Concerns Regarding the Emerging Church Movement? Part 1.4

You might ask, "Why are mission statements important?"

They are clear precise ways to communicate what you believe. In case we didn't all realize the Bible is huge. There is a ton in there! A statement of faith is an example of what we believe regarding it.

(1) If those beliefs change over time (Remember God is unchangeable [Job 23:13; Hebrews 6:17-18; etc.], so even though our perception of God may change...He doesn't change!) then we can revise our statements of faith. The Evangelical Free Church of America is currently revising and changing their statement of faith (go here to follow this...the Draft revision links are at the far right side of the webpage.) So you can see that our developing a statement of faith has not stopped the conversation as to what we believe.

(2) If what we believe needs more clarification because it isn't clear then we can further clarify on that in revisions as well.

What does this have to do with the Emergent/Emerging Church?

Well, they won't clarify their beliefs. I emailed Brian McLaren probably about a year and a half ago asking if they had a mission statement for the ECM. He did not reply. To be fair he may have never received the email, but here is a response recently posted that might shed a little light on the situation as to why they don't want a mission statement.

This will be long...I'm sorry, but following are some quotes from the national coordinator for Emergent-US Tony Jones in response to why they don't have or want a mission statement:

From Tony Jones, National Coordinator, Emergent-U.S.

Yes, we have been inundated with requests for our statement of faith in Emergent, but some of us had an inclination that to formulate something would take us down a road that we don't want to trod. So, imagine our joy when a leading theologian joined our ranks and said that such a statement would be disastrous.

That's what happened when we started talking to LeRon Shults, late of Bethel Seminary and now heading off to a university post in Norway. LeRon is the author of many books, all of which you should read and now the author a piece to guide us regarding statements of faith and doctrine. Read on...

From LeRon Shults:

The coordinators of Emergent have often been asked (usually by their critics) to proffer a doctrinal statement that lays out clearly what they believe. I am merely a participant in the conversation who delights in the ongoing reformation that occurs as we bring the Gospel into engagement with culture in ever new ways. But I have been asked to respond to this ongoing demand for clarity and closure. I believe there are several reasons why Emergent should not have a "statement of faith" to which its members are asked (or required) to subscribe. Such a move would be unnecessary, inappropriate and disastrous.

Why is such a move unnecessary?

(1) Jesus did not have a "statement of faith." He called others into faithful relation to God through life in the Spirit. As with the prophets of the Hebrew Bible, he was not concerned primarily with whether individuals gave cognitive assent to abstract propositions but with calling persons into trustworthy community through embodied and concrete acts of faithfulness. The writers of the New Testament were not obsessed with finding a final set of propositions the assent to which marks off true believers. Paul, Luke and John all talked much more about the mission to which we should commit ourselves than they did about the propositions to which we should assent. The very idea of a "statement of faith" is mired in modernist assumptions and driven by modernist anxieties – and this brings us to the next point.

(2) Such a move would be inappropriate. Various communities throughout church history have often developed new creeds and confessions in order to express the Gospel in their cultural context, but the early modern use of linguistic formulations as "statements" that allegedly capture the truth about God with certainty for all cultures and contexts is deeply problematic for at least two reasons.

First, such an approach presupposes a (Platonic or Cartesian) representationalist view of language, which has been undermined in late modernity by a variety of disciplines across the social and physical sciences (e.g., sociolinguistics and paleo-biology). Why would Emergent want to force the new wine of the Spirit’s powerful transformation of communities into old modernist wineskins?

Second, and more importantly from a theological perspective, this fixation with propositions can easily lead to the attempt to use the finite tool of language on an absolute Presence that transcends and embraces all finite reality. Languages are culturally constructed symbol systems that enable humans to communicate by designating one finite reality in distinction from another. The truly infinite God of Christian faith is beyond all our linguistic grasping, as all the great theologians from Irenaeus to Calvin have insisted, and so the struggle to capture God in our finite propositional structures is nothing short of linguistic idolatry.

Why would it be disastrous? Emergent aims to facilitate a conversation among persons committed to living out faithfully the call to participate in the reconciling mission of the biblical God. Whether it appears in the by-laws of a congregation or in the catalog of an educational institution, a "statement of faith" tends to stop conversation. Such statements can also easily become tools for manipulating or excluding people from the community. Too often they create an environment in which real conversation is avoided out of fear that critical reflection on one or more of the sacred propositions will lead to excommunication from the community. Emergent seeks to provide a milieu in which others are welcomed to join in the pursuit of life "in" the One who is true (1 John 5:20). Giving into the pressure to petrify the conversation in a "statement" would make Emergent easier to control; its critics could dissect it and then place it in a theological museum alongside other dead conceptual specimens the curators find opprobrious. But living, moving things do not belong in museums. Whatever else Emergent may be, it is a movement committed to encouraging the lively pursuit of God and to inviting others into a delightfully terrifying conversation along the way.

This does not mean, as some critics will assume, that Emergent does not care about belief or that there is no role at all for propositions. Any good conversation includes propositions, but they should serve the process of inquiry rather than shut it down. Emergent is dynamic rather than static, which means that its ongoing intentionality is (and may it ever be) shaped less by an anxiety about finalizing state-ments than it is by an eager attention to the dynamism of the Spirit’s disturbing and comforting presence, which is always reforming us by calling us into an ever-intensifying participation in the Son’s welcoming of others into the faithful embrace of God.

[I edited this a little bit for clarity in reading.]

Concerns Regarding the Emerging Church Movement? Part 1.3

Mission Statements

(1) At my home church we have a mission statement of faith (click here to view it).

(2) At my current seminary (Reformed Theological Seminary) we have a statement of faith (click here to view it).

(3) At RTS they also hold to the confession of faith put forth in 1646 in the Westminster Confession of Faith.

(4) At Capitol Hill Baptist Church (where I am applying for a church apprenticeship program) they have a statement of faith (click here to view it).

(5) At Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (where I'm applying for full time seminary) they have a statement of faith. (Click here to view it).

(6) Luther in 1518 presented (with others) the Heidelberg Disputation and the 95 Thesis are examples of his statement of faith.

(7) The Apostle's Creed from the 3rd and 4th centuries AD, the Nicene Creed written in 325 AD and revised at Constantinople in 381 AD, the Athanasian Creed from the 4th and 5th centuries AD, the Chalcedon Creed written in 451 AD, and the The Anathemas of the Second Council of Constantinople's Creed written in 553 AD were all early confessions that orthodox Christians wrote. Christiasn have almost always developed some kind of written statement about what they believe.

(8) We also have the Articles of Religion (39 Articles, written 1571 in the Church of England), Canons of the council of Orange written 529 AD, etc.

(9) Most recently the New Hampshire Baptist Confession written in 1833, the Baptist Faith and Message written in 1925...revised 1963, 2000, and the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy written in 1978.

There are many more statements/confessions of faith, but these are some of the main ones. Some of the links I attached didn't have the dates on them. So for the ones that didn't I obtained the dates from Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology.

Concerns Regarding the Emerging Church Movement? Part 1.2

This drives us to the question, "What is Theology?" right?

J.I. Packer is awesome when it comes to this...check out what he thinks...

He poses this question (Knowing God Pp. 18-19),

"But wait a minute...tell me this. Is our journey really necessary? In Spurgeon's day, we know, people found theology interesting, but I find it boring. Why need anyone take time off today for the kind of study you propose? Surely a layperson, at any rate, can get on without it? After all, this is the twentieth century [Now twenty-first century], not the nineteenth!"

Further he says,

"A fair question! - but there is, I think, a convincing answer to it. The questioner clearly assumes that a study of the nature and character of God will be impractical and irrelevant for life. In fact, however, it is the most practical project anyone can engage in. Knowing about God is crucially important for the living of our lives."

