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Emerging church movement

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The emerging or emergent church movement is a controversial, 20th century Christian movement seeking to engage people, especially the unchurched, living in postmodern or postcolonial cultures. Proponents call the movement an emerging "conversation" to emphasize its developing and decentralized nature. A common characteristic is the concept of missional living where Christians are sent out into the world to be a blessing wherever they are. Narrative presentations of faith and the Bible as well as the use of multimedia, the Internet and blogs are popular with this predominantly younger generation of Christians. An emphasis on dialogue allows for a generous openness to a plurality of biblical interpretation with an avoidance of a dogmatic approach to theology found in historical Christianity.

Critics of the movement are often evangelical protestants who see the embrace of postmodern values leading to unorthodox theology, relativism and syncretism. Critics often associate emergent theology with the liberal theology that has historically been in conflict with evangelical theology.

Some members of the emerging church do not identify with the label "emergent" which they associate with theological positions attributed to Brian McLaren and the organization Emergent Village.

Contents

[edit] Membership

Emerging Christians are predominantly found in North America, Western Europe, the South Pacific and Africa.<ref name=Amahoro> Amahoro. Retrieved on 2006-08-09.</ref>

Some emerging Christians attend local independent churches or house churches<ref name=ReligionLink> ReligionLink.org : Emerging Church trend expands, diversifies. Retrieved on 2006-07-20.</ref><ref name=HouseChurchNetworks> Kreider, Larry (2001). “1”, House Church Networks. House to House Publications. ISBN 1-886973-48-2.</ref> labelled as emerging while others worship in traditional Christian denominations.

[edit] Values and Characteristics

While practices and even core doctrine vary, many of those who are involved in the emerging church conversation can be recognized by the following values:

[edit] Missional Living

All believers are missionaries who are sent to be a blessing to the culture around them through a lifestyle that mimics God's kingdom here on earth. Theologically, the incarnation of Jesus Christ informs the missiology of the emerging church. As God entered earth in human form, adherents also enter (individually and communally) into the context around them, aiming to transform culture through local involvement. This may take many forms, including verbal evangelism [citation needed], social activism, hospitality, acts of kindness or service particular to the personality of an individual.

The concept of being a missional people guides many discussions about the emerging church. The idea centers around the thought of being a "called people," which can be defined as a people called out into the world, called to be an active part of a community, called to be a voice for those who have no voice, and called to be in culture. Being missional within the emergent church framework can be defined as having the knowledge that one is living in the Kingdom of God right now and that there is a strong desire for others to share in that temporal blessing. Being "missional" means believing in and actively living a holistic Gospel; personal reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ[citation needed], community and cultural restoration. Being a missional person/community means emphasizing the need for a Gospel which enhances the lives and communities of people regardless of culture or beliefs. Therefore, social action, community involvement, and sacrificial hospitality are as important as preaching and teaching. It means affirming what is good in culture and challenging that which is oppressive and abusive.

[edit] Ecclesiology

The emerging church movement is highly decentralized with little institutional coordination, choosing instead to communicate through fluid and open networks. Participants avoid formulaic assumptions about the role and nature of the church ecclesiology, and instead attempt to gather in ways specific to their local context; the idea of "being a local community of people on a journey" and not "a corporate church."

Participants within the emerging church and house church movements share a willingness to challenge traditional church structures/organizations and a desire to respect the different expressions of traditional Christian denominations. <ref name=EVillageValues> Emergent Village : Values and Practices. Retrieved on 2006-08-09.</ref>

[edit] Postmodernism

To some extent, the emerging church movement arose as a response to the perceived influence of modernism in Western Christianity. As sociologists noted a cultural shift to postmodern values and thinking in the late 20th century some Christians began to advocate changes within the church that reflected these cultural shifts. These critics began to assert that the church was culture bound to modernism and began to challenge the church on its use of institutional structures, systematic theology, propositional teaching methods, reliance on buildings, attractional understanding of mission, embrace of professional clergy, largely uniform nature of congregational worship, and the proud posture which maintained that Christianity was superior to other religions.

Instead, proponents of the emerging church embrace postmodern epistemology and values. They seek to deconstruct and reconstruct Christianity in order to meaningfully engage with Western society which is now pre-dominantly post-Christian.

