One World Church is COMING! What is the Emerging Church? | LED Live • EP201

The Bill Hybels News Isn’t Just Another Pastor Sex Scandal

Quick to Listen/Episode 122 | 43 min

Willow Creek changed how Americans do church. What happens now? 

CT Editors | August 8, 2018





Image: GLS Site 219 / Flickr 

Last year, Willow Creek Community Church founder and lead pastor Bill Hybels announced he was passing the baton to two heirs and would be retiring in October 2018.

A lot has changed in 10 months.

Since that announcement, 10 women have accused Hybels of misconduct. Earlier this week, The New York Times reported that one of leader’s former assistants accused the Willow Creek founder of repeatedly groping her. And on Sunday, Steve Carter, whom Hybels who indicated would succeed him as teaching pastor, announced his resignation.

All of this occurred several days before Willow’s Global Leadership Summit, an annual event hosted at Willow’s Barrington campus and streamed at hundreds of locations around the world.

As CT, the Chicago Tribune, and now The New York Times have reported on allegations of sexual misconduct and complaints about the Willow Creek board’s response, some less familiar with Willow Creek wonder why the ministry deserves all this attention.

“Willow Creek was revolutionary in that previously, churches assumed that all that was needed to reach unbelievers with the gospel was simply to say it one more time and not do anything particularly different,” said Marshall Shelley, a longtime editor for Leadership Journal.

Rather than just continue to sling religious language at the world, Willow’s leaders realized that “our culture is spiritually blind and is not going to respond to positively to a message that has grown overly familiar or has grown stale,” said Shelley. “Willow Creek said ‘We need to communicate in a way that is going to get people’s attention. Not say it the way we’ve said it thousands of times before but say it in a way that they’ve never heard it before.’”

This insight grew the ministry of the church and spawned the Willow Creek Association, a network for like-minded churches thousands of congregations strong. It’s this latter ministry that organizes the annual Global Leadership Summit, which is simulcast around the world at hundreds of locations.

Shelley joined associate digital media producer Morgan Lee and editor in chief Mark Galli to discuss what influenced and drove Hybels to do church the way he did, what inspired the church’s leadership and business mentality and focus, and what’s next for Willow in the wake of allegations of misconduct against its founder and former leader.


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The Emerging Church Controversy Within Adventism - Steve Wohlberg

Omega Emerging The Emerging Church Controversy Within Adventism Steve

Aleksandar Popovski

Published on Oct 29, 2014

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EMERGING CHURCH LEADER SAMIR SELMANOVIC WORSHIPS WITH WITCHES

By Ken Silva pastor-teacher on Oct 14, 2010

Hear the word that the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel. Thus says the Lord: “Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the nations are dismayed at them, for the customs of the peoples are vanity. A tree from the forest is cut down and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman.

They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move. Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak; they have to be carried, for they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good.” There is none like you, O Lord; you are great, and your name is great in might. (Jeremiah 10:1-6)

If It Was Ever In It, The Emerging Church Has Now Left The Building Of Christianity

Apprising Ministries has been making you aware of the now upgraded Emerging Church 2.0 with its newer, more clearly delineated, postmodern Progressive Christian theology—a Liberalism 2.0—that this sinfully ecumenical neo-liberal cult of the Emergent Church often refers to as “big tent” Emergence Christianity. You’re likely aware of leaders within this EC—seeker driven for the “counter-culture”—movement like the Emerging Church trinity of apostates, Living Spiritual Teacher and EC guru Brian McLaren, universalist Emerging Church pastor Doug Pagitt, and his friend Tony Jones, the progressive “theologian in residence” at Solomon’s Porch.

The fact is, this is all kind of a reimagined bohemian hippie counter-culture deal I would see as I was growing up in the late 60′s; where we were careful not to “sell out” and become part of “the establishment.” Well, now we have it in a spiritual form within the rhetoric of the Emergent Church and many of its faithless followers. It was phony then, and it’s just as phony now; you see, one by one I watched the pop philosophers of my youth who “spoke my language”—my then cherished rock stars—gladly take the money and run to blend right in to what we once said were so against. Have you ever noticed that these EC leaders never miss an opportunity to promote their books.

In pieces like God Is Father Of All Religion and Faith House Manhattan: Project Of Apostasy I have introduced you to one of the lesser known EC luminaries, and one of their up-and-coming ear-ticklers, Samir Selmanovic. Selmanovic is an interspiritual advocate and “an ordained pastor of the Seventh-day Adventist church” whose website tells us that he’s “been integral to the birth of the emerging church movement, serving as a member of the Coordinating Group of Emergent Village and representing emergents at the Interfaith Relations Commission of the National Council of Churches.”[1]

Selanovic’s main shtick is something called Faith House Manhattan (FHM), whose motto is Experience Your Neighbor’s Faith:

(Online source)

This is completely reflected in the book Selmanovic wrote in 2009 called It’s Really All About God: Reflections of a Muslim Atheist Jewish Christian. Wow, and interestingly enough this man who’s here with other Emerging Church leaders in order to rescue us from the imperialistic capitalist system oppressing the downtrodden because we need to redistribute the wealth, somehow; even manages to find a way to plug his book below. Such sacrifice, eh. We also note that this FHM is personally blessed by Tony Campolo as well as Living Spiritual Teacher and EC guru Brian McLaren , his fellow Red Letter Christian:

(Online source)

Well, accolades from apostates aside, you should be able to see that with FHM Samir Selmanovic is in violation of God’s Word with this interspiritual worship; it’s well beyond simply befriending people of other faith, which is desirable for the Christian. No, with Selmanovic and others in the Emergent Church we cross the line into participating in pagan religions, which has always been something God forbids. O, but just because Jesus wants us to know — what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons (1 Corinthians 10:20), heretics like Selmanovic aren’t going to let a little thing like what the Lords says stop them because they are — lovers of self (2 Timothy 3:2).

