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Erwin Raphael McManus

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Mars Hill Church
Grand Rapids, MI

Phyllis Tickle
The Great Emerging

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Pastor Chuck has been very outspoken regarding his concerns about the Emerging Church. In fact in May of 2006, he sent out a letter to all Calvary Chapel pastors stating that no Calvary Chapel pastor heading down the Emerging Church road movement would be permitted to use the name of Calvary Chapel. [9] In this statement he wrote:
We have great problems with the use of icons to give them (Emerging Church) a sense of God or the presence of God. If they want to have a tie with the historicity of the church, why not go back to the church in Acts, which seems to devoid of incense, candles, robes etc., but was filled with the Spirit. [10]  The letter was not only sent out to Calvary pastors to clarify the Calvary Chapel position, it was also followed up by action. Several Calvary Chapels that were once on the list of Calvary Chapel Fellowships have been removed from the list.
On the other hand, it can be documented that Rick Warren’s view of the Emergent Church is different than Chuck Smith’s view. Warren has endorsed the Emerging Church movement. He wrote a foreword for a book written by Dan Kimball titled The Emerging Church: Vintage Christianity for New Generations (Kimball is a leader in the movement). Warren stated:  This book is a wonderful, detailed example of what a purpose-driven church can look like in a postmodern world. My friend Dan Kimball writes passionately, with a deep desire to reach the emerging generation and culture. While my book The Purpose-Driven Church explained what the church is called to do, Dan’s book explains how to do it with the cultural creatives who think and feel in postmodern terms. You need to pay attention to him because times are changing. [11]

 

Saddleback Church Pastors Using Rob Bell Teachings here at Apprising Ministries clearly showed that Emerging Church icon and teacher of corrupt Contemplative Sprituality/Mysticism (CSM) Rob Bell has penetrated deeply into the mainstream of the evangelical community. So far so that Bell’s weekly sermons are recommended, and his Nooma DVDs sold, by pastors of the highly influential Saddleback Church (SC) of Rick Warren, which is aligned with the Southern Baptist Convention.
But you must understand that it’s really not all that surprising because we’ve already pointed out in Rick Warren and Saddleback Church: Prayer Is Not For The Novice one can purchase books e.g. by Living Spiritual Teacher and Quaker “Roshi” Richard Foster, as well as titles by Roman Catholic universalist Henri Nouwen, right in the SC bookstore itself. Little wonder because these books are themselves featured in “The Spiritual Growth Center” online at the Saddleback Family (SF) website. In fact, Nouwen is even listed among books “that shaped” the life of Kay Warren (Online source) in addition to Nouwen’s Seeds of Hope being recommended in the “Spiritual Formation” section as well (Online source).

SADDLEBACK CHURCH PASTORS USING ROB BELL TEACHINGS

As we turn now to the Saddleback Family website we can see some books recommended by Saddleback pastor Fields that have “shaped Doug’s life” and certainly have contributed to his “sweep” of ministry “experience and vision."  It’s quite evident immediately that Fields’ life and vision clearly has been shaped by corrupt Contemplative Sprituality/Mysticism (CSM) as among these recommendations from we see Ragamuffin Gospel by teacher of Contemplative/Centering Prayer mystic Brennan Manning, also a Saddleback Family “must read book”  and Celebration of Discipline (CoD) by Living Spiritual Teacher and Quaker “Roshi” Richard Foster.
But as we leave this spiritual version of Wonderland aside now and enter the real world Apprising Ministries has already shown you in Rick Warren and Saddleback Church: Prayer Is Not For The Novice that you can purchase books e.g. by Foster, the contemplative filled Spiritual Disciplines Handbook by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun, and even titles by Roman Catholic universalist Henri Nouwen, right in the SC bookstore itself. And little wonder because most of these books are featured in “The Spiritual Growth Center” on the Saddleback Family website (Online source).
Knowing this necessary background I personally figured that it would only be a matter of time before Saddleback teaching pastor Fields would be recommending and selling materials by Emerging Church icon and teacher of CSM Rob Bell at his Doug Fields’ Simply Youth Ministry (SYM) website.

 

For pastors, leaders, and every concerned Christian, Kimball offers a riveting and easy-to-grasp exploration of today's changing culture and gives insight into the new kind of churches that are emerging in its midst. Included is running commentary by Rick Warren, Brian McLaren, Howard Hendricks, and others.

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Richard Foster grew up among Evangelical Friends. In adult life, he has been a Friends pastor and a professor of theology at Friends University among the many positions he has held. In his books and speaking, he frequently makes reference to Quaker historical figures and his own Quakerism.  Foster is the founder of Renovaré  which "is committed to working for the renewal of the Church of Jesus Christ in all her multifaceted expressions." Renovaré holds regional and local conferences bringing together Christians across denominational lines for renewal. Renovaré invites people to commit themselves to the following covenant:
 

Celebration of Discipline explores the classic Christian disciplines (spiritual practices). Foster classifies these into inward, outward and corporate disciplines. He provides practical examples of how everyday Christians can incorporate these disciplines into their lives.
Foster explores 21 different types of Christian prayer. He divides these into three movements of prayer, moving inward, upward and outward, which correspond to seeking transformation, seeking intimacy and seeking ministry. For those of us (probably almost all of us) who have found difficulty with prayer in at least some of its forms, this book is an invaluable aid. It helps us understand more concretely what each type of prayer is about. It includes many helpful examples and exercises.
The theme of Streams of Living Water is expressed by its subtitle, Celebrating the Great Traditions of Christian Faith. Foster divides these traditions into six streams - contemplative, holiness, charismatic, social justice, evangelical and incarnational. Most of us probably identify with one or two of these. Foster shows that all are true streams flowing from the fountain of Jesus Christ. He helps us understand them all. In doing this, he profiles both biblical and later characters who are examplars of these traditions. Foster's aim is to promote a balanced understanding of the Christian faith, seeing these streams as necessary complements to one another rather than competitive. I believe this wholistic approach is one of the keys to true renewal of the Christian faith.

Foster finds that simplicity is rooted in the Old Testament through the themes of radical dependence, radical obedience, the generosity of God, the joy of giving, the call to justice, and the challenge to live in compassion and wholeness. The practice of simplicity in the New Covenant is spelled out in faith in Christ the center, identification with the poor, awareness of the dangers of wealth, the incendiary fellowship, ability to surrender one's rights for the good of others, and unconditional generosity.

Christian Simplicity
"Christian simplicity frees us from this modern mania. It brings sanity to our compulsive extravagance, and peace to our frantic spirit. It liberates us from what William Penn called 'cumber.' It allows us to see material things for what they are — goods to enhance life, not to oppress life. People once again become more important than possessions. Simplicity enables us to live lives of integrity in the face of the terrible realities of our global village . . .

"The witness to simplicity is profoundly rooted in the biblical tradition, and most perfectly exemplified in the life of Jesus Christ. In one form or another, all the devotional masters have stressed its essential nature. It is a natural and necessary outflow of the Good News of the Gospel having taken root in our lives."
— Freedom of Simplicity
 

Praying the Ordinary
"We are also Praying the Ordinary when we engage in what Jean-Nicholas Grou calls 'the prayer of action.' 'Every action performed in the sight of God because it is the will of God, and in the manner that God wills, is a prayer and indeed a better prayer than could be made in words at such times.'

"Each activity of daily life in which we stretch ourselves on behalf of others is a prayer of action — the times when we scrimp and save in order to get the children something special; the times when we share our car with others on rainy mornings, leaving early to get them to work on time; the times when we keep up correspondence with friends or answer one last telephone call when we are dead tired at night. These times and many more like them are lived prayer. Ignatius of Loyola notes, 'Everything that one turns in the direction of God is prayer.' . . .

"Another way of Praying the Ordinary is by praying throughout the ordinary experiences of life. We pick up a newspaper and are prompted to whisper a prayer of guidance for world leaders facing monumental decisions. We are visiting with friends in a school corridor or a shopping mall, and their words prompt us to lapse into prayer for them, either verbally or silently, as the circumstances dictate. We jog through our neighborhood, blessing the families who live there. We plant our garden, thanking the God of heaven for sun and rain and all good things. This is the stuff of ordinary prayer through ordinary experience."
— Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home

See Your Actions as a Prayer to God
"I had come to Kotzebue on the adventure of helping to 'build the first high school above the Arctic Circle,' but the work itself was far from an adventure. It was hard, backbreaking labor. One day I was trying to dig a trench for a sewer line — no small task in a world of frozen tundra. An Eskimo man whose face and hands displayed a leathery toughness of many winters came by and watched me for a while. Finally he said simply and profoundly, 'You are digging a ditch to the glory of God.' He said it to encourage me, I know. And I have never forgotten his words. Beyond my Eskimo friend no human being ever knew or cared whether I dug that ditch well or poorly. In time it was to be covered up and forgotten. But because of my friend's words, I dug with all my might, for very shovelful of dirt was a prayer to God. Even though I did not know it at the time, I was attempting in my small and unsophisticated way to do what the great artisans of the Middle Ages did when they carved the back of a piece of art, knowing that God alone would see it.
— Seeking the Kingdom: Devotions for the Daily Journey of Faith

My Grateful Center
"Let me describe my grateful center to you. I was seven years old, and my parents were trying to move to the West Coast. Our relative poverty, however, caught up with us, and we were forced to winter in the cabin of an uncle in the Rocky Mountains. The time was difficult for my parents, I am sure, but for me it was glory . . .

