A good (and lifelong) pastor friend of mine, who is both a sharp theologian and a wonderful preacher has written an article on the topic of this post.  You need to know that David Lock comes from a strong Reformed tradition, and studied preaching at Cornhill in the UK under very conservative and Reformed (with a capital R) teachers.  I say this because he's not a liberal flaky.  He has no axe to grind.  He is a pastor of a small town Baptist church.

But, over the years he has found an attraction to the Emerging church thinkers and authors.  As many people in his circle of colleagues have expressed concern about the emerging church, he has been forced to evaluate why he does not share their fears.  In fact, he finds a lot to be excited about.

But, let him explain in his own words...
Originally published in Baptist Today, South Africa, second quarter 2008:

Why I am attracted to the writings from the Emergent Church?

By David Lock

 

A few years ago, for a bit of a laugh, my father in law gave us a strange Christmas present.  It was a jigsaw puzzle, but with a difference.  Instead of a picture on the box so you could see what you were building, he wrote a short story.  We had to build the puzzle without seeing the picture, but rather “seeing” the picture within the story that we read.  It was not easy to build this puzzle, as we had never built a puzzle under those kind of conditions before, but it did make for good holiday entertainment! 

 

I feel that Christians who go by the name “Emergent” (hereafter referred as EC) such as Rob Bell, Brian McLaren and Donald Miller, look at both the Word of God and the world from a post-modern perspective, giving us a vision of a different, but I believe, improved picture of what the kingdom of God might be.

 

It is as if they have seen that the picture on the puzzle box does not match all of the puzzle pieces, some are missing and some are different.  So they are trying to build a new, fuller, better, understanding of what it means to be a Christian without the old picture.  As a result, sometimes they appear confusing and even wrong, but I have found that they have diagnosed many weaknesses in the way we understand our faith, and they are starting to discover better answers.  They don’t always get it right, but as I have read their work, listened to their talks and observed their lives, I have discovered that my understanding of what it means to be a Christian has grown. 

 

Discipleship

 

I am enormously grateful to those who taught me in the early days of my walk with the Lord.  These people were mostly from the Reformed tradition of the Church, and they taught me well.  I grew up with a good grasp of  the content of the Bible, of biblical and systematic theology.  

 

However, their view of discipleship was this: teach the Bible and the Word of God will do its work in the hearts of people.  I have come to believe that this is a dangerous half truth.  We do need to know the Bible, but right belief does not always lead to right behaviour.  As much as we need to grow in our knowledge of the Bible, we also need to grow in our practice of the lifestyle advocated in the Bible.  Sometimes we can get too much Bible teaching, and because we don’t put it into practice, we simply become fat.  Does not Jesus tell us that he will distinguish between the sheep and the goats at the judgement, not by what they believe, but what they do (Matthew 25:31-44).

 

The most common accusation against Christians is that we are hypocrites.  I think this is generally a fair accusation.  The main reason for this is that our view of salvation is inadequate.  We have preached a gospel that is overly biased towards salvation from hell.  There is insufficient focus on salvation now, to a new way of living which transforms us as people, and invites us to be part of Christ’s transformation of the whole world (Ephesians 1:9-10).  We are so concerned with life after death that we have forgotten that Jesus came to transform life before death as well. 

 

In the writings of the EC, I have discovered people with similar concerns and heartaches.  I have been excited to read authors who identify this as a problem and have started to do something about it.  They have challenged my relationship with God by their questions.  I have been inspired to a new and better way of living for Christ by some of their answers. 

 

Church Growth

 

As I sit in my study and think about my Church in relation to its community, I wonder if it would affect them, or the establishment of the kingdom of God among them, if our church was to close down?  I am concerned by our lack of impact and laager mentality.  I am distressed that most of our member growth is by transfer from another Church,  I am horrified that there is no substantial difference to our neighbours in the way we live our lives.  Is there any greater error for the Church of God than that we have failed to passionately reach out to the world with the Good News of Jesus Christ in a life changing way? 

 

The world we live in is changing.  Not only is it secular (by which I mean we live without reference to God in the things we consider important) but it is also increasingly dissatisfied and disappointed with the world that western modernist thinking has created.  The Church is largely caught up in this western, modernist way of thinking.  How is it that we were the last to see the evil that was Apartheid?  Why does the Church seem to be anti everything (women, gays, the environment, evolution etc)?  Why are we so angry when God is so loving?  Why are we so irrelevant to so many people?  I live in a fairly “Christianised” suburb, but the 9 Churches in our suburb only attract about 20% of the people who live in our suburb.  Surely Christ came for the other 80% too?

 

I have found Brian McLaren’s books to be inspirational as I have grappled with such issues.  I have been inspired by his ability to interact with secular scientists and show how the gospel doesn’t need to be compromised to be understood even within a framework of evolution (see “The Story we find ourselves in”).  I have been thrilled to watch him dialogue with secular people whose only understanding of the gospel is misunderstanding and prejudice (see “More ready than you realise”).  I have been challenged to see him gently pastor people who have been damaged by the Church (see “A new kind of Christian”).  I have been inspired to hear about his Church where the majority of growth is conversion growth rather than transfer growth, and that in one the USA’s most secular cities (see “The Church on the other side”).

 

Our situation in South Africa is not the same as his.  Some of our issues are more related to being “post colonial” than “post modern”, but as I read Brian McLaren, I feel like I have been given inspiration and tools to tackle my situation and work towards finding answers.

 

Theology

 

I have been attracted to the EC leaders because of the way they articulate the struggle of a pastor to be relevant to society while remaining true to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and his own calling.  I have been excited to see theologians interact with issues that are of major concern to outsiders and demonstrate how the gospel relates to these issues.  I love the way these leaders show, in word and deed, that Jesus came to bring good news to the world and to redeem it. 

