emerging?
There's a lot of talk lately in the church about what has come to be known as the 'emergent' church... Being that I pastor a church a lot of that talk (especially questions) finds its way to me. To be honest, I don't care much for defining who we are as a church by what we're against, but at the same time, this trend towards liberalism in the church does concern me.
While teaching on Joshua 1, a pastor who I respect greatly once said, "As long as there has been a church, there have been those that have drifted to the left hand and the right." God of course told Joshua (1:7) "Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go." There are in the church in every age the right leaning legalist and the leftist liberal. Please do not misunderstand, I am not speaking about political leanings, but rather moral/behavioral.
I confess, I did not fully recognize my own legalism - nor that of many of my friends - until I had lived and served in Germany. My Christian brothers and sisters in Germany had a liberty (with sincerity) in Christ that I had not really seen in the SoCal Calvary bubble. If it were for this refreshing insight alone, my time teaching in Germany would have been well spent.
Fast forward a few years and I find myself reading very unclear statements, or shall I say, unanswered questions from men like Rob Bell, Brian McLaren, Doug Pagitt, Tony Jones and others... At face value many of their statements are not bad, and some of their questions may in fact be valid. But Richard Weaver's book "Ideas Have Consequences" comes to mind, and most certainly a liberal, watered-down, social justice oriented gospel (among other things) is the consequence of what these men are proposing.
To be sure, Emergent sounds very progressive and cutting edge, but from what I can tell it is the same old liberalism, just on a different day. Solomon was right, there truly is nothing new under the sun.
While teaching on Joshua 1, a pastor who I respect greatly once said, "As long as there has been a church, there have been those that have drifted to the left hand and the right." God of course told Joshua (1:7) "Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go." There are in the church in every age the right leaning legalist and the leftist liberal. Please do not misunderstand, I am not speaking about political leanings, but rather moral/behavioral.
I confess, I did not fully recognize my own legalism - nor that of many of my friends - until I had lived and served in Germany. My Christian brothers and sisters in Germany had a liberty (with sincerity) in Christ that I had not really seen in the SoCal Calvary bubble. If it were for this refreshing insight alone, my time teaching in Germany would have been well spent.
Fast forward a few years and I find myself reading very unclear statements, or shall I say, unanswered questions from men like Rob Bell, Brian McLaren, Doug Pagitt, Tony Jones and others... At face value many of their statements are not bad, and some of their questions may in fact be valid. But Richard Weaver's book "Ideas Have Consequences" comes to mind, and most certainly a liberal, watered-down, social justice oriented gospel (among other things) is the consequence of what these men are proposing.
To be sure, Emergent sounds very progressive and cutting edge, but from what I can tell it is the same old liberalism, just on a different day. Solomon was right, there truly is nothing new under the sun.
Labels: christian living, church, emergent, legalism, liberalism, liberty
posted by Miles at
6/30/2008 12:43:00 AM
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