"But my most vivid memory is of the fireplace. (I had never been around a fireplace before, all of our heat heretofore having come from the coal furnace in our Nebraska home.) Every night I would pull out the bed that hid in the couch by day and climb under the heavy quilts, my head less than ten feet away from the crackling warmth. Night after night I would fall asleep, watching this strange yellow blaze that warmed us all. I was in my grateful center."
— Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home
 

Be The Gardener of My Soul
"Spirit of the living God, be the Gardener of my
soul. For so long I have been waiting, silent and still —
experiencing a winter of the soul. But now, in the strong
name of Jesus Christ, I dare to ask:
Clear away the dead growth of the past,
Break up the hard clods of custom and routine,
Stir in the rich compost of vision and challenge,
Bury deep in my soul the implanted Word,
Cultivate and water and tend my heart,
Until new life buds and opens and flowers.
Amen."
— Prayers From the Heart

The Call To Prayer-Filled Living
"Question: What is the Contemplative Tradition?
"Answer: A life of loving attention to God.
"Question: Why should we explore it?
"Answer: Because through it we experience the divine rest that overcomes our alienation.

"Every one of us is called to be a contemplative — not in the sense of a particular vocation we call 'the contemplative life,' but in the sense of a holy habit of contemplative love that leads us forth in partnership with God into creative and redeeming work. Thomas Merton writes, 'I have not only repeated the affirmation that contemplation is real, but I have insisted on its simplicity, sobriety, humility, and its integration in "normal Christian life." ' I invite you to the adventure of exploring in 'normal Christian life' a loving attention to God and a growing union with God."
— Streams of Living Water: Celebrating the Great Traditions of Christian Faith
 

Modern Christian Mysticism
Medieval mysticism has managed to survive within small pockets of Roman Catholicism for centuries but has gone largely unnoticed by evangelicals. It is true that a few groups, such as the Quakers, have always kept some aspect of mysticism within range of evangelical awareness, and elements of mystical practices have actually thrived in charismatic circles right down to the ranks of Fundamentalism. But classical mysticism was virtually unknown in Evangelical circles until 1978 when Quaker minister Richard J. Foster published Celebration of Discipline, the Path to Spiritual Growth. Hailed by Christianity Today as one of the ten best books of the twentieth century and voted by the readers of that magazine as the third most influential book after the Bible, Celebration of Discipline has blown the doors off evangelicals’ understanding of spirituality. What Foster has done, in essence, is reintroduce to the church the so-called “masters of the interior life,” as he likes to call the Medieval mystics. He declares that they alone have discovered the key to true spiritual life and slowly, over the last few years, convinced multitudes that he is right. It seems to me that Foster’s recipe for Christian living has been simmering in the pot for over two decades, but as of late has caught fire. New forces and new players have popularized Foster’s ideas to a new set of Christians and it seems to be rapidly taking hold. This is due to the efforts of organizations such as Youth Specialties, numerous Bible colleges, and a rash of books and speakers, all introducing mystical practices and theology to our young people and our young ministers. Many of these, having grown up in churches that no longer major on the teaching of Scripture, and are thus lacking Biblical discernment, are easy prey for spiritual sounding techniques, especially those that promise such personal and life changing encounters with God. Following is an overview into Foster’s key teachings.

In General
Celebration of Discipline alone, not even referencing Foster’s other writings and teachings and ministries, is a virtual encyclopedia of theological error. We would be hard pressed to find in one so-called evangelical volume such a composite of false teaching. These include faulty views on the subjective leading of God (pp. 10, 16-17, 18, 50, 95, 98, 108-109, 128, 139-140, 149-150, 162, 167, 182); approval of New Age teachers (see Thomas Merton below); occultic use of imagination (pp. 25-26, 40-43, 163, 198); open theism (p. 35); misunderstanding of the will of God in prayer (p. 37); promotion of visions, revelations and charismatic gifts (pp. 108, 165, 168-169, 171, 193); endorsement of rosary and prayer wheel use (p. 64); misunderstanding of the Old Testament Law for today (pp. 82, 87); mystical journaling (p. 108); embracing pop-psychology (pp. 113-120); promoting Roman Catholic practices such as use of “spiritual directors,” confession, and penance (pp. 146-150, 156, 185); and affirming of aberrant charismatic practices (pp. 158-174, 198).
 

As are concerning as many of Richard Foster’s teachings and mentors, far more disturbing are the two main thrusts of his spiritual formation system. The first is his use of what he calls the “Spiritual Disciplines.” The second is closely related—“Contemplative Prayer”―which is rapidly becoming the rage throughout much of evangelicalism, especially among the youth.

Spiritual Disciplines as a Means of Grace

It might be best to begin this section by relaying an experience that Foster shares in Celebration of Discipline. Having come to the conclusion that there must be “more spiritual resources than I was experiencing,” he prayed, “Lord, is there more you want to bring into my life? I want to be conquered and ruled by you. If there is anything blocking the flow of your power, reveal it to me.”[7] God seemed to answer this prayer through a growing impression that something in his past was impeding the flow of life, so he set aside blocks of time on three consecutive days to listen to God in absolute silence, through the use of journaling, a process whereby God is supposed to reveal His mind to the silent participant. After the third day, Foster took his lists to a friend, who volunteered to serve as his confessor, who prayed for healing for all the sorrows and hurts of Foster’s past as presumably revealed by God. It was following this experience of journaling, an experience not taught in the Bible but common in the occultic world, that it seemed to Foster that he “was released to explore what were for me new and uncharted regions of the Spirit. Following that event, I began to move into several of the Disciplines described in this book that I had never experienced before.”[8]

It is most disturbing that Foster’s magnum opus stems from a questionable Divine encounter of a dubious nature. But it is also significant to realize that Foster’s system for spiritual formation is not drawn from the Scriptures, but from subjective experiences involving unbiblical methodologies, and reinforced by Roman Catholic mystical practices. At the very least, this should give pause to any seeker of truth. It must not be automatically assumed, as many seem to do, that Foster has rediscovered the missing jewels of spirituality.

Or as Eugene Peterson describes it in the twenty-fifth anniversary edition of Celebration of Discipline, “Like a child exploring the attic of an old house on a rainy day, discovering a trunk full of treasure and then calling all his brothers and sisters to share the find, Richard J. Foster has ‘found’ the spiritual disciplines that the modern world stored away and forgot, and has excitedly called us to celebrate them. For they are, as he shows us, the instruments of joy, the way into mature Christian spirituality and abundant life” (p. 206). Even more to the point, the dust jacket of this edition assures us “that it is only by and through these practices that the true path to spiritual growth can be found” (emphasis mine). If spiritual growth is dependent upon the spiritual disciplines described in Foster’s book, should not we have expected to find this truth in the Scriptures? Why did God reveal them, not to the apostles, but to apostate Roman Catholic mystics, and then to Richard Foster as he studied the mystics and used occultic techniques of meditation? We need to tread very carefully through this spiritual minefield.

The Spiritual Disciplines

But just what are the Spiritual Disciplines which are absolutely essential to our spiritual development? Foster breaks them into three categories: inward, outward and corporate. The first two inward disciplines both deal with prayer (and will be the subject of an update to this report at a later date). Fasting is the third, and as might be expected, his instructions on fasting are purely extrabiblical. The purpose behind fasting, the value of it, and the methodology are interesting, but purely subjective and unauthorative. The final inward discipline is study. The new reader of Foster might expect that he would direct us to the study of Scripture as the primary means of spiritual growth. But Foster has broader ideas. Actually, there are two “books” to be studied: verbal and nonverbal. Verbal books include any literature, and one of the important means of study is repetition. Here he sees the use of a rosary and/or a Hindu type prayer wheel as being effective (p. 64). After a number of suggestions on reading books, Foster finally discusses the type of books to read to enhance spiritual growth. At last, we think he will turn to the Word, and he does, for two paragraphs, before rushing off to recommend reading the Medieval mystical classics. The nonverbal book is mainly the “reading” of nature. Here, with St. Francis, he encourages “making friends with the flowers and trees and the little creatures that creep upon the earth” (p. 74). We should also be students of people, and of ourselves, and while there is undoubted value in this, many have spent a lifetime studying nature, people, and themselves and have no clue about God. Repeatedly, we find in Foster that he is just not that interested in the study of Scripture, except as it serves his purpose for contemplative meditation.

The outward disciplines begin with simplicity, starting with the simple life as modeled by the heretical cult known as the Shakers. Extreme mystic Thomas Kelly tells us that simplicity allows us to live out of “The Divine Center” (whatever that is), and existentialist Kierkegaard claimed it led to holiness. In attempting to find a Biblical base for his view, Foster makes the Old Testament civil laws a pattern for New Testament Christianity, and manages to misinterpret virtually every scriptural passage he uses (although he scores points on seeking the kingdom of God first). Next up is solitude. Instead of a nice chapter on the importance of breaking free from the noise and distractions of our world and focusing on God and His Word, we enter into the mystical world of Medieval Catholicism, Quakerism, and Eastern mystics. Quotes flow from Merton, Teresa of Ávila, John Woolman, George Fox, and St. John of the Cross. Terms like “The Divine Center,” “The Divine Opening,” and “the dark night of the soul,” dominate. It is here that we are taught to keep a journal as we “listen to the thunder of God’s silence” (p.108). The next discipline is “submission,” and it is in this chapter that we receive our heaviest dose of psychobabble, including: “self-fulfillment,” “self-actualization,” “loving ourselves,” and mutual submission within marriage. The final discipline is service, and as with the others, this one too is based more on writings of the mystics than on the Scriptures. This is only expected from Foster, because he places far more importance on mystical experiences than he does on the Word. For example, he writes, “True service comes from a relationship with the divine Other deep inside. We serve out of whispered promptings, divine urgings” (p. 128). Not only does Foster consistently elevate these subjective experiences over the Scriptures, but in this chapter on service Foster recommends self-abasement: “The strictest daily discipline is necessary to hold these passions in check. The flesh must learn the painful lesson that it has no rights of its own. It is the work of hidden service that will accomplish this self-abasement” (p. 131, cf. p. 133). This is in direct contradiction to Paul’s teaching in Colossians 2:20-23, which tells us that self-abasement has no affect on the passions of the flesh.