"As it would be cruel to an Amazonian tribesman to fly him to London, put him down without explanation in Trafalgar Square and leave him, as one who knew nothing of English or England, to fend for himself, so we are cruel to ourselves if we try to live in this world without knowing about the God whose world it is and who runs it."

Pp. 20 He cites Five Foundational Truths of Christian's knowledge of God...

(1) God has spoken to man, the Bible is his Word, given to us to make us wise unto salvation.

(2) God is Lord and King over his world; he rules all things for his own glory, displaying his perfections in all that he does, in order that men and angels may worship and adore him.

(3) God is Savior, active in sovereign love through the Lord Jesus Christ to rescue believers from teh guilt and power of sin, to adopt them as his children and to bless them accordingly.

(4) God is triune; there are within the Godhead three persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; and the work of salvation is one in which all three act together, the Father purposing redemption, the Son securing it and the Spirit applying it.

(5) Godliness means responding to God's revelation in trust and obedience, faith and worship, prayer and praise, submission and service. Life must be seen and lived in the light of God's Word. This, and nothing else, is true religion.

In essence these 5 foundations represent a starting point from which we are to develop our world view. This is one reason why when I join an organization, support one, or refer one I look at their Mission Statement. Mission statements are really important because they help those who are a part of an organization clearly understand why they exist, what their purpose is, and gives them a foundational starting point to develop deeper understanding of God and a starting point for clear communication of those beliefs to others.

(UPDATE 5/17/06: I listened to an interview yesterday (5/16/06) between Derek Thomas, Ligon Duncan III, and David Wells. David Wells' thesis for what Theology means in his book "No Place for Truth" is below:

1.) Confessional rooted in Scripture as divinely inspired and authoritative and relevant for all life and conduct. The truth that God has given us.

2.) Reflection/Thought life understanding of how truth has reached us through history. To think about that truth.

3.) Cultivation. Development of spirituality and moral life and practice based upon and growing out of that authoritative truth and not based upon technique and the psychological culture in which we are living today even though we receive valuable insights, but they have to justify themselves at the bar of truth.

This helps define what theology is from the "Evangelical's" perspective.

Concerns Regarding the Emerging Church Movement? Part 1.1

The Church

To quote Mark Dever from The Deliberate Church (Pp. 26),

"Fundamentally, God intends the local church to be a corporate display of His glory and wisdom, both to unbelievers and to unseen spiritual powers (John 13:34-35; Ephesians 3:10-11). More specifically, we are a corporate dwelling place fo God's spirit (Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17), the organic body of Christ in which He magnifies His glory (Acts 9:4; 1 Corinthians 12). The Greek word is ekklēsia (ἐκκλησία), a gathering or congregating of people. The church is God's vehicle for displaying His glory to His creation."

Later he says how we should build it (Pp. 27-28),

"...let us be clear on the relationship between the Gospel of Christ and the method of its ministers.

(1) Theology drives method.

Whether we realize it or not, our thinking on the Gospel will shape the way we share it. Our theology of the Good News will be brought to bear on how we build the church. [Note: Remember though that Jesus is ultimately the one who is building His Church Matthew 16:18.]

(2) God's methods determine ours.

The methods we use to plant and water in God's vineyard must be subservient to and in complete harmony with the working of God's growth method - the Gospel, as faithfully preached by His servants. Working contrary to God's processes often means working contrary to His purposes.

(3) The Gospel both enables and informs our participation in God's purposes.

We are not even able to enter the Kingdom of God, much less minister in it, unless His Gospel first does its work in us; not do we know how to minister in His kingdom unless His Gospel first provides the parameters for doing so. As such, the Gospel alone must both shape and evaluate any ministry method we use.

(4) Faithfulness to the Gospel must be our measure of success, not results.

The power of God for spiritual life and genuine holiness is in the Gospel. So fidelity is paramount, not innovation, and not immediately observable results. Simon the Magician drew a crowd - he even had them calling him the Power of God; but his power, motive, and message were fraudulent (Acts 8:9-11). Our call is to fidelity as messengers. Only God causes real growth (1 Corinthians 3:6-7), and He does so by the Gospel (Romans 10:14-17; Galatians 2:1-5)."

We aren't perfect, so every method we attempt to do will not be perfect. But we must strive for God's way of building His church, or "doing church". If theology drives everything we must have a clear understanding of what the actual theology is.

I think that those under the banner of the Emergent Church may agree with this. Many churches under the banner of Evangelicalism aren't genuinely pursuing truth in teaching and living, so many Emergent Church Movement leaders are trying to pioneer (in their eyes) "living/doing theology." This is good only if the theology is good.

More to come!

In Christ
Noah

Concerns Regarding the Emerging Church Movement? Part 1

As I have been trying to define the Emergent/Emerging Church through these posts I hope you can tell that I was trying to be fairly objective in what I was writing…

I was trying to understand and gain a clear understanding of the following:

(1) Current reality of the size, ecclesiology, and leadership of the movement.
(2) The historical context
(3) Comparison to other movements
(4) The Emergent/Emerging Church Movement's priorities
(5) Other Characteristics of the movement.

I’m sure there is much more that could be said to lay out an understanding of the entire thing. Honestly, since this movement is an organism it can evade many definitions, but we must attempt to have an understanding of it's breadth.

So the question remaining is, “Why do I care?” Well, I think we should care because this movement I believe is limiting the clear communication of the gospel!

Honestly, when I look at their qualities from my last post (What is the Emerging Church Movement? Part 7) I think to myself… “self, these qualities are amazingly radical, and Christ exalting.” However, when you begin to look at the theological teaching that is so ingrained in what they teach in the midst of their missional living there are some major RED FLAGS and CONCERNS as to how clear the gospel is communicated. This directly impacts whether or not what they do exalts Christ. I believe that what the full counsel of what the Bible teaches is not clearly, and correctly taught within much of this movement.

Please continue to follow my posting as I will now move from a defining stage to a stage of pointing out concerns regarding the Emergent/Emerging Church movement.

In Christ
Noah

What Is the Emerging Church Movement? Part 7

[This post is an edited version of what Justin Taylor wrote in a post linked at the bottom of this post.]

In this series of posts, I'm trying to understand the emerging church movement before I attempt any critique or offer any concerns.

I want to commend to you a brand-new book, published by Baker Books, entitled Emerging Churches: Creating Christian Community in Postmodern Cultures, by Eddie Gibbs and Ryan Bolger, both of Fuller Seminary.

I expect this book to quickly become a standard reference in the ongoing conversation. Key leaders within emerging churches are also recommending it as the best book currently available:

· “Quite simply the best book yet on the emerging church.” (Andrew Jones)
· “If you want to be truly conversant with emerging churches, this is the book to read.” (Brian McLaren)
· “The best book available on the emerging church.” (John R. Franke)

Gibbs and Bolger spent five years interviewing participants in the “emergent conversation.” Rejecting a definitional approach that would clearly demarcate who is “in” and who is “out,” they have chosen to label as Emerging Churches those faith communities that are engaged in particular processes.

Gibbs and Bolger first identified churches “that take culture, specifically postmodern culture, very seriously.” They next identified nine activities/practices that were common to these churches. Very few of the churches they surveyed exhibited all nine. So they broke it down into three core practices and six derivative practices. Their expansive definition, build upon these nine practices, is as follows:
Emerging Churches are those:

(1) who take the life of Jesus as a model way to live, and
(2) who transform the secular realm,
(3) as they live highly communal lives.

Because of these three activities, emerging churches

(4) welcome those who are outside,
(5) share generously,
(6) participate,
(7) create,
(8) lead without control, and
(9) function together in spiritual activities.

Boiling it down to one sentence: “Emerging Churches are communities who practice the way of Jesus within postmodern cultures.” Or another way of saying the same thing: “Emerging Churches are missional communities arising from within postmodern culture, consisting of followers of Jesus seeking to be faithful in their place and time.”

