Louisville—The Kentucky Baptist Convention has withdrawn its invitation to pastor and author Brian McLaren to speak at the upcoming KBC-sponsored Evangelism Conference.

McLaren, pastor of Cedar Ridge Community Church in Spencerville, Md., was to have spoken at the annual conference, to be held Feb. 28-March 1 at Valley View Baptist Church in Louisville.

Bill Mackey, KBC executive director, and Dan Garland, church development and evangelism team leader, said they made the decision after reviewing McLaren’s most recent book and his statements about salvation.

“I respect Dr. McLaren greatly and have appreciated his insights on reaching people in today’s culture,” Mackey said. “We try to bring dynamic speakers to the Evangelism Conference who will challenge and inspire their listeners. I felt that in this instance, however, Dr. McLaren’s position diverges too greatly to be appropriate for this conference.”

Garland, who had invited McLaren to speak more than a year ago, agreed, saying that reading McLaren’s most recent book, “A Generous Orthodoxy,” led him to reconsider.

In the book, McLaren writes that while there is no assurance that salvation can be found outside of Jesus, Christians should not jump to the conclusion that Jesus is the only way to salvation.

“I must add, though, that I don’t believe making disciples must equal making adherents to the Christian religion. It may be advisable in many (not all!) circumstances to help people become followers of Jesus and remain within their Buddhist, Hindu or Jewish contexts,” McLaren states in the book.

For his part, McLaren was gracious in the withdrawal and said he respected the decision.

“We need to keep our focus on what’s most important,” McLaren said in an e-mail response to Garland. “It would have been a shame if my presence distracted people from Christ and the Great Commission.”

McLaren is considered an elder statesman for a group of “Emergent” churches. The name describes a loose federation of congregations seeking to be more effective at connecting with people in the postmodern culture. Time Magazine recently included him in an article profiling the most influential evangelical leaders in America.

More information about McLaren is available at his Web site: www.anewkindofchristian.com.

Garland said that despite withdrawing the invitation to McLaren, he always will strive to bring the best and most thought-provoking speakers to the annual conference.

“All participants may not agree with every speaker, but they are going to go away with food for thought and prayer along with a wealth of ideas to help their churches reach out effectively in their communities,” Garland said.

Speakers at the upcoming conference include Herb Reavis, senior pastor of North Jacksonville Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla.; Ken Hemphill, Empowering Kingdom Growth coordinator for the Southern Baptist Convention; and Alyn Walker, senior pastor of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church in Philadelphia.

For more information about the conference, visit www.kybaptist.org.

With additional reporting by News Director David Winfrey