“…we must not only try to evaluate the accuracy of the emerging church’s cultural analysis, but also the extent to which its proposals spring from, or can at least be squared with, the Scriptures. To put the matter differently: Is there at least some danger that what is being advocated is not so much a new kind of Christian in a new emerging church, but a church that is so submerging itself in the culture that it risks hopeless compromise?” ~ D. A. Carson, “Becoming Conversant With The Emerging Church” pg.45
Tag Archive for 'emergent'
Ok, so I am on a bit of a Piper kick. In the below video you will see one of the best described examples of the shortcomings of the emerging movement. Unfortunately I believe that many evangelicals are doing exactly the same thing. Sound off in the comments!
This is a continuation of the subject from a previous post. In that post I provided basic definitions and today I intend to explain the second part of the question: Why should I care?
First and foremost, the quest for truth is paramount. Here I am not speaking of the quest for Truth, as in Jesus, but the quest for absolute truth. The scripture is full of truths and it is the job of the believer to mine the Bible for them (Acts 17:11). It is important to realize that there are two types of truth that relate to this discussion: subjective truth (I like to call this personal truth), and absolute truth (these are biblical absolutes). Postmodernism tells us that the truth is relative. My truth is truth and your truth is truth. These two truths can even conflict. The emergent has directly adopted this view. That is what allows for the “conversation.” Conflicting truths never have to be settled. After all, that would lead to discord and judgment, two things the emergent hates. Continue reading ‘What is Emergent & Why Should I Care? (Part II)’
Just a few days ago I watched a video podcast with two pastors of the “emerging” movement. Both of their churches have seen explosive growth with an average of about 1000 members per year. As I listened to their conversation it was obvious to me that they saw this growth as an indication of what they felt was the great need in their communities and and the failure of the traditional evangelicals, seeker driven, seeker sensitive churches, and the positive confession movement. They lumped them all together and viewed their message as a sissified Christianity or a legalistic Christianity. Mark Driscoll from Mars Hill Community Church in Seattle has written, that the church has transformed Jesus into “a Richard Simmons, hippie, queer Christ,” a “neutered and limp-wristed popular Sky Fairy of pop culture that . . . would never talk about sin or send anyone to hell.” While his rhetoric may be a bit over the top, there is no doubt that there is a great deal of truth to his and others assessment of modern evangelicalism. Much of the evangelical church has soft peddled the Gospel with a simplistic user friendly message that emphasizes the love of God and ignores the sinfulness of man and God’s judgment. And the positive confession movement, best illustrated by Joel Osteen, compounds this problem with a message that is a mixture of Norman Vincent Peal and Kenneth Hagen.
Continue reading ‘Engage or Challenge Part 2′
It was mentioned in a recent post that today’s Christian culture has been permeated by redefined terms. This often leads to misunderstanding for many. Along with new defintions for old terms, many have “thrown in” new terms that have “fuzzy” definitions. Today it is my desire to clarify one of those terms and explain why it should matter to you.
Emergent, is a fairly new term. While it has been used for several years, it has only recently become popular. The real problem with this term is that amongst its proponents it is really two different terms, emergent and emerging. Here is a brief review of what they mean:
Continue reading ‘What is Emergent & Why Should I Care? (Part I)’
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