The Emergent Church Overview

A new perspective on the church has revealed itself to the world. This new movement is known as the "Emergent/Emerging Church" (Occasionally, Aaron and I will refer to it as the EC). Promoting a "a church for people who don't like church" mentality. Using espresso and talented praise teams to bring in the masses, while simultaneously watering down the Word of God to "tickle" the ears of the audience. The Emergent Church is attempting to deconstruct the traditional church and reshape the church in order to reach a anti-Christian world. According to John Macarthur, by eliminating the unpopular morals and systematic theology of our forefathers, the Emergent Church undermines the charge and duty of the church.
"I believe the church has one function, and that is to guard the truth, to proclaim the truth and to live the truth. So you take the Word of God, you teach it, you proclaim it, you protect it, you defend it, and you live it, and that’s a church. The Word of God rightly divided, rightly understood." - John Macarthur



A Generation for Truth will be addressing the topic of the Emergent Church in a series of podcasts and articles. So this post is going to be in a "Big Picture" as opposed to the "Little Picture" opinions that will be coming later.




As you can guess, truth is pretty important to us at A Generation for Truth. As I mentioned before they are watering down the doctrine in clear contrast to Paul's writings in II Timothy 4:3, "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables." Aaron will be covering the "contextualization" of the Emergent Church in depth, so I want to get into how their "marketing" strategy strongly grabs teens or college students.



Some people feel that you need to run a church like a business, and to some degree you do. However, if the church gets caught up with having the biggest church and attendance, then the church really needs to change it's focus. There is nothing wrong with a large building and a lot of people in your church, just do not get depressed if your church is small. The most important objective of a church lies in having "salty" salt (Christians) in your salt shaker(church). "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men." - Matthew 5:13. I feel that as long as churches can continue to produce disciples that are committed to living out the Word and truly seek after God that your church can be as big as you want it to. However, when a church gets rid of solid doctrine because it makes people feel guilty or the do not understand the deep stuff, just so attendance numbers go up. With the big self esteem movement that most of our peers have grown up in, a pastor telling everyone how desperately wicked, immoral, and destitute they are before God does not attract a lot of churchgoers. When some guy (or even a lady) gets up in a pair of jeans and talks about how Christianity is all about love, peace, and how everyone is special, people like that. Really, who doesn't like it when people say good things about you? And to some degree Christianity does involve love and peace, but our God is also one of justice, jealousy, and wrath. Bet you haven't heard that message in a long time!


The Bottom Line: "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." - Romans 12:2