The final category of disciplines is the corporate—and here Foster does no better. The first corporate discipline is that of confession; and we are not surprised to discover that Foster supports the position of the Roman Catholic Church, complete with penance and absolution (pp. 146-149). And why not? For Dietrich Bonhoeffer assures us that “when I go to my brother to confess, I am going to God” (p. 146), and Foster wants us to know, “The assurance of forgiveness is sealed in the Spirit when it is spoken by our brother or sister in the name of Christ” (p. 148). Since none of this is drawn from Scripture, how can Foster be so sure? Well, not only do his favorite mystics back his view, but so does personal experience. Once, when receiving the confession of a lady she, “looked at me and ‘saw’ superimposed upon my eyes the eyes of Another who conveyed to her a love and acceptance that released her to unburden her heart” (p. 155). While nothing in the Bible remotely implies such an experience, we are left to assume that the eyes she saw were the eyes of God.

As for the discipline of worship, we find that worship “is a breaking into the Shekinah of God, or better yet, being invaded by the Shekinah of God…. We have not worshiped the Lord until Spirit touches spirit…. [And] it all begins as we enter the Shekinah of the heart” (pp. 158-162). This convoluted understanding of worship is augmented with a strong charismatic flavor. As a matter of fact, “if Jesus is our Leader, miracles should be expected to occur in worship. Healing, both inward and outward, will be the rule, not the exception” (p. 165). Such services will have prophecies and words of knowledge (p. 165), and that is because, “The mightiest stirring of praise in the twentieth century has been the charismatic movement. Through it God has breathed new life and vitality into millions” (p. 168). But even more disturbing is the idea that in the worship of God, “Our rational faculties alone are inadequate…. That is one reason for the spiritual gift of tongues. It helps us to move beyond mere rational worship into a more inward communion with the Father. Our outward mind may not know what is being said, but our inward spirit understands. Spirit touches spirit” (p. 169). Remember above how we have not worshiped until Spirit touches spirit -- now we see the process. It is as we move beyond the mind and into mystical, subjective experiences, that true worship takes place.

With all that Foster has already communicated, the discipline of guidance is predictable. “Many,” he tells us, “Are having a deep and profound experience of an Emmanuel of the Spirit -- God with us; a knowledge that in the power of the Spirit Jesus has come to guide his people himself; an experience of his leading that is as definite and as immediate as the cloud by day and the pillar by night” (p. 175). The model, of course, of this kind of guidance is the mystic. We are also introduced at this point to the Catholic concept of Spiritual Directors (pp. 185-187), something that Foster believes only Roman Catholic monastics know much about today.
 

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Dr. Eddie Gibbs, Director for the Institute for the Study of Emerging Churches at the Brehm Center for Worship, Theology, and the Arts and a senior professor in the School of Intercultural Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California USA.  He is also the Donald McGavran professor of church growth at Fuller Seminary.   During the past four decades of ministry I served in England, Chile, and since 1984 here in the US. For the past seven years I have focused my studies on the challenges facing the churches in the North and West as they have seen the collapse of Christendom. This study has resulted in three books:  ChurchNext: Quantum Changes in How We Do Ministry, InterVarsity Press, 2000.  Leadership Next: Changing Leaders in a Changing Culture, InterVarsity Press, 2005.  Co-authored with Ryan Bolger, Emerging Churches: Creating Christian Community in Postmodern Cultures, Baker Academic, 2005.
 

“[Emerging leaders] focus on ministry by the church in the world rather than ministry in the church that is largely confined to the existing members.” (Leadership Next p. 31)   “In the current cultural climate, credible gospel communication does not impose an absolute but proposes an alternative.” (op. cit., p. 60)

“The idea that you are at the centre of society, you're a foundational institution, there's been a move away from that, ... I think the church is struggling to regain that, which in my personal view, ain't gonna happen.”

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Additional (unclassified)

Emerging church leaders:

Brian McLaren cites Dallas Willard and Richard Foster, with their emphasis on spiritual disciplines, as key mentors for the emerging church."—The Emergent Mystique, Christianity Today, 11/04

—Richard Foster, Renovare

 Josh ReichCreating Worship Gatherings for the Emerging Church  —Josh ReichCreating Worship Gatherings for the Emerging Church

Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen and St. Teresa of Avila.. Contemplative spirituality —Spencer Burke, The Ooze

Youth Specialties

Mark Driscoll

Doug Pagitt

Ruth Haley Barton, Transforming Center

According to February 2002 data presented by The Center for Creative Ministry, the percentage of postmoderns in the US "currently sits at 24% and is growing". They are rapidly moving from the fringe to the center of society.

73% of Baby Busters do not believe in absolute moral truth (Gallup Poll, 1998).

83% of teenagers claimed moral truth depends on the circumstances; only 6% said moral truth is absolute. (Barna Research Group, 2002).

September 2006 - Paradox church launches in Detroit. Through the collaborative efforts of ELI and partner churches Forefront, Gateway, Kensington and New Life, Paradox Church was launched in Detroit under the leadership of Craig McGlassion. This dynamic church is reaching next generation families in the community of Roseville northeast of Detroit.

A New Kind of Christian has its own website.

Solomon's Porch, Minneapolis, Minn.; Mars Hill Church, Seattle, Wash.; ecclesia, Houston, Texas; and Mosaic, Los Angeles, Calif

While there are too many to sites and weblogs to list, here are a few:

Next-wave—updated monthly, this site has articles and a weblog by its publisher, Charlie Wear, a grandfather who has a skateboarding ministry.

The Ooze—has articles, news, blogs, and plenty of links "to create environments where church leaders (traditional teachers/theologians as well as emerging storytellers/artists) can converse about and collaborate on resources and experiences.

Pastor Bill Hybels of Willow Creek has Brian McLaren speaking at his April 2008 conference. Emergent church Pastor McLaren has said that the cross and hell are false advertsing for God.

Click here to see conference details. http://www.willowcreek.com/shift2008/ScheduleSessions.html

Main Sesion 5 — 11:15-12:45pm  Dan Kimbal  will speak on "They Like Jesus, But Not the Church"

Click here to see the details:  http://www.willowcreek.com/shift2008/pdf/shiftbrochure.pdf

Emerging churches give Christians new ways to worship
October 10, 2005

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — We've all heard of the post-modern church, the post-post-modern church, the emerging church. Last weekend, I saw what that looks like.


I was attending the annual meeting of the Religion Newswriters Association, where we considered several aspects of the post-emerging church. I discovered it has many names, many faces and many considerations. What it shares, however, is its unwillingness to be what you expect.

Rick Warren, author and pastor of Saddleback, one of the mega-churches is Los Angeles, was our keynote speaker. He calls the church "purpose driven." Warren's "The Purpose Driven Life," along with his other "Purpose Driven" books, have become best sellers.

Erwin McManus, author and pastor of the church Rick Warren says he would attend if he didn't have his own wildly successful Saddleback, calls his L.A. church Mosaic and his version of Christianity "The Barbarian Way."

Tommy Kyllonen, aka Urban D, reaches the hip-hop culture at his church, Crossover, in Tampa, Fla.

Rob Bell, pastor of Mars Hill in Grand Rapids, Mich., sees the new church as a fresh canvas on which to paint a new picture of Christianity.

These post-pastors and their churches do not look or sound alike, but they have in common a passion to create a new church, a Christianity that may seem radical to traditionalists who worship in sanctuaries that have pews and pulpits.

Warren was raised in those pews. A fourth-generation pastor who firmly believes that Americans believe in God and Baptists are the biggest denomination, Warren has found financial success and a high-profile influence that has forced him to look beyond that. All that money and notoriety have changed him, he says.

Today, he focuses on AIDS in Africa and the orphans of that disease. He expects the church, especially the church in the United States, to fix the world's problems that seem unsolvable. He has a plan — now in prototype — for how the "millions and millions and millions of congregations" around the world can change all that.

"Politics has had its chance on these issues and it has failed," Warren told the more than 200 journalists attending the conference.

McManus considers himself more than post-modern. He is "post-Western." His church, like himself, is made up of many cultures. McManus was born in El Salvador to parents of mixed European heritage, grew up in Miami and ministers in Los Angeles. He came to Christianity from the outside, and he comes to American politics the same way.

Urban D, another preacher's kid, wasn't surprised he went into ministry, but he was convinced that ministry must have a new vision and a new context. He established a hip-hop church, but his vision could be seen in any gathering of people who share a passion, then create their worship around that passion.

Bell wants to be different, every day. He became a Christian as a young adult, so he has little preconceived ideas about worship — or anything else for that matter. His church is for those who prefer to be surprised.

I was surprised ... and delighted and confused and inspired. The post-post-emerging church should be as interesting to watch and report on as it promises to be for those who worship there.

Contact Linda Leicht at Lleicht@News-Leader.com.

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The Emerging Church
Revival Or Return To Darkness?

Commentary by Roger Oakland
www.understandthetimes.org
 

History reveals that Christian fads and trends come and go. It seems that it is common for many pastors and church leaders to constantly look for some new methodology, “new wave” or “new thing” God is doing, “right now.”  We live at a period in church history that is characterized by enthusiasm for methods and means that facilitate church growth. Large churches are commonly equated with successful pastors and successful church growth methods. Whatever it takes to reach that objective, is acceptable, we are told. Church growth has become the measuring stick for successful Christianity.