Come Now, Let Us Bow Down As One Before Pagan Idols And Religious Superstitions

You think I overstate; think again, and consider the following tweet from Samir Selmanovic earlier today:



(Online source)

Briefly, “the other” is Liberalism 2.0-speak for their belief that God is at work within all other religions; these neo-Gnostics believe they need to discover what God is supposedly doing in these other religions. Selmanovic told us his views in an earlier book, which was edited by the dubious duo of Tony Jones and Doug Pagitt; when he mused this mythology:


Can it be that the teachings of the gospel are embedded and can be found in reality itself rather than being exclusively isolated in sacred texts and our interpretations of those texts? If the answer is yes, can it be that they are embedded in other stories, other peoples’ histories, and even other religions?…


God’s table is welcoming all who seek, and if any religion is to win, may it be the one that produces people who are the most loving, the most humble, the most Christlike. Whatever the meaning of “salvation” and “judgement,” we Christians are going to be saved by grace,like everyone else, and judged by our works, like everyone else…


For most critics of such open Christianity, the problem with inclusiveness is that it allows for truth to be found in other religions. To emerging Christians, that problem is sweet… Moreover, ifnon-Christians can know our God, then we want to benefit from their contribution to our faith.[2]

This is not Christianity; it’s at best universalism, and at worst, it’s pagan universalism as we see when we follow Selmanovic’s link above to LIVING ROOM Samhain: A Season of Harvest, a Circle of Remembrance:

(Online source) 

Um, yeah; that is a pentagram you’re looking at, and:

(Online source)

Yet Selmanovic gushes:



(Online source)

Uh-huh; that’s an allegedy Christian Emerging Church leader “celebrating,” with a coven of witches, the superstition of Samhain:

(Online source)

Apparently while he’s been busy with his study of pagan practices Samir seems to have forgotten that Jesus told us in Luke 16:19-31 that once one departs this life they either end up in hades or in paradise; there is no time of any thin veil, and they are not free to walk about anywhere. Sadly, Selmanovic apparently forgot that practices of craft are an abomination to the Lord:


There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out before you. (Deuteronomy 18:10-12)

Yeah, that really doesn’t look to me like God thinks His children ought to be learning from Wiccans; but this is exactly what Selmanovic was doing:

(Online source)

Remind me again; why are these Emerging Church apostates even remotely considered to be evangelical?



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Endnotes

[1] http://www.samirselmanovic.com/about/, 10/14/10.

[2] Samir Selmanovic, “The Sweet Problem of Inclusiveness – Finding Our God in the Other,” in An Emergent Manifesto of Hope, Doug Pagitt and Tony Jones editors [Grand Rapids: Baker,
2007], 192, 195, 196, emphasis mine.

See also:

SAMIR SELMANOVIC AND BEING UNABLE TO FOLLOW JESUS WITHOUT ISLAM

CHRISTIAN AGNOSTIC ADELE SAKLER AND SAMIR SELMANOVIC DISCUSS CHRISTIAN ATHEISM

SAMIR SELMANOVIC HAS LEFT THE BUILDING

FULLER SEMINARY SPONSORS EMERGING CHURCH HERETIC DOUG PAGITT

THE EMERGING CHURCH AND THE NEW PROGRESSIVE THEOLOGY ON OTHER RELIGIONS

THE EMERGING CHURCH AND THE NEW PROGRESSIVE THEOLOGY ON CHRIST

IS SHANE CLAIBORNE A CHRISTIAN-MUSLIM?

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ADVENTISTS AND SUNDAY WORSHIP

Photo (Courtesy) http://www.al.com/living/index.ssf/2015/02/seventh-day_adventist_sunday.html

February 12, 2015 Brad Burnham


Seventh-day Adventists, Methodists, and Baptists have something in common: All three denominations offer one of their doctrines in their name. Can a Baptist forget the truth of baptism by immersion? Can a Methodist forget their methodical spiritual disciplines? Similarly, I've often wondered how a Seventh-day Adventist could forget the history of the Seventh-day Sabbath.

The Sabbath is a time that we get to put down our work-load so that we can show love to others, commune together, and learn about God. The day is written in our name, “Seventh-day Adventist”. How can something be forgotten that is remembered each week?

Roughly two thousand years ago, there may have been a group asking that same question. The faithful followers of Jesus may have pointed to the law and questioned why so many were forgetting the 4th commandment. (Exodus 20:8) George Ide Butler writes about the loss of the Seventh-day Sabbath in his book The Change of the Sabbath:

After the death of the apostles, during the second century, we find some voluntary regard being paid to Sunday, with Good Friday and other festival days, for which no command of Scripture was ever assigned, and later on, “custom” was quoted as additional evidence. Subsequently some held religions meetings upon it, and finally the Catholic Church favored it, calling it the Lord’s day, about A. D. 200. At last Constantine, a heathen, passed a law (AD. 321) commanding a portion of the people to rest from labor on 'the venerable day of the sun.' This heathen law was the first ever made requiring cessation from labor on Sunday.

A voluntary regard was paid for Sunday worship that eventually was favored, and finally passed as law. Could this progression of events happen in our day? Could a voluntary regard for Sunday become favored, and even passed as a law (Ecclesiastes 1:9, 3:15)?

In a recent article from Alabama local news, the Huntsville First Seventh-day Adventist church has started a “bit shorter, more informal and more focused” service on Sundays. The Huntsville Adventist church isn’t the only church to initiate this Sunday worship practice. The Atlanta Metropolitan Seventh-day Adventist Church has also started Sunday services as well. Do you suppose that a similar method may have been used two thousand years ago to ruin a faithful church?

Before we go any further, I want to separate a few things that are commonly tied together.
Church attendance doesn’t make the Sabbath day holy.
We should be communing with God every day of the week including Sunday.
Going in to a church on a day other than Saturday is not a sin.

So, is going to Adventist church services on Sunday a bad idea? Many Adventists have searched Ellen White’s writings for an answer to these questions and found that in Testimonies Vol 9 she states:

Sunday can be used for carrying forward various lines of work that will accomplish much for the Lord. On this day open-air meetings and cottage meetings can be held. House-to-house work can be done. Those who write can devote this day to writing their articles. Whenever it is possible, let religious services be held on Sunday. Make these meetings intensely interesting. Sing genuine revival hymns, and speak with power and assurance of the Savior’s love. Speak on temperance and on true religious experience.

However, scholars are quick to point out that Ellen White never mentioned that the Sunday church meetings were to be held in the church sanctuary: “On this day open-air meetings and cottage meetings can be held… let religious services be held on Sunday.“ In this paragraph she is specifically speaking of the ones in the cottages or open air for evangelistic purposes.

It’s also good to look at the context of the entire chapter from which this paragraph is taken. At the very beginning of this chapter, when she starts writing about holding meetings on Sunday, she is giving instruction on what to do when one is persecuted by required rest laws that are passed for Sunday. She states, “I will try to answer your question as to what you should do in the case of Sunday laws being enforced.” Then, she speaks of religious services in open-air meetings and cottages.

Ellen White is not trying to make the point that we should start creating Sunday church services where we dress up in what some call their “Sunday best”. The point of her letter is to, “Give them no occasion to call you lawbreakers.” In other words, it’s okay to stop working on Sunday and teach others the truths that are imperative for the crisis that is coming. Do this outside of the church, in the open air, a cottage, or anywhere that would not make it appear as if one is confusing God’s law or breaking a Sunday law. This will provide more time to spread the gospel instead of becoming tied up in court.

