We'll concern ourselves here with the neo-orthodox view of Scripture.  Someone who is neo-orthodox might affirm a great deal of Christian truth and use standard Christian terminology in doing so, for example the Trinity, the deity of Jesus Christ, the various elements of gospel truth.  Then why do I say that the neo-orthodox view of Scripture leads to idolatry?  Let me appeal to the postmodern mind by telling a story to illustrate propositional truth.

A few years ago I heard a neo-orthodox theologian, a world renowned expert on the subject of reconcilliation (which is always a big topic in South Africa), give a lecture on the subject of his expertise.  In his lecture he made a number of disparaging remarks about the Old Testament practice of stoning people.  Talking to him afterwards, I pointed out that it was God who commanded stoning in certain cases of the law of Moses.  He responded with a smile, "If God commanded stoning, then God didn't send Jesus."

Clearly, this man affirmed that God sent Jesus, and so seems to affirm the New Testament gospel.  But think about what he was saying: what was he saying about the way that God is revealed in the Old Testament?  He was saying, "God is not like that."  With a neo-orthodox view of Scripture, you can pick and choose like that, what you want to accept (supposedly being guided by one's idea of the mind of Christ).  Do you see how that leads us to idolatry, to another god, even if we use the Biblical name and terminology for God?  He was saying that the true God is different from the God of Israel.  And of course, to be logically consistent, this man would also have to deny the New Testament teaching about eternal punishment (that's a lot worse than just being stoned to death, right?).  Whenever we do not accept God as he is revealed in Scripture, then we are making up our own god, and that is idolatry, and God calls such a practice "detestable, abominable," and calls us to consider abominable what he considers abominable (thus Paul, in Athens, Acts 17).

Now here's something else to think about: how many professing orthodox Christians are practically neo-orthodox, picking and choosing what in the Bible to believe about God?