The Emerging Church
These are two great articles from the Banner of Truth Trust. Do read them.
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"The Emerging Church"
At two day conferences, one in north Wales and one in south Wales, on February 1 and 2 David Meredith of the Free Church of Scotland at Culloden, near Inverness addressed the ministers on the subject of the rise of the 'Emerging Church.' The following is a summary of what he said:
We are living in a culture permeated by secular unbelief. This is the background to the appearance of the 'Emerging Church.' It is also known as the 'liquid church' or 'church without walls.' You may notice a young couple in your church who seem to be so promising, but after a time they display some unhappiness. They speak of their wish to be more involved in the community and in the lives of non-church people. There is something strange about their attitude even though evangelistic concern is their emphasis. The husband won't sign any acceptance of the church's confession of faith when told that this is a requirement of holding office in the church. He believes the Bible he says tersely, not the documents of man. He becomes more infrequent in his attendance and becomes more critical. He dismisses the church situation he is leaving as 'authoritarian' with a dinosaur mentality. What we need is 'community' and 'reality' and 'engagement' he says. Most conservative churches have such couples.
They have come under the influence of the 'emerging church.' One of the books on this movement is written by 48 year old Brian Mclaren. In 1986 he became founding pastor of Cedar Ridge Community church a congregation of a couple of hundred that meets near Washington and Baltimore in the eastern USA. He has written a number of books, one co-authored with Tony Campolo. These include, "The Church on the Other Side: Doing Ministry in the Post-modern Matrix", "Finding Faith", "A New Kind of Christian." His most recent "A Generous Orthodoxy" is considered the manifesto of the emerging church convention. Some of his books have been awarded special merit by Christianity Today. Other men in the movement are Peter Ward ("The Liquid Church"), and Dan Kimball ("The Emerging Church: Vintage Christianity for New Generations" (Zondervan). These men, their sermons and ideas cam be accessed through the Internet.
What is the Emerging Church? A typical blurb says in lower-case letters: "the emerging church of the 21st century may have more in common with the church of the apostolic era, than with the church of the 20th century. many ancient practices of faith and ways of being communal are being rebooted and morphed for the needs of the future church. as leonard sweet writes, our faith is ancient. our faith is future. we're old-fashioned. we're new-fangled. we're orthodox. we're innovators. we're postmodern christians; any church, willing to learn the vernacular of the culture, will be equipped to speak the gospel within the culture, and minister to postmodern people. such ministry is not tied to any specific theological heritage or worship style. addressing postmodernity involves opening up the genius of your heritage and tradition to the postmodern culture in ways appropriate to your tradition, so that you can speak the gospel authentically, from the depths of your heritage and tradition, to people living in a postmodern world."
Like most things new to disturb the church the emerging church comes from the USA, but it can be found in many cities in the UK. In Swansea there is Zac's Place - the pioneering 'church in a pub' venture hosted by Sean Stillman and supported by Exousia Trust. The singer Martyn Joseph is on the Council of Reference. Cardiff based Bar None, 'very arts oriented', is similar. These emerging churches support the "God's Squad Christian Motorcycle Club" and Third Way magazine. Who are the people who go? Those who have been 'wounded' in normal churches. For example, an alcoholic who has been rejected by chapel culture goes there and finds his future in Zac's Place or Bar None. He discovers affirmation and a sense of his value. He goes back to his studies and now he has graduated from college. That is a typical testimony.
It might be an improvement but it is not conversion; you can affirmation and value from Mormonism and Islam. Lives are put together in the AA but that is not conversion. In Geraint Fielder's book, "Guilt Grace and Gumption" the converted men got affirmation and value, but they went on to serve the Lord. Think of Staffordshire Bill of Sandfields, Port Talbot in Iain Murray's biography of Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones. There is something dramatic about such changes, but this is social work stuff, and it is so dead! The authentic gospel is radical. The ideas behind Zac's Place are tired and dead.
In Bar None the emphasis is on acceptance and inclusion. Once a month they have a debate e.g. on pacifism. On the other Sundays in a month there is a ten minute talk. Yawn. People whose lives are ripped up go and they hear a talk on . . . pacifism! The irony is that in their desire to be relevant they have become irrelevant. They claim to be disillusioned with the churches etc. but what radical gospel of discipleship are they presenting?
We can learn lessons from most things in life. Behind every criticism there is an element of truth. The emerging church is a reaction against people like us. What lessons?
