As the Lord is pleased to increase my ministry and visibility regarding things Emergent at Apprising Ministries and now Christian Research Net I’m often asked if Donald Miller is part of the new cult of liberalism which is the Emergent Church. Yes, absolutely.

For example let’s take a quick look at the following from Mr. Miller. Are we really to believe this bit of “wisdom” from Donald Miller author of Blue Like Jazz was actually revealed God by the Holy Spirit:

If we hold that Jesus wanted us to “believe” certain ideas or “do” certain things in order to be a Christian, we are holding to heresy. In that bar on Hawthorne, I finished the last paragraph and felt a kind of sickness at the thought of whether or not I was telling the truth. But after further consideration, and after rewriting the book, I realized the formulaic version of Christianity was irrational, and for that matter, unbiblical. (Online source)

So would this be heresy in certain unbiblical things to believe like where Jesus says – “I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I Am the One I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins” (John 8:24). Or how about heresy in certain unbiblical things to do like where our Creator says – “anyone who does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me” (Matthew 10:38).

Hmmm, you know come to think of it that special night with Miller being in “that bar in Hawthorne” spirits just might have played a part in this teaching after all. And remember now, people can say they aren’t something all they want to, but it doesn’t make it so.

So just like Rob Bell and Erwin McManus who also insist they’re not Emergent, on the basis of all the evidence concerning Miller’s work and associations we must conclude Donald Miller and his lack of Christian character is as Emergent as they come. And remember:

If it looks Emergent, and it does; if it acts like Emergent, and it does; and if it sounds like Emergent, and it does…then it’s as Emergent as Tony Jones.