THE EMERGING CHURCH
In many ways the Emerging Church Movement represents the antithesis of biblical Christianity. At the basic level, those labeling themselves “emergent” believe that, as the culture changes, the church must adapt, repainting its practices, methodology, and theology in order to be current and comprehensible to a lost world, that is to say, as culture emerges, so must the church.
The Emerging Church, rejecting Modernism and, consequently, adopting Postmodernism, attempts to maneuver a compromising path between the two. Many, however, in their eagerness to avoid the perceived arrogance of absolutism and the rigid formality of worship, have lapsed into the realm of relativity. It is in this position where Evangelicalism poses the greatest threat to itself in this generation: the redefining of truth as a relative belief dependent upon the interpreter and his culture.
While the strengths of the Emerging Church movement include an adept reading of the culture and a desire to reach the lost with the Gospel, their anti-foundationalism becomes both their greatest innovation and liability. On one hand, they exhibit great ingenuity in spreading their “gospel,” but on the other, biblical standards are quickly loosened, methodology is focused on unbeliever’s impressions of church, and the entire purpose of worship is shifted from God’s worthiness to man’s expressiveness.
Emergent believers readily admit that there is no one set model or system for them to follow. There are hundreds of ways for them to manifest their worship to God outside the bounds of the stereotypical, modernistic church system. For this reason, statements about the movement and those involved cannot be, on every topic, all-inclusive. Music standards, worship settings, the practice of ordinances, the use of incense and candles, views about holding online worship services, and even doctrinal issues like the reliability of the Scripture and the reality of hell are determined by the interpreter and his culture rather than by biblical principle. The one thing they have in common, however, is anti-foundationalism. If truth is considered relative can “that truth” be relevant?
Biblical Christianity gives a message of surety clashing with the chorus of uncertainty. It provides a confident proclamation of belief interjected into the opinion-driven conversation of theology, drawing its strength from the conviction that absolute truth does exist, that it is manifested in the Word of God, and understood using a logical, consistent hermeneutic.
The practice of Emergent believers is to avoid confrontation by preaching tolerance and accepting any views. The Word of God instructs believers to confront error by proclaiming the absolute truth of the Scriptures. The foundation of truth is the Word of God and, if anyone attempts to create user-friendly applications of truth apart from this foundation, the end result will at best yield temporal results. [John 17:17; John 8:32; Psalm 119:89; Psalm 138:2]