“Together 2022” Joins Doctrinally Mixed-Up Nick Hall, Dallas Jenkins, and Francis Chan While “Sacrificing Truth on the Altar of Unity”

[“Together”] organizer Nick Hall [is] bringing together evangelical, emerging, charismatic, and Catholic leaders for the ecumenical purpose of uniting together. . . . there is a definite united-we-stand-regardless-of-our-beliefs scenario. (source)

On June 24-25th in Dallas, Texas, Together 2022 will take place. Big name speakers will be there including ecumenical, NAR-promoting Francis Chan (who said God will destroy anyone who criticizes “Christian leaders”),1 emergent-leaning, ecumenical Dallas Jenkins (The Chosen creator), NAR leader Samuel Rodriguez, singer David Crowder, Tony Evans, Josh McDowell, Paul Eschleman (CRU), and emergent/NAR sympathizing Christine Caine.2 This hodge-podge of speakers illustrates a picture of today’s doctrinally mixed-up, undiscerning, and confused evangelical church that is “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14).

It is also another example of how today’s evangelical leaders have sacrificed truth on the altar of unity.3 Thus, it is no surprise that “unity” is the overall theme behind the Together events. Sponsored by the emergent-leaning Compassion International and Oral Roberts University, Together’s website states:

Together 2022 will be 2 days of training and activation . . . It will be a showing of true unity – 1,000 organizations from many streams of the Body of Christ. (emphasis added)

Nick Hall is the brainchild behind the Together events. Lighthouse Trails first wrote about Hall and his events in 2016 in an article titled: “DRESS REHEARSAL FOR A FALSE REVIVAL? – Evangelical, Charismatic, Emerging Leaders, & Pope Francis Unite for “Together 2016” in Washington, DC.” In that article, we stated:

According to a news release from PRWire titled “Pope Francis To Address Americans At National Mall Event ’Together 2016’ With Special Video Message,” Pope Francis will be joining (via video) evangelical leaders such as Ravi Zacharias, Luis Palau, Michael W. Smith, and Josh McDowell, emerging-church leaders such as Francis Chan, Ann Voskamp, Jennie Allen (IF), and Mark Batterson (Circle Maker) and charismatic leaders such as Sammy Rodriguez and Hillsong for an event motivated by a goal to bring unity to all those who “love Jesus.” The event is called “Together 2016″ . . .

Nick Hall, the organizer of the event who hopes to draw one million people to the National Mall on July 16th, stated: “Together 2016 is about laying aside what divides us to lift up Jesus who unites us. Hall told one news source, “We are coming together in historic unity to pray for a reset for our nation.”

Two years later, when Together 2018 took place, Lighthouse Trails reported on that event as well, stating:

Nick Hall’s Together event is back again (October 20-21), this year as Together 2018 at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas (which can hold around 1/2 million people). . . . On the promotional video (near the 26-second mark) on the Facebook page, it calls this effort “a new Jesus movement” (obviously referring to the Jesus movement of the 1970s). 

The basic premise of this and other similar events happening throughout evangelical/charismatic Christianity today is: The only way the world is going to see Jesus is if all things and every person identifying as “Christian” unify regardless of doctrine or beliefs. In fact, doctrine stands in the way of unity and must be laid to the sidelines. This is how Nick Hall was able to include the Pope in Together 2016. That is the only way to have this all-inclusive mass unity take place. Catholic mystic Thomas Merton explained how this could happen. During a conversation with a Sufi (Islamic mystic) teacher, Merton acknowledged that unity and fellowship could never happen if doctrine (such as the Cross, he said) was given precedence. Merton said the only way interspiritual unity could take place is through mysticism. Tony Campolo, in his book Speaking My Mind, said the same thing. When you consider that a large number of the celebrities speaking or singing at Together 2018 are contemplative mysticism advocates, it is easy to see that the underlying current for this event will draw from the same fountain from which Merton drew.

While doctrine is not equivalent to “faith,” it is the framework of our faith, and without it, there is no Christian faith but rather a watered-down, greyed-out false religious movement led by “another Jesus” (2 Corinthians 11:4).

Neo-evangelical leaders, such as some of the names mentioned in this article, are trying to bring about revival through unity. But a revival not based on truth will not be a revival from God as we previously stated:

Today, a growing number of Christian leaders are holding public events calling for national repentance and church revival. With Christians deeply concerned about the state of our nation, it is understandable that repentance and revival would be on the hearts of many in the church. But sadly and alarmingly many of the figures who are calling for revival today have been promoting false and dangerous teachings, and we must ask the question, how can those involved with serious false teachings lead the way to true revival without first repenting themselves of those false teachings?4

Related Reading:

“Pulse, Pushing the Reset Button – Together 2016” by Mike Oppenheimer

Francis Chan Warns Those Who Criticize Christian Leaders: “God Will Destroy You”

Evangelical/Ecumenical Leaders Together in “The Gathering” Raises Serious Questions

Endnote:

1. https://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=28116; see also: “False Revival Kick-Started by Francis Chan, Rodney Howard Browne, Benny Hinn, Bill Johnson, and Todd White.”
2. See https://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=23910 for documentation on Christine Caine.
3. “Sacrificing truth on the altar of unity” is the subtitle of Tamara Hartzell’s 2007 book, In the Name of Purpose. As far as we know, the phrase originated with her.
4. “Steve Berger and Other Church Leaders Calling for “Repentance” and “Revival” May First Need to Repent Themselves”: https://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=32888.