The Emergent Church Movement

Yesterday, Dr. Al Mohler wrote a weblog concerning Pastor Brian D. McLaren’s book, A Generous Orthodoxy, and the Emergent Church Movement. Pastor McLaren is one of the key organizational leaders of Emergent Village Ministry. McLaren has authored several books and co-penned with other Emergent Church leaders (see below), including , “The Language Of The Emerging Church,” with Leonard Sweet, and, “The Emerging Church,” with Rick Warren and Dan Kimball. For many Christians, the Emerging Church Movement is still vastly unknown. Aside from Emergent Village, there is also Emergent Worship, Emergent Music, and Emerging Church. There is a website, Emergent Movement, that is not to be confused as an endorser of that movement; rather, they give a full explanation and background history of it and explain why the movement is a concern. Their thorough analysis of this matter is commendable; however, I have found that the readability of their information is difficult at times because of their site design (e.g. extremely small font size, backdrop disguises the words too well, etc.). For many readers, the information in their site may even be too exhaustive and time-consuming, although important not to be missed. So, in order to provide some explanation of this movement while not frightening away the curious and the casual peruser, here is a brief snapshot of what the Emergent Church Movement is all about. The information below is merely to wet the appetite.

Introduction: Many evangelical churches and pastors with solid statements of faith have, unfortunately, adapted and embraced the “any new thing that comes along” principle, including aligning themselves with the values and principles of the Emergent Church. From Emerging Movement, “The Emerging Church is a label that has been used to refer to a particular subset of Christians who are rethinking Christianity against the backdrop of Postmodernism. While there is no single coordinated organization behind the Emerging Church globally, and no guarantee that the Emerging Church will mature into a coherent movement at all, the term is becoming increasingly common currency among both leaders of Emerging Church groups and Emerging Church thinkers.”

Emergent Beliefs: Surprisingly, to claim that the Emerging Church beliefs are heretical is quite difficult because many of the churches and leaders appear to be theologically solid. Churches and individuals who wish to belong with Emerging Church Movement must accept their strong commitment to “Generous Orthodoxy.” Compare their beliefs with that of The Cambridge Declaration, the statement of faith held by The Alliance Of Confessing Evangelicals.

Some Major Endorsers: Erwin McManus, Leonard Sweet, Rick Warren, Bill Hybel, Richard Foster, Dallas Willard, Walter Brueggemann, and Tony Campolo.

How Dangerous Is Emerging Movement: While they may not be high on the evangelical heretical scale as the Charismatic’s barking laughter Revivals or Benny Hinn’s finger touch, two other prominent Christian leaders sees the potential dangers to be growing: James White of Alpha & Omega Ministry and Steve Camp. Steve Camp has several blogs on this issue of Emerging Church, one of which is entitled, “Reinventing Calvinism: The Gospel According To Brian McLaren.”

Final Thoughts: The Emergent Movement is picking up pace. I have read a few books by some of these Emergent leaders. None yet by Brian McLaren, but I have plans to do so hopefully soon. (My personal reading list is quite filled-up for the remainder of this year.) And for the most part, while these “postmodern, emergent savvy” books offer some insight about Kingdom work, on the whole, my thoughts and feelings echo that of Mark Dever’s, “less helpful on the whole, and more dangerous than I would have thought.” While to the lesser read people, what these Postmodern, Emergent movers are saying may appear as something new and innovative for church growth, ministry and missions, really what they are saying is not new at all. One has only to read, not the shallow, lightweight works of these trendy, revisioneering authors, but the solid classic works of such authors as John Calvin, Martin Luther, John Owen, Jonathan Edwards, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Francis Shaeffer and the such that have been tested through time and have prevailed to be sound theologically and practically. In doing so, you’ll discover that these proposed “new” ideas to “reinvent Christianity” by the Emergent movers and postmodern gurus are nothing more than repackaged goods.