1. They are people seeking to understand the times.
The men of Issachar understood the times and knew what Israel should do. We all have something to bring to the table. We need men who know the times and live in creative accountability to one another. In the ministry of Jesus we overhear one conversation with Nicodemus; he speaks to the woman of Samaria in a different way. He engages with both of them. To the Pharisees and to the tax collectors again he speaks in different ways. Jesus is drawing them out by question and answer, engaging with men and women. We are to seek to understand the times. Provs 18:13 urges us not to answer before we have listened. Why are young people fascinated with the Stereophonics, or Manic Street Preachers? All the effective evangelists connected with their cultures. The more pagan the culture becomes the more beautiful the church seems. Paul at Athens showed he knew the pagan poets. Have you thought of the evangelistic value of Welsh literature? How would you use Dylan Thomas' attitude to death, raging against the dying of the light? Or again R.S. Thomas' verse? You "crammed God into the boards of a black book" he said, rejecting an authoritarian God.
2. They call for reality in the church.
Rick Warren and Bill Hybel have their mega-churches but the emerging church criticises them for being driven by consumerism. Their emphasis is on an encounter with the living Christ. They grumble that churches like ours are being turned into lecture-rooms with no sense of the presence of Christ, and no experience of him, and no 'new vision of Jesus.' There are those who seek to create reverence by a stiff pose while others do so by music and choreography. One is manufactured solemnity and the other is ersatz rejoicing. What we desire today is spiritual liberty and a divine anointing so that there is a palpable presence of God in our worship. That cannot be brought in by mere form.
Reality in worship leads to reality in community; bearing with one another and bearing one another's burdens. We are not spending time with one another as we should. One emerging church is Maybridge Community Church in Worthing and its publicity says, "It has taken the step to ensure that it offers some alternative choice to being Church and therefore operates a multi-congregational approach, holding and valuing three very diverse congregations as expressions of church. THIRD is the newest of these 'congregations' that has emerged and originally began as a small group of eight people in September 2002 who were released from the traditions and constraints of the current church services and leadership structures to explore a new and vibrant way of being church in a post-Christian, post-modern culture. From its very conception THIRD was formed as an indigenous expression of church and has not been following any road maps or proven formulas. This was, and continues to be a pioneering adventure and journey in the life of our transitioning church.
"Who we are . . . THIRD is based around a fluid network of relationships for all ages that meet every week for gatherings of a different focus, from alt worship to theology and discussion. We are a group of people seeking to find an example of church that is authentic to both our present culture and 2000 years of church history. A group exploring how to live lives of integrity informed by Christian faith. A group journeying together and trying to find meaning in our lives with an openness to dialogue and have conversations about faith and spirituality. A group looking to find new and creative ways to worship God honestly and freely. A group trying to provide a place of sacred space that is an accessible source for all who are searching for the spiritual in their lives. But most importantly a group longing to actively live out a Christ-centered spirituality."
So THIRD is looking for meaningful relationships between people. That longing can be so therapeutic, but we also want fellowship in truth and sincerity. There is a lot of posings in our circles. The call is to be honest with one another. Jesus was authentic when he met the women at the well and what he offered her was reality.
3. They touch lives which we do not see.
I Cor. 6:9's list of evil-doers concludes with the famous words, "but such were some of you but you were washed . . ." In our congregations everyone is a sinner, yes, the solicitor and doctor are as depraved as the drunkard, but there are many others around us outside this preponderantly middle-class grouping who are not being reached. How do we bring to them the gospel? The rural cottages of North Wales and the Isle of Skye are being bought by English settlers and so it is 'us' and 'them'. "We are the church of the indigenous people," we feel. No we are not. We are the church of Jesus Christ and all kinds of men and women are welcomed into it.
4. They raise a question of what are the traditions of men.
Clerical collars, make-up, drinking wine, smoking cigars - people get in a tizz with saying yes or no. What is biblical and what are the traditions of men? What has God required? How do we interpret the regulative principle? There are many options.
There are three basic weaknesses with the emerging church
1 It connects but does not critique.
The Christian view of culture is that there is no wholly sanctified culture and no wholly depraved culture. There are elements of goodness in all, and also elements that are wrong. But the emerging church hardly critiques the culture; it only criticises us! Its atmosphere is overwhelmingly laid back and acceptant. You can sit in the corner of the pub-cum-church and have a wee conversation during the time while the man at the front is speaking - and that is considered 'cool!' They criticise the 'formal' and 'authoritarian' nature of 'traditional churches' but they rarely lock horns with our culture. How different were the prophets of God like Amos, and Jeremiah, Paul, and Jesus himself who all urged people to turn from their sins.
