In order to understand Erwin McManus one must visit some of the many webpages associated with him and his MOSAIC church and ministry. What follows is a whirlwind tour of the various websites where one can learn more about this Southern Baptist pastor. He isn’t just “doing church.” This is a disturbing look into the new face of what used to be a fundamentalist denomination.
The new face of fundamentalism looks Jungian, mystical, futuristic and dominionist. Leaving behind the biblical doctrine of separation, it goes far beyond the neoevangelicals who merely accommodated themselves to the culture. This church of the future seeks to actually change the culture. But not by Scriptures. By metaphors, myths, images and activating the “divine potential of every human being.” (See previous two posts.)
NOTE: Each of these webpages below is interlinked with other webpages, but one often cannot get to things directly and openly. Follow the links from one page to another to unravel this man’s beliefs, activities, and associations. This is just a few highlights. To really grasp the implications of this, visit these pages and see the incredible graphic images, and follow the links yourself.
Today’s whirlwind tour of Erwin McManus reminds us of the game “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?” We challenge the tourista to find anything more than a veiled or token reference to Jesus Christ or His Gospel of salvation in these webpages.
“Where In the World is Jesus Christ?”
To begin, look at www.alexmcmanus.org and notice the links, graphics and language. To understand Erwin McManus, one must follow the activities of his brother Alex McManus. The two men are inextricably linked in partnerships on many levels, and this will become evident in today’s post.
http://alexmcmanus.org/index.php/about-alex/
“Alex served on the Leadershp team of MOSAIC Los Angeles from 1998 through 2004. He was a key leader behind ORIGINS, the Mosaic Leadership Experience, and from 2002 through 2006 grew the conference from a small pilot event to an experience of International reknown and status. During this same time, Alex helped create the Mosaic Alliance and served as the Global Liason from 2002 through 2006. In October 2004, Alex launched the International Mentoring Network, a custom made mentoring process with dense relational components, to discover, develop and deploy leaders. “
International Mentoring Network
http://internationalmentoringnetwork.com/about
“Overview
“The International Mentoring Network (IMN) is a custom-made mentoring process and peer network. The Mentoring Process is designed to both offer a full-bodied foretaste of mission and ministry in the 21st century and to create ongoing conversation and partnership in mission and ministry.
“In order to do this, The IMN expoits to full advantage both the cyber world and the sphere of concrete relationships. Through the creation of an online university, and online performance venue, a network of blogs and even a cyber-city, the IMN is on the forefront of innovation in the world of technology and mission. On the concrete side, the IMN currently operates out of two centers, Los Angeles and Orlando with plans to expand to Montreal, Seattle/Vancouver, the UK and Europe within the next two to three years. As an added value, the IMN has sponsored annual regional “Makers of Fire” events and is now preparing a new National Conference, HUMANA 2.0 –the fight for humanity begins here . The IMN FACULTY will offer, throughout the six-month process, a full array of ingredients necessary for
*guiding people through life change
*creating an apostolic ethos
*creatively engaging people and culture”
New Conference in Orlando, Fl
“ErwinMcManus (Mosaic), DavidArcos (Mosaic) will join me (AlexMcManus) and many others in Orlando, Florida this February for a new conference created by the International Mentoring Network. Check out the details for HUMANA 2.0 at http://fight4humanity.com. Register before November 15 and enjoy an early adapter discount.”
http://www.fight4humanity.com/
“This February 7-8 in Orlando, Florida, the fight for humanity begins again. Join ErwinMcManus, DavidArcos, GerardoMarti, AlexMcManus and others for a convergence of missional leaders. Register before November 15 and save with an early adopter discount.”
http://www.fight4humanity.com/invitation/
“Invitation
“An invitation from Alex McManus…
“For the last two years, the International Mentoring Network has worked intimately with ORIGINS, the Mosaic Leadership Experience. Mosaic is counted as one of the most unique communities of faith in the world and Origins is, in my opinion, the finest missional leadership development experience in the west.
“This year the IMN is multiplying the learning and networking opportunities by also sponsoring HUMANA 2.0 in Orlando, Florida on February 7-8, 2007.
