Concerns Regarding the Emerging Church Movement? Part 4

Inerrancy

I believe that one more quote of B.B. Warfield sums up much of what the Emergent/Emerging Church is:

(From B.B. Warfield's critical review of "Mysticism and Christianity". Volume X, pg. 366)

“Mysticism [any movment that throws out inerrancy] is a religion, and supplies a refuge for men of religious mind who find it no longer possible for them to rest on 'external authority.'…Once turn away from revelation and little choice remains to you but the choice between Mysticism and Rationalism.”

I agree with the Emergent Church’s desire to do more theology in reaching out to the poor and needy. I agree with them that there is a desperate need for a reformation in evangelicalism, but through good theology [At the end of my posts on my concerns on Emergent I will recommend movements that I believe are better solutions to reformation in the church] and through faithfulness to the Word as the inerrant words of God as BB Warfield states:

(The works of B.B. Warfield Volume I, "Revelation and Inspiration" pg. 396)

“Inspiration is that extraordinary, supernatural influence (or, passively, the result of it,) exerted by the Holy Ghost on the writers of our Sacred Books, by which their words were rendered also the words of God, and, therefore, perfectly infallible.” (Emphasis added)

BB Warfield clearly believed the Bible to be authoritative/inerrant. Or as he said “perfectly infallible.” Wow!

Tony Jones (National Coordinator for Emergent-US) said in a recent seminar the following:

(1) inerrancy (the word ‘inerrant’) is an invention of the 20th century (1973) [some Chicago council] logical positivism
(2) inerrancy holds the Bible to an external standard, but the Bible holds internal integrity.

Wow! As the quote just given above by BB Warfield the concept of inerrancy was believed by scholars before 1973! That’s a bold teaching [and a lie] from Emergent! Also, the Bible is the authoritative external standard for all living.

Also, Tony Jones said this, “'They [evangelicals] need to read Paul through the lens of Jesus and not Jesus through the lens of Paul.' – Tony…evangelicals should rip Romans out of the Bible for a few years.” These quotes on inerrancy are enough to convince me not to embrace the Emergent/Emerging Movement!

All that I have to say is that I'm not ripping Romans out of my Bible! Whatever happened to the treasuring of the following Scripture:

2 Timothy 3:16-17 "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. (ESV)" (Emphasis added)

and,

2 Peter 1:19-21 "And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit (ESV)." (Emphasis added)

If the national coordinator of Emergent-US speaks false truth [lies!], and misleads from what Scripture teaches...that tells me to avoid embracing this movement.