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Featured Will Baptists Fall to Emerging Church Values?

Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by righteousdude2, May 28, 2014.

  1. righteousdude2

    righteousdude2 Well-Known Member
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    To start out, here are some of the warning signs (borrowed from the following link - http://www.understandthetimes.org/commentary/c54_pf.shtml):

    *Scripture is no longer the ultimate authority as the basis for the Christian faith.
    *The centrality of the gospel of Jesus Christ is being replaced by humanistic methods promoting church growth and a social gospel.
    *More and more emphasis is being placed on building the kingdom of God now and less and less on the warnings of Scripture about the imminent return of Jesus Christ and a coming judgment in the future.
    *The teaching that Jesus Christ will rule and reign in a literal millennial period is considered unbiblical and heretical.
    *The teaching that the church has taken the place of Israel and Israel has no prophetic significance is often embraced.
    *The teaching that the Book of Revelation does not refer to the future, but instead has been already fulfilled in the past
    *An experiential mystical form of Christianity begins to be promoted as a method to reach the postmodern generation.
    *Ideas are promoted teaching that Christianity needs to be reinvented in order to provide meaning for this generation.
    *The pastor may implement an idea called “ancient-future” or “vintage Christianity” claiming that in order to take the church forward, we need to go back in church history and find out what experiences were effective to get people to embrace Christianity.
    *While the authority of the Word of God is undermined, images and sensual experiences are promoted as the key to experiencing and knowing God.
    *These experiences include icons, candles, incense, liturgy, labyrinths, prayer stations, contemplative prayer, experiencing the sacraments, particularly the sacrament of the Eucharist.
    *There seems to be a strong emphasis on ecumenism indicating that a bridge is being established that leads in the direction of unity with the Roman Catholic Church.
    *Some evangelical Protestant leaders are saying that the Reformation went too far. They are reexamining the claims of the “church fathers” saying that communion is more than a symbol and that Jesus actually becomes present in the wafer at communion.
    *There will be a growing trend towards an ecumenical unity for the cause of world peace claiming the validity of other religions and that there are many ways to God.
    *Members of churches who question or resist the new changes that the pastor is implementing are reprimanded and usually asked to leave.

    My thoughts are simple .... with everything else in our society moving more and more away from the traditional, conservative way of doing things, how long will it be before we see the youth of this country [being influenced by peers, academia, media, social change, political correctness, tolerance, etc.] start to deman and affect chenges with the traditonal Baptist church!

    It has already infiltrated the Prsbyterians, Lutherans, Catholics, Methodists, and United Church of Christ. I believe it is only a matter of time before the church will succumb to the pressures to remain relevant and operational [financially sound] affect and result in changes that will carry the Baptist church down the same path the others have fallen for!

    We know that Paul speaks of the great falling away in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 when he warns the church, "Don't be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed--the one who brings destruction." And in 2 Timothy 2:3-4, "For there will be a time when people will not tolerate sound teaching. Instead, following their own desires, they will accumulate teachers for themselves, because they have an insatiable curiosity to hear new things. And they will turn away from hearing the truth, but on the other hand they will turn aside to myths." 1 Timothy 4:1, "Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons." FINALLY, Matthew 24:9-10, "Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons."

    We know that the path to heaven/eternity is "narrow" (Matthew 7:13-14), so, I find it not far fetched to believe the day is fast approaching where will witness an apostasy of great magnitude taking place in what is left of the Bible teaching churches, including the Baptists!

    What are your thoughts on coming apostasy and falling away?
     
  2. Tom Butler

    Tom Butler New Member

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    Some Baptist churches will go in the direction you fear, but not all; maybe not even most.

    But what I fear is not that churches will embrace heresy, but that they will simply become lukewarm. They will be properly orthodox in doctrine, but will lose any passion for outreach, missions and evangelism.

    Our prayer should be that not only will the Lord protect us from error, but will also give us a passion for the lost world around us.
     
  3. Jkdbuck76

    Jkdbuck76 Well-Known Member
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    The fawning over Joel Osteen and Joyce Meyer make me sick. Sheeple sitting there THIKING they are learing God's Word.

    I listen to a podcast where a Christian listens and critiques their narcissistic sermons.

