The controversial preacher Francis Chan, known for his increasingly ecumenical views that blur the lines between biblical Christianity and other denominations such as Roman Catholicism, is once again promoting a superficial unity among diverse and often contradictory Christian denominations.

Ranked as False Teacher of the Day #22, Chan has aligned himself with Roman Catholics, charismatics, and has dabbled in dubious spiritual practices like speaking in tongues, prophecies, and faith healings. At an ecumenical gathering with Roman Catholics, he removed his shoes while several Catholic priests prayed over him. Additionally, Chan refused to share the gospel with a Catholic, claiming the Holy Spirit didn’t want him to. Shockingly, he has also embraced the Roman Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation.

It is through this belief in transubstantiation that Chan concocts the bizarre idea of communion as “intercourse” with God—a notion that, at best, is distasteful and, taken to its logical conclusion, could be considered blasphemous.

Given Chan’s growing ecumenical inclinations, it begs the question: when will he expand his spiritual connections to include other religions like Islam, given that he’s already embracing numerous Christian sects? Why not broaden the scope even further and open the gates to an even wider range of beliefs and practices?

During a sermon at the Send Conference in 2022, which was shared on Chan’s YouTube channel, he asserts that Jesus’s call for Christian unity is not about being of one mind and accord, but rather about uniting anyone who prostrates themselves and invokes Jesus’s name. In Chan’s view, this could include Baptists, Catholics, Charismatics, and potentially even Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Hebrew Israelites. According to him, the Holy Spirit is the driving force behind this movement, and he optimistically believes he may witness this unity within his lifetime.

However, this approach to unity clearly unbiblical and concerning for those who value the clear distinctions between Christian denominations and their teachings and other aberrant sub-Christian sects. Chan’s proposition of unity without discernment could lead to a dilution of core biblical beliefs and compromise the integrity of Christianity as a whole.

As Francis Chan continues down this path of ecumenism, however, it’s surprising to see those, like David Platt, who once upon a time stood as a living monument to biblical fidelity and against false teachings suddenly slip into a path embracing everything from social justice to charismaticism, to, well, now even Francic Chan’s nonsense.

To be clear, Platt’s excuse for joining hands in ecumenical prayer and worship extends far past biblical unity and well into the sphere of idolatry. During a conference at Biola University this week, the two took the stage together to pray, worship, preach, and extend grand accolades to one another as they buttered each other up for how much they “loved Jesus.” In fact, David Platt went as far as to say that every time he’s around Francis Chan, he “loves Jesus even more because of it.”

“We both believe God’s put thoughts in our minds,” Chan said, standing next to Platt. “We’ve been friends for years. Actually, it started right after you wrote Radical when you copied Crazy Love and he just gave it an orange cover.”

Admitting to the crowd that the two have “differences” in their doctrines, the two express just how important it is for the sake of the body of Christ that the two remain in “unity” with one another as though their theological differences are merely superficial. To be clear, we’re not talking about John MacArthur and R.C. Sproul disagreeing on the mode of baptism or eschatology—we’re talking about a man, Francis Chan, who believes and teaches such aberrant theology that places him outside the realm of biblical orthodoxy. In other words, he’s a rank heretic, a false teacher who has gone completely off the rails theologically.