THIS IS "THE PASTOR" IN THE ARENA OF POLITICAL ENDORSEMENTS WE SHOULD ALL BE CONCERNED ABOUT

THE EMERGENT ELIJAH...by David Green

I found this wonderful article web-surfing. There is much truth in David Green’s astute words about Mr. McLaren’s emergent, heretical, fast-food philosophy of faith. I strongly commend it to you. -Steve

What if the Emergent Church crowd could re-write some of the “mean” parts of the Bible? What would it look like? The following is an account from the story of Elijah & the prophets of Baal. (Much of the narrative is from actual things Brian McLaren has written in his books.)

Elijah said to Ahab, "You have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and you have followed Baal. Although I don't agree with that decision, I can't condemn it. After all, no one has all the truth. I understand that Israel has some truth and so does the religion of Baal. We're all seekers of ultimate truth. Therefore, let us unite with the prophets of Baal. Now then send and gather to me all Israel at Mount Carmel, together with 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of the Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table. And let us all have a conversation" (I Kings 18:18-19).

So Ahab sent a message among all the sons of Israel, and brought the prophets together at Mount Carmel. And Elijah came near to all the people and said, "How long will we hesitate between two opinions? Forever, I say! The Lord might be God, or Baal might be God. We all have our own personal opinion as to who God is, but let's face it: We might be wrong. So let us be open to Baal. Remember, Judge not lest ye be judged!" But the people did not answer him a word (I Kings 18:20-21).

Then Elijah said to the people, "I alone am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal's prophets are 450 men. I'm not saying this proves that Baal is the true God, but it is a powerful argument for Baal, wouldn't you agree? So let's be open to what the prophets of Baal have to teach us.” (I Kings 18:22).

"Now ---- it, I know that some of you have proposed that we put Baal to the test and see if either Baal or Yahweh will give us a sign from heaven. But this is wrong. Even if fire came down from heaven, that wouldn't prove anything. If we thought that fire proved that Yahweh was the true God, we would be arrogant. Our certainty would be based on evidence that could easily be explained by natural phenomenon. So instead of having the arrogance of certainty, let us instead have a humble conversation and unite in the unity of love with the prophets of Baal." And all the people answered Elijah and said, "That is a good idea" (I Kings 18:23-24).

So Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "We respect your beliefs, prophets of Baal. We Israelites do not have absolute certainty about the God of Israel. In truth, we might be wrong. We're only relatively certain that we're onto something when we worship Yahweh. Therefore we don't judge you when you call out to Baal or when you cut yourselves with swords and lances until blood gushes out. Additionally, we don't believe that Yahweh is at war with Baal. God has not called his followers to gain victory or to triumph over his enemies. Yahweh does not want us to conquer the hearts of men through evangelism. "Conquest" is a trait of evil, white, European, male Christianity. We're above and beyond such mean-spirited hurtfulness" (I Kings 18:25-29).

Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come near to me." So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down. And Elijah took the same number stones as there are world religions, and he said, "To the prophets of Baal and to all sincere worshipers of deities, we unite with you in true love and unity. The lion is lying down with the lamb. Amen?" (I Kings 18:30-39).

Then Elijah said to the people, "Shake hands with the prophets of Baal. Hug them as your spiritual brothers”. So they hugged them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and made them members of his church. (I Kings 18:40).

an encore presentation

REAL PREACHERS OF RELIGIOUS SALESMEN?...seeker-sensitive mega church guy

The seeker movement has been all about style over substance; 

attraction over gospel proclamation; relating over biblical revelation.

The audience is approached as sovereign, rather than the Lord God.  

The purpose of church worship should be primarily the glory of God; 

not about attracting or appealing to lost people.  WE are to 

go to a lost world and tell them about the gospel of Jesus Christ; 

but in our worship to the Lord, something "otherworldly" 

should be taking place. Unsaved people should feel welcome 

in our churches; and unsaved people should feel loved in our churches.  

But unsaved people should never feel comfortable in our churches.  

Watch this video with that in mind.

"By those who come near me, I will be treated as holy,

and before all the people I will be glorified." -Lev. 10:3

Depart from Scripture... You Depart from God and a Reverence for Him...a few certain thoughts about the ECM

“For My hand made all these things,

Thus all these things came into being,”

declares the LORD.

