Lately, I've read a handful of books written by 2 "emergent" Christian authors. I've also listened to some audio recordings of these current and/or future church leaders.
Now begins a series of my thoughts on the pros and cons of what some might call the emergent church*. It should be noted that it is difficult to pin down and classify the emergent church as it currently exists, but I'll write more on that later. So for now, to keep things simple, the title of "emergent thinking" will denote the beliefs that line up with these two authors and speakers I've been reading/listening to.
I find my feelings for emergent thinking are currently very bi-polar. On one page of their book, or with one of their spoken statements, I find myself jumping for joy and audibly exclaiming, "that's exactly what I've been trying to say!" Only to find that on the next page, or in the next breath, I encounter something that leaves me either scratching my head or boiling with anger. Here we go.
(ANY SIDE NOTES CAN BE FOUND IN THE FIRST COMMENTS FOLLOWING THIS POST)
Point #1 Loving Others The positive sideThese two authors do an exemplary job of bringing to light how messed up American Christianity has become, traditional and liberal theology alike, as many Christian
** churches seem quite stuck in the roots of American individualistic culture. Most of this "mess" involves the failure of American Christians to actually live out and practice the doctrines and beliefs they so publicly announce to believe, first and foremost in the area of loving others, including Christians and non
***.
And with that, I agree wholeheartedly.
Loving other ChristiansA question arises. Should we scrap DRDs? (doctrines, rules, and denominations)
No, I don't think we should. And neither, it seems, do these emergents. In theory, DRDs provide a way for Christians to be more effective as a whole, as it allows us to separately work toward the same goal of bringing the world to Christ. However, I believe many Christians today have torn DRDs from their original uses as tools for growth and mutated them into weapons to attack and/or gain superiority over other Christians with.
Before you fume at me, let me clarify I am not talking about "staple" doctrines such as the the deity of Christ, God’s role as creator of life, man’s fallen or sinful state, or other doctrines shared commonly among (most) Christians as the backbone of Christianity (namely having to do with receiving life in Christ).
What I'm talking about are the "specialized" doctrines and rules such as, but not limited to:
-Speaking in tongues
-Heavily-defined dress codes
-Complete abstinence from alcohol
-Predestination vs. Free-Will
Such rules and doctrines should never be deemed as worthless and altogether unimportant. It would be foolish to say so. And some doctrines and rules are more important than others. But if life in Christ can occur regardless of the degree of one's agreement/disagreement with these rules and doctrines, then I would say that such rules or doctrines should not be considered "staple" doctrines in Christianity; definitely not ones worth fighting over.
Obviously, there are "specialized" doctrines and rules I hold to, and with all my mind, body, and soul, I think I am correct in my belief in and practice of these rules and doctrines. They enrich my life in Christ, and help me as I grow even closer to Him. However, I do not find in them the justification to "look down" on other Christians who do not share my views. In cases like these, I think of Paul talking to the Corinthians regarding eating meat offered to idols. In order to maintain growth and community with in local churches and the body of Christ as a whole without sacrificing such "practicing" doctrines, he instead tells the "stronger" brother to be mindful of being a stumbling block to the "weaker" brother.
When DRDs set Christians at silent odds against other Christians, the entire body of Christ loses effectiveness. I count myself as part of the problem.
Loving non-ChristiansThis is a given, but really, what good is a faith that is not lived out? Someone who claims to have a new life in Christ also claims to strive to follow His teaching and examples. Christ healed the sick, fed the hungry, loved the destitute, and calls his followers to do the same. I myself fall short. We all will. But I have spent most of my life falling shorter than I should, because I either tried not whole-heartedly, or didn't try at all.
Loving non-Christians includes more than witnessing to them.
It includes serving them without a personal agenda. I can't say I've done that many times in my life. Not only did I not go out of my way to poke through my Christian bubble and mingle with any lost lest I be tainted, whenever I did serve another person, I did it with intentions of getting them to come to my church...so it would look good for me.
When was the last time I tried to love someone like Jesus would...no strings attached?
Give them bread...plant the seeds...and watch God work on their hearts?
Though I think the quality their music is rather dull, consider the words of Casting Crown’s
If we are the Body. Let's face it. It’s common to see evangelical churches lacking in the depth of community within the church, and having the absence of community outside the church. The way it sounds, it has been like this for some time. Many non-believers I've talked to are disillusioned to American Christianity as it has been for the past few decades, and would probably be shocked to see Christians really trying to reach out just to show them they were/are loved.
The Negative SideWhere emergent thinking falls short in the "loving others" category is this: loving others is an undeniable command, and is a priority, but is not the main priority. I get this feeling that emergent thinking is on the verge of going overboard with idea that it's about loving people, and nothing more.
It's not surprising, though, if you think about it.
Really, I'm surprised it has taken so long for the emergent movement to "emerge." The problem is that while pulling out of one ditch -- focused heavily on truth and minimally on love (which is hardly a truthful thing to do) -- they seem to be quickly veering toward the ditch on the other side of the straight and narrow -- focused heavily on love and minimally on truth (which is hardly a loving thing to do).
Truth and love are inseparable. Both come from God. He is Love, and he is the Truth.
And now that we’re moving to the subject of truth...I must stop.
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