Purpose-Driven Christianity

It is true that some of the largest and fastest growing churches and church movements in the world today promote a concept called “purpose-driven.” No matter where you go these days anywhere around the world, purpose-driven is being proclaimed as the latest church growth method.  But stop for a moment and think. What is it that defines success from a biblical perspective? While we are accustomed to accepting numbers or quantity as the yardstick for measuring success, when it comes to Christianity, quantity without quality can be misleading.

According to the Bible, Christian faith must be directly related to God’s Word. Faith comes by hearing what God has said and then acting accordingly. With regard to church growth, if the growth is the product of some technique authored by some man, and this technique is not based on God’s Word, the results may actually be deceptive.  With this in mind, we will consider this current common trend known as the “purpose-driven” church growth movement. Before we do, let’s review the biblical premise that we are to test the teachings of men as the Bereans did (Acts chapter 17) and search the Scriptures diligently.

The Purpose of Purpose-Driven

One of the major goals of the purpose-driven church growth movement is church growth. This growth is dependent on adding numbers based on human methods and techniques. While promoters say these human methods are found in the Bible, there are reasons to question this claim.

It would appear that many of the purpose-driven techniques are oriented towards what’s in it for me, rather than what I can do for you. Successful purpose-driven church leaders find out what appeals to seekers who might come to their church and then provide the service or the environment that meets their approval. Thus purpose-driven churches can become market-oriented for the “seeker-friendly” without being so biblical that “seekers” would be offended.

Most Christians would agree that to be faithful to Jesus and His Word, healthy church growth should be based on the teaching of God’s Word. However, a market-driven church based on man-made methods designed to increase numbers may produce converts who are biblically illiterate.

Man’s word or God’s Word

The Scriptures have been carefully translated from Hebrew and Greek so the Word of God can be understood in the languages of our day. Some say we need to make the Bible more understandable by taking the Word of God and changing it to the words of men. But is this idea biblical?   Remember that the Bible has been given to us by God. As Paul stated in his letter to Timothy: All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. [1]  While the Bible has been written by human hands, the words were inspired by God. Not only are the words inspired, but the Bible states humans are prohibited from altering the Scriptures by adding to or taking away from what God has said. Notice what we read in the Book of Revelation:

For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. [2]   Therefore according to Scripture, humans tread on dangerous ground when we take the liberty of adding to or deleting from what God has said. However, it is a fact that many seeker-friendly churches try to make the scriptures more “seeker-friendly”, by altering the actual inspired Word of God and reinterpret it into the ideas or views of man.

Whose Message?

For example, consider a new version of the Bible authored by Eugene Peterson known as “The Message.” Described as a “contemporary rendering of the Bible from the original languages, crafted to present its tone, rhythm, events, and ideas in everyday language,” this “paraphrased” version of the Bible, in reality, is nothing more than Eugene Peterson’s thoughts and views. Peterson has taken the carefully translated words of the Bible and put them into his own words and chosen idioms. [3]

For example, consider the following portion of Scripture taken from John 3:17 - "that the world through him might be saved.” Peterson’s rendering reads: "He came to help, to put the world right again." It does not take a biblical scholar to understand that "saved" means that we can be redeemed from the judgment we deserve for our sins so that we can go to heaven. It should be obvious that using "help" instead of “saved” completely distorts the meaning of what Jesus said. And "to put the world right again" has nothing to do with the salvation of souls. In fact this sounds like the social gospel to reform the world through political action.

Rick Warren, the author of The Purpose Driven Church, is a strong supporter of Eugene Peterson’s message. While Warren claims he quotes the Bible when he quotes The Message he is not quoting the Bible. He is quoting the thoughts of some man who thinks he is stating what the Bible states.

You may ask, so what is wrong with this? Isn’t it better for a seeker to be reading some version of the Bible, rather than not reading the Bible at all? Many Christians, although they have been believers for years, claim they still have difficulty in understanding the Bible that has been translated word by word from the original text. If someone can come up with a way to make the Bible more understandable, wouldn’t this be a great tool for planting seeds for the gospel of Jesus Christ?

Such a line of reasoning may sound acceptable. However we also know that what seems right to man, may be wrong from God’s perspective. Further when we rely upon man’s thoughts rather than God’s thoughts it’s almost certain that we will be deceived. With regard to Eugene Peterson’s The Message, there is one message that should be clear. If you want the truth and all the truth, read the Bible - not some man’s conjecture about what he thinks God has said. Otherwise you have the potential of committing spiritual suicide.

Relevancy without Compromise

While it is true, Christianity must be relevant in order to be effective, how far can we stray from biblical standards and still be sound Christian witnesses of the gospel of Jesus Christ?  Perhaps you have not heard about another new trend sweeping the Christian church. Many are saying a great change lies ahead. The seeker-friendly era is over. Now we are headed into another new period of church history. It’s called “the emerging church.” If you have not heard of this, try doing a search on the Internet by tying “emerging church” into a search engine. I guarantee you will be amazed at what you find.

Rick Warren is very supportive of “the emerging church.” This is what he wrote in a foreword for Dan Kimball’s book, The Emerging Church: Vintage Christianity for New Generations -- This book is a wonderful, detailed example of what a purpose-driven church can look like in a postmodern world. My friend Dan Kimball writes passionately, with a deep desire to reach the emerging generation and culture. While my book The Purpose-Driven Church explained what the church is called to do, Dan’s book explains how to do it with the cultural creatives who think and feel in postmodern terms. You need to pay attention to him because times are changing.[4]

It is true over the past decades many trends have come and gone. As Warren stated in the foreword of Kimball’s book:   As a pastor, I’ve watched churches adopt many contemporary styles in worship, programming, architecture, music, and other elements. That’s okay as long as the biblical message is unchanged. But whatever is in style now will inevitably be out of style soon, and the cycles of change are getting shorter and shorter, aided by technology and the media. New styles, like fashions, are always emerging. [5]

Not all these trends have been based on sound biblical doctrine. In fact the reason many of these trends occurred was because Christians were vulnerable to “winds of doctrine” that had no biblical basis.  According to the Bible, in last days these winds of doctrine will be “doctrines of demons” that will influence Christians to fall away from the truth and accept ideas that “tickle their ears.” [6]

Rick Warren is not only supportive of the “emerging church,” he believes that it is exactly what is required at this time. He believes this is what “the purpose-driven” church that he founded will become in the “postmodern world.” He notes: In the past twenty years, spiritual seekers have changed a lot. In the first place, there are a whole lot more of them. There are seekers everywhere. I’ve never seen more people so hungry to discover and develop the spiritual dimension of their lives. That is why there is such a big interest in Eastern thought, New Age practices, mysticism and the transcendent. [7]

Further, he explains what the “emerging church” must do in order to emerge: Today seekers are hungry for symbols and metaphors and experiences and stories that reveal the greatness of God. Because seekers are constantly changing, we must be sensitive to them like Jesus was; we must be willing to meet them on their own turf and speak to them in ways they understand. [8]

Now, let’s follow Rick Warren’s line of reasoning through to its logical conclusion based on the idea the world is hungry for an Eastern worldview, the New Age, mysticism and spiritual enlightenment. If it is necessary to meet these “spiritual seekers” on their turf, wouldn’t that require Christianity to become more New Age and mystical?

Emerging into What?

Rick Warren and others say we need to pay attention to the emerging church. Things are changing, they say and the “emerging church” has the answers for our generation. But what will the emerging church emerge into? Could it be a form of Christianity that embraces experience rather than God’s Word?

Dan Kimball is the author of The Emerging Church: Vintage Christianity for New Generations. He is also launching a church called Vintage Faith Church in Santa Cruz, California. Kimball makes the following statement in the introduction of his book:

I believe with all my heart that this discussion about the fast-changing culture and the emerging church must take place. While many of us have been preparing sermons and keeping busy with the internal affairs of our churches, something alarming has been happening on the outside. What once was a Christian nation with a Judeo-Christian worldview is quickly becoming a post Christian, unchurched, unreached nation. New generations are arising all around us without any Christian influence. So we must rethink virtually everything we are doing in our ministries. [9]

Certainly the spiritual climate in North America has changed radically over the past number of years just as Dan Kimball has stated. Many, including Rick Warren and Dan Kimball use the term “post-Christian era” to describe the days in which we are living. They say, while the seeker-friendly era was successful in bringing a generation of “baby-boomers” to Jesus, that time is past. Now we need to find new innovative methods that will reach this new generation for Jesus.

Kimball’s book, The Emerging Church: Vintage Christianity for New Generations, is written for this purpose. He not only identifies the problems he believes the church is now facing, he provides the answers and the solutions. The church for the future, he believes, must be more sensual and experienced-based. He calls this church “Vintage Christianity”.

Perhaps the term “Vintage Christianity” is new to you. While it is not my intention to describe all that it means in this commentary, a few chapter titles from Kimball’s book under a heading called “Reconstructing Vintage Christianity in the Emerging Church” will be helpful for us to understand where the emerging church is headed. These are: “Overcoming the Fear of Mulitsensory Worship and Teaching”, [10] “Creating a Sacred Space for Vintage Worship”, [11] “Expecting the Spiritual”, [12] “Creating Experiential Multisensory Worship Gatherings”, [13] “Becoming Story Tellers Again” [14] and “Preaching Without Words”. [15]

Now, I ask you, this question. What does the Bible say about Vintage Christianity and the so-called emerging church? Is the goal of Christianity experience-based or Bible-based? Jesus said: “If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” [16] Further He stated: “Why do ye not understand My speech? because ye cannot hear My word.” [17]

Less Word, More Worship

It should be apparent by now that the emerging church is more experience-based than Bible-based. Further, in the emerging church the Word of God takes a secondary position to the worship of God.

