The Emerging Church - Warning!

The last widespread cultural threat to Biblical Xianity I recall was "seeker sensitive" churches/services in the 80's and 90's--popularized by Bill Hybels. What that gave us was churches willing and eager to "morph" themselves into something that appealed to unbelievers. It went something like this, "You want the preacher to tone down his proclamation of the Biblical gospel? Okay, we'll have him teach on popular topics to help you feel good about yourself." "Oh, you don't care to waste your day in church? Okay, we'll give you a smorgasbord of service days and times that you can pick and choose from." "And, yes, we'll tone down the doctrinally rich and solid hymn singing for you, too!" "You say your kids won't like coming and listening to Bible stories during Sunday School? Well, we're installing a state-of-the-art video and audio auditorium that will wow them, and for your younger kids we have a real-live carousel they can ride on!" Get the picture? We have effectively created a "church" environment that appeals to and feeds the flesh, and not the spirit.

Naturally, it was only a matter of time until those external gimmicks gave way to the intellectual gimmicks.

About two or three years ago I first began hearing the term, "emerging church". First through, a casual acquaintance with a fellow-homeschool mother. Then just days later, my husband came home from a meeting with the president of a large international missions organization who warned of the emerging church. Naturally, I began to listen and watch for more evidence of this coming "trend" inside and outside of the church.

Here are a few names of people in the EC movement that you should be aware (and beware!) of: Rob Bell, Brian McLaran, Mark Driscoll, and Dan Kimball.

Because God always protects His sheep, He has equipped a good number of reputable Xian men and women who are watching this present trend, talking with the leaders (and followers) within the movement, and subsequently providing necessary warnings to Believers. One of those men is John MacArthur, here's what he had to say recently:

"If you haven't heard of the Emerging Church, you will. The Emerging Church movement is wildly popular with people who are dissatisfied with orthodox doctrine, dogmatic preaching, and traditional worship.

People who are drawn to the EC generally place high value on ambiguity and mystery. They reject the notion that God's Word is clear, and that anyone can really understand its meaning. That means every doctrine you and I find precious is subject to new interpretation, doubt, and even wholesale rejection. Everything is being questioned and deconstructed. Unlike the noble Bereans who used Scripture to test what they were taught and refine their understanding of the truth, people associated with the EC regard God's Word as too full of mystery to warrant handling any truth in a definitive way.

The result is a movement that thrives on disorganization, lends itself to mysticism, distrusts authority and dislikes preaching, feeds intellectual pride, and recognizes few (if any) doctrinal or moral boundaries. You can see why they movement is so appealing to college-age young people--it is fleshly rebellion dressed in ecclesiastical robes...

The EC's frontal assault on the clarity of Scripture makes it the most dangerous attack I've seen. If the Bible isn't clear and its meaning can't be understood, what do Christians have left to say to anyone? No doctrine is sure enough to declare; everything is subject to debate and discussion. No text really offers hope and comfort. No truth can definitively correct error. There is no standard by which to measure a minister and his ministry. There is no clear gospel to communicate to the lost--in fact, it's not even clear whether there's such a thing as lost or saved.

While not all the EC leaders and authors pursue their belief system to the same extreme, the movement's core is radical and dangerous. You can understand why a Christ-professing movement built on such shifting sand so deeply concerns me..."

Ladies (that's who I primarily blog for), we need to be watching for this--in our own churches, Bible studies, fellowship groups, homeschool groups, etc. We need to be ready in season and out of season to stand firm for the truth of Scripture, not the whims of man or the gimmicks of the world. Not only are we commanded to guard our very souls, we are charged with the care and training of those around us--family, friends, neighbors, etc.

Here are a few resources I've come to trust on the topic of the EC:

The Pyromaniacs have a lot to say about the EC, just do a search for Emergent, or Postmodern.

Carla Rolfe is a homeschooling mom who has been studying and interacting with the EC people through a blog she created for that sole purpose, EmergentNo.

Frank Turk minces no words on the ECM (Emerging Church Movement) on HIS BLOG. Frank is also one of the TeamPyro members at Pyromaniacs .

D.A. Carson has written THIS BOOK that is considered "THE" book on the topic. I'm hoping to read it after my husband finishes.

Well, I'm sure there are plenty of others worth our time and consideration, but these have kept me busy enough!