Click here to see the original post Justin Taylor wrote on this on 11/17/2005.

What Is the Emerging Church Movement? Part 6

[This post is an edited version of what Justin Taylor wrote in a post linked at the bottom of this post.]

One way to understand the self-described goals of Emergent is to read the Order and Rule of the Emergent Village. At EmergentVillage.com, they write that “Members of emergent hold in common four values and practices that flow from them.” I will list these four values, along with some distinctives beneath them, encouraging you to go to the website to see this unpacked:

(1) Commitment to God in the Way of Jesus

(a) Great Commandment (love God, love neighbor)
(b) Holistic gospel
(c) Generous orthodoxy

(2) Commitment to the Church in all its Forms

(a) Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Protestant, Pentecostal
(b) Irenic and inclusive, not elitist and critical
(c) "Deep ecclesiology”

(3) Commitment to God’s World

(a) Practice faith missionally—following Christ into the world

(4) Commitment to One Another

(a) Growing, global, generative, and non-exclusive friendship.

We could summarize this core commitments as: (1) pro-Jesus, (2) pro-church, (3) pro-world, and (4) pro-Koinonia.

Click here to see the original post Justin Taylor wrote on this on 11/17/2005.

What Is the Emerging Church Movement? Part 5

[This post is an edited version of what Justin Taylor wrote in a post linked at the bottom of this post.]

A clarification on terminology. In an earlier post, I distinguished between Emergent and Emerging. The two are difficult to keep straight, and few are careful with the distinction. The important thing is to understand that there is a conceptual distinction, even if there isn't always a linguistic one.

Click here to see the original post Justin Taylor wrote on this on 11/17/2005.

What Is the Emerging Church Movement? Part 4

[This post is an edited version of what Justin Taylor wrote in a post linked at the bottom of this post.]

The emerging church movement is not a North American phenomenon only. There are thousands of emerging Christians in Western Europe and the South Pacific—and to a lesser extent, there is development in Asia, Africa, and South America. Given the audience for this presentation and my lack of acquaintance with models outside the U.S., I will mainly focus on the American version. But do keep in mind that this is part of a larger worldwide conversation with its own dynamic and nuances.

Click here to see the original post Justin Taylor wrote on this on 11/17/2005.

What Is the Emerging Church Movement? Part 3.4

Lastly, from the definition on Wikipedia.

Comparison to other movements
It is useful to compare the Emerging Church with other Christian movements which emphasize foundational Christianity and inner experience.

(1) The Taizé Community in France also offers a neo-traditional experience of Christianity in which traditional symbols such as candles and crosses have intensified importance. Taizé, however, places relatively less emphasis on Scripture and a greater emphasis on meditation and the experiences derived from the monastic life. The Emerging Church, in turn, places a greater value on multimedia-based creative expression (and would consider religious orders an anachronism, if they considered them at all). An important difference is that the Emerging Church seeks to be relevant and accessible within the larger society, while the Taizé Community offers an alternative to the surrounding culture.

(2) The Religious Society of Friends, although not born out of the conflicts of modernism, has nonetheless influenced the Emerging Church through thinkers such as Dallas Willard.

(3) The Quakers also reject church hierarchy while valuing the sacred as a personal experience. However the Quakers have developed a formal theology of the Inner Light, whereas the Emerging Church does not wish to establish novel theologies of any kind.

All three of these groups are ecumenical in their outlook, value tradition and inward trans-rational experience, and seek to revitalize the faith. The Emerging Church stands out by its close association with post-modernism and by its emphasis on accessibility, as well as its ideal of interacting with the surrounding culture rather than escaping it.

What Is the Emerging Church Movement? Part 3.3

Also from the definition on Wikipedia.

Ecclesiology / view of church structure
Reflecting its decentralized and local nature, the emerging church does not maintain a mutually agreed-on ecclesiology, or set of beliefs defining the specific role and nature of the church. Eschewing doctrine, the emerging church instead seeks merely to continue the mission of Christ, while deeply respecting the different expressions that the body of Christ may bring to that mission.

What Is the Emerging Church Movement? Part 3.2

Also, from the definition on Wikipedia.

Structure and commonality
While there is no co-ordinated organization behind the Emerging Church and no guarantee that the Emerging Church will mature into a coherent movement at all, the term is becoming increasingly common among leaders of Emerging Church groups and Emerging Church thinkers. Many of these leaders and thinkers have written books, articles and/or blogs on the subject using a shared terminology.

Emerging Church groups are typically observed to emphasize the following elements:

(1) Highly creative approaches to worship and spiritual reflection. This can involve everything from the use of contemporary music and films to liturgy, as well as more ancient customs, with a goal of making the church more appealing to the unchurched, and those within the church.

(2) A minimalist and decentralized organizational structure.

(3) A flexible approach to theology wherein individual differences in belief and morality are accepted within reason.

(4) A holistic view of the role of the church in society. This can mean anything from greater emphasis on fellowship in the structure of the group to a higher degree of emphasis on social action, community building or Christian outreach.

(5) A desire to reanalyze the Bible within varying contexts with the goal of revealing a multiplicity of valid perspectives rather than a single valid interpretation.

(6) A continual re-examination of theology.

(7) A high value placed on creating communities built out of the creativity of those who are a part of each local body.

(8) A belief in the journey of faith, both as individual and community. The Emerging Church Movement (ECM) shares with the house church movement the willingness to challenge the structure and organization that have become traditional for the Church over many centuries. Many emerging churches are in fact also house churches.

What Is the Emerging Church Movement? Part 3.1

Also, from the definition on Wikipedia.

Historical context

In support of their ideas, the Emerging Church claims the following: During recent centuries Western Christianity, like all of Western civilization, has been influenced significantly by modernism. In the 19th century Protestant theologians applied principles of scientific reductionism to the Bible text in an effort to derive the true text and the underlying meaning as well as to establish proven "meta-narratives"(cf. textual criticism). The result was not a unification of theology but rather an additional schism within the Church, resulting in the oppositional worldviews of liberal Christianity and Christian fundamentalism.

The apparent antagonism between science and faith, unknown in antiquity, presents a novel challenge to the Church. The Postmodern church resolves this issue by encouraging followers to deconstruct each element of their faith experience and reassemble the pieces according to his or her own unique journey of deconstruction. In practical terms this faith trajectory may be seen in the young believer who is brought up in a Fundamentalist tradition and encounters the oppositional arguments in early adulthood. He can choose sides, he can reject both sides, or he can construct his own personal faith, but this will involve deconstructing his childhood faith.

The Emerging Church provides a environment for this process of deconstruction and reconstruction. The resulting theology is, necessarily, heterogenous and potentially divisive. The response of the Emerging Church is to seek unity through borrowing from the early Church a variety of symbols, practices, and experiences that form a common heritage and a unifying experience. From this perspective, the Emerging Church may be seens as relatively mystical and traditional while both liberal Christianity and Fundamentalism may be viewed as modern and hyper-rational.

The Emerging Church may also be seen as both a reaction to, and a continuation of the Saddleback/Willow Creek movement, which achieved such great success in the 1990s using a "seeker-friendly" approach. The "seeker-friendly" approach practiced ‘come-to-church’ evangelism while the emergent church thesis is ‘discover church’ evangelism, in which the powerful (and often challenging) symbols and practices of the early church are poured into the modern church.

Both models are marked by their goal of evangelism and by their willingness to retool the church experience as necessary to meet their goal. However, the resulting church experiences can be quite different. The Saddleback/Willow Creek movement sought to forego the "irrelevant trappings" of the traditional church, such as stained glass, liturgy and candles, while the Emerging Church movement tends to value these same symbols as sacred expressions of faith and creativity.