While Dan Kimball and other promoters of the emerging church may be sincere in their efforts to evangelize the postmodern generation and believe they are genuinely representing the scriptures, there are some real concerns that need to be addressed. Deviating from the Word of God for extrabiblical experience can open the door to deception. While worshipping God is a very important part of the Christian faith there are problems that can occur if worship supersedes the word.

However, Dan Kimball sees a new worship generation in the making based on experience that is essential to the emerging church. In a section of his book subtitled "Truly worshipping in a worship gathering,” he writes:

We should be returning to a no-holds-barred approach to worship and teaching so that when we gather, there is no doubt we are in the presence of God. I believe that both believers and unbelievers in our emerging culture are hungry for this. It isn’t about clever apologetics or careful exegetical and expository preaching or great worship bands. … Emerging generations are hungry to experience God in worship. [18]

Obviously, in order for this to happen, changes would have to be incorporated. Kimball has thought this through and offers a number of suggestions which he lists in a chart [19] that shows how the “modern church” must adjust and move towards a “no-holds-barred approach” to worship. Some of these are:

Services designed to be user-friendly and contemporary must change to services that are designed to be experiential and spiritual-mystical.  Stained-glass that was taken out of churches and replaced with video screens should now be brought back into the church on video screens.  Lit up and cheery sanctuaries need to be darkened because darkness is valued and displays a sense of spirituality.

The focal point of the service that was the sermon must be changed so that the focal point of the service is a holistic experience.  Use of modern technology that was used to communicate with a contemporary flare must change so that church attendees can experience the ancient and mystical (and use technology to do so).

While I realize we are living at a period of time where technology is the key to entertainment and visual stimulation is a necessary tool required for capturing the attention of this generation, I ask you to consider what the Bible teaches. What about less Word and more experience? Could someone quote the chapter and verse to justify that? What about the idea that visual stimulation is the formula for inducing a spiritual atmosphere that will draw seekers to Jesus? Where is that found in the Bible?

I don’t know about you, but my when I hear about the emerging-church-methodology to forsake “apologetics” and “careful exegetical and expository preaching” for the sake of a generation that is “hungry to experience God”, I have some concerns. Could this be another avenue to “dumb-down” Christianity so that we no longer know what God has said? How effective can experiential Christianity be when it comes to knowing who we are, where we are in time, and where we are headed?

Jesus said He is coming again? How many professing Christians will be ready when He returns?

Ancient-Future Faith

Dr. Robert “Bob” Webber is recognized by pastors, denominational leaders, scholars and lay people as one of the foremost authorities on worship renewal. He regularly conducts workshops for almost every major denomination in North America through the Institute of Worship Studies which he founded in 1995.

Prior to his appointment to his present position at Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, Dr. Webber taught at Wheaton College for 32 years as Professor of Theology. He has authored over 40 books and is also a regular contributor to numerous magazines and newspapers. [20] He is on the editorial board of Chuck Fromm’s “Worship Leader” magazine. 

I was first introduced to Dr. Webber and his views when I read an article that he had written in the May/June issue of “Worship Leader” tiled Wanted: Ancient Future Talent. Under a subheading labeled “The Call for Ancient-Future Worship Talent” Webber wrote:  I am personally most gratified to see the shift toward a recovery of the ancient. While many good choruses have been produced over the past forty years, the rejection of the sources of hymnody and worship by the contemporary church has resulted in a faith that is an inch deep. [21]

In this article, Dr. Webber stated that “the Spirit is working a new thing in the church” and an “ancient-future worship is being born.” He listed a number of things that he believes are necessary for “talented workers” to discover if they are going to be a successful part of this new movement. Some of these are:  Rediscover how God acts through the sacred signs of water, bread and wine, oil and laying on of hands.

Rediscover the central nature of the table of the Lord in the Lord’s Supper, breaking of bread, communion and Eucharist.

Rediscover how congregational spirituality is formed through the Christian celebration of time in Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Easter and Pentecost.

While I agree with Dr. Webber it would be beneficial to reintroduce the great hymns written in the past by anointed men and women of God that expound sound biblical doctrine, it appears that is not what he means by returning to “the ancient.” In fact his list of things to do in his call for “ancient-future worship talent” mentions a number of terms and ideas that cannot be found in the Bible.

For example, when I hear the expression “sacred signs of bread and wine” or the mention of “Lent” as a means of “rediscovering congregational spirituality” - while these ideas may be ancient, I wonder where the ideas originate. Further, when I hear about “rediscovering the central nature of the table of the Lord in the Lord’s supper, breaking of bread, communion and Eucharist” I am reminded about the “new evangelization” program that is presently underway. Did you know Pope John Paul II has called for a “missionary vision” centered on “a rekindling of amazement focused on the Eucharist” to bring the world to the Eucharistic Jesus?

Could the Merging Church be Reemerging?

Dr. Webber is one of the chief promoters of the emerging church. He has written a number of books on the topic including Ancient-Future Evangelism: Making Your Church a Faith-Forming Community and Ancient-Future Faith: Rethinking Evangelicalism for a Postmodern World.

In order to clarify Dr. Webber’s views, I did some further research. I found an interview Dr. Webber had done posted on a web site called TheOoze.com. Responding to the question: “What do you think the North American evangelical church is going to look like 25 years from now?” Dr Webber responded:

Christianity will be less national, less culturally formed. It will be smaller pockets of communities in neighborhoods. The church will focus on people, not buildings, on community, not programs, on scripture study, not showy worship. [22]

Certainly this view of the future sounds reasonable and acceptable from a biblical perspective. In fact, I could say a hearty “Amen” to what Dr. Webber said. But the next statement adds a whole different dimension to the direction he believes Christianity is emerging towards. He stated:

Biblical symbols such as baptismal identity and Eucharistic thanksgiving will take on new meaning. The church will be less concerned about having eschatology and more committed to being an eschatological community. [23]

Over the past several years, I have observed that Dr. Webber’s prediction regarding the future of the church seems to be accurate. Many who were once anticipating the soon and imminent return of Jesus are now asleep. Some are saying it appears “the Lord has delayed His coming.” Others are saying “we have been misled by pastors and teachers who have taught us that the second coming is a literal return of Jesus to set up His Kingdom.” These same people are claiming the “Kingdom of God” will be established here on earth through Christians during the Eucharistic Reign of Jesus.”

After reading Dr. Webber’s prediction that “Biblical symbols such as baptismal identity and Eucharistic thanksgiving will take on new meaning,” I ordered his book “Ancient-Future Evangelism.” This is what I read on page 114:

A brief glance at the teaching of the Eucharist from the pre-Nicene period provides insight into the early church’s understanding. The Fathers taught that continual spiritual nourishment was provided to believers at this great feast. First it is clear from the writings of Justin Martyr in the middle of the second century that this is no empty symbol. Christ is really present in the bread and wine. He feeds us in the remembrance of His salvation. He feeds us through His presence which is accomplished through prayer. [24]

The idea that Jesus is present in the Eucharist is a Roman Catholic teaching. It is based on transubstantiation. Transubstantiation is required to manifest the Eucharistic Jesus. The Eucharistic Jesus is not the Jesus of the Bible. The Eucharistic Jesus is “another Jesus”.

Is the “Emerging Church” emerging or remerging?

Who Is Evangelizing Who?

Supporters of the “Emerging-Church” write and speak passionately about evangelism. They are committed to reaching the Postmodern generation. They say that their goal is to communicate the truths of Christianity in a way that can be understood by this generation. They are willing to adapt or change whatever needs to be changed in order to be relevant evangelists.

While purpose-driven evangelists removed crosses and other Christian symbols from church services to be seeker-friendly, the Postmodern generation, also called the Gen Xers, apparently are attracted to crosses, candles, stained-glass, liturgy, and sacraments. According to Julie Sevig, in an article called “Ancient New” that she wrote for The Lutheran:

Postmoderns prefer to encounter Christ by using all their senses. That's part of the appeal of classical liturgical or contemplative worship: the incense and candles, making the sign of the cross, the taste and smell of the bread and wine, touching icons and being anointed with oil. In Soul Tsunami: Sink or Swim in New Millennium Culture (Zondervan, 1999), Leonard Sweet says: "Postmoderns want a God they can feel, taste, touch, hear and smell--a full sensory immersion in the divine." [25]

Sevig interviewed Karen Ward, an associate director for worship for an “Emerging Church.” Sevig wrote: This return to the traditional--the sacred--crosses denominational lines, Ward says. In fact, an interesting marriage is occurring between evangelicals and the liturgy. "Evangelicals are using traditions from all liturgical churches from Orthodox to Lutheran to Catholic," she says. "Though they have limited experience using their new-found symbols, rituals and traditions, they're infusing them with vitality and spirit and life, which is reaching people." [26]

It can be documented that Dr. Robert Webber’s books are winning converts. But who is being converted and what are they being converted to? The answer to this question can be found at a Roman Catholic web site called “Ancient and Future Christian Reading List.” Several of Dr. Webber’s books are listed there such as Ancient-Future Faith: Rethinking Evangelicalism. Under the books heading, there is the following description:

Webber writes about how many Christians today, especially younger ones, are seeking a faith connected to the ancient Church. Thus, postmodern Christians are seeking an ancient and future faith, one that embraces the past for the future, rather than ignoring the past completely. Also, thanks to the reality of relativity (how's that for an oxymoron!), gone are rational apologetics, and coming back are embodied apologetics (i.e. defending the faith by living as Jesus did). Creeds and Councils are in, as is mysticism and community. Editor David Bennett admits that Webber's writings helped lead him to the Catholic Church, although much of what Webber says is far too "cafeteria" in approach. Also, Church Tradition is treated more as an evangelical trend as opposed to what it is: the Truth. Nonetheless, Webber is a good transitional author. [27]

The Ancient and the Mystical

It seems that the “Emerging Church” is reemerging. However, rather than going back to the inspired Word of God found in the Old and New Testaments, the goal is to reintroduce an “Ancient-Future” faith based on the ideas, dogmas, traditions and views of the Roman Catholic Church Fathers.