“But to this one I will look,

To him who is humble and contrite of spirit,

and who trembles at My word."

-Isaiah 66:2

Legalism and the ECM

The ECM in their search for significance within a postmodern culture has left behind the "old paths" rather than maintaining them. In their striving to figure out how to do church in our day, I think that they are creating their own legalism--a postmodern arrogant cultural relevance legalism that says the gospel will have meager effect if not contextualized and the church will have little growth or impact if it doesn't adapt to culture.

Temporal vs Eternal

Emergent Christianity guts the faith to appeal to culture; and their myopic view of the kingdom of God predisposes them to be more concerned with the temporal, than the eternal.

The ECM has two Fundamental Flaws:

• 1.) a lack of reverence for God and His Word; and
  
• 2.) the unquenchable need to contextualize the Christian faith in adapting it to culture.
  

This is gangrenous to authentic Christianity. Erosion of the truth always begins with the subtle wandering away off the path of the essentials of the faith.

You don't go liberal by reading your Bibles;

you go liberal by not reading them.

Culture or Scripture - the Determining Authority?

In the hallowed ecumenical halls of Emergent theology (and yes they have one) postmodernity becomes the hermeneutic by which they interpret Scripture, rather than Scripture being the hermeneutic that correctly interprets postmodernity.

McLaren, Pagitt, and Bell (the uncertain trinity of Emergent Christianity) all depart from the soundness of biblical Christianity into various errant and nefarious doctrines at precisely this point.

FROM THE COMBOX: IMHO: the EC's theology is methodological by nature, not biblical, rooted in culture. THEN, they take their cultural paradigm's and convert them into their ecclesiology, Christology, missiology, and theology. What is derived is not Scriptural, but certainly marketable. Again, it is the seeker sensitive movement with an attitude. Lastly, it results in liberal socialism by making planetary concerns primary concerns. I.e. redemption is just not thought of in terms of saving souls, but in saving the environment. Everything from the fictitious Global Warming, to abortion, gay rights, war, stem cell research, euthanasia, etc. (all valid concerns) trump the eternal concerns of the gospel. In fact, their gospel is now defined chiefly by the cultural moorings of society rather then by Scripture. Ergo, the social gospel has found new friends in the ECM; and by design it cannot help but be ecumenical as it reinvents the meta of language, religion, missions, church, and solutions to human rights issues. And you must fit into their worldview of these things or be considered out of the conversation and outside the purview of Emergent Christianity. That breeds legalism. This is their worldview. Don't drink the Kool-aid. Campi 2 Tim. 2:15

Church Dystopia... what's driving the emerging/emergent movement?

Ecclesiastical negativity; biblical uncertainty; theological infidelity; spiritual unrest; and the thirst for cultural relevancy.

Point of Clarification: dystopia is an imagined place or state where everything is considered unpleasant or bad.  I chose that word because it seems to really typify the sentiment of most ECM leadership about the local church today.  Therefore, it seems that the ECM adherents are desperately looking to invoke change to accommodate their pomo-sensibilities.  After all, postmodernism has become the new hermeneutic by which the ECM interprets Scripture rather than Scripture being the true hermeneutic which clearly interprets postmodern culture.

EMERGENTCY: The Dire Need for Biblical Ministry...an urgent plea for emergent/emerging leaders

Updated

"but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men." -1 Corinthians 1:23-25

About John Knox:
The text was Isaiah 26:13-21 and it was preached on August 19, 1565, in St Giles. The previous month Lord Darnley had married Queen Mary and was declared King. Darnley has been described as a man who could be either Catholic or Protestant as it suited him, sometimes he went 'to mass with the Queen and sometimes attended the reformed sermons'. On this particular Sunday he sat listening on a throne in St Giles and, while he was not directly mentioned in the sermon, it so infuriated him that Knox was instantly summoned before the Privy Council and forbidden to preach while the King and Queen were in town. Part of Knox's response was to write down the sermon as fully as he could remember it. It is the only Knox sermon that has survived, and in its conclusion he has these memorable sentences:

'Let us now humble ourselves in the presence of our God, and, from the bottom of our hearts, let us desire him to assist us with the power of his Holy Spirit . . . that albeit we see his Church so diminished, that it shall appear to be brought, as it were, to utter extermination, that yet we may be assured that in our God there is power and will to increase the number of his chosen, even while they be enlarged to the uttermost coasts of the earth.' -John Knox

When addressing this text of 2 Corinthians 4, I thought of no one else to illustrate authentic biblical ministry than John Knox.