Narrative theology 
Narrative presentations of faith and the Bible are emphasized over exegetical Bible study and propositional presentations such as systematic theology which are viewed as reductionism.
Generous Orthodoxy 
An ecumenical, non-dogmatic view of doctrine which attempts to move beyond the conservative versus liberal impasse in Christianity while honoring some of the traditions of premodern and postmodern Christian denominations.<ref name=GenerousOrthodoxy> This humility and generousity extends an invitation to people of all religions and beliefs to contribute to the conversation.

McLaren, Brian (2004). Generous Orthodoxy : Why I Am a Missional, Evangelical, Post/Protestant, Liberal/Conservative,.... Zondervan. ISBN 0-310-25747-6.</ref> This generosity also extends to dialogue with non-Christian religions and non-religious people for some, like Brian McLaren, but not others, like Mark Driscoll.

Christ-centered 
A commitment to emulating Jesus' way of living in particular his loving of God, neighbors and those normally considered enemies. An understanding of the gospel as one centered on Christ that is a message about the Kingdom of God and reconciliation between God [citation needed], humans and creation as opposed to the more traditional approach of Christians who sought to ready others for eternity.<ref name=EVillageValues/>
Biblical Interpretation
An openness to consider a plurality of interpretations as well as the impact of the reader's cultural context on the act of interpretation in contrast to the primacy of the author's intent and cultural context. The influence of postmodern thinkers such as Jacques Derrida and Stanley Fish can be seen in the emerging church approach to interpreting Scripture.
Authenticity 
Favouring the sharing of experiences and interactions that are personal and sincere such as testimonies over scripted interactions such as propositional, formulaic evangelistic tracts and teaching. Emerging Church participants are thus true to the social constructs of their local narratives rather than to any absolute, ahistorical, cross-cultural authority.
Conversation/Dialog 
Creating a safe environment for those with opinions ordinarily rejected within historic orthodoxy to talk and listen freely, as opposed to the dogmatic proclamation found in historic Christianity.

Emerging Church groups also typically emphasize the following elements:

  • A flexible approach to and continual reexamination of theology which causes them to see faith as a journey rather than a destination, and to accept differences in beliefs and morals.
  • A belief in creating communities built out of the creativity of those who are a part of each local body.
  • A holistic view of the role of the church in society. This can mean anything from a higher degree of emphasis on social action, building relationships with the surrounding community, or Christian outreach.
  • Creative approaches to worship and spiritual reflection. This can involve everything from the use of contemporary music and films to liturgy, as well as more ancient customs and more eclectic spirituality with a goal of making the church more appealing to postmodern people.
  • Use of the Internet as a dominant medium of communication through various blogs, websites and online videos.

[edit] Prominent Figures

The emerging church movement is highly decentralized so no one person acts as the spokesperson for the movement, however, the following people are often recognized as prominent leaders and important thinkers in the movemement:

United States of America

  • Rob Bell, Founding pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church, located in Grandville, Michigan. He is featured in the series of spiritual short films called NOOMA. Bell is also the author of a recent book entitled Velvet Elvis - Repainting The Christian Faith. (It should be noted that Bell has claimed no affiliation with this movement.)
  • Spencer Burke, Former pastor, founder of The Ooze website, "dedicated to the emerging Church culture" and which has "developed a community that captures the ethos of the emerging church movement"
  • Mark Driscoll, Pastor who started the Mars Hill Church Seattle. He considers himself one of the founders of the emerging movement and as part of the emerging church. But he has distanced himself from the emergent stream of the conversation. Consequently, he is considered both a prominent figure and a critic of the movement.
  • Eddie Gibbs, Professor of church growth at the School of Intercultural Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary and author of several books promoting the movement.
  • Stanley Grenz, Now deceased, former professor of theology who co-authored the influential book, Beyond Foundationalism: Shaping Theology in a Postmodern Context.
  • Matt Hammett, pastor of Flood in San Diego, California.
  • Tony Jones, National Coordinator of Emergent Village USA, an organized network of cooperating emerging ministries. He is a doctoral fellow and senior research fellow in practical theology at Princeton Theological Seminary whose books have been highly influential in the movement.
  • Dan Kimball, Pastor of Vintage Faith Churchin Santa Cruz, CA and author of the book, The Emerging Church
  • Tim Keel, pastor of Jacob's Well Church in Kansas City, Missouri.
  • Kyle Lake, Now deceased, Pastor of University Baptist Church in Waco, Texas.
  • Brian McLaren, Founder of Cedar Ridge Community Church near Washington, D.C.. Prolific author and popular speaker who is considered a prominent leader in the movement.
  • Erwin McManus, Founder and pastor of Mosaic in southern California and author of The Barbarian Way
  • Donald Miller, author of Blue Like Jazz and Searching For God Knows What; campus minister; member of Imago Dei, an emerging church Christian congregation in Portland.
  • John O'Keefe, An early member of the conversation and founder of Ginkworld and Lead Pastor at 247connection.
  • Doug Pagitt, Founding pastor of Solomon's Porch [1] in Minneapolis
  • Chris Seay, Founder of University Baptist Church in Waco, Texas, and the founder and pastor at Ecclesia in Houston, Texas.
  • Leonard Sweet, The E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism at Drew University, Visiting Distinguished Professor at George Fox University, and prolific author.
  • Karen Ward, Founder and pastor of Church of the Apostles in Fremont, Washington.