Over the past number of years I have had the opportunity to travel the world speaking in various countries visiting many old churches that are dark and mystical. These churches were founded by the Roman Catholic or Orthodox Church many centuries ago.

In these churches I have observed, icons, statues of Mary holding baby Jesus, Jesus hanging on the cross, candles, incense, relics, and statues of the “saints.” While there is a lot of emphasis on the visual sensual and mystical, there is very little evidence that the Bible was ever taught to the people. If it had, there would not be an emphasis on extrabiblical paraphernalia, extra-sensory images, sounds and smells.

It appears to me the “Emerging Church” of the present era and the church that emerged after the New Testament was written are one and the same. Remember the words of Paul as recorded in the book of Acts:

For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. [28]

While Rick Warren, Dan Kimball and Dr. Robert Webber and others may be excited about the “Emerging Church” and the direction it is presently headed, I am concerned the “Emerging Church” may actually be a re-emergence of what has already occurred in church history. If the pattern continues expect to see evangelical Protestants become more and more Roman Catholic.

Will the Emerging Church Lead the Church to the Roman Catholic Church?

It is important to keep scripture in mind when we are looking for a method or a means to promote church growth. A Christianity that is not based on the Scriptures is a false Christianity. It may be ecumenical and it may be successful in attracting numbers, but it is not biblical. It could even lead people to believe they believe, but instead they follow false teachers and false doctrine and are deceived.

You know where they could spend eternity, separated from God!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] 2 Timothy 3: 16
[2] Revelation 22: 18-19
[3] Warren Smith, "Deceived on Purpose: The New Age Implications of the Purpose-Driven Church," Mountain Stream Press, Magalia, CA, p. 23, 24.
[4] Dan Kimball, The Emerging Church: Vintage Christianity for the New Generation, Zondervan, 2003, page 7.
[5] Ibid.
[6] 1 Timothy 4: 1 and 2 Timothy 4:3
[7] Dan Kimball, page 6.
[8] Ibid., pages 7-8.
[9] Ibid., pages 13-14.
[10] Ibid., page 127.
[11] Ibid., page 133.
[12] Ibid., page 143.
[13] Ibid., page 155.
[14] Ibid., page 171.
[15] Ibid., page 185.
[16] John 8: 31-32
[17] John 8: 43
[18] Dan Kimball, p. 185
[19] Ibid. p. 185
[20] www.seminary.edu/aboutnorthern/index.html
[21] Robert Webber, “Wanted Ancient-Future Talent,” Worship Leader, May/June 2005, p. 10
[22] Jordon Cooper interview with Dr. Webber, http://www.theooze.com/articles/article.cfm?id=385, posted December 11, 2003
[23] Ibid.
[24] Robert Webber, "Ancient-Future Evangelism: Making Your Church a Faith-Forming Community," Baker Books, page 114
[25] Julie B. Sevig, The Lutheran, “Ancient New, September 2001, http://www.thelutheran.org/0109/page36.html
[26] Ibid.
[27] http://www.ancient-future.net/apcbooks.html
[28] Acts 20: 29-30

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WASHINGTON – Megachurch pastor Rick Warren suggested Sunday that mainline churches need to reconcile with evangelicals to counter its mounting problem of membership decline.
 

Pastor Rick Warren speaks to Dean Samuel T. Lloyd III of the Washington National Cathedral during the Sunday Forum: Critical Issues in the Light of Faith on Sunday, Jan. 27, 2008 in Washington, D.C. Related Clinton's 'Gutsy' Church Appearance Softens Evangelicals  12 Saddleback Convictions about Worship
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“The reconciliation is that in a pluralistic world…we (Christians) need to be on the same team because we share the same savior,” Warren contended Sunday, as he spoke with the dean of the Washington National Cathedral, Samuel T. Lloyd III, who observed that evangelical churches are thriving and full of vitality, while most mainline denominations are confronting worrisome membership decline.

During the Cathedral’s weekly Sunday Forum: Critical Issues in the Light of Faith, Lloyd asked Warren how mainlines should tackle the problem. “100 years ago the phrase ‘social gospel’ first came out,” Warren responded. “Some people took that to mean only if we reform the social government and society and not personal faith in Christ Jesus – that is, if we make the world a better place – we don’t need personal redemption.”

That idea led to mainline churches going “one way” and evangelical churches another way, he said.  In general, mainline churches focused on social morality such as fighting poverty, racism and economic justice. Meanwhile, evangelical churches concentrated on personal morality such as personal salvation, fighting pornography, and upholding family values.

“Who’s right? The fact is both are right,” Warren emphasized. “Somehow we got divided like Jesus didn’t care about society or members of society didn’t need Jesus. I think we need both.”  Warren called for “reconciliation” between mainline and evangelical churches and reminded the audience that Jesus taught his followers to love their God with all their heart, mind and soul, as well as to love their neighbors as themselves.  “You can’t just love your neighbor; you got to love God,” Warren said. “And you can’t just love God; you have to love your neighbors. And mainline protestant and evangelical – we need both wings.”

Earlier in the program, Warren shared about his 20,000-member Saddleback Church, an evangelical church that has more than 400 ministries reaching out to different parts of society including prison ministry and programs helping people infected with HIV/AIDS.  The megachurch pastor also praised small church groups that meet in people’s homes in strengthening Saddleback. The church has more than 3,600 small groups stretching 100 miles away from the main campus – or at least one in every city in southern California.  Warren said proudly that there are more people meeting in small groups each week – about 30,000 – than attending Sunday service.

“I could drop dead right now and the church would still be growing,” Warren joked half-seriously.  The community-building guru added the church is not built around one figure and that he spends only about half the year preaching at Saddleback and the rest traveling to speak and train pastors around the world.

Warren also highlighted that the evangelical church offers God likes variety,” Warren said with a laugh.  Besides membership decline, many mainline churches also report decline in financial contribution.

Warren said his church does “zero” fundraising, but instead teaches biblical stewardship and generosity. Saddleback raised $7 million for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts and $1.6 million for the tsunami with one simple announcement made from the pulpit.

Personally, Warren and his wife Kay have led the church by example. The couple tithed the standard 10 percent during their first year of marriage, but raised it one percent each year thereafter - 12 percent during their second year or marriage, 13 percent in their third year of marriage, and so forth.  But after the success of Warren’s book The Purpose Driven Life, the couple practiced reverse tithing – giving 90 percent to God’s work and living on 10 percent.

The Purpose Driven Life is the best-selling hardback in U.S. history and one of the best sellers in the world.

Other points in Warren’s talk Sunday included his global P.E.A.C.E. Plan and his belief in the need for a second reformation - one where Christians change their behavior to reflect what they claim to believe in.

Next week, Warren will attend the National Prayer Breakfast and hold a small meeting with D.C.-area pastors.
 

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Spiritual Formation in Christ:

A Perspective on What it is and How it Might be Done
Published in The Great Omission, San Francisco: HarperCollins, 2006. 

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"... until Christ be formed in you." (Gal. 4:19)

"Spiritual formation" is a phrase that has recently rocketed onto the lips and into the ears of Protestant Christians with an abruptness that is bound to make a thoughtful person uneasy. If it is really so important, not to mention essential, then why is it so recent? It must be just another passing fad in Protestant religiosity, increasingly self-conscious and threatened about "not meeting the needs of the people." And, really, isn't spiritual formation just a little too Catholic to be quite right?

We could forget the phrase "Spiritual formation," but the fact and need would still be there to be dealt with. The spiritual side of the human being, Christian and non-Christian alike, develops into the reality which it becomes, for good or ill. Everyone receives spiritual formation, just as everyone gets an education. The only question is whether it is a good one or a bad one. We need to take a conscious, intentional hand in the developmental process. We need to understand what the formation of the human spirit is, and how it can best be done as Christ would have it done. This is an indispensable aspect of developing a psychology that is adequate to human life.

The reason for the recent abrupt emergence of the terminology into religious life is, I believe, a growing suspicion or realization that we have not done well with the reality and the need. We have counted on preaching, teaching, and knowledge or information to form faith in the hearer, and have counted on faith to form the inner life and outward behavior of the Christian. But, for whatever reason, this strategy has not turned out well. The result is that we have multitudes of professing Christians who well may be ready to die, but obviously are not ready to live, and can hardly get along with themselves, much less with others.

Most statistical measures and anecdotal portraits of Evangelical Christians, not to mention Christians in general, show a remarkable similarity in the life-texture of Christians and non-Christians. Even among clergy, simple rest in and obedience to Christ is not something to assume without special indications; thus, we should look carefully at the whole issue of spiritual formation, especially to identify the essence of the gospel and the eternal kind of life that may correspond to it.