Oh for men like him once again. Men that aren't for sale; men that reverence the Lord and not treat Him as a cartoon figure on a t-shirt; men that will stand against the world and for Christ; men who consider their lives small and the glory of God great; men who are not concerned with trivial cultural trends, but keep the eternal work in clear view; men who are more consumed with proclaiming the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ than promoting themselves; men who weep for the lost, champion sound doctrine, plead with the church to be holy, confront political leadership, and herald God's Word uncompromised. Knox was not stifled by fear, motivated by fame, nor swayed by flattery. He was God's man and belonged to no other.

This dedication to biblical ministry the Apostle Paul gives us in what I consider to be the wheelhouse text of the foundations for ministry in 2 Corinthians chapter four. I am going to briefly comment on it for you below - but only briefly; for I mostly want you to just read and hear the text of Scripture itself and not be needlessly distracted by my comments.

This text sums up my plea and prayer for myself for I fall woefully short in all that I do for the Lord Jesus Christ. It is also my plea and prayer for national leaders within The Emergent Church (t.e. McLaren, Pagitt, Bell, etc.) who have given themselves over to unorthodox beliefs (Inclusivism [A Generous Orthodoxy], Pelagianism [denies imputation of original sin and that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone], Syncretism [the blending of opposing belief systems - the virgin birth is questioned and not held as essential]) which we could include under the umbrella of what the Apostle Paul called, "deceitful doctrines of demons" (1 Tim. 4:1). I say these things with tears, a heavy heart, out of deep concern for their souls, and realizing the sinfulness and wretchedness of my own depraved heart; if these men are truly my brothers in the Lord Jesus may they repent from these aberrant doctrines and return to Christ, His truth, and His gospel.  And if they are not, may God grant them repentance and the faith to believe Jesus Christ as Lord unto salvation by embracing the true gospel of sola fide and forsaking the dead idols of their own imaginations.  When anyone denies substitutionary atonement; the inerrancy, infallibility, and authority of Scripture; the existence of hell and eternal judgment of all who deny Christ and His gospel; the Virgin Birth; the doctrine of original sin; etc. then there is justified reason for us all to be concerned. 

I want to be clear here: I am not making an eternal judgment against these men; I am simply examining what these men teach and comparing their assertions through the grid of God's Word - and when analyzed in the light of Scripture, the comparison is frightening.  I am not anyone's Holy Spirit beloved; I am just another brother in Christ trying to be a faithful Berean to examine all things in light of the Word of God. As Paul admonishes us to do: "test all things and cling to that which is good." 

Again, please pray for these men that the Lord would bring others into their lives that would care to speak the truth in love to them and the Lord would open their eyes as to the error they are even unwittingly believing and teaching to others. Theology matters; doctrine matters; truth matters; Scripture matters. 

Let's look at this important seciton of God's holy Word.

The Foundations of Genuine Biblical Ministry
2 Corinthians 4 (NASB)

Comfort in Ministry
1 Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart.

Ministry belongs to the Lord; it is His. It is solely from Him and by His mercy He enlists us the privilege of serving Him. It is not the product of ourselves in any manner whatsoever (cp, Gal. 1:10-13; 2 Tim. 1:10-12). It is because of this truth that we do not faint or lose heart - literally, we do not abandon ourselves to cowardly surrender under the vicious attacks of others. Though sometimes we can become discouraged, "our labor and toil is not in vain" (cf, 1 Cor. 15:58). We press on amidst grave circumstances, persecutions, insults, onslaughts, privation and ridicule (cp, 2 Cor. 11) for the proclamation of the gospel; God's New Covenant for us through Jesus Christ our Lord.

May we be like those who can say,

“But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God." -Acts 20:24

Conduct in Ministry
2 But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.

This is at the heart of biblical ministry; a conduct befitting Christlikeness that does not capitulate to the fads, trends, and transient means of the spirit of this age. Paul is saying here that we do not resort to shameful things; or gimmicks, tricks (cultural contextualizations of the message, audience marketeering, demographic research, seeker friendly pragmatism) etc. or to wresting the Word of God.