2. It does not face the concept of sin.
One rarely comes across personal sin in emerging church. Steve Chalke is interviewed by Mclaren and they both agree that Jesus' message is the Kingdom of God and not trusting in Christ's death for salvation. 'Original goodness as well as original sin need to be emphasised,' they say. The mood of the church is not the courtroom needing a verdict but the pub having a chat. No it is not. Nail the sinner to the wall. "Are you going to leave this place tonight with or without Christ?" This 'Christianity' is not even liberalism. The plot line of the Bible is redemption accomplished and applied. That ought to produce electricity and radicalism.
3. It denies the glory of the church.
But Christ loves his church; the groom adores her, and she is presented as a beautiful bride to her husband, and in the end the Saviour says Wow! What a beautiful church! He loves his people and we love them and him.
4 The Lamb is rarely seen there in the emerging church.
There is no sense of gospel wonder.
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The 'Emerging Church' Further Considered
Not having heard much of the so called "emerging church" I did a search as you suggested. I now wish that I hadn't! What a load of rubbish. How depressing! How far from NT Christianity it really is despite all claims that it is a rediscovery of biblical Christianity! Utter and complete nonsense!
One site spoke of the importance of having a thrift shop, indeed the writer referred to it as his church. He went on to state that he now found it difficult to "do" or go to church. Designated, specialist “emerging church” sites speak of worship involving the use of CDs, DVDs, videos, photography, televisions, incense, discussion, self-exploration and more besides. Indeed you name it and they will find a use for it! Surprisingly (no not really!) I found little mention of the central importance of the Word of God in worship being used to the humbling and educating of man and the shaping and guiding of his life. The result of his being confronted by the revealed glory, righteousness and expectation of the Almighty who, with the Lord Jesus Christ by virtue of his status as the accredited Son of God and his amazing and awesome work of atonement on the cross, is absolutely and unarguably worthy of all honour and exaltation.
As always on sites that claim new spiritual vision or a return to gospel fundamentals you will find much sentimental, new age, socialistic, philosophical, jargonised talk about social action and the power of unconditional love. Of course, the point is always missed that the enjoyment of God’s love is in fact very much conditional and vitally dependent on a man knowing repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. What the New Testament calls the experience of being born again or from above. The point needs to be made that social action is not a bad thing. However, it does become a problem when another point is missed, as it regularly is, namely that soul saving is the only work ultimately of eternal value regardless of how good people feel about themselves having being either the perpetrators or recipients of social action! Doing good or receiving good is not the same as being good or being saved. Never has been and never will be, especially if the book of Romans and the Gospel teaching of Christ are to be believed.
As evangelism is popularly understood in our contemporary world it is all about making people feel good about themselves, helping them to realise their potential and to know that God will take them as they are with no conditions attached and thereafter with no expectations of their loyalty. Effectively if they choose to be in his family, to their own advantage in terms of becoming “happy” and contented people or as a condescending favour to him, he will allow them to live as free agents. Indeed, to regularly make and re-make him in their own image supposedly to make him more appealing and accessible to others! His church is also available, as they deem fit, for re-modelling according to their reading of the times and superior wisdom. This to ensure, consciously or otherwise, that it will always be a reflection of what the world wants it to be. That is, something doctrinally broad, neutral or more preferably – empty. A church soft, free of challenge, given to “high” inducing, feel-good, emotional and entertaining experiences shaped by modern and ephemeral world contaminated religious fashion. All imagined to be deep spiritual experiences. This same church will also be theologically all-encompassing, non-judgemental and completely accommodating of modern man and his self-absorption.
Biblical evangelism on the other hand is fundamentally all about the revealing and glorifying of God, the clear explaining of his law, the pointed detailing of the standards of perfection and righteousness he expects from men – and this to their being broken and humbled and left persuaded of their desperate need of a Saviour. The one without equal or match, who alone is the Way, the Truth and the Life - no other than Jesus Christ the exalted Son of God. Whom to know is to enjoy the high privilege and eternal blessing of being added to the number of the redeemed. Men and women for whom church is not a thrift shop where charity is done, or a theatre, workshop, or communal gathering where selfish pleasure is pursued but is rather the place, as taught by Scripture, where the warmth of worship fellowship is experienced, Christ is exalted, God is encountered and his voice sounds forth to the encouraging, directing, instructing, challenging, comforting and inspiring of his people. Church is not meant to be a place where people look around and smile at each other! Rather it is place where together they look up in worship, thankful that together in Christ it is theirs to know the smile of God as they honour him with their hearts and souls. Then there is cause to smile!
