There is much discussion about the emerging church movement. Some are opposed, some embrace, and some watch.
Some of the criticisms appear to be valid, but some are not.
Some of the justifications appear to be valid, but some are not.
I remember the tremendous uproar and fear generated by the Charismatic movement.
And the church moves on.
What do you think? Do we join? Watch and wait? Shout it down? Pick it apart?
This video is almost 11 minutes long, so take your time. Let us know what you think.
Practical Bible Teaching 
I do not have the capability of watching the video at the moment, so have no idea who is in it or what position it takes. However, I having watched it and become aware of all that the movement has declared “uncertain” of “denied”, that is certain and central to our faith (the nature of the atonement, for instance), much of what their leaders teach or support is heretical. Some of their “leaders” either now, or in the past pastor “evangelical” churches and pass themselves off as genuine evalgelical Christians.
In a word, the Emergent church is dangerous.
Christians should watch all “new things”, evaluate them from scripture and respond accordingly.
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“We want to gather people together on this road, who want to go together on it.”
What road is that?
I am with Dan.. It is very dangerous. Some of what they said leads me to believe that it is a just be a good person movement, and scripture is open to what personal truth a person wants from it.
I don’t care what their worship service looks like, or their gatherings. I don’t care what they wear to church.
I care if they are holding to the Truth of Christ, and the Word of God in that worship and gathering.
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The problem lies with Churchianity, how we DO church on Sundays. Yes, no question, we have become spectators and audience so that the ‘worship team’ can try out their new songs and, as a bonus, ‘lead’ us in ‘worship.’
Many serious adults and elderly believers, after some years of watching the church change into what is now basically a glorified youth group meeting, are staying away from church, some to their detriment, but others to freedom to BE Christian seven days a week
Pastors are supposed to be ‘equipping the saints’ but in reality they are only equipping people to be dependent on Sunday morning church services because they have great need of an ever larger audience. We’ve never had more great preachers, authors, youth leaders and musicians than now … yet the church as we know it is in decline and Atheism is on the increase.
The Church of God/Jesus Christ, of course, is alive and well, and not so dependent on this week’s new CD release.
We must get back to the only two commandments Jesus gave us … love God and love our neighbor … Jesus and nothing else!
This is a big subject but I believe we need to get back to basics and bring Jesus back into the every day picture.
The way I see it, anyway …
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i agree i see the dangers in the emergent church. i also see the dangers in how lots do church else where..we tend to forget that if we call it God’s house then it should be about him and not how much money we can raise to buy more or build bigger.
i think i know these people dissatisfied feeling that led them here..sadly lots of younger adults want to know God more, and want to see the church look more like Acts..a church that is patient and understanding to the growth that only happens in God’s timing. i also think that too many are asking the right questions with in thier churches and are not getting an answer, and are quickly called trouble makers, or emergent, or post modern…when really we just want some answers.
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Since the days of Jesus and before, people have sought a way to worship that is an expression of their ownselves. Never having been in an “emergent church” situation, I would not be able to judge whether this form of worship would be “correct.” I’d say – watch it and see where it goes.
Is it dangerous? I don’t know. It seems that anyone who goes “outside the camp” is heading into dangerous territory, yet that is where new movements begin. Some of those new “movements” are beneficial and some aren’t. There was the Jesus movement of the 60s and 70s – those from non-pentecostal churches who embraced glossolalia or “speaking in tongues.” There was the Vineyard movement started by Wimber (who by the way I just found out from Wikipedia was a former keyboardist and producer for the Righteous Brothers – cool!). There was the cell group and home church movment. They all have their virtues and can inspire spiritual growth in individuals. And there are the small group meetings back in the hills that are totally different from mainstream denominational churches. Even those inspire spiritual growth.
My own experience has been influenced by many of these that I’ve mentioned. Some of the ministers and teachers from those groups have found their way back into traditional meetings.
As I stated earlier I would wait, watch to see where it would go. So many people were hyped by revivals in Florida, the most recent being those held by Todd Bentley. a man who is shown in videos on YouTube yelling at and violently punching people while apparently praying for them at his meetings. Mr. Bentley eventually was found to be an admitted adulterer and is presently in the process of divorcing his wife.
So, bottom line, these movements will come and go. What will last will be those individuals who earnestly want to be like Jesus in loving God first and their neighbor as themselves; following the golden rule to do unto others as you’d have them do unto you. From one who is not there yet (since I can’t even drive a car without getting irritated at other drivers – nor do I have much tolerance for other cultures), I choose to watch and see.
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I want to post my first impression of the video, before reading comments. That is I heard nothing of Jesus, his commands, life lived for Him. Even if we question validity of scripture, methods of worship, life applications, etc., we are no longer “Christians” if we do not follow Christ. What is alarming to me then is not a new way of worship, but a lot of “I” messages, a focus on what “I” believe or question. When we stray from Christ we stray from the relationship he died for us to have. We were created to love, to have a love relationship with our God, He gave us that opportunity. Our focus must be on Him, what He commands, not on ourselves, our search, what we say.
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The scary thing to me is not knowing where they’re going. If it’s not known where you’re headed how will you know when you get there?
There is a way which seems right to a man, but it’s end leads to destruction.
Enter through the narrow gate, because the gate is wide and the way is spacious that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.
If we aren’t basing our lives, our ministry, on God’s Word, then how can we define it as from Him?
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Michelle said: If it’s not known where you’re headed how will you know when you get there?
Excellent point and one I think needs to be addressed as people search for something ‘new’ to replace whatever they feel is missing or wrong with their status quo.
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wellwatered garden, “We must get back to the only two commandments Jesus gave us”
Don’t you mean the two “greatest” commandments?
There is a pretty objective evaluation of the Emerging Church here: http://www.carm.org/emerging.htm. It Marc Driscoll has distanced himself from the movement, but at one time was it’s only breath of fresh air.
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Dan … Jesus commanded us to Love God and Love Our Neighbor.
We are to love God because He is the creator and sustainer of everything we know and have. He made us and to Him we owe our very existence.
We are to love our neighbor in direct relation to how much we love/like ourselves, and we can do that because we are acutely aware of and know how much we love ourselves, so there’s the standard.
Christians have a tendency to claim they are Christ followers, but in reality they are more like Paulinists, Paul followers, than Christ followers.
Jesus never contradicted Himself. His message was clear and simple … The Kingdom of God is near, close, right here – grab it!
Paul’s message comes with some baggage (hat wearing, hair styles, no talking for women, arguments/disputes with fellow evangelists, short tempered, not given to second chances, etc) that, over time, have caused many church splits and continue to divide Christendom.
This may sound a little harsh but when in doubt … stick to the teachings of Jesus and everything else will fall into place.
The way I see it, anyway …
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