Paul mentions three sweeping categories of conduct unbecoming to those in biblical ministry:

1. disgraceful, underhanded ways (disgraceful conduct; clandestine and secret arts; all dishonest artifices and plans,);

2. cunning (craftily; or behaving in a crafty manner. The word here used denotes shrewdness, cunning, and craft. This was common; and this was probably practiced by the false teachers in Corinth);

and 3. tamper with God's word (handling it deceitfully, corrupting its truth, adulterating its meaning, not peddling it for financial gain (2 Cor. 2:17); not falsifying or misrepresenting its truths).

What should be our response to such things? "We have renounced those things"; literally "bid farewell to" those things. That word means to disown; to spurn, or scorn with aversion. It occurs nowhere else in the New Testament; and the sense here is that the Apostles had such a high view of the truth of Scripture and the glory of Christian ministry, that it led them to discard everything that was disguised and crafty; everything deceitful in the methods of ministry.

What's the antedote? "...by the open statement of truth commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God." Truth does not hide or cloak itself; it is "open" - unashamed. And the result is the straightforward commendation to everyone's conscience in the sight of God. Notice, that He is the object of all our endeavors; and therefore, we can speak it plainly to all without reservation, without hidden agenda, without the shroud of trickery, deceit, cunning or adulterating the Word of God.

As one of the great divines, Pastor John Gill, so rightly says:

"that is, they with all plainness and evidence clearly preached the truth as it is in Jesus, presenting it to, and pressing it upon the consciences of men; where they left it, and to which they could appeal; and all this they did, in the sight and presence of the omniscient God, to whom they knew they must give an account of themselves and their ministry."

Conflict in Ministry
3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Why is this vitally important?

Because we fight not against flesh and blood (Eph. 6:10-18); it is spiritual battle we face is it not? And we cannot fight with carnal weaponry (2 Cor. 10:1-4) as the emergents and pragmatic emergings want to. We must resort to the spiritual weapons of prayer, the Word of God, the means of grace, the gospel of Jesus Christ. Anythng else is child's play and may have the appearance of being equipped for battle, but their culturally-relevant-contextualized armor is not tempered with the steel of righteousness and truth; therefore, it is not profitable to wear for effective service in God's war. The battle is the Lord's beloved and we must engage His way, according to His Word, and for His glory or all our efforts are efforts in futility. "No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier" (2 Tim. 2:4).

This is the Achilles heal of the emergent/emerging movement. It is so focused and obsessed with the pragmatics on being identified with culture and target marketing a constituency in their neighborhoods, that they actually think that their methods have something to do with people becoming saved and the church growing through evangelism.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Why? Because it is a spiritual battle we are about.

Paul reminds us that Satan has blinded the minds of those who reject Christ and His truth. And there is one thing that is greater than the deceitful blinding darkness of the enemy, and that is the glorious light of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Satan may be mighty, but Jesus Christ is Almighty and the gates of Hades cannot ever prevail against His church! Amen? Amen!

Confidence in Ministry
5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

So what is our confidence in ministry? Is it the size of our annual offerings or size of our congregations? Is it technology? Is it the amount of downloads and listeners we enjoy on radio, podcasts, TV? Is it the number of readers on our blogs or websites? Not a chance. Our confidence is one thing: "we preach not ourselves... and we preach Christ Jesus as Lord." Did you hear that beloved? Those words should be branded upon the doors of every seminary, every church sanctuary and every pastors study. We do not preach ourselves; we don't preach anything to do with ourselves. We must forsake ourselves, our agendas, our methods, our techniques, our practices, etc. And we faithfully proclaim the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

We call Him Jesus because He is the Savior; we call Him Christ, because He is the sufficient Messiah; and we call Him Lord, because He is the One True Sovereign over all. We preach Jesus Christ as Lord!

Could it be anymore clear? "I sought to know nothing among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:2). That was Paul's all consuming passion. Preach Christ Jesus as Lord! Only if men of God each week did so in our churches with humility, with power, with the unction of the Holy Spirit, and in the truth of His Word. How refreshing it would be. Oh to see emergents not only ask some right questions about doing church in our day, but more importantly to give the right answers of God's Word -- to preach Jesus Christ the Lord and not themselves!

