EMERGING CHURCH PART 3

OK, I'm watching TV and flipping back and forth between an NBA game and a re-run of NCIS, and am now going to try and give my reasoned thoughts about the article I copied below. I think I will post my thoughts in bullet point fashion, and they are not in order of importance, but placed randomly. They are also just ramblings and after having read some of what I wrote below, I can tell you it may not even be coherent, but here we go:


1. When someone refers to the emergent church, who are they talking about? Is it the church on the corner of Main and Willow? The church that meets in the school cafeteria? The church located out in the country, or is it the group of people that meet in Joe's house?

2. I don't fault anybody for wanting to be informed about things they are unfamiliar with, be it the latest book that is creating a buzz or a church movement. All of us stay informed about things that, in the end, really have no consequence to us. I wonder the same things with the emergent church, or books that some tout as dangerous to Christians and should be avoided. Why should we avoid reading that book? Don't we want to be informed? I think one of the answers is Christians are afraid? I'm not sure of what though. Is their faith so weak that after reading this book they will suddenly be converted to a false faith?

3. I would fall in the camp that says we need both proper beliefs (orthodoxy) and be putting our beliefs into practice (Orthopraxy). But I think when the emergent church talks about putting their faith into practice, they are focusing on things like helping the poor, the defenseless, and the orphan, not how often you have devotions, how much scripture you have memorized, how often you go to church, etc....

For the last few years I have been wondering about the churches response to James 1:27. At this point, I can not point to any numbers or percentages, but if you were to look at the American church as a whole, taking out the number of people who have adopted because they could not have their own biological children, what has the churches response been to caring for the orphan? I do know there are 140 million orphans worldwide who need a good home. Have we done a good job in that area? I hope so.

4.I would agree that there is truth, that Jesus is our only hope for salvation, that the bible is the sole authority on salvation, how to live life, etc....

5. I agree with McKnight's statement that the focus has shifted with this group, that as evangelicals, we have the doctrine and it's now time to practice that doctrine. How many bible studies do we need to have before we begin to engage suffering and bring hope to the helpless?

6. I like McKnight's statements on Systematic Theology. Because of my job, I am well acquainted with all "stripes" of Christians, and I know at least one thing about them all...they love God, love Jesus, and want others to know about him too. They may practice their faith differently from each other, but it is usually in an area that is minor.

7. I am concerned with those who don't see a dividing line between who is in and who is out (of the faith). I do think the bible has guidelines that state Christians are different, and should live a life that is different than the world around them.

8. Lastly, I don't know if I would be considered emergent, but I do think it's OK that the church can evolve and do things differently as the situation dictates. It's the old saying, the message stays the same, but the methods can change. Our pastor quoted John Ortberg last week, saying "Christians today have false markers of transformation." Here is a brief list of what makes you a better Christian: you have devotions everyday, you're reading the right translation, you go to church Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and go to a mid-week bible study. You're involved in committees, you're dressed properly for church, you're memorizing scripture, and the list goes on. We substitute busyness for transformation. There's nothing wrong with these things, but if that's the emphasis, I think we are missing the bigger things God wants of us.

OK, I'm tired and this is starting to drag on and make no sense. It would be easier to explain in person anyway. But this is my shot at being intelligent and I think it's not working. Enough said.