The Emerging Church Part 1

The Emerging Church

My 2 cents on The Emerging Church by Dan Kimball

A few weeks ago, Tom Crouse was posting on the Emerging church movement, especially as it is articulated by Brian McLaren. See http://engagingyourworld.blogspot.com/. Recently, McLaren was a speaker at the Vision New England Conference in Boston (Congress 2006).

I have not read or listened to McLaren myself, but since I was supposed to comment on Dan Kimball’s book on the Emerging Church some 4 or 5 months (or more?) ago, I will do so now.

What I want to comment on is not so much about the book itself, but on an issue that I believe is central to it; the purpose of the church. I believe that this is the fundamental problem the emerging church faces, and frankly, it is the same problem that many of our traditional churches and modern “seeker-sensitive” churches have faced as well. We can argue all we want about what type of music is godly, or what type of building we should have, or whether symbols distract or point us to Christ. Most of these debates, due to the lack of direct teaching in the New Testament, degrade to the culturally sensitive and culturally informed conscience of the person arguing. They seek out to “prove” what their feelings tell them are right. I say “they”, but should use “we” because we all fight this (or should fight this) tendency in our hearts.

Since the time of the Second Great Awakening, there has been an underlying evangelical belief that the purpose of the church is to evangelize. This is the root of MANY churches and church movements today. This is the purpose of the “seeker-sensitive” and other churches focused on one target group of people. While it is not wrong to begin a church within a specific culture, it is wrong to make the PURPOSE of the CHURCH the REACHING of a particular group. Again, this is different then beginning a church within a certain culture. There is an important distinction here. We are called to preach the gospel to the world, but for the sake of Christ. The purpose of the church is NOT man, but of God. The gospel, the good news of Christ, saves man, but is ultimately FOR God. Ephesians 3:9-11 says:

8 To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ,

9 and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things;

10 so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.

11 This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,

Verses 8 & 9 speak of the specific job God gave to Paul, namely, to preach the gospel and the “…unfathomable riches of Christ” to the gentiles. Verse 10 & 11 explain why. It is so that the wisdom of God will be made known, not just to humans, but to even the heavenly beings! And verse 11 then makes the further point that this was always God’s plan, from Eternity past and was carried out in Christ.

More of this to be developed shortly:

(To be continued)