Too often spiritual formation is regarded as a catch-all category that conveys little specific information. Gerald G. May writes, "Spiritual formation is a rather general term referring to all attempts, means, instructions, and disciplines intended towards deepening of faith and furtherance of spiritual growth. It includes educational endeavors as well as the more intimate and in-depth process of spiritual direction."1

It is useful, therefore, to speak of "spiritual formation" by distinguishing three different meanings or moments. First, identifying certain activities as "spiritual" work or exercise, one can think of spiritual formation as training in these special spiritual activities. Certainly, this is a large part of what is found in many cases to mean "priestly formation," or the "Spiritual formation" of the priest, as spoken of in Catholic literature, with the recognition that such formation goes beyond overt behavior and deeply into the inner or spiritual life of the individual. Marcial Maciel's Integral Formation of Catholic Priests2 is an excellent treatment of spiritual formation as it bears upon the vocation of the priest.

The Protestant counterpart is the outward behavior of the successful minister, pastor, leader, or fulltime Christian worker. Spiritual formation can be thought of as the training that makes individuals successful in the aforementioned roles. Although it is recognized that the heart must be right, if one is successful enough in certain outward terms, very likely no further inquiry will be made. And, if something is known to be lacking on the inside or in the private life of the worker, as is often the case among those on a Christian staff, it may well be overlooked or justified for the sake of the ministry.

Occasionally, today one also finds those who think of spiritual formation in terms of practicing spiritual disciplines. This is a relatively recent development among Evangelicals. The disciplines are regarded as part of the process of spiritual formation—which is not an altogether bad idea—or as the practice of spirituality, and formation is regarded as whatever it takes to bring us to where we are able to engage rightly in a life of spiritual disciplines. In any case, one way of thinking about spiritual formation is to identify it by references to certain specifically religious practices. Often such practices are spoken of today as "a spirituality."

Secondly, spiritual formation may be thought of as the shaping of the inner life, the spirit, or the spiritual side of the human being. The formation of the heart or will (which I believe is best taken as the 'spirit') of the individual, along with the emotions and intellect, is therefore the primary focus, regardless of what overt practices may or may not be involved. Here, what is formed is explicitly the spiritual dimension of the self. We speak of spiritual formation in this case precisely because that which is formed (the subject matter shaped) is the spiritual aspect of personality. Of course, it is assumed that there will be effects in the realm of overt practice.

Thirdly, spiritual formation may be thought of as a shaping by the spirit or by the spiritual realm, and by the Holy Spirit and other spiritual agencies involved in the kingdom of God, especially the Word of God. We speak of spiritual formation here because the means (or agencies) that do the shaping of the human personality and life are spiritual.

Now, we need to recognize that spiritual formation in all of these senses is not necessarily a Christian spiritual formation. Spiritualities abound on all sides, and we are fast coming to the point where we have a spirituality of practically everything. A recent television commercial for a certain kind of truck starts out with a man saying that a truck is "a spiritual kind of thing," and he goes on to talk about the special meaning it gives to life.

I believe that spirituality is the arena in which specifically Christian faith and practice will have to struggle desperately in the coming years to retain integrity. All other 'spiritualities' present themselves as equal under such slogans as "interfaith" and "ecumenism," terms that increasingly apply to all religious cultures, not just to the branches of Christianity.

The 12-step programs, often the bearers of great good from the viewpoint of obvious human need, are currently doing much to place anti-Christian, or at least achristian, spiritualities solidly in the midst of Christian congregations and lives. Also, the push for inclusivism presupposes that all cultures are equal, and how can that be unless the corresponding religions are too? Moreover, if lifestyles are equal, must they not be equal morally? And how can you fault whatever religion is practiced in them if they are morally equal?

How, then, are we to think about spiritual formation that is faithful to the gospel and to the nature of that eternal life which is present in Christ and given to us with him?

Let us begin with practices, overt behavior. Spiritual formation in Christ is oriented toward explicit obedience to Christ. The language of the Great Commission, in Matthew 28, makes it clear that our aim, our job description as Christ's people, is to bring disciples to the point of obedience to "all things whatsoever I have commanded you." Of course, this assumes that we ourselves are in obedience, having learned how to obey Christ. Though the inner dynamics are those of love for Christ, he left no doubt that the result would be the keeping of his commandments. "Those who have my commandments and keep them, they are the ones who love me. And they who love me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love them, and will manifest myself to them" (John 14:21).

Much of the current distress on the part of Western Christianity over how to conduct our calling as the people of Christ derives from the fact that the goal and measure of Christian spiritual formation, as described previously, is not accepted and implemented. This has long been the case, of course, reaching back for centuries. But it may be that the modern world's challenge to the Church has not been equalled since its birth.

In the face of this challenge, I know of no current denomination or local congregation that has a concrete plan and practice for teaching people to do "all things whatsoever I have commanded you." Very few even regard this as something we should actually try to do, and many think it to be simply impossible. Little wonder, then, that it is hard to identify a specifically "Christian" version of spiritual formation among Christians and their institutions. As we depart from the mark set by the Great Commission, we increasingly find it harder to differentiate ourselves in life from those who are non- or even anti-Christians.

Now, of course, spiritual formation in this sense cannot be done by focusing just on actions or practices. That way leads to legalism, failure, and death, as Jesus made very clear in his "Sermon on the Mount" (Matt. 5:20). But this does not mean we must surrender the behavioral aim set up by Christ himself. We teach people to do "all things whatsoever" by shaping their hearts to love Christ and his commandments, and by training their entire personality (soul, mind, body, and to some degree even environment) to side with their new heart or spirit, which is the creative element of the self that we also call the will. To will (thelein; Rom. 7:18) is important, if not crucial. But the person acts, and more is involved in action than willing.

Indeed, the 'spirit' or heart may even be eager (Matt. 26:41), but unless the flesh or embodied personality as a whole is trained to go with it and support it, the follow-through in action will not occur, or will not reliably happen, or may even be in direct conflict with the spirit or will: "What I hate I do!" (Rom. 7:17). While the spirit or heart is the ultimate source of life (Prov. 4:23), we do not live there. We live in our body and its world. Christian spiritual formation works from the spirit or will and from its new life "from above." But its work is not done until we have put off the old person and put on the new (Eph. 4; Col. 3).

This is an active, not passive, process, one that requires our clear-headed and relentless participation. It will not be done for us; however, we cannot obey Christ, or even trust him, by direct effort. What, then, are the indirect means that allow us to cooperate in reshaping the personality—the feelings, ideas, mental processes and images, and the deep readinesses of soul and body—so that our whole being is poised to go with the movements of the regenerate heart that is in us by the impact of the Gospel Word under the direction and energizing of the Holy Spirit?

These means are, primarily, the disciplines for life in the Spirit: solitude and silence, prayer and fasting, worship and study, fellowship and confession, and the like. These disciplines are not, in themselves, meritorious or even required except as specifically needed. They do, however, allow the spirit or will—an infinitesimally tiny power in itself that we cannot count on to carry our intentions into settled, effectual righteousness—to direct the body into contexts of experience in which the whole self is inwardly restructured to follow the eager spirit into ever fuller obedience. This is the second meaning or moment in Christian spiritual formation.

The processes of spiritual formation thus understood require precise, testable, thorough knowledge of the human self. Psychological and theological understanding of the spiritual life must go hand in hand. Neither of them is complete without the other. A psychology that is Christian, in the sense of a comprehensive understanding of the facts of spiritual life and growth, should be a top priority for disciples of Jesus, particularly those who work in the various fields of psychology and who consider it an intellectual and practical discipline. No understanding of the human self can be theoretically or practically adequate if it does not deal with the spiritual life.

Of course, spiritual formation in the second emphasis only works because of the third and final moment: formation by the Spirit of God in Christ. This comes initially and mainly through immersion in and constant application (John 8:31; 15:7) of the word of Christ, his gospel and his commands that are inseparable from his person and his presence: "The words that I speak to you," he said, "are spirit and life" (John 6:63). But it is the movement of the Spirit in the spiritual formation of the individual personality that transforms the roots of behavior throughout the soul and body of the believer which goes beyond simply hearing and receiving this word. Thus, when we have put on the new person—and we must act to do this, as it will not be done for us—we find the outflow of Christ's character from us to be, after all, the fruit of the spirit.

The movements of the spirit of Christ in the embodied personality are often identifiable, tangible events. Frequently they come in the form of individualized 'words' from Christ to his apprentices who are involved in kingdom living. He is our living teacher, and we are not asleep while we walk with him. Spiritual formation in Christ is not simply an unconscious process in which results may be observed while the One who works in us remains hidden. We actually experience his workings. We look for them, expect them, give thanks for them. We are consciously engaged with him in the details of our existence and our spiritual transformation.

However, it is not the immediacy of such experiences that tells us that it is the Spirit of God in Christ by whom we are being formed. Rather, the proof, if not the comfort, lies in the persons we become and the deeds that flow from us. The tree is known by its fruit. When the Spirit who forms us causes us to love Jesus Christ above all and to walk in his example and deeds (1 Pet. 2:21-23), when it upholds us in obedience, then we know that he is the Spirit by which we are formed (2 Cor. 3:17). And with this knowledge as our framework, we may also take comfort in the immediate feeling of the movements of the Spirit in our personalities, lives, and surroundings.

Spiritual formation in Christ is accomplished, and the Great Commission fulfilled, as the regenerate soul makes its highest intent to live in the commandments of Christ, and accordingly makes realistic plans to realize this intent by an adequate course of spiritual disciplines. Of course, no one can achieve this goal by themselves, but no one has to. God gives us others to share the pilgrimage, and we will be met by Christ in every step of the way. "Look, I am with you every instant," is what Jesus said; and it is also what he is doing.

We must stop using the fact that we cannot earn grace (whether for justification or for sanctification) as an excuse for not energetically seeking to receive grace. Having been found by God, we then become seekers of ever fuller life in him. Grace is opposed to earning, but not to effort. The realities of Christian spiritual formation are that we will not be transformed "into his likeness" by more information, or by infusions, inspirations, or ministrations alone. Though all of these have an important place, they never suffice, and reliance upon them alone explains the now common failure of committed Christians to rise much above a certain level of decency.