The Saddleback/Willow Creek movement is comfortable applying the tools of modern American marketing (focus groups, advertising, polling, etc.), to deliver a highly polished product to a baby boomer target demographic. In contrast, the emerging church movement recognizes that their own target audience -- post-baby boomers -- has already been bombarded and over-saturated with advertising and thus places a higher value on authentic personal interactions and a de-emphasis on "timeless truths".

What Is the Emerging Church Movement? Part 3

The emerging church definition from Wikipedia.

The Emerging Church or Emergent Church is a diffuse movement which arose in the late 20th century as a reaction to the influence of modernism in Western Christianity. The movement is usually called a “conversation” by its proponents to emphasize its diffuse nature with contributions from many people and no clearly defined leadership or direction. The emerging church seeks to deconstruct and reconstruct Christianity as they live in a postmodern culture. While the movement is very diverse, many emergents display the following characteristics:

(1) Authenticity
People in the postmodern culture seek real and authentic experiences in preference over scripted or superficial experiences. Emerging churches strive to be relevant to today's culture and daily life, whether it be through worship or service opportunities. The core Christian message is unchanged but emerging churches attempt, as the church has throughout the centuries, to find ways to reach God's people where they are to hear God's message of unconditional love.

(2) Missional living
Christians go out into the world to serve God rather than isolate themselves within communities of like-minded individuals.

(3) Narrative theology
Teaching focuses on narrative presentations of faith and the Bible rather than systematic theology or biblical reductionism.

(4) Christ-likeness
While not neglecting the study of Scripture or the love of the church, Christians focus their lives on the worship and emulation of the person of Jesus Christ.

Emergent Christians are predominantly found in Western Europe, North America, and the South Pacific. Some attend local independent churches that specifically identify themselves as being "emergent", while many others contribute to the conversation from within existing mainline denominations.

What Is the Emerging Church Movement? Part 2.3

Once again…this is not a small organization happening only in the United States. Take a look at the list below cited at the Emergent Church-US website .

Most of these are email addresses to one individual, but are 3 links to Emergent organizations overseas. I have only added links to the 3 with websites.

BELONG: EMERGING ORGANIZATIONS INTERNATIONALLY
International links to emergent people around the world. If these people have a web site the link will take you to their site, otherwise you'll get an e-mail link for getting more information.

Below are Friends of Emergent, with links to their web sites and e-mails, for you to connect to:
(1) Emergent United Kingdom
(2) Emergent friends in Australia
(3) Emergent friends in Burundi
(4) Emergent friends in Canada
(5) Emergent friends in Denmark
(6) Emergent friends in The Faroe Islands
(7) Emergent friends in France
(8) Emergent friends in Hawaii
(9) Emergent friends in Japan
(10) Emergent friends in Latin America
(11) Emergent friends in Lithuania
(12) Emergent friends in Malaysia
(13) Emergent friends in The Netherlands
(14) Emergent friends in N. Ireland
(15) Emergent friends in NZ
(16) Emergent friends in Poland
(17) Emergent friends in South Africa
(18) Emergent friends in Spain
(19) Emergent friends in Turkey and the Middle East

What Is the Emerging Church Movement? Part 2.2

This post cites Emerging Church websites that are listed in the definition of an Emerging Church from Wikipedia. This also gives an idea of how to compare these bodies to some denominations.

Emerging Church churches

The Emerging Church is not confined to one denomination or gathering. Emerging churches can range in denominational affiliation from the Anglican/Episcopal Church to the Southern Baptist Church; still others are best described as non-affiliated intentional communities or house churches.

The following sites list just a few of the emerging church websites found around the world:
(1) emergingchurch.info stories from Churches
(2) TheOoze.com Church Directory
(3) ginkworld.net's "Communities of Faith"
(4) zoecarnate.com Church Connection

In Christ
Noah

What Is the Emerging Church Movement? Part 2.1

This post cites more leaders that are listed in the definition of an Emerging church from Wikipedia. Wikipedia is a free online, open-source encyclopedia. I will post more from this resource in the days to come.

Remember the distinction between (1) Emergent, and (2) Emerging from my first post. Wikipedia does not bear this distinction in mind and uses the terms interchangeably. Also, they are defining the Emergent/Emerging Church on a world-wide level…not just Emergent-US.

Some of the names were repeats of my previous post. Below are only the names of folks whom I have not already mentioned.

Pioneers in the Emerging Church movement

The Emerging Church Movement (ECM) is highly decentralized so in no sense does any one person act as a spokesperson for the movement however the following people are often recognized as pioneers and important thinkers:

(12) Jonny Baker, UK alternative worship pioneer and advocate
(13) Kyle Cheatham, founder and Pastor of Terranova in Georgetown, Texas]
(14) John O'Keefe http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_O%27Keefe , lead pastor at 247connection and founder of ginkworld.net, "an emerging/postmodern site exploring what it means to be a follower of the Jesus in today's world"
(15) Mark Pearson, founder of Cityside in Auckland, New Zealand.
(16) Leonard Sweet, the E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism at Drew University, Visiting Distinguished Professor at George Fox University, and prolific author
(17) Dallas Willard, Professor of Philosophy at USC
(18) Jay Bakker, founder of the Revolution Church in Atlanta, Georgia.
(19) Karen Ward, the founder and pastor of Church of the Apostles in Fremont, Washington.
(20) Troy Bronsink, the founder and pastor of Church as Art in Atlanta, GA.

What Is the Emerging Church Movement? Part 2

[This post is an edited version of what Justin Taylor wrote in a post linked at the bottom of this post. I have added some new information and links that I obtained from Wikipedia.]

A recent document entitled “Response to Recent Criticism“ (2005) was signed by:

(1) Tony Jones [national coordinator of Emergent in the US; Ph.D. candidate at Princeton].
(2) Doug Pagitt [pastor of Solomon’s Porch in Minneapolis].
(3) Spencer Burke [founder of THEOOZE.com], former pastor, founder of The Ooze website, "dedicated to the emerging Church culture" and which has "developed a community that captures the ethos of the emerging church movement."
(4) Brian McLaren [founding pastor and minister-at large of Cedar Ridge Community Church outside Baltimore].
(5) Dan Kimball [pastor of Vintage Faith Church in Santa Cruz], and author of the book, The Emerging Church.
(6) Andrew Jones [founder of TallSkinnyKiwi.com].
(7) Chris Seay [pastor of Ecclesia of Houston] and the founder of University Baptist Church in Waco, Texas.

It seems safe to say that these seven guys are among Emergent’s most significant influencers and leaders.

(For what it's worth: I've had lunch twice with Tony Jones and Doug Pagitt, and some email exchanges with Andrew Jones and Dan Kimball.)

[Click here to see Justin's original post from 11/17/2005.]

Currently other cited leaders of the Emergent Church can be seen here. They are listed below.

(8) Ivy Beckwith [of Colonial Church of Edina; Edina, MN].
(9) Tim Conder [Pastor of Chapel Hill Bible Church; Chapel Hill, NC].
(10) Tim Keel [Pastor of Jacob's Well; Kansas City, MO].
(11) Holly Rankin Zaher [of Christ Church; Mount Pleasant, SC].

What Is the Emerging Church Movement? Part 1

[This post is an edited version of what Justin Taylor wrote in a post linked at the bottom of this post.]

First, we need to make a distinction that will serve to clear away some of the confusion. I’ve found it very helpful to make a distinction between “Emergent” and “Emerging.”

(1) Emergent is an organization (EmergentVillage.com), with Tony Jones now serving as the first national coordinator in the U.S.

(2) Emerging is much broader. All that is Emergent is Emerging, but not all that is Emerging is necessarily Emergent.

In other words, there are those that want to retain the Emerging label—or who have Emerging characteristics—without necessarily being identified with or even supportive of Emergent as an organization.

