he US Christian mens movement Promise Keepers is in the process of being launched formally in the UK.  Its forerunner, Menmeet UK, is effectively undergoing the transition into a full-blown UK version of PK, with a Walsall-based Anglican curate Rev Peter Howell-Jones acting as national spokesman.  Jones believes the UK version will take off in a big way in 1998 claiming it has already gained 'heavyweight' backing.  Jones says, "The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Evangelical Alliance have been behind us from the start, and we really hope it will make as big an impact here as it did in America." The Archbishop's office has since denied formally giving its support.  With much media attention here and in the States having centred on the mass mens rallies Jones claims PK (UK) will 'be different' by giving more emphasis to the teaching in church groups.
    PK's founder Bill McCartney, a Roman Catholic convert to John Wimber's Vineyard Movement, speaking at the well-publicised mass rally in Washington in DC last October, told the men that they must become a unified "brotherhood of believers" to make the world right with God.  McCartney told the crowd of over 400,000 men, "...we are being united...this is unity with diversity, this is diversity without dissension."  Along with PK's centre-piece, all-encompassing, seven promises, to which all PK men are required to subscribe, the US movement is about to be exported worldwide.  Future plans in the US alone include 37 mass rallies in 1998 with about the same number in 1999.  On January 1, 2000 all pastors in the USA will be invited to bring the men of their congregations to a PK rally in each state capital.  On the face of it is potentially one of the world's largest ever Christian movement.  Such a powerful movement of individuals undoubtedly must make those in positions of power sit up and take notice.  In Wshington President Clinton (allegedly a Southern Baptist who regularly attends church) did exactly that, welcoming PK with warms words.
    As with many mass Christian rallies in our era the issue of money (and large amounts) was not far from being a critical issue in Washington.  A mark of modern revival appears to be extraordinary monetary expense.  Those assembled were told it cost almost ten million dollars to conduct the Washington DC 'Stand In The Gap' rally.  Over 400,000 were urged to mark down a monthly pledge to PK of $100,50,200 etc.  This was to be a monthly love offering above and beyond their local church pledges.  "Give the greatest gift you have ever given," the audience, high on emotion, was told.  Indeed so long did the plug for money last that a pre-recorded message from Billy Graham (referred to as being like a father to PK) was not able to be shown on the huge specially erected screens.
    With all this money tolling, with plans for internationalising PK well advanced and with the added advantage of many worldly observers applauding PK's 'all you need is love' ethics, one might think that the church is on the threshold of something special for the church into the millennium.  They may well be right.  Why then are so many, especially evangelicals, in the US and elsewhere, sounding so many alarms about this mens movement that is sweeping all before it? 
    The main reason is based around the question: Is what you see, what you get?  Quite simply the answer is: No, it most definitely is not.  There is no doubt that it is difficult to argue with the seven promises.  After all, they openly espouse Christ and family values (though no quite apple pie).  As the evangelical (Lutheran) Christian News reported of the Washington event: "PK's were told to tell their pastors, 'I put my faith in you as a leader'.  Nothing was said about the fact that many pastors are religious liberals who deny the fundamental truths of religious Christianity... "  And this is just one of the problems.
    I am forever being asked for a potted version of what is wrong with PK by evangelicals here in the UK.  What follows should help.  Many detractors do not impugn the sincerity of those involved in PK, their desire for family values and the 'integrity of men' etc.  Far from it, all of this should be at the core of the Christian life.  But, for Bible-believing Christians there are undoubtedly serious deficiencies in a movement that not only has a Roman Catholic counterpart, but has recently admitted Mike Timmis, a Roman Catholic onto its Board of Directors and which is no bar to other faiths including Mormons.  For years PK maintained it held doctrinal differences with Catholics.  Recently PK went further and changed the wording of its statement of faith specifically to avoid offending Catholics.  PK's agenda is undoubtedly ecumenical and effectively presents a truncated gospel with the 'rock of offense' of the gospel removed.  So comfortable and inclusive is the PK gospel that Mormon lawyer Chip Rawlings tates, 'The movements "seven promises" are like something straight out of the men's priesthood manual for the (Mormon) church'.  PK sees nothing wrong with this comfortable, easy-believism'.  Mormon leaders actively encourage participation among their own and openly sell PK materials at their Salt Lake City Tabernacle HQ.
    The book on which PK's teaching aids were developed is Robert Hicks' The Masculine Journey which quotes and advocates numerous Jungian and Freudian psychological concepts mixed with biblical teaching.  New Age writers are also liberally quoted.  In 1996 PK, after much criticism in the US, the PK leadership made two statements pointing out that they no longer gave this book away at rallies (50,000 at one alone) and that the book itself no longer carried the PK logo.  There was no explanation why it had leant such support in the first place and neither did they repudiate the contents of the book itself.  Far from it.  Instead they reiterated their view that Hicks' book, which sets the whole tone for PK's teaching and study aids for local church group meetings is 'orthodox evangelical'.
