False Teachings: Dr. John Killinger

A friend sent me an email regarding an article titled, “CBF presenter questions Christ’s deity “. When I read through the article, I was floored! I wish that I could copy the entire article here, but that would be wrong… So, I will take some excerpts from the article for our discussion. I would highly recommend that you click the link and read the article in its entirety for yourself so that you get a complete and contextual idea of what was written. The picture to the left is of Dr. John Killinger, the speaker of which the article is written about.

Many of you are aware of the Ecumenical movement and the Emerging church movement and how they believe that we must “reinvent” the Christian faith (life), which means changing the true Word of God (Bible) to fit into their self-seeking, self-pleasing, humanistic point of view. If you are unaware of this movement, you can read about it at these links: Understand The Times, Slice Of Laodicea, A Little Leaven, Lighthouse Trails, Discernment Ministries also, if you would like more links, please visit my “Links” page.

These movements have caused quite the shake in the Church and are gaining momentum in some outrageous ways as of late. This article is just one more example of the heretical teachings that are creaping into the Church just as the Bible predicted would happen in the last days.

2 Peter 2:1 “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.”

2 Timothy 4:1-4 “I charge [thee] therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away [their] ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

 Dr. Killinger seems to look down on fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith, however, to be a true Christian… you must believe what it says in the Word of God on how to become a Christian… This is fundamental, correct? Otherwise you are just playing a game that has no true outcome of which you strive for, so that being said, what would be the use? Your effort would be in vain. The Word of God is an all or nothing sort of thing. Jesus Himself said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15) and also, “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love” (John 15:10). It is logical, don’t you agree, that in order to do what the Word says, you must believe what the Word says and then you get what the Word says… eternal life in the Lord’s love.

Now, lets take a look at some excerpts from the article…

Excerpt 1

“Doctrine isn’t the driving force to many people today” except “to the fundamentalists who insist on it,” Killinger said. “But doctrine is a thing of the past now religiously.”

Pastors can follow this cultural shift by preaching about Jesus’ human side rather than insisting that He was God and that He always existed, Killinger said.

This excerpt goes along with what I have stated in the previous paragraph as you can clearly see.

Excerpt 2

“I find from pastors a greater and greater reluctance to preach from the Gospel of John, which used to be the greatest pleasure for most preachers because John was so assertive about the incarnation and the role of Christ” versus “the tendency to go back to Mark and Matthew and Luke to see the more human side of Jesus, who was anointed at the time of His baptism to be the savior of Israel, but not necessarily to be the preexistent one that we find in John.”

The part of this excerpt that stands out the most is the very last phrase, which is underlined by me. I would like to share the following verse with you, which was written before Jesus, the man, came to earth.

Psalm 110:1 “The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.”

Also, Jesus clarified Himself to the scribes in the following statement:

Luke 20:41-44 “And he said unto them, How say they that Christ is David’s son? And David himself saith in the book of Psalms, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Till I make thine enemies thy footstool. David therefore calleth him Lord, how is he then his son?”

Now, how do we know for sure that it was Jesus, the Lord (as Jesus Himself claimed to be)? Well, lets take a look at the following:

Hebrews 1:13-14 “But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?”

This proves that it was not an angel which was spoken of. Lets continue…

Acts 2:34-36 “For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Until I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

Ah-ha! I think we have a winner! Jesus is the One! Is Dr. Killinger going to through out the book of Acts along with the book of John? If so, then how do we explain the Church being filled with the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit which they so love to claim? You can learn more about the exploited gifts of the Spirit by researching the Toronto Blessing, etc. from the links which were provided above.

Excerpt 3

“Jesus Himself has had a lot of things said in His behalf that He never intended. This is one of the things that’s going on today in biblical studies — and I think is much more promising than some of the fundamentalists will allow — is that we are questioning whether Jesus Himself said this or whether an institutional church that grew up in Jesus’ wake said this. This was the purpose of the so-called Jesus Seminar,” Killinger said.

Lets just take a look back at what Jesus said about Himself, shall we?

John 14:6-7 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.”

Then Jesus is questioned by Philip regarding what Jesus just told them and Jesus responds with:

John 14:9-10 “Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou [then], Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.”

This is why Dr. Killinger doesn’t want to hold to the doctrine in the book of John.  The book of John is to the point, direct, in your face or as Dr. Killinger stated, “assertive”.

Excerpt 4

“I’m just suggesting that I think we need to be a little less certain about what Jesus meant, what He was about, what His life and work were about. I think we’re reevaluating all that.”

For example, Jesus did not conceive of Himself as the Savior of the world and may not have viewed Himself a sacrifice at all until the crucifixion, Killinger said.

Again, please notate the underlined portion, emphasis mine. Now, lets take a look at some more scripture:

John 3:14-21 “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.”

 This as we can clearly see, is another reason why Dr. Killinger doesn’t want to pay attention/teach the book of John… it clearly states that Jesus IS the Savior. Jesus clarifies in the following verses:

Matthew 16:15-17 “He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.”

 The word “Christ” in the Greek is Χριστός which means:

 Christ = “anointed”

1) Christ was the Messiah, the Son of God

2) anointed

Dictionary.com determins Christ as a Messiah. It also clarifies a “Messiah” as a savior, deliverer, liberator.

 So, as we can see… whether by the Word of God (English, Greek, Hebrew) it all spells out that Jesus was, is and always will be the Savior of the World. 

Dr. Killinger goes on to state that he can read the book of John to himself and compares it to a “mystical” experience. This is classic Emergent phylosophy.  

Excerpt 5

Many CBF pastors agree with his views of salvation, Killinger said, citing an experience at a gathering of pastors in South Carolina. When he asked them what salvation meant to them, they all talked about self-fulfillment and love rather than doctrine, Killinger said.

The pastors also said they did not disbelieve in an afterlife but were not overly concerned about it, Killinger said. When asked whether they thought people of other world religions are going to hell, the pastors replied that they did not think in terms of heaven and hell, he said.

 I find it interesting that Pastors today are so not concerned about heaven and hell, yet Jesus cared enough to warn us all about it. (Please read the books of Matthew - John and the book of Revelation for specifics, for there are too many to list now).

Dr. Killinger goes on to attempt discrediting the book of Daniel and its prophetically acurate writings, stating that the book of Daniel “fibbed a lot”.

I have given you pretty much the gist of the article, however, I do recommend that you read it in its entirety. I hope that all of you will search out the scriptures and align everything with them, in the proper context, not withholding any books because of personal preference, as Dr. Killinger and others are trying to do. If these heretical teachers do not turn from their destructive ways, the Lord Himself will come unexpectedly with their just reward (condemnation), which they will not escape.

We are all accountable for what we influence others toward, so as watchmen on the wall… you have been warned. Now it is up to you what you will do with that, as you will be accountable for it.