As Scot McKnight writes, “A distinguishing feature is that Emergent tends to be the more philosophically-oriented and theologically innovative branch of the EM [Emerging Movement], while many that are Emerging are not willing to dance with [the] theological innovations of Emergent.”

One of the comments after the post (by Andrew) clarifies even further that there are some geographical differences in Emergent too. These posts deal with Emergent-US primarily, yet they do touch on Emergent's international presence as well.

[Click here to see Justin's original post from 11/17/2005.]

Emergent/Emerging Church

I'm going to be posting a series of posts this week on what the Emergent Church is. Much of these are just exact copies of blog posts that Justin Taylor's Blog had from November of 2005.

The only reason I am doing this is shed some light on exactly what this movement is. And to try and identify what the Emergent/Emerging Church believes.

In Christ
Noah

Romans 16:17 "I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them."

Ephesians 4:14 "so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes."

1 Timothy 1:3 "As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine,"

"Jesus of the Scars"

"Jesus of the Scars"

"If we have never sought, we seek thee now;
Thine eyes burn through the dark, our only stars;
We must have sight of thorn-marks on thy brow,
We must have thee, O Jesus of the scars.

The heavens frighten us; they are too calm;
In all the universe we have no place.
Our wounds are hurting us; where is the balm?
Lord Jesus, by thy scars we know thy grace.

If, when the doors are shut, thou drawest near,
Only reveal those hands, that side of thine;
We know today what wounds are, have no fear;
Show us thy scars, we know the countersign.

The other gods were strong; but thou wast weak;
They rode, but thou didst stumble to a throne;
But to our wounds only God's wounds can speak,
And not a god has wounds, but thou alone."

"Jesus of the Scars," by Edward Shillito inspired by the hope he found in the Lord during the horrors of World War II.

The Emergent Church and Open Theism

Are these two theological/ecclesiological/etc. movements connected?

They aren't exactly holding hands, but there is what appears to be a certain amount of support for Open Theism from the Emergent church (If you are curious more about what these two views are just ask me sometime...I'd be happy to elaborate).

Gregory Boyd's book Is God to Blame (IVP) has a review in support of it from an Emergent/Emerging Church leader named Erwin McManus. This is concerning.

Here is what the McManus' review says:

"Greg Boyd addresses what may be the single most asked question among skeptics and seekers. Many without Christ are still waiting for us to respond with an intelligent answer. Greg provides an apologetic that actually makes sense about an issue that really matters!"
—Erwin Raphael McManus, Lead Pastor, Mosaic, Los Angeles

I discussed in an earlier post the Emerging/Emergent Church leaders lean toward denying inerrancy and from this review it looks like Emergent might embrace (somewhat) open theism.

Be very careful when approaching things Emergent/Emerging Church related.

What is the Glory of God?

This might help...

From John Piper's sermon dated January 1, 1984

"The glory of God is the manifestation of his holiness. God's holiness is the incomparable perfection of his divine nature; his glory is the display of that holiness. "God is glorious" means: God's holiness has gone public. His glory is the open revelation of the secret of his holiness. In Leviticus 10:3 God says, "I will show myself holy among those who are near me, and before all the people I will be glorified." When God shows himself to be holy, what we see is glory. The holiness of God is his concealed glory. The glory of God is his revealed holiness."

From John Piper's sermon dated May 26, 2003

"God's holiness is his infinite value as the absolutely unique, morally perfect, permanent person that he is, who by grace made himself accessible in Jesus Christ."

(HT: Todd Leroy in response to a comment on Justin Taylor's blog.)

(UPDATE: Al Mohler's definition of the glory of God from a talk he gave at Capitol Hill Baptist Church: "The intrinsic reality and the outward manifestation of God's power and character.")

50 Marks of the Christian Church

You’ve heard of the “Purpose Driven Church,” the “Disciple Making Church ,” and the like. You’ve heard of the “Deliberate Church,” and “9 Marks of a Healthy Church,” but have you heard of the “50 Marks of the church?”

The phrases below describe very much what I believe is an extremely exciting movement in the evangelical Church in America! Check out Ligon Duncan III’s blog post here for the 50 different descriptors he lists about healthy churches.

(1) Renewal of old evangelical alliances, around the Gospel
(2) Strong coalition of Bible-saturated
(3) Truth-driven
(4) God-entranced
(5) Prayer-soaked
(6) Aggressively evangelistic
(7) Christ-treasuring
(8) Christ-exalting
(9) Spirit-filled
(10) Sovereign grace-loving
(11) Missions-advancing
(12) Hell-robbing
(13) Strong-thinking
(14) Real-need-exposing
(15) Soul-winning
(16) Mind-engaging
(17) Vagueness-rejecting
(18) Wartime-life-style-pursuing
(19) Self-denying
(20) Self-giving
(21) Risk-taking
(22) Justice advancing
(23) Scripture-expounding
(24) Cross-cherishing
(25) Homosexuality-opposing
(26) Abortion-denouncing
(27) Racism-resisting
(28) Heaven-desiring
(29) Imputation-of-an-alien righteousness-proclaiming
(30) Justification-by-faith-alone-apart-from-doing preaching
(31) Error-exposing
(32) Complementarian
(33) Joyful
(34) Humble
(35) Loving
(36) Courageous
(37) Happy pastors working together for the Gospel
(38) Robustly doctrinal
(39) historic
(40) orthodox
(41) reformational
(42) world-opposing-while-at-the-same-time-world-loving
(43) Bible-preaching
(44) Scriptural-theology-inculcating
(45) Real-conversion-prizing
(46) Deep biblical evangelism-practicing
(47) New Testament church-membership-implementing
(48) Church-discipline-applying
(49) Healthy and growing Disciple-making
(50) Biblical church leadership teaching-obeying – for the display of God’s glory in the churches.

Wow!

Psalm 5:1-3, 11-12: "Boast in the Cross"

Psalm 5:1-3, 11-12
To the choirmaster: for the flutes. A Psalm of David

1-3 "Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my groaning. Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray. O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch."

11-12 "But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover him with favor as with a sheild."

Oh how I love the Psalms!

I have to say something about the "for the flutes." I went to a bunch of "flute choir" concerts and flute recitals when I was in college. Oh man, the flute choir stuff just put me to sleep...seriously! This passage certainly doesn't have that effect on me though!

I love the phrase in the morning you hear my voice. There is a sweetness to that phrase. Also, this phrase spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. Is this not what God has done in His Son! By dying He spread his protection/blood over us, that those who love His name or confess Jesus as LORD may exult or boast in Him. It reminds me of:

1 Corinthians 1:31 "...Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord,"

and

Galatians 6:14, "But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."

Boast in the cross!

The last phrase in verse 12 For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover him with favor as with a sheild is also very encouraging to me. Assurance that our Lord is covering us with favor as a sheild.

I also see Christ's blood as the sheild because He shed it for the people for whom He has favor, not because they have merit, but because He loves them/us!~

Boast in the cross today!

Psalm 4:1, 3-5, and 8: “The LORD has set apart the godly for himself”

Psalm 4:1, 3-5, and 8

Verse 1 – Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer.

Verse 3 – But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him.

Verse 4 – Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah

Verse 5 – Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the LORD.

Verse 8 – In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

This is my heart’s desire to the Lord for Lindsey and I, my family, and our ABF. The Lord hears when I and we call to Him! It’s a command to be angry and yet not sin in verse 4.

This next verse stuck out because when we were reading this we were in bed ready to go to sleep, “ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah.” How often have we just pondered on this fact…“know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him,” set your mind on this today, ponder this in your bed and be silent...wow. I know God has called me to be in His family; therefore, the LORD hears when I call to Him. This gives me great comfort!

