esteem problems, but with sin problems,
to repentance. Romans 2:4 tells us not to presume upon God's patience, but
His kindness may lead to repentance. You have departed far from the orthodox
teaching of Christianity. You are leading many astray by your teaching. If
you repent, Dr. Schuller, it will be by grace alone.