And to do so as servants of the Lord--literally as slaves. Proclaim the Savior - Jesus Christ the Lord; and serve His people as slaves. We have no rights, no reputations to boast of, no merits in ourselves worthy of emulating or following except that which Christ has done through us by His grace.

"1 Cor. 3:5 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not mere men? 1Cor. 3:5

¶ What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. 1Cor. 3:6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. 1Cor. 3:7 So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. 1Cor. 3:8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 1Cor. 3:9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.

1Cor. 4:1 ¶ Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. 1Cor. 4:2 In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.

That's the right motive of ministry beloved. In Christ alone is the light of the knowledge of the glory of God! He is God incarnate--the Word become flesh. We exalt Him above all things--especially ourselves. We are nothing - He is everything! Are we content to preach Christ and exalt Him even if it means our own demise?Will we preach Jesus Christ as Lord even if no one listens? Will we preach Jesus Christ as Lord if no one responds? May we never shrink from declaring the whole counsel of God.

Commonness of Ministry
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.

Again, the Lord has insured that all pride in ministry and the fruit of salvation of another is never the cause for boasting in and of ourselves. The great work of evangelism belongs to the Lord. It is He who adds to the church daily; it is God who has chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world. The gospel itself is the power of God unto salvation.

Is there room for any boasting of our own accomplishments in biblical ministry? None whatsoever -- no room at all. Our methods do not add one thing to God's sovereign work of redemption (cp, Titus 3:4-7). Even some who want to announce their pursuit of humility reveals nothing more than a prideful heart boasting to attract the attention and praise of men.

"Riches I heed not nor man's empty praise..." the godly hymn writer pens.

We hold this treasure beloved (the treasure of the gospel) in jars of clay (not a bad name for a Christian band). The clay pots were used sometimes to hold valuables within a house. But mostly they were used for mundane purposes as recepticles for discarded menstral rags or human excrement. Paul says this is us; this is us. We are called by God "clay pots" - so the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. It is all about Him and His glory and not about us.

Any fruit from genuine ministry is not the result of human initiative or means. Ministry is not about expanding ones brand; selling CDs, books and study Bibles; it is not about increasing our market share of our radio programs and TV stations or building up shelf space at Target or Wal-Mart. It is about promoting the greatness of our God through Jesus Christ the Lord in proclaiming His gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit according to His Word. And knowing we do so as people of clay. Anything attribution of spiritual growth to man is nothing but vanity and a selfish pride. Anything less is all about us and not about Him.

We are jars of clay; common receptacles. By God's grace He uses us for His eternal purposes and for His glory. What a joy and privilege...

Cost of Ministry
8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 death is at work in us, but life in you.

Are you prepared for this? Have you come to grips with giving up all things for the sake of Christ and His kingdom? To suffer the loss of all things so that we may gain Christ and know Him? (cp, Phil. 3:1-8) Are you resolved that you have no claim upon your own life and that you will not love it even unto death? Paul was perplexed, homeless, persecuted, afflicted, without worldly means, considered to be "the scum of the earth and the dregs of all things." He had nothing of worldly goods; he was destitute and was suffering greatly for the gospel. He was by his own admission "an ambassador in chains." But he was not without hope. He was not crushed, nor left in despair, never forsaken, and not destroyed.

Could you embrace those same chains so that "the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies?" Can you "count it all joy" the trials of ministry and the turbulence of serving His church with thankfulness in your heart knowing God is sovereign and in control of it all? Will you count it all joy to bear the insults of others for following and serving Jesus? Are you willing to risk it all, even die if necessary, for the sake of the glory of Christ Jesus the Lord? Will we be willing to be whittled down to size, as Gideon was. so that we will not say that our own hand has delivered us and that He receives all the glory?

Culmination of Ministry
13 Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, "I believed, and so I spoke," we also believe, and so we also speak, 14 knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. 15 For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.

Again, what is the chief end of man? What is his sole delight? The glory of God.

We believe so we speak; we are utterly convinced of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and so we are also convinced of God's power to raise us up with Him and bring us to completion in our glorification with Him (Jude 24-25). And in seeing more and more increase in thanksgiving to Him by His grace, culminating in His further glory. This is the capstone of all ministry; this is at the root of all biblical worship; this is service to God unfettered, unfeigned and worthy of Him--for it results in His glory.