Sadly though the modern/liberal/soft evangelical/emerging church is an easy target for the devil to hurl his incessant assaults and attacks at without fear of reprisal. He moves against a church that has no spiritual backbone and lacks anything worthy of being described as historical Biblical orthodoxy or Holy Spirit taught spiritual discernment. He moves with evil intent against an increasingly soft, weak, scared, ineffectual and gullible church. Of a kind that wants to be a "comfort" to the world with the goal of winning its love and enjoying its admiration. It is a mission that has more to do with the seeking of worldly status and prestige among the worldly, rather than, heaven forbid, being a strong, unyielding and unswerving challenge to a spiritually destitute, decaying, dark, desperate, devilish and dying world. One that needs to hear a GOSPEL voice sounding loudly and clearly above the cacophonous noise of: pop psychology – new age drivel – liberal lunacy – effete evangelicalism – “emerging church” gobbledegook – self-esteem navel contemplation. A voice honest and true, pertinent and provocative, lovingly determined to leave man in no doubt of his predicament. Namely, that he is a doomed sinner who will one day, whether he believes it or not, be on the receiving end of the terrifyingly holy and awesomely righteous judging power of the Lord God Almighty. Sinful man needs to encounter not a church that wants to befriend him, or accommodate the ways of his life alien to and contradictory of the standards of God, but rather one with such a direct and unapologetic voice as will trouble him by giving focus to the spiritual facts of life. He is dead in sin and his only hope, yes his ONLY hope, is Jesus Christ. How does Peter make the point in Acts4:12? He declares, “Salvation is found in no-one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
Such teaching is as unpopular today as it was in the Lord’s own day. Remember it got him crucified! Yes, but as it impacted for spiritual good on the lives of men and women it also turned the world upside down to the gain of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ and the increase of the kingdom and glory of God! Sadly, today, many have foolishly and sinfully tinkered and tampered with the Word of God, with the result that the church and Christianity have both been turned upside down!
All of the above is certainly a reminder to me as to the continuing need of the hour. Preachers must not lose their Bible focus or begin to imagine themselves surplus to requirements in the modern church. One with a hunger for novelty, accepting of frivolity, enamoured by method, keen on anything new, and all this with a foolish and undiscerning interest in such theology as adulterates and tarnishes the plainest meaning of the Word of God. Preachers must rise to the challenge of the moment. They must rightly divide the Word of God, studying it, pouring over it, praying it into their souls till they are captivated by its meaning and message. Then they must prove themselves to be good workmen as they stand and preach the Word of God, and do so, as convinced heralds, with an authority owned of God. Their words plain and clear yet simultaneously profound and mysterious, empty of the slightest hint of apology. Preachers do not apologise for the Word of God. Rather they declare it with all the passion of their being, all the focus of their intellect, all the hope of their hearts trusting that it will impact for good to the saving and edifying of souls. Men who preach like this do so knowing that those who belong to the world will have no liking for their ministry. However, to their encouragement, they also know that to men and women who are saved, and to those who are being saved by the ministry of grace pressing upon their lives, theirs will be a ministry valued, honoured and supported.
The need of the hour is for preachers and their people who love the Word of God and live by it to go on doing so regardless of how often they are insulted or caricatured as being spiritual dinosaurs. Our world needs to be confronted by a church that has been shaped not by modern thinking, or by spiritual gimmick, but by the mind and will of God. This to be the true emerging church - dynamic, direct and dogmatic! God’s church is one that has been emerging from the darkness of this world since the cross atoning work of Jesus Christ. The emerging church is free of gimmick and owes nothing to methods that place the preaching and studying of God’s Word on the periphery of Christian experience. The true emerging church is the body of Christ constituted by men and women who have been saved by grace through faith having been on the receiving end of the ministry of the Spirit whose responsibility it is to power the preaching, and sharing, of the Word of God to the redeeming of souls and the glorifying of God.
Thank God for the existence of the true, Bible believing - Bible honouring - Bible obeying - Bible proclaiming, emerging church. It may find itself mocked, scorned, ridiculed, even sidelined by those who think they know better than all of our Christian forefathers put together. By implication misguided people whose big mistake was Biblical orthodoxy and the belief that men need to be saved from their sins if they are ever to know peace with God and the promise of life eternal. Nevertheless, it is the church that holds to God’s ways and Word that will know safe arrival on the shores of the heavenly kingdom.