If our church founders believed that our members should attend church on Sunday, but keep Saturday holy, then they would have established the Seventh-day Adventist Sunday worship service with an emphasis on Saturday holiness. Let’s remember the Adventist church is a peculiar people, set apart from the rest. Conforming to the ways of the world is not God’s way (Matthew 16:24).

Establishing a Sunday service in an Adventist church is reminiscent of another church in Atlanta, GA. In 1996 Alex Bryan, established Sunday services in the New Community Fellowship church to try to reach the young adult community. However, this method resulted in a now non-denominational Sunday-observing church that still meets today. As the conference administration considered Alex Bryan’s termination, Alex resigned in 2002 from the Seventh-day Adventist church and remained independent. After five years, Alex Bryan was picked up by Walla Walla SDA University and is now their Church Pastor and the chairman of the board of The One Project. For more information about The One Project, check out the series called Omega Emerging, Operation Iceberg.

It’s sad to say that I can now see how easily a Seventh-day Adventist can forget their religious history and can lead others into dangerous territory. Let’s continue in prayer for our Adventist brothers and sisters, in Christ, that are dealing with this issue in their churches around the world.

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Adventist leader Dan Jackson confronts future challenges in American-born movement

Mark A. Kellner Deseret News National
news@effinghamherald.net

POSTED: July 29, 2014 5:00 a.m

Gerry Chudleigh, Adventist News Network

Donna and Dan Jackson have shared a Seventh-day Adventist ministry that has taken the family all over Canada and to India for missionary service.







SILVER SPRING, Md. — Nothing — not surviving a car wreck en route to his wedding, nor being a Seventh-day Adventist missionary, nor years in the pulpit — had prepared Dan Jackson for the challenge his daughter threw at him on a Saturday afternoon.


The eldest of their three teenage children at the time didn't appreciate the weekly ritual of attending Sabbath services where dad was the preacher.

“ ‘You make us go to church because you don't want to look bad,’ ” Jackson recalled her saying. "It hit me like a brick, right between the eyes. … I was stunned."

After pondering her words for a couple of hours with his wife Donna, Jackson called the children together to announce that when they turned 17 years old, attending Rutland Seventh-day Adventist Church in Kelowna, British Columbia, where Jackson served, would be their choice.

"There were a lot of people who thought I was stark raving mad," he said of his parishioners. "Seventh-day Adventists have strong beliefs and a strong culture, and we can force people into the mold, but we really don't help them in the long run."

An upbeat man with a puckish sense of humor, the 65-year-old Jackson draws on that experience when puzzling out the challenges he faces as the Adventist Church's North American Division president. While the 151-year-old denomination was born in the U.S., less than 1 percent of the membership resides in North America. Leaders such as Jackson recognize decades-old methods of outreach that worked among their aging membership aren't as effective as they once were — particularly with young adults.

"We cannot rely on methods that were developed and implemented in the ’60s. We're not living in the 20th century anymore," he said. "So I (believe) that thinking Seventh-day Adventists … are realizing that we've come to a point in time where the mission of the church is expressed in a way that is relevant to our own culture."

Relevant expression of faith

That expression may take forms other than traditional broadcasting outreach, weeks-long evangelistic meetings in or near local churches and even the longstanding practice of "literature evangelism," often carried out by door-to-door salesmen hawking "The Bible Story" and other family-oriented books.

"Adventism has got to move beyond its own walls. We've got to quit believing that the only relationships that we have are the safe relationships that we find on Sabbath morning," he said. "We need to become the incarnation of the things we believe."

It's this "incarnational" style of religion, he believes, that not only impresses today's post-modern youths, but which also had an impact in his own family.

He recalled his youngest daughter being a "very self-motivated, initiative-taking kind of person," leaving home in her mid-teens and returning "with a surprise who became our grandson."

Dealing with the unplanned pregnancy of an unmarried teen daughter, Jackson informed his congregation's leaders and offered to let them call for another pastor if they desired. He also told them it would be up to the congregation, and not their pastor, to exercise any church discipline.

"Pastors are people," Jackson said, explaining both his candor and the reason he gave leaders that option. "Yes, congregations have expectations (of members), but pastors also have to be able to negotiate an understanding (that) my kids are people, they will make mistakes, but I'm going to love those kids more than I'll love you."

One day, the women of the congregation showed up at Jackson's home, asking to see his daughter. The young expectant mother was a bit anxious, he said, until one of the church members greeted her, "We've raised $400 and we're here to take you shopping!"

What happened after that? "She had a child," Jackson said, "but the experience itself was so potent for her that it became the instrument of leading her back to God again. Today, she is the principal of a 12-grade Seventh-day Adventist academy. … God is using her in an amazing way."

His eldest daughter — the one who balked at weekly church attendance — continued to have problems with the family's faith.

She "wound up in the New Age, and her beliefs, which she maintained for a lot of years, have now dissipated," he said. "She does not totally orient to Christianity, but she has come a million miles. She has become very much closer to Christianity." (Their third child, a son, remained faithful and is an active church member today, Jackson said.)

Jackson believes it was the example he and his wife modeled of faith lived, not merely spoken, that helped close the gap.

A life preserved

Jackson, dressed in a charcoal suit, light blue dress shirt and patterned tie, reflected on his life, his family and the challenges the Adventist Church faces one July afternoon in his office. The papers on his desk attest that this is a working office, but Jackson's attitude is thoughtful and reflective, albeit with a seemingly permanent twinkle in his eye.

Against a backdrop of bookshelves displaying Adventist literature and Bible commentaries, as well as mementos such as a stuffed polar bear doll wearing a Canadian maple leaf sweater, Jackson said he felt a call to the ministry as a child. But the urge was sublimated after he developed a desire for a political career, planning on college degrees in economics, first, and then political science.

In one unplanned moment, that political career vanished.

A 20-year-old Jackson, driving to his wedding in Chase, British Columbia, fell asleep at the wheel. Instead of pitching over the side of a mountain into a lake a thousand feet below, the car veered left, crossed a lane of traffic and ended up in an eight-foot ditch. Jackson walked away.

"When the police came, they stood at the side of the ditch looking down at the car, and people had gathered around, and they were asking how many people had died," he recalled. "And I stood there, and it really started to hit me: my life has been preserved, and for what? I began to pray, and sensed the leading of God, and wound up in training for pastoral ministry."

That career change placed Jackson in a pulpit for over two decades, along with a five-year missionary stint at an Adventist college in Pune, India, from 1981 to 1985. The experience, he said, was "a real, deep privilege. India is a great nation, and the diversity there is kind of exhilarating. We were very free and felt free to go into Buddhist temples and Hindu temples."

He said the Muslim fruit-and-vegetable sellers in the community became friends, though he still regrets, 30 years later, not having gone with one of them to their mosque for prayers.

