emergent church

I have glanced over the posts on this thread, and I don't think I saw a posting of two important web sites for the emergent church. First, there is Brian McLaren's web site, www.brianmclaren.net. Second, there is the site for Emergent Village, www.emergentvillage.com.

I have read only McLaren's A Generous Orthodoxy, so I am no authority on the emergent church, nor am I a strong advocate. I do find McLaren's approach interesting if only because he encourages our taking a fresh look at the ways in which Christians have separated themselves from each other.

Tim Reynolds

 

I disagree with you but you have a right to your own opinion.

 

You're right. The message of God's redemption in Jesus Christ must be preached everywhere, and since you fundamentalist Baptists have decided to hold up in your church and selectively preach the gospel only to those who dress, walk, talk and act like you, someone else has been blessed by God and given his spirit to carry out the task to the next generation. Sin exists, and since you only preach damnation and judgement on those you hate, God has put his spirit on others to reach the lost.

How about that. You're right for once.

 

Hey Jack,

I preach the Word of God to everyone. I am not sure where you got all that garbage from. I don't only preach damnation and judgment. Sin and judgment is the starting point of grace. I don't have time or room for hate. I am nowhere good enough to hate someone else.

How about that? You're wrong once again.

Joseph Botwinick

 

I saw a link to this article at Justin Taylor's blog and thought some might be interested in reading it.

http://www.foolishsage.com/wp-content/uploads/McKnight%20-%20What%20is%20the%20Emerging%20Church.pdf

 

I don't know much about the "emergent church" except for what I've read here so far, and I don't care to know, either, else I would've googled it no end, already.

But from what I've read here, pros and cons, I am reminded much of the 60's when the "flower people" and the "Jesus freaks" came about as a "rebellion", or, "alternative" if you will, to the "established" churches' supposed hypocrisies and "lack" of "genuine" love for others.

Like The Preacher said

 

A couple of "thoughts" by Bruce McLaren.

LINK HERE

COVER STORY:
The Emerging Church, Part One
July 8, 2005 Episode no. 845

Keywords: enduring, observing, I want to, coming into an experience.

In my own journey in the faith of Christ, I was born, raised, and bred a Roman Catholic. Beginning in my early teens I hated coming to church because I felt that young people like me were there just to ogle at the opposite sex mostly, and the older folks went there to show off their religiosity, or their new and fancy cars. Stuff like that.
So I turned to atheism, because all the other churches I visited in the search for the "true church" basically lacked "something", which at that time I could not pinpoint.
It was when I heard the gospel preached by a fire and brimstone, foot stomping, Bible slapping Bible Baptist preacher in a small, rundown chapel in a dusty Southern Philippine town that I found what that "something" was. It was a Someone whom I could finally give a Name to.
Someone I have always known as a Roman Catholic, and yet not known.
From then on, coming to that church was a joy, an experience, a participation.
My wife and children and I went to church because of Jesus, to hear His words, to fellowship with His saints.
Worship is outward and upward, not inward and to self.
I think McLaren's target subjects, and he himself, have forgotten that it is the Shepherd who feeds His Sheep, and if they don't feel fed, maybe they are not His sheep ?

Keywords: more and more, us, feeling, version, Christian faith, better world.

Numbers do not necessarily make something right. The Roman Catholic church in the Philippines outnumber the other churches seven to one, but that does not necessarily make their doctrine true, or them the true church.
Bible Baptist churches over there outnumber other Baptist churches both in terms of churches and memberships but that does not necessarily make them better Baptists than others.
Many of my Primitive Baptist brethren support the liberalism that have crept in among us in terms of missionism and entry of "convenience" doctrines disguising these as "essentials and non-essentials" but that doesn't make them right either.
What Bruce Mclaren forgets (or maybe he doesn't really know ?) is that Jesus Christ did not come to this fallen world and die on that cross and rise from that grave and found His church in order to make the church responsible for making this a better world.
He came to save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21), and founded His church so that His church should give all glory to God (Ephesians 3:21)
and live lives separated from this world and sanctified to God (2 Corinthians 6:17. 1 Peter 1:15-16).

 