At the core of the human being is will, spirit, and heart. This core is reshaped, opening out to the reshaping of the whole life, only by engagement. First, engagement is to act with Christ in his example and his commands: "If you love me, keep my commands," he said, "and I will ask the Father to send you another strengthener, the Spirit of truth" (John 14:15-17). The engagement must come first, followed by the helper insofar as obedience is concerned; as we try, fail, and learn, we engage with the spiritual disciplines. We add whole-life training to trying. We recognize that religious business-as-usual, the recommended routine for a "good" church member, is not enough to meet the need of the human soul. The problem of life is too radical for that to be the solution. We enter into activities that are more suited to our actual life condition and that are adequate to transform the whole self under grace, allowing the intention to live the commands of Christ to pass from will to deed.

Christian spiritual formation understood in this way is automatically ecumenical and inclusive in the sense that those thus formed, those who live in obedience to Christ, are thereby united and stand out as the same in their obedience. The substance of obedience is the only thing that can overcome the divisions imposed by encrusted differences in doctrine, ritual, and heritage. The lamp that is aglow in the obedient life will shine. The city set on the hill cannot be hid. Obedience to Christ from the heart and by the spirit is such a radical reality that those who live in it automatically realize the unity that can never be achieved by direct efforts at union. It is not by effort, but by who we are: "I am a companion of all those who fear Thee" (Ps. 119:63, 74).

Some years ago, ecumenism attempted to center around the confession of Christ as Lord. Little came of it because, in the manner to which we have been accustomed by history, the attitudes and actions of real life were left untouched by such a profession. But actual obedience to Christ as Lord would transform ordinary life entirely and bring those disciples who are walking with Christ together wherever their lives touch. Christians who are together in the natural stream of life would immediately identify with one another because of the radically different kind of life, the eternal kind of life, manifestly flowing in them. Their mere non-cooperation with the evil around them would draw them together as magnet and iron. Any other differences would have no significance within the unity of obedience to the Christ who is present in his people.

Now, unfortunately, the other differences (cultural, social, denominational, and even personal) are the ones that govern the disunity of those who nevertheless identify themselves as Christians. Usually the power of these differences are tangibly at work when professing Christians from different groups are together. I cannot really imagine that this disunity would continue if all were centered in actual obedience to Christ. Set the clear intention and implementation on this aim, and all else follows. Without that, what else really matters? Heaven matters, of course, and attaining it surely does not depend upon attaining maturity in Christ. But to plan on that as a course of action, or to teach it as the normal Christian pattern, is quite another matter, one hardly to be recommended by anyone who actually has confidence in Christ.

The proper Christian exclusiveness will also be largely taken care of, I believe, by Christian spiritual formation centered on obedience to Christ from transformed personality. This will have the exclusiveness of "the God who answers by fire." Let the other spiritualities be equal to that which flowers into obedience to Christ if they can, and let the others themselves be the judges. "Their rock is not like our Rock, our enemies being the judge" (Deut. 32:31).

The real issue relating to exclusiveness is whether or not the Christian actually has a relationship with God, a presence of God, which non-Christians do not have. Apart from Christian spiritual formation as described here, I believe there is little value in claiming exclusiveness for the Christian way.

The realization of this may be what is reflected in the current mass abandonment of the exclusiveness of Christianity that is going on among Western Christians now, especially in its academic centers. Why should one insist on the exclusiveness of Christianity if all it is is one more cultural form? But let the reality of Christian spiritual formation come to its fullness, and exclusiveness will take care of itself. If the homosexual, the witch and the warlock, the Buddhist and the Muslim, can truly walk in a holiness and power equal to that of Jesus Christ and devoted followers, there is nothing more to say. But Christ himself, and not Christianity as a form of human culture, is the standard by which 'we' as well as 'they' are to be measured (Acts 17:31).

Perhaps this auspicious occasion in the life of a leading Evangelical training center is an opportunity for us to ask ourselves: Are we seriously and realistically about the business of Christian spiritual formation as measured by unqualified love of Jesus Christ, and as specified by the 'job description' of the Great Commission? How does our work, what we really do, actually relate to the charge he has left us. How much of what goes on in ourselves, our local assemblies, our denominations, and our schools is dictated only by "vain conversation received by tradition from our fathers and mothers"? (1 Pet. 1:18).

Suppose we were to engage in ground-zero planning—planning which, armed with the best theological and psychological understanding, considers only the aim without attempting to salvage or justify what is already in place through previous efforts. How much of what we now do would then be omitted? How much of what we now omit would then be done, if all we were trying to do was bring ourselves and others "to do all things whatsoever I have commanded you"? This question is surely put to each of us individually, as well as to all our institutions and programs, by the one who said: "Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not the things I say?" (Luke 6:46).3




 

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The church and postmodern culture:

conversation

contemporary philosophy...for the church...in the vernacular 

about conversation ...coordinated by eric austin lee, geoffrey holsclaw, james k.a. smith  ...offering discussions of high-profile theorists in postmodern theory and contemporary theology, for a non-specialist audience that is interested in the impact of postmodern theory for the faith and practice of the church.

Current discussions in the church—from emergent “postmodern” congregations to mainline “missional” congregations—are increasingly grappling with philosophical and theoretical questions related to postmodernity. In fact, it could be argued that developments in postmodern theory (especially questions of “post-foundationalist” epistemologies) have contributed to the breakdown of former barriers between evangelical, mainline, and Catholic faith communities. Postliberalism—a related “effect” of postmodernism—has engendered a new, confessional ecumenism wherein we find non-denominational evangelical congregations, mainline Protest churches, and Catholic parishes all wrestling with the challenges of postmodernism and drawing on the culture of postmodernity as an opportunity for re-thinking the shape of our churches.

This context presents an exciting opportunity for contemporary philosophy and critical theory to “hit the ground,” so to speak, by allowing high-level work in postmodern theory to serve the church’s practice—including all of the kinds of congregations and communions noted above. As such, the goal of churchandpomo.org is to bring postmodern theory and contemporary theology into conversation with concrete faith and practice of the church. The posts and articles at churchandpomo.org will, from different angles and with different questions, undertake to answer questions such as: What does postmodern theory have to say about the shape of the church? How should concrete, in-the-pew and on-the-ground religious practices be impacted by postmodernism? What should the church look like in postmodernity? And how might the church understand and acts within contemporary society (politically, economically, symbolically, tangibly).

churchandpomo.org is ecumenical not only with respect to its ecclesial destinations, but also with respect to the facets of contemporary philosophy and theory that are represented. A wide variety of theoretical commitments will be included, ranging from deconstruction to Radical Orthodoxy, and including voices from Badiou to ˇZiˇzek and the usual suspects in between (Nietzsche, Heidegger, Levinas, Derrida, Foucault, Irigaray, Rorty, and others). And insofar as postmodernism occasions a retrieval of ancient sources, these contemporary sources will be brought into dialogue with Augustine, Irenaeus, Aquinas, and other resources.

Posts on churchandpomo.org will range from brief “airing of ideas” and the “trying on” of particular theories or critical positions, to longer arguments or analyses soliciting critical responses from readers, all with an eye toward the actual issues confronting church pastors and leaders, rather than the merely academic hair-splitting of abstract issues.
 

O, how I wish St. Jacques would have chosen another word for his hermenuetic than decontruction. When speaking, I prefer to pronounce it with a French accent, and then go on to tell people that it really means something different in French. Unfortunately, that's not really accurate (as it is for, say, "difference" and différance). Honestly, I spend some time almost every week explaining that Derridaian decontruction does not mean "to tear down" but "to break through." As Jack Caputo writes in Deconstruction in a Nutshell, anyone with half-an-ear for the Jewish or Christian scriptures will recognize that "decontruction has a very messianic ring to it."

This connection between deconstruction and the Bible is especially meaningful, methinks. I am quite convinced that the Bible is a subversive text, that it constantly undermines our assumptions, transgresses our boundaries, and subverts our comforts. This may sound like academic mumbo-jumbo, but I really mean it. I think the Bible is a f***ing scary book (pardon my French, but that's the only way I know how to convey how strongly I feel about this). And I think that deconstruction is the only hermeneutical avenue that comes close to expressing the transgressive nature of our sacred text.

Deconstruction is bent on showing the limits of all hermeneutic frameworks, including its own. It doesn't so much tear them down as burst through them, pushing them beyond their limits, showing their inevitable weaknesses.

Why? Because postmoderns don't believe in anything, of course. At least, that's what the critics will say. But, in fact, to read Derrida and Caputo and Kearney makes clear that the raison d'être for deconstruction is always justice. When other hermeneutics stagnate, deconstruction shouts, "There's more here, there's a perfect justice to be had, and we can't rest until wer get there!"

And I also like deconstruction because, in it's own, self-reflexive deconstructing, it is deeply ironic. And I like irony. Indeed, I think that Jesus liked irony, too (particularly the Johnanine Jesus). Derrida was playful, he avoided answering questions, he liked soap operas, and he knew perfectly well that he was stepping into the very traps that he had laid for others. In other words, he didn't take himself too seriously, and deconstruction is appropriately playful as a result. Play and irony -- two pills that I think more theologians should swallow.

I'm well aware of the many and vigorous critiques of Derrida and deconstruction, and I appreaciate them. But I'm not looking for a foolproof hermeneutic -- no such hermeneutic exists. I'm looking for a hermeneutic that roughly parallels the syntax of the Hebrew and Christian scriptures, and, IMHO, deconstruction does that.

 

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