Jackson then served as a college chaplain and later a church administrator in Canada before his 2010 election to president of the North American Division, one of 13 global Adventist Church regions. Jackson's five-year term ends next July, when he could be re-elected.

Church confronts demographics

Whether or not he returns, the church Jackson helps lead continues to confront change. Along with the pull of secularism is an aging congregation. According to the North American Division's executive secretary, roughly 65 percent of current church members are either baby boomers or were born before that generation; fewer than 15 percent can be classified as millennials.

That "graying" of Adventism may be addressed by Jackson's hoped-for "incarnational" form of outreach, but also by redefining how the message is conveyed. One Adventist scholar maintains it's no longer a matter of selling a given Christian brand.

"The church’s ministry efforts were developed in a context very different from today," Loma Linda University religion professor Zane Yi said. "Back then you could assume people were Christian and denominations just had to convince people, through arguments, that theirs was the right or best version. Things are very different today and Adventism, like many communities, has struggled to figure out to communicate and minister effectively in a post-Christian society."

Facing economic realities, Jackson's division has seen changes old-timers might have dubbed radical: In the past 12 months, the centralized media center north of Hollywood, California, where the 85-year-old "Voice of Prophecy" radio program and the decades-old "It Is Written" telecast were produced, was disbanded, allowing those ministries to relocate to less-expensive areas.

In June, global Adventist leadership voted to transfer the Pacific Press in Boise, Idaho, to Jackson's division while closing and selling off the assets of the Review & Herald Publishing Association in Hagerstown, Maryland.

Print publishing was once an Adventist strength, but the availability of church writings on mobile devices for free has contributed to the declining demand for printed books. From 1985 to 2013, the Hagerstown operation's revenues fell by more than half, the Adventist News Network reported.

Such moves — and continuing tensions over the question of ordaining women to Adventist pastoral ministry — are causing ripples within the Adventist community.

Andy Nash, a Seventh-day Adventist who teaches journalism at Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, Tennessee, says that a malaise affecting young Adventists has many causes, including the recent shutdown of "The Record Keeper," a $1 million Web-based film project that portrayed Adventist themes through a steam-punk motif.

"I've never seen Adventist young people so excited about an official church initiative as (I saw in) my students about 'The Record Keeper' Web series," Nash said. "It grabbed their attention and got them thinking about deep things. It was very disheartening (for them) to get excited and have it taken away."

Church leaders say the project was shown to have some theological issues, but that they are willing to consider similar outreach in the future. And while the decision was made one level above Jackson's leadership role, its impact may be most keenly felt within his church region, where young adult retention is a hot topic.

Other avenues of growth for Adventists in North America exist, one scholar said. Ronald Numbers, a former Adventist and University of Wisconsin professor who authored a critical biography of church co-founder Ellen White, said Adventism's American future lies in the waves of immigrants coming to the nation's shores.

"It probably hasn't done any worse in the U.S. than many other Christian communities," Numbers said, via email. "But it's grown worldwide faster than most. Recent growth in America has come largely from the Latino community, leading some observers to talk about 'the browning' of the American church."

Sabbath distinction

Perhaps no feature distinguishes Seventh-day Adventism from other Christian faiths as much as its adherence to what followers call the "Bible Sabbath," observed on Saturday, after the pattern of ancient Israel and as noted in Exodus 20:8-11.

In 1888, church leaders had to defend their right to worship on Saturday and work the rest of the week during U.S. Senate hearings on a "National Sunday Law" that would have criminalized working on the first day of the week. The bill never passed, but the prospect galvanized the 25-year-old movement into a course of religious freedom advocacy that continues today.

Adventists have often made the Sabbath a cornerstone of outreach efforts, with preachers and evangelists offering up to $100,000 to anyone who can find a Bible verse showing the day of worship had been changed to Sunday.

Today, the need for a regular day off from work may be greater than ever in a 24/7 society, but the notion of evangelizing about a given day of the week might not best convey the message. Instead, Jackson harkens back to how he responded to his children's challenges about sabbath worship to stress the need for Adventists to focus on the life-enhancing role the Sabbath plays.

In practice, he contends, that means demonstrating through their lives that the day is "an opportunity to rest, to take a break, to commune with nature, to build relationships, so that the Sabbath is no longer some obscure teaching, but rather, it's who I am, it's something I express on the seventh day, but also on the other days of the week."

Editor's note: Mark A. Kellner is a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and for 11 years worked at the movement’s world headquarters as news editor for Adventist Review and Adventist World magazines and as director of the Adventist News Network news service.

Email: mkellner@deseretnews.com

Twitter: @Mark_Kellner


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Billy Graham - All Roads Lead To Rome (Full Documentary)

kytekuttertv

Published on Jun 5, 2014

Did Billy Graham start a movement of apostate Protestant preachers bringing the protestant churches back to Rome? Was he a freemason? You decide!
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Keep Not Silent: S.D.A Beware of New Movement (Emerging Church)

ProphesyAgainTV


Published on Dec 22, 2013


I feel a terror of soul as I see to what a pass our publishing house has come. The presses in the Lord's institution have been printing the soul-destroying theories of Romanism and other mysteries of iniquity. The office must be purged of this objectionable matter. I have a testimony from the Lord for those who have placed such matter in the hands of the workers. God holds you accountable for presenting to young men and young women the fruit of the forbidden tree of knowledge. {8T 91.2}
Website: www.prophesyagain.org
The Sermon notes for this message is also available for download.

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Perils of the Emerging Church, Steve Wohlberg

 David Gates


Published on Apr 27, 2014


We are too close to eternity not to be informed. Please distribute this link to your friends or call 423-473-1841 or write to orders@gospelministry.org to get a free DVD. God bless you. Uncle David Gates

Roadside Service: Drive-In Church Brings God To Your Car

by Amy Kiley
March 03, 2014 4:00 PM

from WFME

Listen to the Story
All Things Considered

3 min 54 sec

Sun, surf and sermons: At the Daytona Beach Drive In Christian Church in Florida, parishioners attend services by parking their cars in a grassy lot. Amy Kiley/WMFE



When most people drive to church on Sunday, it's to sit for an hour-long service on uncomfortable wooden pews. Not at the Daytona Beach Drive In Christian Church in Florida.

As church attendance continues to decline in the United States, some parishes are doing what they can to draw congregants: embracing social media, loosening dress codes and even altering service times for big sporting events. At this church, people park in rows on the grass facing an altar on the balcony of an old drive-in theater. To hear the service, they switch on their radios.

Pastor Bob Kemp-Baird was skeptical of the church's approach when he was first recruited two years ago, but now says he understands that the worship style works for his congregation.