I want to offer right sacrifices to God in verse 5…but what are right sacrifices to God? Here’s one answer, “the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. (Psalm 51:17)” so as I am broken and hurting, and this is my sacrifice to God. In my brokenness I am trusting in the Lord. And verse 8 is the expression of my trust, “In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.” I trust that God is my security, not where I work, not a house, not money, not my parents or other relationships, my health…rather God is my only trust, and security!

God is putting these things to the test in Lindsey and my life right now. God is giving us a heavy hand. It is a good thing yet it hurts, but it is also a sweet savor of goodness to know that our only trust is the trust we have in the Lord!

“Lord continue to refine our hearts, we know that for those who love You all things work together for good, for those who are called according to Your purpose (Romans 8:28). Jesus, help us to see the good and help us to enjoy it!”

The LORD has set apart the godly for himself! Therefore, trust Him!

Tertullian Regarding Marriage

I'm in church history right now at Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS). In one of my last lectures the professor rattled off a pretty significant quote of Tertullian regarding marriage. Check this out.

"What a union of two believers…one hope, one vow, one discipline, one worship. They are brother and sister, two servants, one spirit, and one flesh. They pray together, fast together, instruct, exhort, and support eachother. They go to the church of God, to the table of the Lord. They share eachothers tribulation, persecution, and revival. They go visit the sick and give to the poor."

It's too bad he held celibacy in higher regard though...because the picture he paints of marriage is a beautiful one! Wow!

Going on Tour or looking of a venue?

A friend of mine sent this to me earlier today. If you’re a musician, know one, or are just interested and are looking for venues to check out a gig when you’re out of town…here’s a cool website that might help you find something.

Click here to check out the website.

Thanks Lindsay!

What’s In Your CD Player?

Lately I’ve been listening to Kurt Rosenwinkel’s newest disc Deep Song. Specifically track 2 Brooklyn Sometimes.

For those of you that like contemporary jazz this disc is great. This track is a great demonstration of building intensity, energy, and momentum in a song without increasing the volume. By adding more textures, more melodic interplay, etc.

Kurt is a really melodic guitar player, not as melodic as Pat Metheny…but pretty exciting to listen to!

This album was recorded on Verve. Good disc!

(Click here to check it out.)

I've also been digging the third movement of Brahm's third Symphony!

What is everyone else listening to right now?

Psalms 2:7-12: Kiss the Son!

Lindsey and I are currently doing devotions on the Psalms...I'll probably post some things that pop out from time to time. The Psalms are rich!

This week Psalm 2:7-12 stood out to me.

"I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, 'You are my Son; today I have begottn you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel.'

Now therefore, O kings, be wise; Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him."

There is a dual meaning in this. The psalmist is talking about God speaking toward him, and yet this is a prophecy of Jesus Christ. "You are my Son; today I have begotten you." These words were written 1000-965 years before Christ's birth (the New Testament fulfillment of this is in Acts 13:33; Hebrews 1:5; 5:5; and some translations of Luke 3:22).

It's glorious to think of the phrase David said above. "Kiss the son, lest he be angry and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled." He knew that unless we embrace the Son that we would truly perish in our sin. God is clearly slow to anger in the rest of the Psalms (Psalm 86:15; 103:8; 145:8) yet His anger can be quickly kindled against us (Deuteronomy 7:4; 11:17; Joshua 23:16) to the point that His wrath is quickly kindled against us, unless we "Kiss the Son." God is slow to anger, and yet when His justice comes it will be sweeping...like at thief in the night (1 Thessalonians 5:2; Matthew 24:36-51). So is anger and wrath work fast in one sense and slow in another, but it works nonetheless.

So embrace the Son Jesus Christ as your Lord and your God. He loved you and died for you (John 3:16). It's amazing that in a way David said John 14:6 "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'," almost 1000 before Christ.

"Kiss the Son!"

Together For the Gospel (T4G)

This is a conference that I really wanted to be at, but by God's will it just didn't work out. Check out the following links to see what the speakers talked about. Tim Challies live-blogged the entire conference. Check this material out...it's full God glorifying stuff!

Introduction:

Session One: Mark Dever
Session Two: Ligon Duncan
Session Three: Albert Mohler
T4G Panel Discussions
Session Four: R.C. Sproul
Session Five: John Piper
Session Six: CJ Mahaney
Session Seven: John MacArthur

If you're interested in more of this conference you can check out the T4G Blog. They will be selling the talks, etc., in the future...and they will be compiling a book in 2007!

In Christ
Noah

NY Times on the Emergent Church and “Evangelicalism”

In a recent article in the NY Times there is a discussion on “Evangelicals debating the meaning of ‘Evangelical.’” (Click here to read it.)

Lower down in the article is a quote I couldn’t help but notice. I have been following what is known as the “Emergent Church” for some time now…and this sentence really caught my attention.

“[regarding the Emerging Church] It emphasizes reading the Bible as a narrative, perfect in its purposes but not necessarily inerrant; de-emphasizing individual salvation in favor of a more holistic mission in serving the world; even making evangelicals less absolutist on whether people from other religions might find their way to heaven.”

I’m not sure what the Emerging Church has to say about this, but article says further down

“But Brian D. McLaren, founding pastor of Cedar Ridge Community Church outside of Baltimore and a chief apostle of the emerging church, argues that he is not promoting relativism; rather, he believes the evangelical movement has been hijacked theologically, as well as politically, by its more fundamentalist elements, something he is trying to correct. ‘In many, many areas, I'm looking at polarization,’ he said, ‘and I'm looking at a third way.'"

Al Mohler says this, “A third way between what? It is intellectually dishonest to suggest that those who stand in continuity with the founders of evangelicalism have hijacked the evangelical movement.”

Check out Al Mohler’s blog on this here
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wow…interesting stuff.

If the emerging church really denies the inerrancy of Scripture…then outright that is antithetical to what the E-free statement of faith teaches...what we believe (check out the first point of the statement of faith here).

The first point of our statement of faith is:

(1) The Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, to be the inspired Word of God, without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for the salvation of men and the Divine and final authority for Christian faith and life.

When approaching the theology of the Emergent/Emerging Church be very discerning and very careful. There is a wide array of what different churches practice that call themselves Emerging/Emergent Churches, but Brian McLaren and others who are identified as the leaders of this movement embrace a theology that is different than much of orthodox Christianity. They use words that are very vague to describe their theology...so it's confusing to figure out what they actually do believe...so be very careful. There are some healthy orthodox Christian churches who use the title Emergent who have a more orthodox approach to theology, but they are selling themselves short using the title Emergent. The Emerging church is surrounded by questions as to what they believe. Those churches that are healthy in their theology are just confusing the matter more. In the end this movement may turn out to have good theology attached to it's name, but right now it's way up in the air!

Also, here is a quote from an article that the Emergent Church cites from their own webpage. Here's what an article in Christianity Today says (the Emergent website links to this article):

Then it stopped working." The Bells [leaders of an Emergent church]started questioning their assumptions about the Bible itself—"discovering the Bible as a human product," as Rob puts it, rather than the product of divine fiat."

There is definitely more to say... but specifically if you have heard of the Emerging/Emergent Church be very careful when reading or approaching their material.

If you're interested here's a good book you can read on it...D.A. Carson's Being Conversant with Emergent.

Beware of “Putting Your Faith in Bono”

Here’s an interesting article on CNN.com (click here to read it) about how some churches are using the music and message of U2 in their Eucharist/communion/remembrance meetings. Have they gone too far??? You be the judge. Below are some interesting quotes with some commentary:

Their focus…,“Brooks said the evening was designed to invigorate his once-aging congregation -- attracting young people and those interested in social activism. ‘We absolutely need to grow in order to survive,’ he said.”

Strong emphasis on social activism and growth...not so much on faith.

The first aim of the church is not social activism…or growth…rather the glory of God. Christ will build His church through the preaching of His Word…we have to focus on being faithful.

“Still, the band members are traditional rock 'n' rollers -- they swear, drink and sing about sex.”