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By Geoff Thomas
At two day conferences, one in north Wales and one in south Wales, on February 1 and 2 David Meredith of the Free Church of Scotland at Culloden, near Inverness addressed the ministers on the subject of the rise of the 'Emerging Church.' The following is a summary of what he said:
We are living in a culture permeated by secular unbelief. This is the background to the appearance of the 'Emerging Church.' It is also known as the 'liquid church' or 'church without walls.' You may notice a young couple in your church who seem to be so promising, but after a time they display some unhappiness. They speak of their wish to be more involved in the community and in the lives of non-church people. There is something strange about their attitude even though evangelistic concern is their emphasis. The husband won't sign any acceptance of the church's confession of faith when told that this is a requirement of holding office in the church. He believes the Bible he says tersely, not the documents of man. He becomes more infrequent in his attendance and becomes more critical. He dismisses the church situation he is leaving as 'authoritarian' with a dinosaur mentality. What we need is 'community' and 'reality' and 'engagement' he says. Most conservative churches have such couples.
They have come under the influence of the 'emerging church.' One of the books on this movement is written by 48 year old Brian Mclaren. In 1986 he became founding pastor of Cedar Ridge Community church a congregation of a couple of hundred that meets near Washington and Baltimore in the eastern USA. He has written a number of books, one co-authored with Tony Campolo. These include, "The Church on the Other Side: Doing Ministry in the Post-modern Matrix", "Finding Faith", "A New Kind of Christian." His most recent "A Generous Orthodoxy" is considered the manifesto of the emerging church convention. Some of his books have been awarded special merit by Christianity Today. Other men in the movement are Peter Ward ("The Liquid Church"), and Dan Kimball ("The Emerging Church: Vintage Christianity for New Generations" (Zondervan). These men, their sermons and ideas cam be accessed through the Internet.
What is the Emerging Church? A typical blurb says in lower-case letters: "the emerging church of the 21st century may have more in common with the church of the apostolic era, than with the church of the 20th century. many ancient practices of faith and ways of being communal are being rebooted and morphed for the needs of the future church. as leonard sweet writes, our faith is ancient. our faith is future. we're old-fashioned. we're new-fangled. we're orthodox. we're innovators. we're postmodern christians; any church, willing to learn the vernacular of the culture, will be equipped to speak the gospel within the culture, and minister to postmodern people. such ministry is not tied to any specific theological heritage or worship style. addressing postmodernity involves opening up the genius of your heritage and tradition to the postmodern culture in ways appropriate to your tradition, so that you can speak the gospel authentically, from the depths of your heritage and tradition, to people living in a postmodern world."
Like most things new to disturb the church the emerging church comes from the USA, but it can be found in many cities in the UK. In Swansea there is Zac's Place - the pioneering 'church in a pub' venture hosted by Sean Stillman and supported by Exousia Trust. The singer Martyn Joseph is on the Council of Reference. Cardiff based Bar None, 'very arts oriented', is similar. These emerging churches support the "God's Squad Christian Motorcycle Club" and Third Way magazine. Who are the people who go? Those who have been 'wounded' in normal churches. For example, an alcoholic who has been rejected by chapel culture goes there and finds his future in Zac's Place or Bar None. He discovers affirmation and a sense of his value. He goes back to his studies and now he has graduated from college. That is a typical testimony.
It might be an improvement but it is not conversion; you can affirmation and value from Mormonism and Islam. Lives are put together in the AA but that is not conversion. In Geraint Fielder's book, "Guilt Grace and Gumption" the converted men got affirmation and value, but they went on to serve the Lord. Think of Staffordshire Bill of Sandfields, Port Talbot in Iain Murray's biography of Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones. There is something dramatic about such changes, but this is social work stuff, and it is so dead! The authentic gospel is radical. The ideas behind Zac's Place are tired and dead.
In Bar None the emphasis is on acceptance and inclusion. Once a month they have a debate e.g. on pacifism. On the other Sundays in a month there is a ten minute talk. Yawn. People whose lives are ripped up go and they hear a talk on . . . pacifism! The irony is that in their desire to be relevant they have become irrelevant. They claim to be disillusioned with the churches etc. but what radical gospel of discipleship are they presenting?
We can learn lessons from most things in life. Behind every criticism there is an element of truth. The emerging church is a reaction against people like us. What lessons?