    We should not be surprised at any of this since we were warned 2,000 years ago that money is the root of all evil. In fact, Osteen' s so-called church USED to be called Prestonwood BAPTIST church.
     
  4. preachinjesus

    preachinjesus Well-Known Member
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    Just as a note, the emerging/emergent conversation has been over for about five years now. The discussion has shifted among those seeking renewal while the Emergent group has solidified their position. :)
     
  5. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    The Emerging Church no longer has any relevance or influence.
     
  6. righteousdude2

    righteousdude2 Well-Known Member
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    Didn't

    Know that? Thanks for the info!
     
  7. righteousdude2

    righteousdude2 Well-Known Member
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    I like....

    ....your words. That is probably very true. Lukewarm is a problem!
     
  8. Earth Wind and Fire

    Earth Wind and Fire Well-Known Member
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    Does lukewarm lead to aethiestism?
     
  9. prophet

    prophet Active Member
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    Nothing leads to atheism, except personal rejection of Christ.

    Unfortunately, lukewarm sects have lingered on, damaging the cause of Christ, for centuries.
     
  10. go2church

    go2church Active Member
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    Sounds more like a rehash anti sermon from 1999. The emergent church is so un-relevant that even one time emergent leaders have left the movement.

    I'm more worried about nonsense like Hagee's Blood Moon infecting churches than someone with a candle who follows the church calendar.
     
  11. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    I am dealing with this issue from some of my church members. I do not see any real damage coming from it but it is without doubt wrong.
     
  12. Yeshua1

    Yeshua1 Well-Known Member
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    What the ever present danger is for any Christian or church is the same that it always has been, as replacing the teachings of the Bible with the traditions and "doctrines" that are not of/from God!
     
  13. thisnumbersdisconnected

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    None of us should be surprised this is happening, even in >>gasp<< Baptist churches.
    2 Peter 2, NASB
    1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.
    A looming heresy involved a denial of Christ (2:1) and ridiculed the promise of his return (3:3-4). Certain teachers were consumed with fleshly lusts and despised divine authority. They were rebels—sneaky, reckless, and bold in their opposition to truth. They lived more on the animal level than as godly human beings (2:1, 10-12). These peddlers of error delighted in seducing and taking captive ignorant souls, all the while promising them freedom to live independently of the will of God (2:14, 18-19). They were church outlaws.[

    A key issue among religious scholars is whether these teachers were church members who were genuine in their conversion initially, or whether they were mere pretenders who never embraced the gospel. Baptist scholar A. T. Robertson, who endorsed the concept of eternal security and preservation of the saints, contended that they are simply “professing Christians,” that is, people who base their faith on lifelong church attendance, family ties to the church, emotional reaction without intellectual or spiritual assent to the Gospel, or -- in extreme cases -- actually had no ties, but were from the father of lies.

    Whatever the reason for their error and no matter from where they came, God told Peter this would happen, and he told us this would happen.
     
  14. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    Of course but we can all disagree on things as well without it being a theological crisis every single time.
     
  15. SolaSaint

    SolaSaint Well-Known Member

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    I think we can all agree discernment in the church today is lacking.
     
  16. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    Discipleship is the real issue or the lack of it.
     
  17. SolaSaint

    SolaSaint Well-Known Member

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    Agreed, poor or lack of discipleship will led to poor discernment. For me, I truly don't see the hunger for God's word in the church today like I remember back in the day. Call me crazy but all this Seeker Sensitive junk has led to shallow converts that may not even be converts but just pretenders that don't hunger for His word and don't hunger for righteousness, they are happy that they have added Jesus to their life but don't ask them about sanctification.
     
  18. Yeshua1

    Yeshua1 Well-Known Member
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    Yes, as God help us when we divide over issues that Jesus sees as being debatable in house things, and yet start to take on and profess the World's cultural stances and values!
     
  19. Yeshua1

    Yeshua1 Well-Known Member
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    Ues, as we have many raised up and taught that best theology is whatever charismatic teacher/pastor has 'from the Lord!"
     
  20. Revmitchell

    Revmitchell Well-Known Member
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    One doesn't have anything to do with the other.
     
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