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"Is there a feeling of the presence of the holy in this place?" Kemp-Baird asks. "Is there a feeling that Christ's presence is made known? I do know: it lives here."

Liturgical purists might balk at a worship style in which even Communion isn't very communal. Parishioners in their cars drink wine from plastic ramekins with tiny rectangles of bread under the lids. As they do so, the radio pipes out instructions over organ music: "Remove this inner lid and, holding this cup, join me in prayer."

But for the parishioners of the , the drive-up approach works.

When Shirley Oenbrink was battling stage 4 cancer, attending church provided her with strength through her illness, she says. But during her year of chemotherapy, she says she could barely get out of bed, let alone into a church pew.

Now that she has beaten the cancer, having a private space during worship helps her cope with the emotional ups and downs of recovery.

"It the time to let the tears flow and you don't get questioned," she says. "I don't like for people to feel sorry for me. And when I cry, my eyes get big, my nose swells up ... I need to stay in my car."

For Russell and Teresa Fry, who are legally blind, the ability to walk to the church and hear the service through speakers is important. They say they both carry wounds from discrimination at churches they've attended in the past, and Teresa Fry says that makes her "standoffish."

"I don't want to get hurt. So I stand back and wait for a second to see how they're going to react to me with being visually impaired, because my eyes do jerk a lot," she says. "People sometimes think I'm kind of crazy when I'm not crazy."

The Frys say the church is a safe place for people who need privacy and healing, and that the congregation readily accepted them.

Other parishioners say the drive-in approach is perfect for those who have trouble walking or for antsy children who enjoy the open space. Others say they revel in the ocean air and Florida sunshine. And some say they like that the church welcomes the whole family, including pet dogs: When ushers hand out Communion, even the dogs get treats.
At the service's close, things get even livelier when people use their car horns to "clap."

Those who want human interaction can then gather in the fellowship hall, which used to be the theater's concession stand. Today, it offers a Christian tradition that transcends even locked cars: doughnut hour.


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Keynote address -- Samir Selmanovic, Faith House Manhattan

Harvard University

Uploaded on Sep 22, 2011


Interfaith Conversations on the Tenth Anniversary of 9/11
Where were you? Where are we going?
Sunday, September 11, 2011
The Harvard University Interfaith Collaborative

The Harvard Interfaith Collaborative is comprised of the Harvard Chaplains, the student-driven Harvard College Interfaith Council, The Center for the Study of World Religions, The Pluralism Project, Harvard Divinity School, and other interested members of the Harvard community.
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Perils of the Emerging Church by Steve Wohlberg

Perils of the Emerging Church



White Horse Media


Published on Oct 18, 2013


Pastor Steve Wohlberg speaks on the controversial topic of the Emerging Church, revealing the dangers that exist in the core teachings of the Emerging Church, how they are diametrically opposed to the Three Angels' Messages of Revelation 14:6-14 (which represent God's last message of warning to a perishing world before Jesus returns), and how this threat has entered many Protestant churches today.

For more resources, visit http://www.whitehorsemedia.com

Copyright ©2013 AudioVerse.
Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US) license.

The ideas in this recording are those of its contributors and may not necessarily reflect the views of AudioVerse.

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The Emerging Church

Revival Or Return To Darkness?

Commentary by Roger Oakland
www.understandthetimes.org
 

History reveals that Christian fads and trends come and go. It seems that it is common for many pastors and church leaders to constantly look for some new methodology, “new wave” or “new thing” God is doing, “right now.”

We live at a period in church history that is characterized by enthusiasm for methods and means that facilitate church growth. Large churches are commonly equated with successful pastors and successful church growth methods. Whatever it takes to reach that objective, is acceptable, we are told. Church growth has become the measuring stick for successful Christianity.

Purpose-Driven Christianity

It is true that some of the largest and fastest growing churches and church movements in the world today promote a concept called “purpose-driven.” No matter where you go these days anywhere around the world, purpose-driven is being proclaimed as the latest church growth method.

But stop for a moment and think. What is it that defines success from a biblical perspective? While we are accustomed to accepting numbers or quantity as the yardstick for measuring success, when it comes to Christianity, quantity without quality can be misleading.

According to the Bible, Christian faith must be directly related to God’s Word. Faith comes by hearing what God has said and then acting accordingly. With regard to church growth, if the growth is the product of some technique authored by some man, and this technique is not based on God’s Word, the results may actually be deceptive.

With this in mind, we will consider this current common trend known as the “purpose-driven” church growth movement. Before we do, let’s review the biblical premise that we are to test the teachings of men as the Bereans did (Acts chapter 17) and search the Scriptures diligently.

The Purpose of Purpose-Driven 

One of the major goals of the purpose-driven church growth movement is church growth. This growth is dependent on adding numbers based on human methods and techniques. While promoters say these human methods are found in the Bible, there are reasons to question this claim.

It would appear that many of the purpose-driven techniques are oriented towards what’s in it for me, rather than what I can do for you. Successful purpose-driven church leaders find out what appeals to seekers who might come to their church and then provide the service or the environment that meets their approval. Thus purpose-driven churches can become market-oriented for the “seeker-friendly” without being so biblical that “seekers” would be offended.

Most Christians would agree that to be faithful to Jesus and His Word, healthy church growth should be based on the teaching of God’s Word. However, a market-driven church based on man-made methods designed to increase numbers may produce converts who are biblically illiterate.

Man’s word or God’s Word 

The Scriptures have been carefully translated from Hebrew and Greek so the Word of God can be understood in the languages of our day. Some say we need to make the Bible more understandable by taking the Word of God and changing it to the words of men. But is this idea biblical?

Remember that the Bible has been given to us by God. As Paul stated in his letter to Timothy:

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. [1]
 

While the Bible has been written by human hands, the words were inspired by God. Not only are the words inspired, but the Bible states humans are prohibited from altering the Scriptures by adding to or taking away from what God has said. Notice what we read in the Book of Revelation:

For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. [2]
 

Therefore according to Scripture, humans tread on dangerous ground when we take the liberty of adding to or deleting from what God has said. However, it is a fact that many seeker-friendly churches try to make the scriptures more “seeker-friendly”, by altering the actual inspired Word of God and reinterpret it into the ideas or views of man.

Whose Message? 

For example, consider a new version of the Bible authored by Eugene Peterson known as “The Message.” Described as a “contemporary rendering of the Bible from the original languages, crafted to present its tone, rhythm, events, and ideas in everyday language,” this “paraphrased” version of the Bible, in reality, is nothing more than Eugene Peterson’s thoughts and views. Peterson has taken the carefully translated words of the Bible and put them into his own words and chosen idioms. [3]
 

For example, consider the following portion of Scripture taken from John 3:17 - "that the world through him might be saved.” Peterson’s rendering reads: "He came to help, to put the world right again." It does not take a biblical scholar to understand that "saved" means that we can be redeemed from the judgment we deserve for our sins so that we can go to heaven. It should be obvious that using "help" instead of “saved” completely distorts the meaning of what Jesus said. And "to put the world right again" has nothing to do with the salvation of souls. In fact this sounds like the social gospel to reform the world through political action.

