[The following material is from O Timothy magazine, Volume 12, Issue 9, 1995. David W. Cloud, Editor. All rights are reserved. O Timothy is a monthly magazine. Annual subscription is US$20 FOR THE UNITED STATES. Send to Way of Life Literature, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061-0368, fbns@wayoflife.org. FOR CANADA the subscription is $20 Canadian. Send to Bethel Baptist Church, P.O. Box 9075, London, Ontario N6E 1V0. The Way of Life web site is http://www.wayoflife.org/]
There is a burgeoning market for PK-endorsed books on ways to revive the role of "Christian manhood." The views and methods may differ but they share the flaw of attempting to combine Scripture with the psychological theories and methods of man. Robert Hicks' book, The Masculine Journey, is a prime example. Hicks twists the meaning of six Hebrew words for "man" to fit his own psychological theories of manhood. He "follows the predictable pattern of the integrationist. He takes a psychological theory, believes it to be valid ... and then considers what the Bible might add" (Martin and Deidre Bobgan, "Promise Keepers and Psychoheresy," Psychoheresy Awareness Letter 2, No. 4, July-August 1994, p. 4).
He blasphemes the Lord Jesus by declaring that He was tempted to be homosexual and that He lusted sexually (Albert James Dager, "Promise Keepers: Is What You See What You Get?" Media Spotlight, 1994, p. 6).
He speaks of man's need for "celebrating the experience of sin" in adolescence as a "rite of passage" (Bobgan, "Promise Keepers and Psychoheresy," p. 6).
Additionally, PK finds itself on the horns of a dilemma in regard to its treatment of homosexuality. PK officially declares that it "shares the same historic and biblical stance taken by Evangelicals and Catholics (Fax, "Promise Keepers Statement," sent to Pastor Greg Dixon, Indianapolis Baptist Temple, Dec. 8, 1993).
Yet in trying to placate as many people as possible they conclude just as officially that this abomination is "`a complex and potentially polarizing issue' to be understood in the context of psychology and genetic research" (Ibid.).
They state that "homosexuals are men who need the same support, encouragement and healing we are offering to all men.... We, therefore, support their being included and welcome in all our events" (Ibid.).
Whatever happened to condemning sin and calling for repentance and receiving the Gospel? (Jack Stephens, "The Seven False Premises of Promise Keepers," OBF Visitor, August 1995, 3865 N. High St., Columbus, OH 43214).