A Newsletter

THis morning my mother sent me and email that she got, its a newsletter from a church in New England if I recall correctly. It seems like everyone is out to get the Emerging Church, and why I have yet to figure out. Could be because its a change? But I am a supporter of the movement, I think its awesome. Its good to see that people are finally getting back to Christ and away from Christianity. Nevertheless, what I cannot stand is when people badmouth something without actually giving you the facts and the basics. In this case, the newsletter was put out and had nothing but bad to say. Neveronce did it talk about what the Emergent Movement is about. It really disgusts me because although I do not support everything about the Emergent Movement, one thind I cannot stand is when something is bad-mouthed just for the heck of it. Anyways, read this and get disgusted too.

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Where in the World is the Church?

I’VE BEEN in several meetings where we’ve been discussing the condition and future of the church in America . Many pastors are concerned about the watering down of the gospel today. In an effort to draw a crowd, we have failed to build churches. The church-lite culture, is fifty miles wide and two inches deep.

VANCE HAVNER SAID, “I used to say the world was going to the dogs, but I quit out of respect for dogs.” I wonder what he would say about the American church today. Many churches today would never have Havner or any prophetic voice in their pulpits. God forbid that anyone in the pew might feel the necessity to do something about sin.

EARLIER THIS YEAR, there was an Emergent Convention in Nashville . The Emerging Church movement is, at times, watering down the Word in an effort to attract people. Jesus attracted the people and He didn’t water down anything. Jesus died to bring people to Himself and to holiness. Jesus died for more than many are willing to live for.

SOME OF THESE CHURCHES don’t fit the New Testament description of a church, (unless you are talking about carnal Corinth ). They brag about their size, but where’s the spiritual impact? Why are over 90% of teenagers in America unchurched if these guys are doing such a great job connecting with the culture?

WE’VE GOT NUMBERS, technology, satellite sites, drama, podcasting, streaming video, great bands, exciting music, but where’s the breath of the Spirit? Where’s the unexplainable power of God? Where’s prayer? Where’s the call to holiness? Where’s the call to this materialistic age to sacrifice and serve?

IN MY OPINION, we’re serving up something less than the New Testament standard of Christianity. A factory second can have a designer label but in reality it’s nothing more than a cheaper, blemished version of a quality item. For many, church is more about being cool than having character. It’s about “rah-rah” more than righteousness.

THE GREATEST ISSUE I have with the Emerging Church is in an effort to be “cutting edge” they’ve cut off any ties to our heritage, historical roots and the saints of old who have paved the way along the way. They are moving fences without asking why they are there. The average church member today knows nothing of the faith of our fathers.

REGARDING THE LEADERS of the Emerging Church movement, one pastor said “They are whiney white boys who are mad at their dads, reject authority and think they can orchestrate change over coffee at Starbucks.” They are like the children of the 60’s who want to wave off every restraint in the name of “freedom” in Christ. They are so bent on being cool, they have forsaken the cross.

THIS IS MORE than a difference of opinion on style. These men and women are going beyond style changes. They are, in many ways, destroying the foundations. The original idea behind the Emerging Church movement (they don’t call it a movement, they call it a “conversation”) is to learn to relate to a postmodern world. There was concern about how “seeker” churches were going to relate to the younger generations.

IN THIS EFFORT, the question must be asked, “Are they raising up a generation of believers of whom the world is not worthy? Are they raising up prayer warriors? Are they raising up people with a hunger for holiness?” These are the questions we all must ask if we are seeking to build a church that is pleasing to Christ.

I HAVE A youth ministry background. We always had a separate youth service on Wednesday nights, but I never felt the need to disconnect from the rest of the body. We were still part of something greater than we were. When you start compartmentalizing a church, you will end up on a rocky road. The church for 2,000 years was together in “one place” – men, women, students, children, singles. There were no options regarding style. Everyone had to learn to get along. It was called submitting to one another. It had it’s basis in loving one another.

TODAY, we divide, hoping to connect. While I am the first to agree we are all different, we need to learn from one another. The younger need to learn from the older. The older need to invest in the younger. Today we’re raising a generation of kids in single parent homes who feel no connection to family or the church.

THIS ISSUE IS, by and large, a materialistic western culture issue. You won’t find it in a third world country where being a Christian is life or death. We must not cave into a spirit of preference. What we need is a spirit of deference. Each person, needs to die to self, learn to respect others, learn to relate to other generations and learn to bow together at the cross.

THE SEEKER MOVEMENT sought to make lost people feel comfortable in church. The Emerging Church movement seeks to have the “Burger King philosophy” of church, “Have it your way.” When we set up the church to please people, we’ve stopped being the church. We’re only a social club with a religious label, and ministers become lobbyists, trying to get donors and favors.

BRIAN McLAREN, one of the key leaders of the movement says, “When you have a liberal way of being a Christian and a conservative way of being a Christian that are both modern, and modernity is over, you’ve got to find another way of being a Christian.” I guess Brian thinks the omnipotent, sovereign God of glory needs his help. I guess He doesn’t consider a Scriptural approach a valid “way of being a Christian.”

I KNOW what he’s saying, but I don’t agree with his conclusions. I’ve been in the church all my life. There is nothing “Christian” about the way many of our churches act or do business. These emerging church leaders are reacting to the junk they saw growing up in the church. Maybe they aren’t sick of church, but they’re sick of business meetings, committees and deacon possessed churches that run off pastors at a whim. Their frustrations may be valid, but their conclusions are wrong. They are going too far. They’re stretching the rubber band to the breaking point. The pendulum has swung too far. Some even say we don’t need church at all. Any philosophy that emerges that de-emphasizes the church is from the pit of hell.

MY CONCERN is this: a whole generation is being influenced by guys who “use” the Bible, but don’t study it. They do not have convictions; they have opinions. They don’t wait for a word from God; they get with a team and put together a “talk.” In a day of moral confusion and relative thinking we need a word from the Lord.

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Hm. I myself support and understand what the Emerging Church is doing. And what I think is intteresting about this article is that whoever writing it is not telling people the exact basis of the Emerging Church, about their standpoints and what not. Which is the exact reason why Christianity is going down the pooper. Basing it back on Christ is what the Emerging Church is doing. By new kind of Christian, I believe McLaren meant one that is focused on Christ, since obviously no one is any more.

Instead of badmouthing something and giving it a false name maybe the facts should be presented before somebody says all of these things… just like maybe the basics and facts and truths of Christianity should be prevalent before sermons are given about other pointless things. Beacuse thats whats wrong with Christianity, every sermon is not based on Christ anymore, and the wonderful truth of his life and his attitude and his love is nowhere to be found. Much like happened in this article: (though not to the same degree of course) If the information is skewed and completely skipped over and the basic is not shown and the truth is not there, HOW CAN YOU EVER EXPECT ANY SINGLE PERSON TO BELIEVE THE REAL TRUTH?!