Exploring Truth Ministries

Reposted from May 13, 2006

In my own mind in the last few days I have been re-examining this issue and it’s importance. I believe this to be a topic to familiarize yourself with. Hope you enjoy.

Recently, the Lord has had me studying and examining a movement that in the past several years has been gaining much ground in Baptist circles, the emergent church. While you can’t define exactly what the emergent church is because it is born out of postmodern thought, you can see how the movement started and be clued in on some aspects of it’s nature.

This movement was spurred because our traditional churches, for the most part, have no life. These people see that most churches are stifled by tradition, have no sense of urgency to see people converted, and have no true fellowship(the EC would call fellowship “Community”). So because of this they have set out, or emerged if you will, to find true community, break the barriers of culture in witnessing, and undo the idea of traditional church in a hope of appealing to people.

Now, this doesn’t sound all that bad does it. Most would agree that our churches are dead and filled with traditionalists who care very little about the salvation of souls. However, I must say that after a brief study of what is going on in the emergent church movement I believe that they have missed the boat.

What the EC says is, ” the traditional church isn’t culturally relevant”. They don’t see people breaking barriers of culture to reach people. They see people who are stifled so much in tradition that they won’t break tradition in order to win souls. They see a people that have no community. This problem however goes deeper than the stubborn people they are looking at and emerging from. To this point no one has asked the most important question of all, “Why is the traditional church the way it is?”

I will say that the reason why our churches are failing is not simply because they are stubborn and unloving but because they are unregenerate. In the past 60 years there has been a downgrade of the Gospel, just like in Spurgeon’s day, that has caused many people to be religious and moral but not saved. We are now looking at the 2nd and 3rd generation of people in our churches that are being affected by easy believism and cheap grace.

So, now when people come along looking for real spirituality they can’t find it. It’s not in the churches. Furthermore, the reason why people won’t let go of tradition is because It’s all they have to hang on to for their assurance. The reason they won’t be bold and reach the culture is because they have nothing to tell. The reason they have no fellowship is because they don’t share anything in common to fellowship over.

The problem will not be fixed by new traditions or styles of worship or new church polity. It will not be solved by conforming to culture or dumbing down of doctrine. It will only be cured by a resurgence of the Gospel. It’s the Gospel that sets mens hearts free from the grips of traditional religiousity. It’s the Gospel that for hundreds of years has been preached in every culture imaginable and only the Gospel that has with it the promise of someone from every tribe, tongue, and nation will one day be seated at the right hand of Christ. It’s the Gospel that brings fellowship to people that is true and real.

The answer IS in being different and emerging. But the answer is not changing the things on the surface, this only makes things look better. The answer is found in fixing the underlying problem, this changes the heart of the problem. This can only be accomplished when men will start to have faith that the power of God is still in the preached Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Here is a word of warning to the EC. If there is no resolution of the root problem in 20 years or less the EC will so much resemble the traditional churches they have come out of, the only distinguishable marks between the two will be style and form.

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