“If Origins is about all things Mosaic, HUMANA 2.0 is about all things future…as well as multiple models for mission. Our goal will be to provide future-oriented leaders a venue in which to examine diverse, 21st century applications and models of ministry and mission. As we consider Mosaic very much a part of that future, we wish to provide for you opportunities to discuss what it is that makes Mosaic tick. We will also seek to put on the table other emerging forms of mission and ministry: The simple or organic church, entrepreneurial kingdom enterprises, emerging churches, and the cutting edge, cyber-city called voxtropolis.”
http://awakenhumanity.org/ethos
“What is ETHOS NY 2006?
“A leadership development experiment designed as an opportunity to dialogue with cultural shapers and innovators from Los Angeles, New York, and around the world on topics ranging from leadership, culture, creativity, innovation and the future of the Church.
“…it is more important to change what people care about than to change what they believe! You can believe without caring, but you can’t care without believing.”
– Erwin Raphael McManusTaken from An Unstoppable Force
“ETHOS (n.) The fundamental character or spirit of a culture; the underlying sentiment that informs the beliefs, customs, and practices of a group or society.
“ETHOS is what happens when many individuals make autonomous choices that create a unified movement. ETHOS moves us when nothing else will and like nothing else will. ETHOS can be described as a tribal emotion. Like emotions fire us up, ETHOS is the tribal fire. ETHOS is the fuel of our caring and the fire of our passions. Join us in New York for this unique and transformational experience that will ignite and fuel your passion for the movement of Christ around the world!”
http://yelo.awakenhumanity.org/
“yelo is an Awaken event that focuses on unleashing your creativity, elevating your influence, challenging your character, and maximizing your leadership potential.
“The yelo team experiences first hand the reward of living in a strength-based diverse community. Using the metaphor of a mosaic, we bring our unique and substantial pieces together for a common purpose: to unleash creativity and build community in your organization. Inspired by an ardent and sincere belief in what we offer, we are committed to serving you and your organization.
“All of us have dreams hibernating inside of us, but we often find it difficult to make them come alive. The quest to live out our dreams begins by unleashing our creative spirit and coming face to face with the uniqueness of our potential. Along the way in life, we discover the importance of character in this journey and are confronted with the primal essence of who we are.
“yelo experiences are offered in Los Angeles three times a year and are open to anyone.”
http://awakenhumanity.org/leadership/
“Awaken Leadership… What is ETHOS NY 2006?
A leadership development experiment designed as an opportunity to dialogue with cultural shapers and innovators from Los Angeles, New York, and around the world on topics ranging from leadership, culture, creativity, innovation and the future of the Church. To learn more about ETHOS, go to our ETHOS page.
“yelo
“Awakening the Human Spirit
“We all have dreams, passions, and talents. But why do some of us realize our uniqueness and advance forward with maximum impact, while others watch timidly from a distance and wonder why their life isn’t going the direction they hoped it would? All of us have dreams hibernating inside of us, but we often find it difficult to make them come alive. The quest to live out your dreams begins by unleashing your creative spirit and coming face to face with the uniqueness of your potential as a human being. Along the way in life, we discover the importance of character in this journey and are confronted with the primal essence of who we are. (yelo) is an Awaken event that focuses on unleashing your creativity, elevating your influence, challenging your character, and maximizing your leadership potential. Awaken is an organization that can make these ideas a reality in your life.
“yelo is a mobile event, i.e., we bring yelo to your city, and your context.”
http://awakenhumanity.org/films/
http://awakenhumanity.org/music/
http://awakenhumanity.org/arts/
http://awakenhumanity.org/awaken-humanity/
http://erwinmcmanus.com/bio
“Erwin is the catalyst behind Awaken, a collaboration of dreamers committed to creating environments that expand imagination and unleash creativity. Convinced that the world is changed by dreamers and visionaries, Awaken serves the purpose of history by maximizing the divine potential in every human being.”
http://erwinmcmanus.com/news
http://erwinmcmanus.com
http://www.fight4humanity.com/speakers/
Speakers
THE SEERS
ERWINMCMANUS– author and lead pastor of MOSAIC Los Angeles
GERARDOMARTI– author (A Mosaic of Believers) and professor of sociology
DAVIDARCOS– writer and performing artist, director of the Urban Poets
ALEXMCMANUS– founder of the International Mentoring Network & creator of VOXTROPOLIS.COM
http://www.fight4humanity.com/overview
http://www.fight4humanity.com/schedule
GENERAL SESSIONS (subject to change)
– The Mosaic Future
– The PostHuman Future
– The CyberFuture
– An Organic Future
To be continued, Lord willing…
The Truth:
“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” (Colossians 2:8)