I don't think these are the kind of role models for the church that the author of Hebrews was talking about in Hebrews 13:7

"Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. (ESV)"

To me social activism and church growth coupled with immoral behavior seems like a contradiction of what the Bible teaches.

“In Providence [Rhode Island], Blair delivered a homily to pitch the One Campaign, which the Episcopal Church supports. She ticked off statistics about poverty and infant mortality in Africa, underscoring her points with equal parts Bono and Bible.”

Equal parts…Bono and the Bible?! Don’t you think that in a church the Bible should at least come before Bono…let alone have an equal emphasis from both Bono and the Bible for their message. The church should underscore its points with the Bible…not Bono too. 1 Timothy 3:16

“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)”

I don’t see Bono’s name in there…do you?

"If you're a Bono fan, you know the next line: ‘Where you live should not determine whether you live or die,’ she said, then reminding worshippers of a Gospel passage warning that taking care of the needy is what will separate the good from the bad at the final judgment.”

We are definitely commanded to take care of the needy…and this action can be a fruit of genuine faith (Matthew 25:40)…but the way this is phrased makes it sound like human works have some sort of merit to “be separated [as good] in the final judgment.” A call to social activism without mention of Ephesians 2:8-9

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast, (ESV)”

In a Christian church meeting is a big issue. To emphasize social action without mention that “it is by grace we have been saved through faith” is clearly a different gospel…let a lone no mention Christ (They may mention Jesus…but from the article it definitely doesn’t sound like Christ is the focus). But to challenge a congregation to social action because of the overflow of the congregation’s worship to God out of the faith in Christ they have received by the grace of God is more in sync with the gospel communicated in the Bible.

Check out the article...what do you think? Share your thoughts:)

[UPDATE: FYI...I like some of U2's songs...a lot:)]

BAD THEOLOGY ALERT: On God’s Justice and Mercy

Listen for this radio spot on one of the local Christian radio stations in Des Moines. Lindsey and I were in the car the other day and she told me about one of those 30-second devotions she heard on the radio. She said a woman was talking… like a short little testimonial. Here’s the idea of what she said:

“I used to think that God was 100% merciful and 100% just…but then I went through some hard times in my life and I realized that God is way more merciful that He is just…”

I didn’t hear this quote but this is a common misconception of God. God’s attributes are equal to who God truly is. He is the most perfect form of justice that there is…also He is the most perfect form of mercy that there is. As humans it might seem easy to say something like … “There is more mercy in God than there is justice” …Christian brother and sister…it might seem that way, but that is not the case. Let us not limit God by our limited understanding of Him. To say that God is more merciful than He is just…shows us that we really don’t understand the cross. Full justice took place on that Good Friday…also full mercy took place. Don’t diminish either aspect. We are guilty as charged…Christ’s blood is the proof of justice and mercy!

Good catch Lindsey!

Let us worship the one triune God today! Give Him praise that He is fully merciful (100% mercy) and fully just (100% just)…there was more to the cross than only mercy…there was also justice…

“Merciful and Just Father forgive us of our sins! Enlighten our minds and hearts with Your Word so that we might understand…and that we Might see Your face.”

He is Risen! Let us reflect on our beautiful savior everyday!

In Christ
Noah

Phil Ryken Interview

9Marks ministries just posted their latest interview on their website. (Click here for a link to listen to the interview.)

Phil Ryken Interview at 9 Marks 3/31/06
Pastor of 10th Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, PA
Here’s a brief overview of the interview:
(1) Best book on the Authority of Scripture…B.B. Warfield’s collected essays on
this.
(2) Phil's Background
(3) Maintaining a work/life balance in the ministry.
(4) Opportunities for personal evangelism
(5) Ministry in an urban area…how to handle an ever changing congregation…By
having pastors committed to the community through staying.
(6) Phil's Influences
(7) Recommended authors
a. R.C. Sproul
b. Hughes Oliphant Old
c. Etc.
(8) Vision for the future of the ministry at 10th Presbyterian Church
a. Desires to see Philadelphia evangelized through the planting of
Presbyterian churches…this is something that is already underway.
b. Wants to see growth in their internship opportunities to help more
young pastors coming into the ministry.

This is some good insight into the pastoral ministry...if your interested:)

Eargate...The Holy War

In the lesson on What It Means to Be a Christian, that I taught on Sunday, I think I misspoke regarding something that just popped in my mind today. I said that in John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress that "Eargate" is the chief entrance to "Mansoul."

Well, this is actually from John Bunyan's The Holy War, not Pilgrim's Progress. So if you go to double check me on that one go to The Holy War.

Anyhow, this is how God works in the general call (as opposed to the effectual call) through the preaching/teaching of His Word. So "Mansoul" is won through God's use of His church (us) in what is called the general call (the preaching/teaching of His Word) through "Eargate." Whew!

Have a great week!

Echo Ranch Bible Camp: Mission to Alaska

Well, it was great to see everyone in the ABF again today. I can't tell you how much I really do look forward to meeting together every week to worship God together. Thanks for coming!

I'm going to take a nap here in a few minutes, but I wanted to share a little more information with you all about the construction mission trips they are taking to Alaska this Summer. Go to the links below if your interested to check it out!

I don't know if this was shared but the organization the Fenimore's are affiliated with is Avant Ministries (Click here to see Avant's website). Avant's mission is to, "Glorify God by helping others enjoy His presence through planting and developing new churches in the unreached areas of the world." Check out Avant's statement of faith by clicking here! These frontier missions are vital to spreading the gospel to all nations. If you have heard of the movie The End of the Spear one of the men that was martyred was actually sent by Avant Ministries (Roger Youderian).

THE FENIMORES NEED YOU! Click here to view the Fenimore's website. This is a great site. Pictures, Journal, Prayer letters, the Lodge they are going to build (Lord willing). The picture on the front is awesome of Terry, Yvonne, and their youngest daughter Kate.

Pray for them...and pray that if God is leading you to be a part of this mission, or if God might lead you to support them or someone financially on the team...that you might be able to respond in faith.

Let us know about your interest! Also, I've placed the link to the Fenimore's website and Avant's website in the links margin to the right side of the blog for future reference.

God bless you and keep you!

Thanks everyone! Enjoy the beautiful day that we have!

The Gospel of Judas

Are you Ready to Give a Response?

1 Peter 3:5 but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; (ESV)

You may or may not have heard about the The Gospel of Judas...but if you watch the news or read the paper you will. This is going to be a common conversation piece for a bit...especially since the Da Vinci Code is being made into a movie.

I'm writing this post so that we might be able to talk about the Gospel of Judas from a Christian perspective.

Here are a few things to note regarding The Gospel of Judas that was just released by the National Geographic Society. (Most of this information came from either what I have learned in church history classes, or from Al Mohler’s radio show/commentary.)

(1) The Gospel of Judas was referred to in a letter that Irenaeus wrote in 180A.D. so this text isn’t a new thing that was unknown until the present time; however, we have not had the text in written form until now. This is clearly a second century text as opposed to everything in the New Testament canon which is from the first century. So this has no bearing as to how we should view the New Testament as we have it. Anything with apostolic first century roots could possibly be considered credible. However, this is from the second century and has Gnostic roots…something which the church ruled out that same century as not being the same gospel as what the apostles preached. This is clearly a different gospel from the quotes that I have heard…heed the warning of Galatians 1:8-9

“8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. (ESV)”

(2) Here are a few critiques of the text of the Gospel of Judas:
(I wrote these quotes down while listening…so punctuation and phrasing is not necessarily 100% correct. I just put these in here to give an idea of what's going on in the text.)
Jesus to Judas: “But you will exceed all of them. For you will sacrifice the man that clothes me.”