Every week any local church or itinerate ministry should be as a matter of priority asking this one key question: what can we do to bring further glory to God this week? All staff meetings should begin and end with that question and goal on their lips. Every worship service should begin and end with the awesome expression of glory to God.

Commitment of Ministry
16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

This is our conviction and therefore our commitment this day; we "do not lose heart." Paul ends this chapter where he began--encouragement in the Lord to keep on faithfully for Him regardless of the circumstances we may face each day.

We can be wasting away, but in what is eternal we are renewed. Even Paul's severe persecution, he considered a momentary "light affliction" compared to "the eternal weight of glory..." This is a key conviction to endurance in ministry: keeping the eternal in view; keeping the preeminence of Christ in view; making the most of Him in all we do for Him. We may suffer greatly for His gospel in this life, but we will never have to face the wrath to come. And so we may say with Paul, this is a light momentary weight we bare when compared to the eternal glory with Jesus Christ that awaits those who are in Him. The things which are seen are temporal; but the things not seen are eternal.

We may pray in dark moments through tears of doubt and sorrow: "Give us spiritual eyes Lord that we may see clearly, by faith, all that You have designed for those to whom You love and that love You faithfully. May we not be possessed by what is temporary; but be utterly convinced of what is eternal; and therefore, keep on until the end with an undivided heart, a single mind, an unwavering soul, with a firm resolve that this world is not my home--I'm just a passing through. It is for Your name's sake... Amen."

Conclusion
May I encourage you again to pray for these men I mentioned earlier in this article. Pray for their repentance and for their return to biblical ministry. And pray for me too. Pray that we all would guard our own hearts; that we would all watch our lives and doctrine closely (1 Tim. 4:12-16). Pray the Lord would keep us from a saracstic mocking spirit of others who believe differently, who might be aberrant stiff-necked in their doctrine, or who don't line up with every jot and tittle of the faith as we would see it. May we contend for the once for all delivered to the saints faith; but may we do so with reverence and respect as those who have sanctified Jesus Christ as Lord in our hearts (1 Peter 3:15-16).

May we treat error with the sober-minded seriousness it deserves; may we be bold against the skewed theology of false teachers; may we call them to repentance; and quickly repent ourselves. And may we embrace the whole truth of God's Word and encourage others to do the same with the soberness it deserves as well. May we stay teachable, broken, ready to serve, and steadfast in the gospel.

Is there joy in ministry? YES! There is great rejoicing in seeing the Lord work and to be used by Him for His glory. But it is not a celebration in what we have done, but only in what He has accomplished through us and in spite of us.

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all." -2 Corinthians 13:14

Needed: A BOLD ORTHODOXY...the biblical answer to the "PC" State of EMERGENT evangelicalism

Truth, by definition is exclusive
It is absolute. It seeks not to negotiate the veracity of its substance by committee or by vote. It is eternal. It is inflexible. It is not opinion. It is not subjective, but objective. The truth of God's Word does not first ask the question: "will you embrace me?" But rather issues the command, "obey me."

Christianity today is being feminized (that is not the language of misogyny - so please relax); but softened as to its truth claims and assertions. Os Guinness is spot on in his analysis when saying: “This… sea change is a particularly important precedent because it was not so much from Calvinism to Arminianism as from theology to experience, from truth to technique, from elites to populism, and from an emphasis on ‘serving God’, to an emphasis on ‘serving the self’ in serving God.”

I know that there are some well-meaning and well-respected pastors that are calling today for a "humble orthodoxy". Though I understand and affirm their definition of this phrase, I think it may also need further clarifying to give it the context, and thus the impact, that it richly deserves.

Postmodernism, at its core, wants to minimize all claims to objective truth and keep it modest, unauthoritative... "humble" if you please. And left unfettered, that kind of application and reasoning can breed what Packer sought to warn us about in past years when saying:

“The outside observer sees us as staggering from gimmick to gimmick and stunt to stunt like so many drunks in a fog, not knowing at all where we are or which way we should be going. Preaching [and singing] is hazy; heads are muddled; hearts fret; doubts drain strength; uncertainty paralyses action…. Unlike the first Christians who in three centuries won the Roman world, and those later Christians who pioneered the Reformation, and the Puritan awakening and the Evangelical revival, and the great missionary movement of the last century, we lack certainty.”