Rick Warren, the author of The Purpose Driven Church, is a strong supporter of Eugene Peterson’s message. While Warren claims he quotes the Bible when he quotes The Message he is not quoting the Bible. He is quoting the thoughts of some man who thinks he is stating what the Bible states.

You may ask, so what is wrong with this? Isn’t it better for a seeker to be reading some version of the Bible, rather than not reading the Bible at all? Many Christians, although they have been believers for years, claim they still have difficulty in understanding the Bible that has been translated word by word from the original text. If someone can come up with a way to make the Bible more understandable, wouldn’t this be a great tool for planting seeds for the gospel of Jesus Christ?

Such a line of reasoning may sound acceptable. However we also know that what seems right to man, may be wrong from God’s perspective. Further when we rely upon man’s thoughts rather than God’s thoughts it’s almost certain that we will be deceived. With regard to Eugene Peterson’s The Message, there is one message that should be clear. If you want the truth and all the truth, read the Bible - not some man’s conjecture about what he thinks God has said. Otherwise you have the potential of committing spiritual suicide.
 

Relevancy without Compromise

While it is true, Christianity must be relevant in order to be effective, how far can we stray from biblical standards and still be sound Christian witnesses of the gospel of Jesus Christ? 

 

Perhaps you have not heard about another new trend sweeping the Christian church. Many are saying a great change lies ahead. The seeker-friendly era is over. Now we are headed into another new period of church history. It’s called “the emerging church.” If you have not heard of this, try doing a search on the Internet by tying “emerging church” into a search engine. I guarantee you will be amazed at what you find.

Rick Warren is very supportive of “the emerging church.” This is what he wrote in a foreword for Dan Kimball’s book, The Emerging Church: Vintage Christianity for New Generations --

This book is a wonderful, detailed example of what a purpose-driven church can look like in a postmodern world.  My friend Dan Kimball writes passionately, with a deep desire to reach the emerging generation and culture. While my book The Purpose-Driven Church explained what the church is called to do, Dan’s book explains how to do it with the cultural creatives who think and feel in postmodern terms. You need to pay attention to him because times are changing.[4]
 

It is true over the past decades many trends have come and gone. As Warren stated in the foreword of Kimball’s book:

As a pastor, I’ve watched churches adopt many contemporary styles in worship, programming, architecture, music, and other elements. That’s okay as long as the biblical message is unchanged. But whatever is in style now will inevitably be out of style soon, and the cycles of change are getting shorter and shorter, aided by technology and the media. New styles, like fashions, are always emerging. [5]

Not all these trends have been based on sound biblical doctrine. In fact the reason many of these trends occurred was because Christians were vulnerable to “winds of doctrine” that had no biblical basis.

According to the Bible, in last days these winds of doctrine will be “doctrines of demons” that will influence Christians to fall away from the truth and accept ideas that “tickle their ears.” [6]
 

Rick Warren is not only supportive of the “emerging church,” he believes that it is exactly what is required at this time. He believes this is what “the purpose-driven” church that he founded will become in the “postmodern world.” He notes:

In the past twenty years, spiritual seekers have changed a lot. In the first place, there are a whole lot more of them. There are seekers everywhere. I’ve never seen more people so hungry to discover and develop the spiritual dimension of their lives. That is why there is such a big interest in Eastern thought, New Age practices, mysticism and the transcendent. [7]
 

Further, he explains what the “emerging church” must do in order to emerge:

Today seekers are hungry for symbols and metaphors and experiences and stories that reveal the greatness of God. Because seekers are constantly changing, we must be sensitive to them like Jesus was; we must be willing to meet them on their own turf and speak to them in ways they understand. [8]

 

Now, let’s follow Rick Warren’s line of reasoning through to its logical conclusion based on the idea the world is hungry for an Eastern worldview, the New Age, mysticism and spiritual enlightenment. If it is necessary to meet these “spiritual seekers” on their turf, wouldn’t that require Christianity to become more New Age and mystical?

Emerging into What? 

Rick Warren and others say we need to pay attention to the emerging church. Things are changing, they say and the “emerging church” has the answers for our generation. But what will the emerging church emerge into? Could it be a form of Christianity that embraces experience rather than God’s Word?

Dan Kimball is the author of The Emerging Church: Vintage Christianity for New Generations. He is also launching a church called Vintage Faith Church in Santa Cruz, California. Kimball makes the following statement in the introduction of his book:

I believe with all my heart that this discussion about the fast-changing culture and the emerging church must take place. While many of us have been preparing sermons and keeping busy with the internal affairs of our churches, something alarming has been happening on the outside. What once was a Christian nation with a Judeo-Christian worldview is quickly becoming a post Christian, unchurched, unreached nation. New generations are arising all around us without any Christian influence. So we must rethink virtually everything we are doing in our ministries. [9]
 

Certainly the spiritual climate in North America has changed radically over the past number of years just as Dan Kimball has stated. Many, including Rick Warren and Dan Kimball use the term “post-Christian era” to describe the days in which we are living. They say, while the seeker-friendly era was successful in bringing a generation of “baby-boomers” to Jesus, that time is past. Now we need to find new innovative methods that will reach this new generation for Jesus.

Kimball’s book, The Emerging Church: Vintage Christianity for New Generations, is written for this purpose. He not only identifies the problems he believes the church is now facing, he provides the answers and the solutions. The church for the future, he believes, must be more sensual and experienced-based. He calls this church “Vintage Christianity”.

Perhaps the term “Vintage Christianity” is new to you. While it is not my intention to describe all that it means in this commentary, a few chapter titles from Kimball’s book under a heading called “Reconstructing Vintage Christianity in the Emerging Church” will be helpful for us to understand where the emerging church is headed. These are: “Overcoming the Fear of Mulitsensory Worship and Teaching”, [10] “Creating a Sacred Space for Vintage Worship”, [11] “Expecting the Spiritual”, [12] “Creating Experiential Multisensory Worship Gatherings”, [13] “Becoming Story Tellers Again” [14] and “Preaching Without Words”. [15]

Now, I ask you, this question. What does the Bible say about Vintage Christianity and the so-called emerging church? Is the goal of Christianity experience-based or Bible-based? Jesus said: “If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” [16] Further He stated: “Why do ye not understand My speech? because ye cannot hear My word.” [17]
 

Less Word, More Worship 

It should be apparent by now that the emerging church is more experience-based than Bible-based. Further, in the emerging church the Word of God takes a secondary position to the worship of God. 

