With the decision to place WWUC on the ConvergenceUS church page and then quickly take it down after it was made known to the public eye, many people are asking the question “what is ConvergenceUS?” I was one of them, so I did some research.
ConvergenceUS or “CUS” was started in 2013 by Brian McLaren and a couple other individuals. Brian McLaren is a non-denominational progressive activist pastor who sits on the board-of-directors of the Emergent Village, and the Social Justice command post—Sojourners. He has written several books and helped organize ministries that advocate for woman’s ordination, pro-LGBTQ and spiritual formation, to cite only a few causes.
Before it was called ConvergenceUS, it was called “Cana Initiative.” To help get the ministry off the ground, Brian made appeals requesting millions of dollars—through different ministries—to financially support it. Funds did not come through the way that he hoped, so he merged the two ministries together to get the ConvergenceUS that we see today.
The beliefs of CUS are clearly portrayed on their main page called “circles” and in their articles. In these pages, you will find them focusing on “women’s ordination” and embracing the “LGBTQ movement” (coincidentally, the current kindred issues of liberal Adventism). CUS holds numerous meetings and symposiums around the world to help educate others and bring like-minded ministries together under the same umbrella. This organization has many liberal followers, among them a progressive Adventist website called adventistsforprogress.com.
Everything Must Change
During the 2008 Everything Must Change conference in Idaho, the "service" ended with McLaren's invitation for attendees to come to the front and take water from a vat and re-baptize themselves into the new enlightenment they had received. He recommended that attendees stick their hands into a tub of dirt that had been provided, to fully sense the anointing of the Earth and express their love for it.
Pastor Jeffrey Whittaker attended this conference, and had this to say:
Part of this event was surprisingly similar to the 1993 Parliament of the World’s Religions where I and several others met with the Wiccans and discussed their worship practices.
Whittaker describes McLaren’s conference:
The conclusion of the Friday evening “session” was an amazing demonstration of this philosophy. The audience was directed to many different “sacred spaces” set up to aid them in getting in touch with themselves and “the divine.” One station was a table covered with votive candles which could be lit and meditated upon. Another held a large bowl of water where one could get in touch with the “flow” of nature and spirit, and yet another featured a bowl of dirt where one could literally touch “Mother Earth” and contemplate all the evils done to her.
These procedures would all be very comfortable for Wiccans and other non-Christian occultists and New Agers. I would suggest that for Brian McLaren, everything has changed. There is very little that resembles the faith once delivered for all to the saints (Jude 3). With churches such as Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, IL, embracing him and promoting his views by hosting him in their conferences to train youth workers around the world, McLaren may be able to pull off what Walter Rauschenbusch and later the Jesus Seminar have not been able to do, namely to turn the church from the Scriptures to adopt a socialist (Social Justice) view of the world.
LGBTQ
In 2006, McLaren said he didn’t know what he believed about homosexuality and suggested a 5-year moratorium on it. Pretty much on schedule—in September 2012—McLaren led a gay marriage commitment ceremony for his son and partner at an environmental center in Maryland. Then, in 2013, McLaren stated that he did not believe homosexual conduct to be sinful. Two years later (2015), McLaren publicly acknowledged his support for same-sex marriage.
Some Adventist supporters of Brian Mclaren include the Senior Pastor from Walla Walla University Church—Alex Bryan, Ryan Bell, Raj Attiken, Adventist Forum, pastor Kris Loewen and Spectrum, among others.
Some Twitter followers of ConvergenceUS
I share these things not to condemn, but because I care about the Adventist Church and the souls of people who could be deceived by them.
As we get closer & closer to the end-times, we know there will be a universal call to false worship. Will we be caught up in acceptance of sin or will we be caught up in the air to see our Savior? “Many are called, but few are chosen.” I pray that we will be among the chosen.
I also hope that many of us are praying and fasting as we go into October, that our leaders will listen to the voice of the Almighty Ruler of the universe---the Creator Jesus!
Jerrod Boling is an Iraq War Veteran. He has been married for 13 years, has four children, a Bachelor's in Human Services, and is a graduate of Amazing Facts Center of Evangelism. Jerrod has been a Bible worker for several years. In 2017 he is a full-time Revelation evangelist. Jerrod is an effective speaker with amazing stories from his military experiences; feel free to contact Jerrod for outreach series' and speaking presentations.