Today, the object of faith is no longer Christ, but self-esteem; the goal of faith is no longer holiness, but happiness; the source of faith is no longer the Scriptures, but experience; and the result of faith is no longer the glory of God, but having a conversation.

Spurgeon addressed this issue in his time:

“A new religion has been initiated, which is no more Christianity than chalk is cheese; and this religion, being destitute of moral honesty, palms itself off as the old faith with slight improvements, and on this plea usurps pulpits which were erected for gospel preaching.”

And Dr. Al Mohler prodoundly speaks to this concern when saying:

“An aversion to doctrinal Christianity has been growing for several decades, along with an increasing intolerance for doctrinal and confessional accountability. Evangelicals have embraced the technologies of modernity, often without recognizing that these technologies have claimed the role of master rather that servant.”

Sadly, that is currently our autobiography.

What is needed in today's religious climate and culture is a bold orthodoxy.
Or IOW, orthodoxy proclaimed boldly. The Emergent Church is proud of their "humble" orthodoxy. Truth to them is liquid, fluid, changing, evolving, and must remain adaptable to the times. By comparison, they without embarrassment mock the Scriptures as being God's infallible, inerrant Word; they wrest the gospel of its exclusiveness; they misrepresent the character of the One Triune God; they reduce the ministry of Jesus to Him being a social engineer or a compassionate advocate for the rights of the oppressed; they deny the existence of hell, penal substitutionary atonement, justification by faith alone, and that church shouldn't primarily be about the glory of God, but about man and his needs.

As you can see beloved, what we need today is an uncompromising, unapologetic, undiluted, BOLD orthodoxy.

BUT, that bold orthodoxy should be proclaimed by humble servants of the Lord.
Not soft, feminized men... but bold men clothed in humility. And there is a difference. It's odd to me that those that champion as a primary concern "the language of civility" in discussions about faith, are usually not the ones on the front lines defending the faith (Jude 3) Many in the EC think that Paul was too abrasive; Jude to negative; Matthew 23 too judgmental; 2 Peter 2 too offensive; the prophets out dated; and the Law, wrath of God, taking up ones cross, forsaking self, and sin in the proclamation of the gospel Jesus Christ too restrictive. They try to elevate tone over truth; demeanor over doctrine; and being "nice" over being biblical. "Can't we all get along" AND "isn't it unloving as Christians to let the world see us disagree about theology" is their mantra.

To be certain, we are to "speak the truth in love..."; but speak the truth we must. Love should be the motive behind the proclamation of truth and it certainly shouldn't mean being tolerant, nice for nice sake, or soft.

Biblically, love is not an emotion and is not conditioned upon a response. Love is sacrificial, unreciprocated, undeserved, unfailing, and unmerited. One of the most loving things a Christian can do is to proclaim the truth of Scripture and the gospel of Jesus Christ in the face of the error of postmodernity (Titus 1:9). And conversely, it would be very unloving to go on Larry King and purposely dumb-down the gospel or the truth of the Word of God for the sake of being accepted by the audience and embraced by the media.

True love doesn't soften biblical Christianity for the sake of keeping peace; and it doesn't water-down its truth claims to fit in with the postmodern times. In all honesty, The Emergent Church has missed the mark by a country mile. The world, beloved, isn't asking for the church to "relate" to them; BUT, they ARE asking for genuine, tough, honest answers--to their very real and difficult questions; and to see the gospel applied to every area of life in which they function. We live in profoundly dangerous and evil times; and this is not a season for weak, cowardice men absent of strong biblical convictions to try and lead.

It is, however, a time for men of God to stand for the truth with boldness and courage, yet always marked by the humility of the love of Christ for His people, His Word, His gospel, and those without Jesus.

What typifies and represents much of the current state of evangelicalism today, and in specific The Emergent Church, are four key "politically correct pomo" views:

1. Ambiguousness about the nature of saving-faith - justification (Rom. 3:21-26)

2. Awkwardness about the depraved nature of man as sinner and the doctrine of sin (Rom. 3:10-18)

3. Ashamed of the exclusivity of the nature, person and gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Rom. 5:1-11)

4. Arrogance against the authority, sufficiency, and veracity of God's Word (2 Tim. 3:16-17)

The cross of Christ still remains the greatest and most profound example of a BOLD orthodoxy. "But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. (Gal. 6:14).