    PK is also squarely a product of the hyper-charismatic Vineyard Movement with all its associated theological deficiencies.  James Ryle is a senior Vineyard minister and a Board member of PK as well as being Bill McCartney's pastor.  Ryle is rightly famous for his false prophecies including the amazing claim that the Beatles were gifted by God to 'usher in a new worldwide revival'.  Ryle and the PK leadership have gone out of their way since to put a completely different 'spin' on this particular gaff.
    But the fact is, PK's mass rallies are not the real agenda of the movement.  The real agenda is to take the PK teaching into men's groups operating within the local church.  And here is the real rub.  For this will also be the emphasis of PK in Britain.  Given that PK's teachings are riddled with non-confrontational, secular 'Christian' psychology any truly Biblical teaching from the pulpit is in for a bumpy ride.  PK groups and their leaders will not only be under the authority of the pastor, but also of the PK leadership - outside the local church.  Space precludes a more detailed observation of the serious nature of the threat this poses to the local pastor, charged with ultimate pastoral responsibility by the God in the Scriptures themselves.
    Neither does PK like the use of the word 'sin'.  As part of its Jungian philosophy (which it should be said Hicks denies) it prefers the word 'woundedness'.  This and other teachings downplays the nature of sin, instead referring to the wounded male and 'sin' as an 'honourable rite of passage'.  This includes first sexual encounters (in realtion to this the PK study guide says we should 'congratulate the next generation for being human'!) and homosexual activity.  One can only imagine the threat posed to biblical teaching as the faithful pastor preaches the biblical concept of sin as sin from the pulpit on Sunday, only to have it watered down in this way by official PK teaching on 'honourable woundedness' in the mens group on Monday.  Should there be any doubt about the unbiblical nature of Hicks' Christian understanding on page 114 he teaches that David was a 'manic depressive' whose Psalms were the 'musings' of a disordered mind.  On page 177 he says, "I'm sure many would balk at my though of celebraing the experience of sin.  I'm not sure how we could do it. But I do know we need to do it." 
    The charismatic US Charisma magazine has recently indicated that PK has had to lay off hundreds of its massive US staff.  The Washington DC crowds may show that in the US the Christian mens movement has peaked.  Now is certainly the right time then to export its ecumenical agenda around the globe and boost its influence.  One wonders whether the UK version will be different to the extent that it will reject and eject PK's truncated, pygmy-like gospel.  The problem is like many neo-evangelical groups within modern day evangelicalism it is the numbers game that counts.  The pragmatic 'if it works, it must be of God' reflects the beliefs of many.  Many examples in Scripture, however, should warn us of the fact that the popularity of an ideology, particularly ones based on moral legalism, is not a sold indicator of God's blessing - even one that appears as wholesome as apple pie.
    Any Christian leader even contemplating links with Promise Keepers (and one is struck by the inability of many British reformed leaders - charismatics will have no trouble - who are struggling with an understanding of this movement) would do worse than to re-read Paul's incredulity when writing to the Galatians: "I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another..."  What deeply troubled Paul was just how gullible the Galatians were to accept a new regime of rules and regulations to which they had to submit - when they had just been set free from the yoke of the law.  Paul described them as 'foolish'.  And so are those who would rush into the arms of the ecumenical, moral legalism - as Paul makes clear in the original Greek, not another of the same kind, but another of an entirely different kind - that is PK. 
    Galatians was not written by Paul with PK in mind but it could have been.  It was written by Paul to warn all believers down the ages how useless it is for us to, once again, yoke ourselves submissively to man-made rules and regulations which are utterly unable to produce righteousness.  It is Christ alone, through the enabling power of the Holy Spirit who can do this work.  Trying to enter the kingdom (salvation) or be better people (sanctification) via the route of moral legalism is doomed to failure as Paul makes only too clear.  The path of moral legalism is nothing less than attempting to enter the kingdom by climbing over the wall, rather than entering through the gate, which is Christ. 

NB. All of us at CRN having tracked this pseudo-Christian men's movement (born of a secular ideal which also failed) for many years know only too well how attractive it will appear to many, desperate to bring men into the church.  We all share the desire to draw men to the Gospel but we believe it will be the bold preaching and teaching of God's self-revelation that will achieve this.  PK is yet another man-made attempt to do that which he is not capable of doing.  CRN's Alan Howe and myself are currently writing a book Promise Keepers: Behind The Mask which it is hoped will be published by the summer 1998.