Canada

  • Jordon Cooper, An early emerging church blogger and a founding member of Resonate, a Canadian expression of the emerging church conversation.

United Kingdom

Australia and New Zealand

  • Michael Frost, a founding director of the Centre for Evangelism and Global Mission at Morling Baptist Seminary in Sydney, Australia, and the author of several books, including The Shaping of Things to Come and Seeing God in the Ordinary: A Theology of the Everyday.
  • Alan Hirsch, the National Director for FORGE Mission Training Network, and key mission strategist for churches in the UK and New Zealand. Co-author of 'The Shaping of Things to Come.
  • Mark Pierson, Founder of Cityside in Auckland, New Zealand.
  • Steve Taylor author of "Out of Bounds Church", founder of Graceway Baptist Church, currently pastor at Opawa Baptist Church

Brazil

  • Nelson Costa, author of "Igreja Emergente",Writer,founder of Fundação Inocência,currently pastor of Brazilian Core[Walnut Community Church], and popular speaker who is considered a prominent brazilian leader in the movement.

[edit] Emerging vs. Emergent

Although "emerging" and "emergent" are often considered synonymous. many maintain a distinction. The term "emergent" is sometimes more closely associated with Emergent Village. "Emergents" and "emergent village" are considered to be a part of the emerging church movement but some prefer to use the term "the emerging church" to refer to the movement as a whole and use the term "emergent" in a more limited way, referring to Brian McLaren and emergentvillage. Many of those within the emerging church movement who don't closely identify with emergentvillage tend to avoid that organization's interest in radical theological reformulation and focus more on new ways of doing church and spirituality. In short, the emergent conversation is considered by some observers to be one thread - albeit a very influential thread - within the larger emerging church movement. As a result of the above factors, the use of correct vocabulary to describe a given participant in this movement can occasionally be awkward, confusing, and controversial.

[edit] Comparisons to other movements

It is useful to compare the emerging church movement with other Christian movements which emphasize a similar approach to Christianity and inner experience.

The Taizé Community in France also offers a neo-traditional experience of Christianity in which traditional symbols such as candles and crosses have intensified importance. Taizé, however, places relatively less emphasis on Scripture and a greater emphasis on meditation and the experiences derived from the monastic life.[2] The Emerging Church, in turn, places a greater value on Scripture and teaching through multimedia-based creative expression (and would consider religious orders an anachronism, if they considered them at all). An important difference is that the Emerging Church seeks to connect and be accessible within the larger society, while the Taizé Community offers an alternative to the surrounding culture.[citation needed]

The Religious Society of Friends, although not born out of the conflicts of modernism, has nonetheless influenced the Emergent Church through thinkers such as Richard Foster. The Quakers also reject church hierarchy while valuing the sacred as a personal experience.