1. They are people seeking to understand the times.
The men of Issachar understood the times and knew what Israel should do. We all have something to bring to the table. We need men who know the times and live in creative accountability to one another. In the ministry of Jesus we overhear one conversation with Nicodemus; he speaks to the woman of Samaria in a different way. He engages with both of them. To the Pharisees and to the tax collectors again he speaks in different ways. Jesus is drawing them out by question and answer, engaging with men and women. We are to seek to understand the times. Provs 18:13 urges us not to answer before we have listened. Why are young people fascinated with the Stereophonics, or Manic Street Preachers? All the effective evangelists connected with their cultures. The more pagan the culture becomes the more beautiful the church seems. Paul at Athens showed he knew the pagan poets. Have you thought of the evangelistic value of Welsh literature? How would you use Dylan Thomas' attitude to death, raging against the dying of the light? Or again R.S. Thomas' verse? You "crammed God into the boards of a black book" he said, rejecting an authoritarian God.
2. They call for reality in the church.
Rick Warren and Bill Hybel have their mega-churches but the emerging church criticises them for being driven by consumerism. Their emphasis is on an encounter with the living Christ. They grumble that churches like ours are being turned into lecture-rooms with no sense of the presence of Christ, and no experience of him, and no 'new vision of Jesus.' There are those who seek to create reverence by a stiff pose while others do so by music and choreography. One is manufactured solemnity and the other is ersatz rejoicing. What we desire today is spiritual liberty and a divine anointing so that there is a palpable presence of God in our worship. That cannot be brought in by mere form.
Reality in worship leads to reality in community; bearing with one another and bearing one another's burdens. We are not spending time with one another as we should. One emerging church is Maybridge Community Church in Worthing and its publicity says, "It has taken the step to ensure that it offers some alternative choice to being Church and therefore operates a multi-congregational approach, holding and valuing three very diverse congregations as expressions of church. THIRD is the newest of these 'congregations' that has emerged and originally began as a small group of eight people in September 2002 who were released from the traditions and constraints of the current church services and leadership structures to explore a new and vibrant way of being church in a post-Christian, post-modern culture. From its very conception THIRD was formed as an indigenous expression of church and has not been following any road maps or proven formulas. This was, and continues to be a pioneering adventure and journey in the life of our transitioning church.
"Who we are . . . THIRD is based around a fluid network of relationships for all ages that meet every week for gatherings of a different focus, from alt worship to theology and discussion. We are a group of people seeking to find an example of church that is authentic to both our present culture and 2000 years of church history. A group exploring how to live lives of integrity informed by Christian faith. A group journeying together and trying to find meaning in our lives with an openness to dialogue and have conversations about faith and spirituality. A group looking to find new and creative ways to worship God honestly and freely. A group trying to provide a place of sacred space that is an accessible source for all who are searching for the spiritual in their lives. But most importantly a group longing to actively live out a Christ-centered spirituality."
So THIRD is looking for meaningful relationships between people. That longing can be so therapeutic, but we also want fellowship in truth and sincerity. There is a lot of posings in our circles. The call is to be honest with one another. Jesus was authentic when he met the women at the well and what he offered her was reality.
3. They touch lives which we do not see.
I Cor. 6:9's list of evil-doers concludes with the famous words, "but such were some of you but you were washed . . ." In our congregations everyone is a sinner, yes, the solicitor and doctor are as depraved as the drunkard, but there are many others around us outside this preponderantly middle-class grouping who are not being reached. How do we bring to them the gospel? The rural cottages of North Wales and the Isle of Skye are being bought by English settlers and so it is 'us' and 'them'. "We are the church of the indigenous people," we feel. No we are not. We are the church of Jesus Christ and all kinds of men and women are welcomed into it.
4. They raise a question of what are the traditions of men.
Clerical collars, make-up, drinking wine, smoking cigars - people get in a tizz with saying yes or no. What is biblical and what are the traditions of men? What has God required? How do we interpret the regulative principle? There are many options.
There are three basic weaknesses with the emerging church
1 It connects but does not critique.
The Christian view of culture is that there is no wholly sanctified culture and no wholly depraved culture. There are elements of goodness in all, and also elements that are wrong. But the emerging church hardly critiques the culture; it only criticises us! Its atmosphere is overwhelmingly laid back and acceptant. You can sit in the corner of the pub-cum-church and have a wee conversation during the time while the man at the front is speaking - and that is considered 'cool!' They criticise the 'formal' and 'authoritarian' nature of 'traditional churches' but they rarely lock horns with our culture. How different were the prophets of God like Amos, and Jeremiah, Paul, and Jesus himself who all urged people to turn from their sins.
