The Emegent Church

Kay -

Not avoiding you - I just don't know anything about them.

 

it is new age. designed to make one feel good sans the true gospel.

 

I am generally a supporter of the emergent/emerging church so I probably can't help you with your specific question, but would be more than happy to discuss any other aspect of the emerging/emergent church you are interested in.

I would also add that the presence or absence of teaching on Hell is not a characteristic of the emergent church. I would say the rate of teaching on Hell varies among individual emergent pastors and churches as it does with any topic in any group.

 

And that statement is a good nutshell definition of emergent. It makes up doctrines on the fly, shuns orthodoxy, and abhorrs confessions and/or statements of faith, preferring a fluid spirituality in which no one is held accountable to scripture in any specific manner.

 

My point was that some emergent churches may preach about hell more than others just as some baptist churches may preach about hell more than others.

 

The biggest problem is their unwillingness to define the gospel. They say salvation comes from a relationship with Jesus, but they do now want and theology attached to that. They do not like definitive statements of doctrine. They prefer to focus on relationships.

I think they are heretical.

DA Carson wrote a great book called Becoming Conversant with the Emerging Church.

see http://www.bestwebbuys.com/Becoming..._Church-ISBN_9780310259473.html?isrc=b-search

From Amazon's description

"The emerging church movement has generated a lot of excitement and exerts an astonishingly broad influence. Is it the wave of the future or a passing fancy? Who are the leaders and what are they saying?

The time has come for a mature assessment. D. A. Carson not only gives those who may be unfamiliar with it a perceptive introduction to the emerging church movement, but also includes a skillful assessment of its theological views. Carson addresses some troubling weaknesses of the movement frankly and thoughtfully, while at the same time recognizing that it has important things to say to the rest of Christianity. The author strives to provide a perspective that is both honest and fair.
"

 

This site is very informative about the Emergent Church movement:

http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/emergingchurch.htm

Missing the Point About the Emerging Church
Scholars who are now critiquing the emerging church may be missing the most important element of all.

Many think that one of the big problems with the Emerging Church is their view on relativism (the belief that there are no absolutes). But they may be wrong, very wrong. Brian McLaren rejected relativism in a Powerpoint presentation we viewed last year. Relativism does not describe the Emerging Church. As McLaren himself said, it has to go beyond that ... and indeed it does. Where do we go from relativism, according to McLaren ... what else .... interspirituality. But remember interspirituality is the outcome of contemplative prayer and is the uniting of all religions and the denial that Jesus Christ as the only way of salvation. So many of the scholars who are analyzing the emerging church may be missing something that is right under their noses. Want to find out where the emerging church is really heading ... you are going to have to look beyond the obvious. When you reach that destination, you may be in for the shock of your life.

 

The emergent church and the seeker sensitive movement are similar in that both have a strong emphasis on reaching non-Christians. A major difference though is in approach. Seeker-sensitive churches emphasize having non-Christians "come in" to church to be evangelized to while emergent Christians have a stronger emphasis on members being missional to "go out" and live as Christ in work places, schools, communities, etc.

 

The biggest problem with it is that it is not found in the Bible.