All three of these groups are ecumenical in their outlook, value tradition and inward trans-rational experience, and seek to revitalize the faith. The Emergent Church stands out by its close association with post-modernism and by its emphasis on accessibility, as well as its ideal of interacting with the surrounding culture rather than escaping it.[citation needed]

Theologically, the Emergent Church movement bears many striking similarities to the theology of neo-liberals such as Langdon Gilkey and David Tracey, and shares many beliefs with the more liberal post-Vatican II Catholic theologians such as Karl Rahner. Emergent eschatology closely resembles that found in theologians such as Jürgen Moltmann who advocate the "theology of hope" and the emergent approach to interfaith dialogue is reminiscent of earlier discussions of this kind of dialogue as found in authors such as John Hick. However, some emergent thinkers have also been deeply influenced by postliberal authors such as Walter Brueggemann and Leslie Newbigin. Newbigin, especially, along with fellow missiologist David Bosch, offer alternative nuanced understandings of dialogue.

[edit] Criticisms

The emerging church movement has been criticized by many scholars within the Evangelical community.

Many Evangelical scholars criticize the movement for maintaining that certainty in faith is not achievable. The movement's rejection of epistemological foundationalism and reliabilism, as well as bounded-set theology (borders for orthodoxy) has caused similar concerns within Evangelicalism (Erickson 2004, 59-79). Evangelicals complain that when these factors are combined with the postmodern tendency to deconstruct traditional terms and biblical texts, the result causes some in the emerging church to tolerate doctrinal and moral positions that most Evangelicals believe are non-negotiable. Critics of the movement often assert that emergents frequently indulge in logical fallacies, especially the false antithesis (similar to the false dilemma)[3] and self contradiction (Smith, 97-98). Some authors have insisted that the emergent church tendency to consider Evangelicalism culture-bound to modernism is a straw man argument (Carson, 59-60). These Evangelicals respond that their movement has never embraced modernism in its entirety in spite of Evangelicalism's acceptance of the correspondence theory of truth and the referential theory of language. They maintain that only classical, liberal theologians completely accommodated modernism and many of these same scholars fear that the emerging church movement's accommodation to postmodernism has the same practical effects as liberal accommodation to modernism. Evangelicals also contest emergent accusations that Evangelicals are belligerent toward non-Christians, and they are puzzled by emergent rhetoric which caricatures Evangelicals as unconcerned and uninvolved in benevolance and sincere, Christian living. While many Evangelicals have been open to some of the criticisms that the emerging church movement has offered, most seem to have rejected emerging church movement's views of several key theological themes within their soteriology and eschatology as well as the openness of some in the emerging church movement to alternative lifestyles. Many of these critics seem especially concerned about unorthodox views in the emerging church movement on doctrines such as blood atonement, salvation by faith, hell, and the sovereignty of God (Carson, 157-187), and that the emergent view of God's kingdom is too narrowly limited to improving social conditions while ignoring eternal matters [4]. Some Evangelicals also express concern that the postmodern spirituality embraced by many emergents is more syncretistic than scriptural (Veith 1994, 192-193). Several critiques of this movement have been written recently by leading Evangelical scholars such as D. A. Carson and Millard Erickson.

[edit] Prominent Critics

  • D. A. Carson, Professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Author of more than 45 books, including Becoming Conversant with the Emerging Church[5].
  • Charles Colson, Evangelical author and founder of Prison Fellowship. He has written many articles that critique this movement.
  • Millard Erickson, Baptist systematic theologian who has written and edited several works on this topic, including Reclaiming the Center.
  • Douglas Groothuis[6], Theologian known mostly for his works in apologetics and counter-cult ministry. Author of Truth Decay.[7]
  • Carl Henry, Theologian who served as the Senior Research Professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
  • Thomas Howe, Professor of Bible and Biblical Languages at Southern Evangelical Seminary. [8]
  • Donald Macleod, Author and professor of systematic theology at the Free Church of Scotland College.[9]
  • Don Matzat,Lutheran pastor and author of several books.
  • Albert Mohler, President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Member of the board of Focus on the Family. [10]
  • Chuck Smith, Founder of Calvary Chapel churches and the senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa. He has authored many books and has ministered through "The Word for Today" outreach.[11]Recall and Statement Re: Rick Warren's books and Emerging Churches [12]
  • R. Scott Smith, Assistant proffesor of ethics and Christian Apologetics at Biola University. Author of Truth and the New Kind of Christian.
  • Sam Storms, Former pastor and professor of theology at Wheaton College. Founder of Enjoying God ministries.[13]
  • Justin Taylor, ESV Bible Project Manager at Crossway Books. Blogger and author of several books.[14]
  • J.P. Moreland, Distinguished professor of philosophy at Talbot School of Theology at Biola University.
  • Gene Veith, Executive director of The Cranach Institute (a research and educational arm of Concordia Seminary). Author of two books on postmodernism and the church.
  • David Wells, Andrew Mutch Distinguished Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He has written several books relevant to this topic including Above all Earthly Pow'rs: Christ in a Postmodern World.
  • David Wilkerson, author of The Cross and the Switchblade, founder of Times Square Church, New York. [15]
  • Douglas Wilson, Reformed theologian and author.[16]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