2. It does not face the concept of sin.
One rarely comes across personal sin in emerging church. Steve Chalke is interviewed by Mclaren and they both agree that Jesus' message is the Kingdom of God and not trusting in Christ's death for salvation. 'Original goodness as well as original sin need to be emphasised,' they say. The mood of the church is not the courtroom needing a verdict but the pub having a chat. No it is not. Nail the sinner to the wall. "Are you going to leave this place tonight with or without Christ?" This 'Christianity' is not even liberalism. The plot line of the Bible is redemption accomplished and applied. That ought to produce electricity and radicalism.
3. It denies the glory of the church.
But Christ loves his church; the groom adores her, and she is presented as a beautiful bride to her husband, and in the end the Saviour says Wow! What a beautiful church! He loves his people and we love them and him.
4 The Lamb is rarely seen there in the emerging church.
There is no sense of gospel wonder.
______________________________________________________
By David Carmichael
Not having heard much of the so called "emerging church" I did a search as you suggested. I now wish that I hadn't! What a load of rubbish. How depressing! How far from NT Christianity it really is despite all claims that it is a rediscovery of biblical Christianity! Utter and complete nonsense!
One site spoke of the importance of having a thrift shop, indeed the writer referred to it as his church. He went on to state that he now found it difficult to "do" or go to church. Designated, specialist “emerging church” sites speak of worship involving the use of CDs, DVDs, videos, photography, televisions, incense, discussion, self-exploration and more besides. Indeed you name it and they will find a use for it! Surprisingly (no not really!) I found little mention of the central importance of the Word of God in worship being used to the humbling and educating of man and the shaping and guiding of his life. The result of his being confronted by the revealed glory, righteousness and expectation of the Almighty who, with the Lord Jesus Christ by virtue of his status as the accredited Son of God and his amazing and awesome work of atonement on the cross, is absolutely and unarguably worthy of all honour and exaltation.
As always on sites that claim new spiritual vision or a return to gospel fundamentals you will find much sentimental, new age, socialistic, philosophical, jargonised talk about social action and the power of unconditional love. Of course, the point is always missed that the enjoyment of God’s love is in fact very much conditional and vitally dependent on a man knowing repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. What the New Testament calls the experience of being born again or from above. The point needs to be made that social action is not a bad thing. However, it does become a problem when another point is missed, as it regularly is, namely that soul saving is the only work ultimately of eternal value regardless of how good people feel about themselves having being either the perpetrators or recipients of social action! Doing good or receiving good is not the same as being good or being saved. Never has been and never will be, especially if the book of Romans and the Gospel teaching of Christ are to be believed.
As evangelism is popularly understood in our contemporary world it is all about making people feel good about themselves, helping them to realise their potential and to know that God will take them as they are with no conditions attached and thereafter with no expectations of their loyalty. Effectively if they choose to be in his family, to their own advantage in terms of becoming “happy” and contented people or as a condescending favour to him, he will allow them to live as free agents. Indeed, to regularly make and re-make him in their own image supposedly to make him more appealing and accessible to others! His church is also available, as they deem fit, for re-modelling according to their reading of the times and superior wisdom. This to ensure, consciously or otherwise, that it will always be a reflection of what the world wants it to be. That is, something doctrinally broad, neutral or more preferably – empty. A church soft, free of challenge, given to “high” inducing, feel-good, emotional and entertaining experiences shaped by modern and ephemeral world contaminated religious fashion. All imagined to be deep spiritual experiences. This same church will also be theologically all-encompassing, non-judgemental and completely accommodating of modern man and his self-absorption.
Biblical evangelism on the other hand is fundamentally all about the revealing and glorifying of God, the clear explaining of his law, the pointed detailing of the standards of perfection and righteousness he expects from men – and this to their being broken and humbled and left persuaded of their desperate need of a Saviour. The one without equal or match, who alone is the Way, the Truth and the Life - no other than Jesus Christ the exalted Son of God. Whom to know is to enjoy the high privilege and eternal blessing of being added to the number of the redeemed. Men and women for whom church is not a thrift shop where charity is done, or a theatre, workshop, or communal gathering where selfish pleasure is pursued but is rather the place, as taught by Scripture, where the warmth of worship fellowship is experienced, Christ is exalted, God is encountered and his voice sounds forth to the encouraging, directing, instructing, challenging, comforting and inspiring of his people. Church is not meant to be a place where people look around and smile at each other! Rather it is place where together they look up in worship, thankful that together in Christ it is theirs to know the smile of God as they honour him with their hearts and souls. Then there is cause to smile!