One thing for everyone to recognize, Brian Mclaren has become the poster boy for the emerging church. Howevery, he hardly represents everyone involved. Many involved in what would be considered "emergent" would take his words, but not agree with much of what he has to say (myself included). He does, however, have some really challenging thoughts. I think one of those challenges is that the 1950s and 1960s version of Christianity is not going to work. I'm not talking about doctrines/theology (although many traditions have turned into doctrine/theology), but style and method. A lot of what Mclaren has to say is very challenging, and he is asking a lot of the right questions. Questions, frankly, that traditional fundamentalism refuses to ask. Unfortunately, as Joseph has mention, Mclaren does not accept a literal hell. Many of his positions, like hell and homosexuality among others, are fuzzy. He doesn't take one, and this is one of those areas in which he is very wrong. HOWEVER, not all line up with Mclaren. For me and the church I serve in, a better representative for us in the "emerging" church would be Erwin Mcmanus, or Reggie Mcneal. Mark Driscoll (who is a critic of Mclaren; uses the term "missional" as instead of "emerging") is another good representative of what some may classify as emerging, but not in the sense of emergantvillage.com. Be careful about lumping everyone together. But, although I disagree with the answers Mclaren gives, he is asking questions that are going to be helpful in order to reach a postmodern culture. One way we can reflect Jesus, in which we tend to fail most times, is to not cut ourselves off from these people. They are people, who may or may not be Christians. They certainly declare faith and trust in Christ. We can reach them. Talk with them. Express concerns with them. Many Evangelical reactions to emergentvillage, etc. are the reasons that the emergentvillage have been created. Because people are sick and tired of the church secluding itself from the world. It's time to stop thinking in a sacred/secular type dualism that says the church is holy ground, you need to look/act/talk/dress/vote this way before you enter. So many of you will respond and say "I do reach the world", "I do witness to others", "the church does not seclude itself", but those responses are so naive. The church has said that....but that doesn't make it true.

 

[tried to post this earlier but my IE locked up...drat! Now I'll do this on my Mac]

I find the Emerging Church to be a unique phenonmenon in the church. In reality it is a bunch of people who have become completely disenfranchised with the church as it is popularly expressed in conversative evangelical cirlces and are trying to make it more palatable for a younger crowd that has been dissed by the conservative evangelical church in America. Most of them have little to no theological education.

It is indeed remarkable that many of those who are driving the emerging church movement in North America are trying to rethink Christianity. To ask hard questions about stupid stuff we do and why we do it. To ask legitimate questions about our structure and madness. Anyhoo, it is amazing that in trying to rethink Christianity for a "postmodern" generation they have fallen back to a thoroughly modern liberal theological system.

It is ironic that many in the emerging church are just reinvestigating old liberalism that has been dealt with theologically and philosophically...because it flies in the face of the conservative evangelicals they are trying to spite.

I also think the emerging church has become an excuse for a new generation not to evangelize the unchurched/lost.

Also do remember there are some great emerging church networks and groups out there with goodly theology. In particular I'm thinking about the Acts 29 network.

The emerging church exists because we as conservative evangelicals have eaten our young and left the rest to wonder if this is really authentic. You can't sit in a room and soak up Christianity...it's not an osmosis thing. You have to do Christianity to grow in your Christianity.

 

The link posted by 'whatever' above confirmed my thoughts on all areas of 'emergent' and/or 'emerging', that more than ever I am convinced the movement to be total heresy!

What? No way to know 'absolute truth'? If they spent as much time reading scripture, which is the very word of God, as they do trying to rally forces to live some new lifestyle they would see the need to submit to God in obedience to His word, His ways. His word is absolute and provides all we need to know for faith, truth and godliness! Its not a movement; it is knowing and following God Himself!

 

Check out this article by Marcia Ford:
http://explorefaith.org/ford/emerging.html

Here are a few quotes from that article:

This entire article did not use one Bible verse--this is pure New Age mysticism and is NOT the pattern of the NT church according to the Scriptures.

Rick Warren is most definitely promoting this movement and it is a part of his PDC/PDL. All one needs to do is look at the people with whom he associates. I saw some of the names in this article -- Brian McLaren is just one of those persons. I found the link to this article from Rick Warren's pastors.com website, where he links it from Ooze.com.

This is a dangerous movement--it crosses over all denominations--and promotes Eastern mysticism through "contemplative prayer/spirituality".

*the event Marcia Ford is speaking about is a CBA (Christian Booksellers Association) convention.

 

After all that, what is your definition of emergent?

 

hmm Really? More relevant how?

 

This site has some good information: www.congdon-ministries.com

Personally, I feel many fundemental churches are so afraid of anything new or any type of change that they have stalled and border on hindering the work of God.

Change just for the sake of it, or to suit pop culture seem cornerstones of the emerging church in terms of practice. I think the theological issues go deeper.

I believe in change, but only in the bounds of Scripture and as necessary for culture.

 

To emerge

1 : to become manifest : become known <new problems emerged>
2 : to rise from or as if from an enveloping fluid : come out into view <a diver emerging from the water>
3 : to rise from an obscure or inferior position or condition <someone must emerge as a leader>
4 : to come into being through evolution

Merriam Webster Online.

Actually the Church "emerged" (was manifested) at the Advent of Christ.
But, as someone else explained it's all about HIM and His requirements:

It's a label and it doesn't necessarily follow that all churches which have that label have the same view of what qualifies a church as biblical.

Here is one of His views concerning His Church:

Revelation 3

17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.​

HankD​

 

Jesus' call was to come and follow Me. Did you miss that part? Maybe it was a secret.

 

Jesus also commanded us to go and make deciples all over the world. Christianity is something we are to share with others.

 

I sure do love the coffee in my church.....but sure would love it more if we had cupholders!