While Dan Kimball and other promoters of the emerging church may be sincere in their efforts to evangelize the postmodern generation and believe they are genuinely representing the scriptures, there are some real concerns that need to be addressed. Deviating from the Word of God for extrabiblical experience can open the door to deception. While worshipping God is a very important part of the Christian faith there are problems that can occur if worship supersedes the word.

However, Dan Kimball sees a new worship generation in the making based on experience that is essential to the emerging church. In a section of his book subtitled "Truly worshipping in a worship gathering,” he writes:

We should be returning to a no-holds-barred approach to worship and teaching so that when we gather, there is no doubt we are in the presence of God. I believe that both believers and unbelievers in our emerging culture are hungry for this. It isn’t about clever apologetics or careful exegetical and expository preaching or great worship bands. … Emerging generations are hungry to experience God in worship. [18]
 

Obviously, in order for this to happen, changes would have to be incorporated. Kimball has thought this through and offers a number of suggestions which he lists in a chart [19] that shows how the “modern church” must adjust and move towards a “no-holds-barred approach” to worship. Some of these are:

• Services designed to be user-friendly and contemporary must change to services that are designed to be experiential and spiritual-mystical.
• Stained-glass that was taken out of churches and replaced with video screens should now be brought back into the church on video screens.
• Lit up and cheery sanctuaries need to be darkened because darkness is valued and displays a sense of spirituality.
• The focal point of the service that was the sermon must be changed so that the focal point of the service is a holistic experience.
• Use of modern technology that was used to communicate with a contemporary flare must change so that church attendees can experience the ancient and mystical (and use technology to do so).

While I realize we are living at a period of time where technology is the key to entertainment and visual stimulation is a necessary tool required for capturing the attention of this generation, I ask you to consider what the Bible teaches. What about less Word and more experience? Could someone quote the chapter and verse to justify that? What about the idea that visual stimulation is the formula for inducing a spiritual atmosphere that will draw seekers to Jesus? Where is that found in the Bible?

I don’t know about you, but my when I hear about the emerging-church-methodology to forsake “apologetics” and “careful exegetical and expository preaching” for the sake of a generation that is “hungry to experience God”, I have some concerns. Could this be another avenue to “dumb-down” Christianity so that we no longer know what God has said? How effective can experiential Christianity be when it comes to knowing who we are, where we are in time, and where we are headed?

Jesus said He is coming again? How many professing Christians will be ready when He returns?

Ancient-Future Faith 

Dr. Robert “Bob” Webber is recognized by pastors, denominational leaders, scholars and lay people as one of the foremost authorities on worship renewal. He regularly conducts workshops for almost every major denomination in North America through the Institute of Worship Studies which he founded in 1995.

Prior to his appointment to his present position at Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, Dr. Webber taught at Wheaton College for 32 years as Professor of Theology. He has authored over 40 books and is also a regular contributor to numerous magazines and newspapers. [20] He is on the editorial board of Chuck Fromm’s “Worship Leader” magazine.

I was first introduced to Dr. Webber and his views when I read an article that he had written in the May/June issue of “Worship Leader” tiled Wanted: Ancient Future Talent. Under a subheading labeled “The Call for Ancient-Future Worship Talent” Webber wrote:

I am personally most gratified to see the shift toward a recovery of the ancient. While many good choruses have been produced over the past forty years, the rejection of the sources of hymnody and worship by the contemporary church has resulted in a faith that is an inch deep. [21]
 

In this article, Dr. Webber stated that “the Spirit is working a new thing in the church” and an “ancient-future worship is being born.” He listed a number of things that he believes are necessary for “talented workers” to discover if they are going to be a successful part of this new movement. Some of these are:

• Rediscover how God acts through the sacred signs of water, bread and wine, oil and laying on of hands.
• Rediscover the central nature of the table of the Lord in the Lord’s Supper, breaking of bread, communion and Eucharist.
• Rediscover how congregational spirituality is formed through the Christian celebration of time in Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Easter and Pentecost.

While I agree with Dr. Webber it would be beneficial to reintroduce the great hymns written in the past by anointed men and women of God that expound sound biblical doctrine, it appears that is not what he means by returning to “the ancient.” In fact his list of things to do in his call for “ancient-future worship talent” mentions a number of terms and ideas that cannot be found in the Bible.

For example, when I hear the expression “sacred signs of bread and wine” or the mention of “Lent” as a means of “rediscovering congregational spirituality” - while these ideas may be ancient, I wonder where the ideas originate. Further, when I hear about “rediscovering the central nature of the table of the Lord in the Lord’s supper, breaking of bread, communion and Eucharist” I am reminded about the “new evangelization” program that is presently underway. Did you know Pope John Paul II has called for a “missionary vision” centered on “a rekindling of amazement focused on the Eucharist” to bring the world to the Eucharistic Jesus?

Could the Merging Church be Reemerging? 

Dr. Webber is one of the chief promoters of the emerging church. He has written a number of books on the topic including Ancient-Future Evangelism: Making Your Church a Faith-Forming Community and Ancient-Future Faith: Rethinking Evangelicalism for a Postmodern World.

In order to clarify Dr. Webber’s views, I did some further research. I found an interview Dr. Webber had done posted on a web site called TheOoze.com. Responding to the question: “What do you think the North American evangelical church is going to look like 25 years from now?”  Dr Webber responded:

Christianity will be less national, less culturally formed. It will be smaller pockets of communities in neighborhoods. The church will focus on people, not buildings, on community, not programs, on scripture study, not showy worship. [22]
 

Certainly this view of the future sounds reasonable and acceptable from a biblical perspective. In fact, I could say a hearty “Amen” to what Dr. Webber said. But the next statement adds a whole different dimension to the direction he believes Christianity is emerging towards. He stated:

Biblical symbols such as baptismal identity and Eucharistic thanksgiving will take on new meaning. The church will be less concerned about having eschatology and more committed to being an eschatological community. [23]
 

Over the past several years, I have observed that Dr. Webber’s prediction regarding the future of the church seems to be accurate. Many who were once anticipating the soon and imminent return of Jesus are now asleep. Some are saying it appears “the Lord has delayed His coming.” Others are saying “we have been misled by pastors and teachers who have taught us that the second coming is a literal return of Jesus to set up His Kingdom.” These same people are claiming the “Kingdom of God” will be established here on earth through Christians during the Eucharistic Reign of Jesus.”