This passage alludes to the idea that Christ is clothed in the unholy body, and that Judas was responsible for separating Christ’s holy spirit from the filthy unholy body. This is very Gnostic and goes against all other biblical teaching. Gnostics taught that matter has always been evil, but we know from the Bible’s creation account that it was originally good (There’s more, but I’m trying to be concise).

Jesus to Judas: “Judas your star has led you astray. No person of mortal birth is worthy to enter the house you have seen. Neither the sun nor the moon will rule there nor the day, but the holy will abide there always in the eternal realm with the holy angels. Look I have explained to you the mysteries of the kingdom, and I have taught you the error of the stars and I send it on the twelve aeons.”

Judas to Jesus: “Master could it be that my seed is under the control of the rulers?”

Jesus to Judas: No, you will become the thirteenth and you will be cursed by other generations and you will come to rule over them. In the last days they will curse your ascent to the holy generation.

This is a very astrological worldview (as Al Mohler's radio show points out). Honestly, I’m not sure how you could actually hold this up against the gospels that have been universally accepted by the Church over time and geography and think that it is truth as well. As you learn more about what the Gnostics believed you will probably be amazed at how crazy it sounds compared to what the Bible teaches. They believe that these are secret teachings/knowledge the “gnosis” of the Apostles passed in a secret inner circle. It’s interesting though that none of the proponents of this “Gnosticism” were even the disciples of the Apostles…so how could they really claim that this is secret knowledge passed down from the apostles? They couldn’t! The disciples of the Apostles did not teach this “gnosis.”

(3) The “Gospel of Judas” is one of many Gnostic Gospels catching some attention lately…test what you read if you read them against the Word to see if they are true. You’ll see that there are many, many discrepancies.

(4) The Coptic Orthodox Church denies the credibility of this document. The following is from Al Mohler’s commentary (click here to see the commentary):

“Metropolitan Bishoy, leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church, dismissed The Gospel of Judas as 'non-Christian babbling resulting from a group of people trying to create a false 'amalgam' between the Greek mythology and Far East religions with Christianity . . . They were written by a group of people who were aliens to the main Christian stream of the early Christianity. These texts are neither reliable nor accurate Christian texts, as they are historically and logically alien to the main Christian thinking and philosophy of the early and present Christians.' The Metropolitan is right, but we are better armed to face the heresies of our own day if we face with honesty the heresies of times past.”
So even though this is a Coptic text the Coptic Orthodox Church is by no means endorsing this text.

Listen to Al Mohler’s radio show on this here.

(5) The text does not pass the "catholicity" test. The entire early to contemporary church has not accepted this text in the New Testament canon.

Hopefully this helps clarify a few things.

In Christ
Noah

The Resurrection of the Body

The resurrection of the dead has been on my mind since last Wednesday at Bible study when we were going through Mark 12 and the Sadducees are said to not believe in the resurrection and try to trap Jesus with a question about it.

1 Corinthians 15:12-19

12 Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. 15 Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; 17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied. (NASB)

Josh
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Many people deny the resurrection of the body, specifically the body of the saints. Click here to read an article on a study that was done on this recently.

This is an important topic not only because we can affirm the inerrancy of the Scripture by believing this teaching to be true (because this is what the Word says), but because of some of the implications of the elects’ bodily resurrection in relation to all things being made new through Christ (Revelations 21:5).

(1) There are many heresies from the early church period that separated the body from the soul…thinking that the problem is the material body. The reality is that sin is in our bodies and our souls. One of the thoughts posed would be…”if only our innocent/clean/ perfect souls could be freed from this sinful/dirty/cursed body.” The Gnostics had a teaching similar to this, also the Docetics, and Ebionites. This teaching in many of these perspectives was coupled with some type of limitation of Christ’s deity as not being God within the trinity as God the Son.

(2) The bodily resurrection of the elect is very much tied to the concept of making all things new. New heavens and earth, etc. We don’t know a ton of the specifics (certainly we know more than I have eluded to here).

(3) Man was not originally made to be mortal. Only when Adam fell did death enter into the world. So…since God is a God of redemption and He makes all things new our bodies are part of this promised reality.

(4) In the 1 Corinthians passage above verse 16 states, “For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised.” We need to watch what we believe closely (Job 11:4; 1 Timothy 1:3; 4:6; 6:3; Titus 1:9; 2:1). Our bodily resurrection is closely linked to Christ’s resurrection…without which we know from verse 16 that our faith would be worthless. But Christ did raise, so our faith isn’t worthless. This doctrine is sweet to the taste. We will taste sweet victory in our resurrection bodies through Christ. They will be different no doubt (Christ’s was different…He was even a little less recognizable, but He still had a body that Thomas could touch).

(5) Lastly, there is a dual reality of our resurrection. We were in Christ when he was raised…so we were raised with Him. Yet, we will physically be raised on that last day. In the twinkle of an eye we will be like Him. This is similar to the fact that we are sanctified yet we aren’t completely sanctified yet, we are righteous yet being made righteous, we are holy yet being made holy, etc.

For God’s glory lets bathe in this until we gain more understanding in this teaching of the resurrection of the bodies of the elect. It’s strange…no doubt…but it is an awesome reality that we can look forward to. Let’s not miss out on this glorious reality.

[Interestingly enough Al Mohler blogged on this today too. Click here to see his response.]

He quotes 1 Corinthians 15:50-53 I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. (ESV)

Also…here are a few relevant quotes from Jonathan Edwards on this from his miscellanies.

“One calamity that was the consequence of the fall was the dissolution of the body. There is in Christ a remedy for this calamity; the body is through him restored, and comfort is administered to the saints against the apprehensions of it, by the promises of the resurrection.”

“For the body shall [not] only return to life, but to a much more glorious state than it was in before its dissolution, yea, a much more glorious state than the body of man was in before the fall; for it shall not be conformed to the body of the first Adam, which was a natural body, but to the body of Christ, which is a spiritual body (see 1 Corinthians 15:44-49).”

In Christ
Noah

Work: Part Three

This is an excellent sermon by Sinclair Ferguson on Ephesians 6:5-9. Christians in the Workplace: Knowing How to Be Faithful to Christ. This was a great encouragement to me as I reflect on how sometimes what I perceive to be a worthless task is a God glorifying opportunity.

Click here to listen.

This is the sister passage to what Pastor Dan preached on this last Sunday (Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.)

Ephesians 6:5-9 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free. Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.

Also check out these verses in regards to work today:

1 Corinthians 10:31-32 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.

Philipians 2:3-5 Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus...


What's my attitude at work today? This stuff is good.

The Effects of the Word

The list below is what we discussed for part of the time last night. The Bible is where we need to be grounding our thoughts. I picked up this list from a sermon on Psalm 119 by Dr. Andrew Davis here.

The effects of the Word
1.) Produces faith (Romans 10:17)
2.) Produces our trust in God (Psalm 119:41-43)
3.) Produces righteousness (Psalm 119:7)
4.) Security, assurance, peace (Psalm 119:140 in conjuction with vs.165)
5.) Pleasure, joy, delight (Psalm 119:103, 47)
6.) Obedience (Psalm 119:129)
7.) Wisdom (Psalm 119:105)
8.) Transforms our mind (Romans 12:2)

This is by no means exhaustive, but is a great starting point to see some of the fruit of the Word in our lives.

Knowing God

I'm teaching a class on Knowing God for the next month on Wednesday nights (April 5, 12, 19, 26 and May 3). We'll be talking a little about J.I. Packer's book Knowing God, a little about J.C. Ryle's book Holiness, a little about Jonathan's essay on The Distinguishing Marks of Believers, and more.

Here are some key verses in regards to knowing God. Knowing God is very important because knowing God is eternal life!

John 17:3 And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

1 John 2:3-6 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may be sure that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

Galatians 4:8-9 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worhtless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?

These passages remind me of Psalm 73:25-26 Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

More to come in the following weeks regarding Knowing God!