Sadly though the modern/liberal/soft evangelical/emerging church is an easy target for the devil to hurl his incessant assaults and attacks at without fear of reprisal. He moves against a church that has no spiritual backbone and lacks anything worthy of being described as historical Biblical orthodoxy or Holy Spirit taught spiritual discernment. He moves with evil intent against an increasingly soft, weak, scared, ineffectual and gullible church. Of a kind that wants to be a "comfort" to the world with the goal of winning its love and enjoying its admiration. It is a mission that has more to do with the seeking of worldly status and prestige among the worldly, rather than, heaven forbid, being a strong, unyielding and unswerving challenge to a spiritually destitute, decaying, dark, desperate, devilish and dying world. One that needs to hear a GOSPEL voice sounding loudly and clearly above the cacophonous noise of: pop psychology – new age drivel – liberal lunacy – effete evangelicalism – “emerging church” gobbledegook – self-esteem navel contemplation. A voice honest and true, pertinent and provocative, lovingly determined to leave man in no doubt of his predicament. Namely, that he is a doomed sinner who will one day, whether he believes it or not, be on the receiving end of the terrifyingly holy and awesomely righteous judging power of the Lord God Almighty. Sinful man needs to encounter not a church that wants to befriend him, or accommodate the ways of his life alien to and contradictory of the standards of God, but rather one with such a direct and unapologetic voice as will trouble him by giving focus to the spiritual facts of life. He is dead in sin and his only hope, yes his ONLY hope, is Jesus Christ. How does Peter make the point in Acts4:12? He declares, “Salvation is found in no-one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
Such teaching is as unpopular today as it was in the Lord’s own day. Remember it got him crucified! Yes, but as it impacted for spiritual good on the lives of men and women it also turned the world upside down to the gain of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ and the increase of the kingdom and glory of God! Sadly, today, many have foolishly and sinfully tinkered and tampered with the Word of God, with the result that the church and Christianity have both been turned upside down!
All of the above is certainly a reminder to me as to the continuing need of the hour. Preachers must not lose their Bible focus or begin to imagine themselves surplus to requirements in the modern church. One with a hunger for novelty, accepting of frivolity, enamoured by method, keen on anything new, and all this with a foolish and undiscerning interest in such theology as adulterates and tarnishes the plainest meaning of the Word of God. Preachers must rise to the challenge of the moment. They must rightly divide the Word of God, studying it, pouring over it, praying it into their souls till they are captivated by its meaning and message. Then they must prove themselves to be good workmen as they stand and preach the Word of God, and do so, as convinced heralds, with an authority owned of God. Their words plain and clear yet simultaneously profound and mysterious, empty of the slightest hint of apology. Preachers do not apologise for the Word of God. Rather they declare it with all the passion of their being, all the focus of their intellect, all the hope of their hearts trusting that it will impact for good to the saving and edifying of souls. Men who preach like this do so knowing that those who belong to the world will have no liking for their ministry. However, to their encouragement, they also know that to men and women who are saved, and to those who are being saved by the ministry of grace pressing upon their lives, theirs will be a ministry valued, honoured and supported.
The need of the hour is for preachers and their people who love the Word of God and live by it to go on doing so regardless of how often they are insulted or caricatured as being spiritual dinosaurs. Our world needs to be confronted by a church that has been shaped not by modern thinking, or by spiritual gimmick, but by the mind and will of God. This to be the true emerging church - dynamic, direct and dogmatic! God’s church is one that has been emerging from the darkness of this world since the cross atoning work of Jesus Christ. The emerging church is free of gimmick and owes nothing to methods that place the preaching and studying of God’s Word on the periphery of Christian experience. The true emerging church is the body of Christ constituted by men and women who have been saved by grace through faith having been on the receiving end of the ministry of the Spirit whose responsibility it is to power the preaching, and sharing, of the Word of God to the redeeming of souls and the glorifying of God.
Thank God for the existence of the true, Bible believing - Bible honouring - Bible obeying - Bible proclaiming, emerging church. It may find itself mocked, scorned, ridiculed, even sidelined by those who think they know better than all of our Christian forefathers put together. By implication misguided people whose big mistake was Biblical orthodoxy and the belief that men need to be saved from their sins if they are ever to know peace with God and the promise of life eternal. Nevertheless, it is the church that holds to God’s ways and Word that will know safe arrival on the shores of the heavenly kingdom.
This entry was posted
on Thursday, June 02, 2005 at 12:20 PM.
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