EMERGING CHURCH PART 4

I would think most of you are familiar with RBC (Radio Bible Class) ministries, run by Mart De Haan. If not, these are the folks who put out the Our Daily Bread, and in the most recent mailing we got from them, the extra little flyer that was included was an article written by Mart De Haan regarding the emerging church. I wanted to post a few highlights from that. I think he has a balanced approach on the subject.

He writes:

Many of the emerging church affirm:
1. The triunity of God as a basis for valuing community rather than self-cetered individualism.
2. Church as a mission, a conversation, and a movement of Jesus' people rather than just an organization.
3. Spiritual leaders who listen as well as teach, and who influence through example rather than authority and control.
4. A willingness to think through together the stories and mysteries of teh bible rather than just taking for granted inherited doctrinal statements.
5. Living and enjoying the Bible rather than just studying and defending it.

Emerging commnities often take issue with traditional evangelical churches, which they see as:

1. Regarding ideas that are possible implications of the Bible as if they are were necessary implications, absolutes, and tests of orthodoxy.
2.Emphasizing theology, favorite doctrines and the letters of Paul rather than telling the stories of the Bible and of lives changed by Christ.
3. Giving the church a hypocritical reputation by politicizing homosexuality and abortion while ignoring sins of pride, racial prejudice, greed, and teh abuse of women.
4. Interpreting and applying the Bible as if it were written to our generation rather than first trying to understand what it meant to the people living when it was written.
5. Seeing church authority as a matter of hierarchy and control rather than the example and servant attitudes of Jesus.

There can be problems within emerging communities such as:

1. They may say less than the Bible makes clear.
2. ...some emphasize social action at the expense ofeternal considerations.
3. While talking about a life journey of faith, some are neglecting the decision that begins the journey.
4. While trying to avoid judgmental atitudes, some neglect what Jesus said about a coming judgment.

De Haan goes on to point out the problems the different churches in Revelation 2-3 had. He then says this: "But what if the seven churches has been doing the equivalent of writing books, posting Internet articles, and adding to the rumor mill about the problems of the other "six". What if they had been calling attention to the failures of one another as if there were not serious issues with themselves? So it is today. Whether in emerging or traditional evangelical churches, ALL of us have our blind spots. Only when we are willing to listen to one another, and to come to terms with the downside of our own way of "doing church," will we have the humility and spiritual sobriety we need to work for, rather than against, the body of Christ we share.

That is what I think I have been trying to say all along. Thank you Mr. De Haan.