Arguably, the two most robust and popular theological tracks being discussed today across the board are reformed theology AND The Emergent Church. The former wants to proclaim the biblical gospel and truth of God's Word to the culture; the later wants to reinvent the faith by making culture the interpreter of Scripture.

Throw into this quadrate the "leaven" of the prosperity gospel; patriotism being equated with biblical Christianity; post-modern ecclesiology; pragmatism, a therapeutic form of sanctification, ecumenism, and the self-esteem/human potentiality movement and you have the disastrous recipe for a "PC" version of Christianity. This is a faith which is pleasing to man, but an offense to God. It is not representative of biblical Christianity anymore than The Message is representative of a real bible. Ultimately, it tragically leads to apostasy (Galatians 1:6-9).

We need reformation again in the church in America beloved. God will have to sovereignly work among His people to accomplish this great task for no man may conjure this of his own volition, unction, or desire. May we pray for the Lord to open the heavens and bring the church back to honoring Him again and His Word. And let us pray also for the many evangelical leaders that carry the weight of high visibility in the world that they would remain true to the gospel, true to God's Word, and true to the person and character of Christ.

May I suggest reading here and here for further insight and clarification on this important issue.

By His grace and for His glory,
Steve
(2 Tim. 1:6-18)

"The Message" artwork provided Carla Rolfe

EMERGENTCY...the confusing conversation of an irrelevent faith

If this video doesn't convince you of the Emergent church's lack of sound doctrine and biblical direction---nothing will.

To relate to my ECM "friends" who frequent this blog, I offer this illustration: biblical Christianity is like listening to the best of Eric Clapton; the Emergent Church is like listening to the Partridge Family. One is authentic; the other just a market driven, dumbed-down, syncretistic, ecumenical, homogenized synthetic. Give me genuine biblical Christianity every time and quit treating my Lord, His gospel, and His Word as your cultural little play thing.

Sola fide,
Campi
2 Cor. 4:5-7

The Emerging T.U.L.I.P....pretending to be orthodox

The Emerging/Emergent ecumenical movement continues to make inroads in the broader landscape of evangelicalism. From Southern Baptists to Reformed to Charismatics, their influence knows no bounds. Even mainline publishers known for producing orthodox literature and books are signing emerging personalities to produce "theological" works for them.

Well respected evangelical leaders have emerging personalities participate in their conferences--representing them as being thoroughly reformed and orthodox; even to the point of making light of their scatological speech and debasing humor that marks and defines the pulpit ministries of many of the emerging churches brightest stars.

But the most farfetched of claims is that the emerging/emergent seeker sensitive, ecumenical salesmen are Clavinistic--reformed in their beliefs. This constitutes nothing more than a superficial nod at the reformed faith, while the postmodern culture is the real driving force behind this movement.

Here is "Calvinism's TULIP" according to the emerging/emergent beliefs. (You may find a detailed explanation of the real TULIP here).


1. Total Ambiguity
Methodology over message
Truth is embraced, but doctrinally abstract; fluid, and liquid
Conversation over gospel proclamation
Ecumenism over theological and doctrinal specificity 
Contantly inventing a new spiritual meta-narrative

2. Unconditional Pragmaticism
Seeker sensible and seeker sensitive
Whatever works—do it
Numbers justify everything
Program enriched
Felt need, culture-driven

3. Limited Theology
Doctrine diminished and not primary; it is secondary
Truth claims remain undefined
No definitive agreed upon statement of faith
Very little biblical definition of ministry
Recommended reading lists are 

4. Irresistible Contextualization
Truth must be adapted to and defined by culture
The audience, not the message, is sovereign
The focus is to be relevant and relativistic
Being missional is marked by methodological inroads, conversation, and cultural discernment of the times
Emphasis on the humanity of Jesus expressed in crude terms over the reverence and transcendence of the Lordship of Christ

5. Postmodern Perverse Speech
Being known as the cussing pastor is good
Unwholesome talk is cultural not unbiblical
Coarse scatological speech is a matter of personal taste
It makes you cool to other Emerging/Emergents
If you challenge it, you are labeled as Victorian and out of date