 

I have been challenged to think about what the gospel says about issues like the environment, poverty and social injustice.  The spirit of repentance and humility as they own up to the mistakes and faults of Christians has been an example to me.  I feel they have helped me to become more Biblical as I grapple with issues I have neglected for too long. 

 

I am aware that these leaders are at their most controversial when they speak about theology.  I have found myself unable to go to all the places they have challenged me to go to.  None the less, I don’t feel the need to write them off because I disagree with some of their thinking about hell (see “The last word and the word after that” by Brian McLaren).  I personally think it unhelpful to pursue what it would mean if it were found that the Bible contained errors (See Rob Bell’s Velvet Elvis), but I found the book deeply challenging in many other areas.  I also believe Steve Chalke was unnecessarily provocative when he spoke of doctrine of penal substitution as cosmic child abuse (The lost message of Jesus), but I found his own interpretation of the atonement inspiring and fresh.  There is so much material that I am inspired by, and helped with, that I feel I have benefitted from reading their writings without having to accept everything they say.

 

As someone who has read most of Brian McLaren’s books, and have had the opportunity to discuss with him personally some of the issues I struggle with, I find it really hard to come to terms with people who misrepresent him and accuse him of heresy.   Allow me to quote Dr David Wills[1]

 

“I seem to find myself frequently in the position of defending McLaren’s writings or those of the ECM in general. This is not because I agree with everything in them, but because I find them to be very helpful dialogue partners as I and others reflect on our faith in the year 2004, and most importantly because I consider it an issue of Christian justice and charity to represent as accurately as possible any view that I critique.”[2]

 

He goes on to make what I consider a very profound insight which I think goes to the heart of the matter:

 

“To portray the ECM as solely an attempt to adapt to culture is to ignore the genuine doctrinal issues bound up with its call for reform. While it is not a perfect parallel to the Protestant Reformation, it is not a polar opposite either, as Carson’s comments would lead us to believe. Could it be the case that the evangelical church in America today has consciously or unconsciously acquiesced to certain aspects of Modern Western culture, to the detriment of the gospel? If this has happened, wouldn’t it be likely that we would be largely blind to such acquiescences as long as those Modern cultural conditions went unchallenged or unchanged? Could it not also be that larger cultural shifts that lead to broad questioning of Modern assumptions could allow the church to investigate itself as well? Would not this be a potentially helpful thing for the church to do? This, I believe, is exactly what the ECM is trying to do, and

in this respect, their position is quite similar to that of Protestant reformers in the 16th century.”[3]

 

I believe that we ignore the EC leaders at our peril.  It just may be that God has raised them up for such a time as this.  To help us move into a new and challenging world with confidence that the gospel will not be lost, but will actually be understood in ways which we did not believe possible, but which has enabled a new generation of people to experience life, hope and salvation as followers of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

 

Thanks for this article. And thank you for your openness. I think, not unlike in Jesus' day, the people who have the most influence to lose are often the ones who complain the loudest. jonathan at theproblemwithreligion.com

reply to this comment

Posted by: jonathan foster 26 Jan, 2008 - 09:05:35

In the name of "conversation", allow me to comment. When you say the EC is trying to build a newer better picture, what do you mean? Are you comparing it with one reformed's view, or one groups sacramental view? Surly this picture must be in the mind of those who are regenerate, who have the anointing (1 John 2)?

Furthermore, in Matthew 25, sure they were permitted into heaven because of their works, but did you see their reaction to God's commendation of their works? v37 indicates that they were unaware of such works. I think we need to have a correct soteriology attached to a correct doctrine of sanctification, not one without the other. Paul and James make this clear. If one knows the TRUTH, and is set free by the TRUTH, then one is able to love God and thus obey His commands. But, if like Brian we say that the truth cannot be known, then we cannot be free, and our works are like those of the pharisees, just works with no genuine love and understanding of God. I do not mean to sound harsh or demeaning, please take this from someone who has grappled and is grappling with these issues, but cannot move from the sufficiency of Scripture, and its inerrency, for this is the testimony of the Holy Spirit.

reply to this comment

Posted by: Tyrell Haag 05 Feb, 2008 - 21:11:49

Tyrell,

Thanks for your comments. Just two remarks/questions from my side:

1. Where does Brian McLaren ever say that Truth cannot be known? In fact, he has very often, and very publicly said the opposite. Maybe the easiest resource to point you to is an open letter response to Chuck Colson that you can find here.

2. Where does David say that Truth cannot be known, and/or that he doesn't believe the Bible? Because you don't agree with some of the EC interpretations of Scripture does not automatically make you right and them wrong, nor does it mean that they're not taking the Scripture seriously.

In fact, it is precisely BECAUSE I am taking the Bible more seriously than I ever have that I am drawn to the EC authors and worldview, away from my conservative evangelical roots. It is BECAUSE I am listening to God's Spirit that I see things in His Word that were veiled to me before.

PS - another reading on Brian McLaren's site might be helpful for all of us. It is a friendly note to his critics: Read it here

reply to this comment

Posted by: Graeme 05 Feb, 2008 - 22:20:29

http://www.sfpulpit.com/2006/12/18/brian-mclaren-and-the-clarity-of-scripture-part-1/...
I do not have time at the moment to comment, but I think we are arguing from to different sides of Mclarens Ambiguity.

reply to this comment

Posted by: Tyrell 12 Feb, 2008 - 21:09:32

Yo Graeme ... how about the "other side of the coin" article that was published along side this one ... would love to hear some comments in reflection on that view?

Loved Davids article ... in my opinion so much more balanced.

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