Bill Allison “challenged” me to listen to this free audio download from an insider of the Emergent Church. He wanted me to “decide for myself if the emerging church is “tragic”. Check out the free audio here. My notes are as follows.
This is thick, so stick with it!
Notes:
First of all Driscoll says there are,
Three Types of the “Emerging Church”
- Relevants – The Relevants would be the, “cool church crowd”. In this group Mark puts people like Dan Kimball and Donald Miller. (These are people you may or may not agree with but everything they say is still evangelical in the approach.) Those who may not fit into this category would include Erwin McManus and John Burke (who are just, “using creative measures to reach the unchurched”).
- Revisionists – This would be the overarching “emerging” church. (Emerging is a Dan Kimball term that comes from a movement some time ago, something Mark Driscoll was a part of). Mark says that Genesis 3 shows us where history went askew through a conversation with the devil. He claims the emerging church has positioned itself as this “evil” conversation. Mark then breaks down this group of revisionists and picks apart Brian Mclaren, Doug Padgett, and Rob Bell “ministries”. I broke down these men as they were spoken of.
- Brian Mclaren’s - Mark says Brian’s influences are from, “men who do not believe the resurrection”. Mclaren has been voted one of the most 25 influential people in TIME magazine. What amazes me is that Brian Mclaren gets more press than anyone I know. I wish I knew what he does to get a rise out of people and what he truly believes.
- Doug Padgett – Driscoll’s main concern with Doug was his comments on homosexuality. Padgett said, “We must explore new ways of being sexual.” Doug also uses, as Mark says, “promotions of paganisms throughout his work”. I know very little of this man.
- Rob Bell – The one thing that struck me was that Driscol said he has, “never met him”. (This blows my mind because they have the same church name and they are both massive churches.) Supposedly, Mclaren fills Bells pulpit from time to time (check itunes). Bell believes the bible is, “the link you click on to go somewhere else”. Driscoll says that Bell, “believes in woman elders and the trampoline theology in Velvet Elvis”. I question what Mark says about him, not because I like Rob Bell but because I think Rob Bell thinks out loud.
- Relevant Reformed – This group would include “Cool Calvinists” like John Piper and Dr. Tim Parker. These men are grounded in two points (both of which Driscoll agrees to).
- The world has changed – Life is different than it was 2,000+ years ago.
- The old ministry methods aren’t working – People are not coming to know the Lord Jesus as Savior. The disagreement is what is the change in the world?
Driscoll says to “Look to Jesus” at the end of his message. He states that Jesus is a “missionary”. He says that should all be, “about God’s world and God’s word”. Mark says we must see what is going on in our world to “see” what is going on. I like his challenge to get out into the world to see what was going on, something that few people do. He asks some amazing questions at the end of his sermon that is powerful. He said one thing that was right on, “We need to focus on converts”.
Questions I’m Asking after his Message…
- I’m 25 right now… how does the emerging church shape me in my ministry, in my life?
- Am I letting the up and coming guys shape me just as much as the men who have been in the faith for a half-century, decade, or last 2,000 years?
- If the New Testament Writers can go back to what the Old Testament writers said for the answers to the “hard” questions they were asked in their day, then why are we afraid to use the Bible for answers to the questions we are asked in our day?
- How does Romans 1:1-7 apply to my life, your life, and our lives as Christians?
- When God speaks, why do we question instead of follow?
- Is it wrong to question things or debate our faith within the realm of Christianity?
- What do we do to get a rise out of people and what do we truly believe?
- Is Satan pleased when Christians spend this much time in battle with each other?
- When will we stop talking, debating, and arguing about what Jesus said and actually do it?
- In a hundred years will our “letters” that people find bring them closer to God or will they pull them farther away from a relationship with Christ?
- How much time are we spending tearing down people down instead of building each other up?
- How can I keep my faith, “like a child” everyday?
What do you think?
-Jordan
Jordan,
By my reading of your entry I am not sure if you are commingling the terms emerging and emergent (many people do this).
In my understanding “emerging” refers to the broader, larger category which I think you are referring to and the term “emergent” is a narrower term referring more specifically to the organization Emergent Village and people associated like Brian Mclaren.
Justin Taylor has a series of entries on his blog on emerging which also helpfully distinguishes these terms. The first entry in the series can be found here: http://theologica.blogspot.com/2005/11/what-is-emerging-church-movement-part.html
You don’t know me, but I found you by way of my old friend Bill Allison and “Cup o’joe” Just wanted to say good questions and it gives me hope for our generation of ministers. (Ok, I’m almost 30, but I’m going kicking and screaming so I’m claiming to be at the early part of your generation and not old enough to be in mine.
) Anyway, I’d love to hear any answers you’ve come up with to your questions. God bless.
- Matt
Good summary !
And Except for those who want to play on the fringe by symanttically differentiating between emerging (which literally means “coming or arriving”) and emergent who are those (who came or arrived too far)… I don’t see how folks can disagree with what Driscoll said. I’m not one to jump into the whole Driscoll vs whomever thing, but his message and your questions and applicatyions are challenging and worth the LONG listen…
Good Blog. Glad I stopped by.
God is neither emerging or emergent. God does not change. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. God is already here in the person of the Holy Spirit living in us. It is the Holy Spirit who convicts of sin, righteous, and judgement. What is our part as His followers? To be obedient to His Word. We are to Go and Preach the Gospel to our culture, or the lost, all around us. See Romans 10:13-21. Faith, still and forever, will come by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. It is really rather simple. We need to “Just do it” no matter what the consequences or the cost. If something works has never been, nor should ever be, the criteria for what we as followers of Jesus Christ do. That is God’s business. The prophets did not stop speaking the Lord’s Word because no one was listening or repenting. They were obedient to do what God told them to do according to God’s game plan. They did not attempt to come up with a new one because that was not working. The only real question is “Have we gone out and told anyone about Jesus Christ and bid them to repent, surrender their lives and follow Him today?”
Thanks for sharing and the opportunity to share!
Sue