<references/>

[edit] Further reading

[edit] Favorable Books

  • Newbigin, Lesslie. The Gospel in a Pluralist Society Ethics & Public Policy Center, 1990
  • Bosch, David J Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission Orbis Books (USA) 1992
  • Chalke,Steve. The Lost Message of Jesus. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003.
  • Grenz,Stanley J. and John R. Franke, Beyond Foundationalism: Shaping Theology in a Postmodern Context. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2001.
  • Jones,Tony. Postmodern Youth Ministry. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004.
  • Kimball, Dan. The Emerging Church: Vintage Christianity for New Generations.Grand Rapids: Zondervan 2003.
  • McLaren, Brian D. A Generous Orthodoxy. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing, 2004.
  • _________;The Secret Message of Jesus: Uncovering the Truth that Could Change Everything. Nashville: Thomas Nelson’s W Publishing Group, 2006.
  • Sweet,Leonard. Soul Tsunami. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1999.
  • _________; Organic Church: Growing Faith Where Life Happens Jossey Bass Wiley, 2005
  • _________; e-book Quantum Spirituality http://www.leonardsweet.com/Quantum/quantum-ebook.pdf
  • Gibbs, Eddie and Bolger, Ryan Emerging Churches: Creating Christian Communities in Postmodern Cultures SPCK Publishing, 2006.
  • Murray, Stuart Post-Christendom: Church and Mission in a Strange New World Authentic Media, 2004
  • Taylor, Steve The Out of Bounds Church?: Learning to Create a Community of Faith in a Culture of Change Zondervan Publishing House 2005
  • Frost, M and Hirsch, A The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21st Century Church Hendrickson Publishers Inc.,U.S. 2003
  • Morisy, Ann Journeying Out Harrisburg: Morehouse, 2004
  • Brewin, Kester The Complex Christ: Signs of Emergence in the Urban Church SPCK Publishing, 2004.
  • Rollins, Peter. How (Not) to Speak of God SPCK Publishing, 2006
  • Frost, Michael. Exiles: Living Missionally in a Post-Christian Culture Hendrickson Publishers Inc., U.S. 2006
  • Bell, Rob. Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith Zondervan Publishing House, 2005

[edit] Favorable Articles and Resources

[edit] Critical Books

  • Carson, D. A. Becoming Conversant with the Emerging Church. Grand Rapids, Michigan Zondervan, 2005.
  • Erickson, Millard. Postmodernizing the Faith: Evangelical Responses to the Challenge of Postmodernism. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 1998.
  • ________; Helseth, Paul Kjoss; and Taylor, Justin eds. Reclaiming the Center: Confronting Evangelical Accommodation in Postmodern Times. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books, 2004.
  • Groothuis, Douglas. Truth Decay. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2000.
  • Lednickey, H. Maurice. Faded Glory: The Church in a Cultural Crisis. Springfield, MO.: Gospel Publishing House 2002.
  • Smith, R. Scott. Truth and the New Kind of Christian: The Emerging Effects of Postmodernism in the Church. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books, 2005.
  • Veith, Gene Edward. Loving God with all Your Mind: Thinking as a Christian in a Postmodern World. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books, 2003.
  • ________. Postmodern Times: A Christian Guide to Contemporary thought and Culture. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books, 1994.
  • Wells, David. Above All Earthly Pow'rs: Christ in a Postmodern World. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdman’s Publishing Company, 2005.
  • ________. God in the Wasteland: The Reality of Truth in a World of Fading Dreams. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdman’s Publishing Company, 1994.
  • Yungen, Ray A Time of Departing. Silverton, Oregon Lighthouse Trails, 2006, 2nd ed.

[edit] Critical Articles and Multimedia

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