After reading Dr. Webber’s prediction that “Biblical symbols such as baptismal identity and Eucharistic thanksgiving will take on new meaning,” I ordered his book “Ancient-Future Evangelism.” This is what I read on page 114:

A brief glance at the teaching of the Eucharist from the pre-Nicene period provides insight into the early church’s understanding. The Fathers taught that continual spiritual nourishment was provided to believers at this great feast. First it is clear from the writings of Justin Martyr in the middle of the second century that this is no empty symbol. Christ is really present in the bread and wine. He feeds us in the remembrance of His salvation. He feeds us through His presence which is accomplished through prayer. [24]

The idea that Jesus is present in the Eucharist is a Roman Catholic teaching. It is based on transubstantiation. Transubstantiation is required to manifest the Eucharistic Jesus. The Eucharistic Jesus is not the Jesus of the Bible. The Eucharistic Jesus is “another Jesus”.

Is the “Emerging Church” emerging or remerging?

Who Is Evangelizing Who? 

Supporters of the “Emerging-Church” write and speak passionately about evangelism. They are committed to reaching the Postmodern generation. They say that their goal is to communicate the truths of Christianity in a way that can be understood by this generation. They are willing to adapt or change whatever needs to be changed in order to be relevant evangelists.

While purpose-driven evangelists removed crosses and other Christian symbols from church services to be seeker-friendly, the Postmodern generation, also called the Gen Xers, apparently are attracted to crosses, candles, stained-glass, liturgy, and sacraments. According to Julie Sevig, in an article called “Ancient New” that she wrote for The Lutheran:

Postmoderns prefer to encounter Christ by using all their senses. That's part of the appeal of classical liturgical or contemplative worship: the incense and candles, making the sign of the cross, the taste and smell of the bread and wine, touching icons and being anointed with oil. In Soul Tsunami: Sink or Swim in New Millennium Culture (Zondervan, 1999), Leonard Sweet says: "Postmoderns want a God they can feel, taste, touch, hear and smell--a full sensory immersion in the divine." [25]
 

Sevig interviewed Karen Ward, an associate director for worship for an “Emerging Church.” Sevig wrote:

This return to the traditional--the sacred--crosses denominational lines, Ward says. In fact, an interesting marriage is occurring between evangelicals and the liturgy. "Evangelicals are using traditions from all liturgical churches from Orthodox to Lutheran to Catholic," she says. "Though they have limited experience using their new-found symbols, rituals and traditions, they're infusing them with vitality and spirit and life, which is reaching people." [26]

It can be documented that Dr. Robert Webber’s books are winning converts. But who is being converted and what are they being converted to? The answer to this question can be found at a Roman Catholic web site called “Ancient and Future Christian Reading List.” Several of Dr. Webber’s books are listed there such as Ancient-Future Faith: Rethinking Evangelicalism. Under the books heading, there is the following description:

Webber writes about how many Christians today, especially younger ones, are seeking a faith connected to the ancient Church. Thus, postmodern Christians are seeking an ancient and future faith, one that embraces the past for the future, rather than ignoring the past completely. Also, thanks to the reality of relativity (how's that for an oxymoron!), gone are rational apologetics, and coming back are embodied apologetics (i.e. defending the faith by living as Jesus did). Creeds and Councils are in, as is mysticism and community. Editor David Bennett admits that Webber's writings helped lead him to the Catholic Church, although much of what Webber says is far too "cafeteria" in approach. Also, Church Tradition is treated more as an evangelical trend as opposed to what it is: the Truth. Nonetheless, Webber is a good transitional author. [27]
 

The Ancient and the Mystical 

It seems that the “Emerging Church” is reemerging. However, rather than going back to the inspired Word of God found in the Old and New Testaments, the goal is to reintroduce an “Ancient-Future” faith based on the ideas, dogmas, traditions and views of the Roman Catholic Church Fathers.

Over the past number of years I have had the opportunity to travel the world speaking in various countries visiting many old churches that are dark and mystical. These churches were founded by the Roman Catholic or Orthodox Church many centuries ago.

In these churches I have observed, icons, statues of Mary holding baby Jesus, Jesus hanging on the cross, candles, incense, relics, and statues of  the “saints.” While there is a lot of emphasis on the visual sensual and mystical, there is very little evidence that the Bible was ever taught to the people. If it had, there would not be an emphasis on extrabiblical paraphernalia, extra-sensory images, sounds and smells.

It appears to me the “Emerging Church” of the present era and the church that emerged after the New Testament was written are one and the same. Remember the words of Paul as recorded in the book of Acts:

For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. [28]
 

While Rick Warren, Dan Kimball and Dr. Robert Webber and others may be excited about the “Emerging Church” and the direction it is presently headed, I am concerned the “Emerging Church” may actually be a re-emergence of what has already occurred in church history. If the pattern continues expect to see evangelical Protestants become more and more Roman Catholic.

Will the Emerging Church Lead the Church to the Roman Catholic Church?

It is important to keep scripture in mind when we are looking for a method or a means to promote church growth. A Christianity that is not based on the Scriptures is a false Christianity. It may be ecumenical and it may be successful in attracting numbers, but it is not biblical. It could even lead people to believe they believe, but instead they follow false teachers and false doctrine and are deceived.

You know where they could spend eternity, separated from God!




[1] 2 Timothy 3: 16

[2] Revelation 22: 18-19
[3] Warren Smith, "Deceived on Purpose: The New Age Implications of the Purpose-Driven Church," Mountain Stream Press, Magalia, CA, p. 23, 24.

[4] Dan Kimball, The Emerging Church: Vintage Christianity for the New Generation, Zondervan, 2003, page 7.

[5] Ibid.

[6] 1 Timothy 4: 1 and 2 Timothy 4:3

[7] Dan Kimball, page 6.

[8] Ibid., pages 7-8.

[9] Ibid., pages 13-14.

[10] Ibid., page 127.

[11] Ibid., page 133.

[12] Ibid., page 143.

[13] Ibid., page 155.

[14] Ibid., page 171.

[15] Ibid., page 185.

[16] John 8: 31-32

[17] John 8: 43

[18] Dan Kimball, p. 185

[19] Ibid. p. 185

[20] www.seminary.edu/aboutnorthern/index.html

[21] Robert Webber, “Wanted Ancient-Future Talent,” Worship Leader, May/June 2005, p. 10

[22] Jordon Cooper interview with Dr. Webber, http://www.theooze.com/articles/article.cfm?id=385, posted December 11, 2003

[23] Ibid.

[24] Robert Webber, "Ancient-Future Evangelism: Making Your Church a Faith-Forming Community," Baker Books, page 114

[25] Julie B. Sevig, The Lutheran, “Ancient New, September 2001, http://www.thelutheran.org/0109/page36.html

[26] Ibid.

[27] http://www.ancient-future.net/apcbooks.html

[28] Acts 20: 29-30



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