Apparently, the world has really lowered the bar, as far as what constitutes being “One of the Lord’s Foot Soldiers.”

At least, that’s the term used by Newsweek to describe Pastor Michael A. Walrond Jr.

Walrond is the Senior Pastor of Harlem’s First Corinthian Baptist Church. He boasts a congregation of 10,000 members.

I don’t know what snapped in Walrond’s life to lead him so horribly astray, but he’s passing on his corrupt theology to the people of Harlem, so I can only pray there is some divine intervention in his life, soon.

“Pastor Mike,” as he’s called, recently caused a stir, when he stood before his congregation, and to a smattering of applause and a few random (almost confused) “Amens,” denied the deity of Jesus Christ.

There’s no other way to put it.

From The Christian Post:

“There was a time when you would see people in the pulpit say, ‘well, if you don’t believe in Jesus you going to Hell. That’s insanity in many ways because that is not what Jesus even believes,” he said in a viral clip posted to Facebook. People take many paths to God, he argued, noting that he personally celebrates the paths others take in finding Him — even if that path does not involve faith in Jesus. “And so the key is you believe in God. And whatever your path is to God I celebrate that. Personally, I celebrate that,” Walrond said.

I can’t begin to express what a dangerous lie this is.

My first concern is that he’s lying to his congregation, and rather than call him out, many seem to be just accepting his words, even as they fly in the face of sound Biblical teaching.

The Aramaic Bible in Plain English spells it out in John 14:6 quite powerfully:

“Yeshua said to him, “I AM THE LIVING GOD, The Way and The Truth and The Life; no man comes to my Father but by me alone.”

That would seem to suggest that Walrond is in grave error.

If we are saved, we’re saved by the shed blood of Jesus. This, of course, is the Christian teaching, and I’m assuming Walrond fancies himself and his congregation “Christian,” since their church is named after a specific book in the Bible, First Corinthians.

What Walrond was preaching was the New Age heresy of Eckhart Tolle, Deepak Chopra, and Oprah Winfrey. It was not the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I took a look into Walrond’s background, to see if there was any clue to just how he lost his way (assuming he ever found it).

First of all, he got his Bachelor of Arts degree from Morehouse College. He attended the Duke University School of Divinity as a Martin Luther King, Jr. scholar, and got his Master of Divinity degree there, with a focus on Theology.

Also, from the National Action Network website:

Pastor Mike’s community and social justice initiatives include the Micah Clergy Roundtable of NYC, A.C.T. Social Justice Ministry, anti-“stop and frisk” campaign and helping to get the “New York City Living Wage” legislation passed through the City Council. In early 2014, Pastor Mike ran a spirited congressional campaign and many are eyeing him to enter the national stage sooner rather than later. He is a board member of the National Action Network (NAN) and was appointed the first National Director of Ministers Division. He serves as a Trustee and adjunct faculty member of Chicago Theological Seminary and for over two years served as weekly columnist for the New York Amsterdam News. His work has been recognized by The Harlem Torch, Positive Community Magazine, The Amsterdam News, and he was named “One of the Lord’s Foot Soldiers” by Newsweek Magazine.

Social justice, liberal policies, and an eye on a political career. There’s the answer.

It’s near impossible to be Biblically sound and a politician, at the same time. At some point, you have to determine which role is more important to you. As we’ve seen with Christians in today’s political climate, many of them have to “compromise,” and compromise is the death of faith.

From what Walrond is preaching with such vigor, his faith didn’t just die.

He dug the hole, drug it out into the woods by the scruff of the neck, shot it, then kicked it in the hole and buried it.

Other pastors had some thoughts on Walrond’s sudden epiphany.

“The preacher on this video is both right and wrong: he’s right in that all roads do lead to God; but this God is both love and a consuming fire. If you meet Him on the Christ road of His love you live, but any other road, be it religion, philosophy, or a miscalculation of the Person of Christ, the lake of fire is waiting!” Bishop Robert E. Smith, Sr., founder of Total Outreach for Christ Ministries, Inc. and Word of Outreach Christian Center and Academy in Little Rock, Arkansas, said.

He’s right. All roads certainly lead to God, but you’re either going to meet your Father in Heaven, or you’re going to stand before Him and be judged. What happens at the end of your road is determined by how you live and who you follow while on your journey.

Sadly, Walrond is not alone in this dangerous, non-Biblical delusion.

Significant minorities of Christians who identified as Catholics, 28 percent, and mainline Protestants, 26 percent, indicated that they believe in a higher power or spiritual force which is not God as described in the Bible.

Thankfully, they’re still “minorities,” but I’ll say this: If you don’t follow Jesus Christ as the only way to salvation, you’re not a Christian. Period.

I mean, seriously. It’s right in the name: CHRISTian.

For Walrond, I can only hope he has a true revelation of Christ, one day, but until that time comes, he has no business as the leader of any congregation. He is harming souls, and someone needs to intervene.