The Emerging Church: Another Road to Rome
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The Emerging Church: Another Road to Rome
Commentary by Roger Oakland
www.understandthetimes.org
The Emerging Church controversy continues to explode. Perhaps the best way to describe the Emerging Church phenomenon is to compare it to an avalanche. Every day more and more information is being made available regarding what the Emerging Church is and where it may be headed.
The Emerging Church
It is not my purpose in writing this commentary to define every aspect of the Emerging Church. In fact it would require several volumes to do so. Even then, some would say that the Emerging Church was not defined properly.
The common denominator being promoted is the idea that the time has come for Christianity to be reinvented for our generation. In order to do so, the church must provide the environment and the experiences to attract people. Christianity, the Emerging Church promoters say, must become relevant to our postmodern generation. No longer does reason or GodÂ’s Word hold the answers to lifeÂ’s questions. Experience must become the key factor to encounter spiritual reality.
A Prayer Station that was on display at Capo Beach Calvary
April, 2005 - with instructions on how to pray with an icon
The following statement taken from a book written by Chuck Smith Jr. titled There is a Season (foreword by Brian McLaren and endorsed by Leonard Sweet) provides insight into how Christianity may be “reinvented” in the future as the Emerging Church moves away from the Word of God towards the concept of experiencing God. Chuck Smith Jr.states:
What would happen if we allowed people to “feel” what we cannot explain, to know with the heart and not with the brain? We would open the door of faith to a wider audience than if we continued to insist on a rational belief in the facts as the only legitimate starting point of the Christian faith. [1]
A prayer station created for use during the Emerging Church service at Capo Beach Calvary illustrates what Chuck Smith Jr. means by allowing his congregation to “feel” and “know with the heart and not with the brain.” This prayer station was on display during the month of April, 2005. Further, the prayer station complete with candles, incense and icons featured an instruction sheet to assist church attendees in how to pray with an icon. The instructions stated:
Praying With Icons
Draw in a slow deep breath. As you do pray, Holy Spirit surround me,
fill me, breathe life into me.
Empty your mind of all anxiety.
Empty your heart full of desire except for God.
Focus on one icon and imagine what that person might say to you about God, yourself, and others
Read the icons as if the person who painted it wanted to send a
message to you. Notice the details.
The icon is there to remind you of God: to make you conscious of His
presence, all around you.
Pray in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
(option) Cross yourself as you say these words.
Brian McLaren summarizes what the Emerging Church is in the title and subtitle of his book A Generous Orthodoxy: Why I Am a missional + evangelical + post/protestant + liberal/conservative + mystical/poetic + biblical + fundamentalist/calvinist + anabaptist/anglican + methodist + catholic + green + incarnational + depressed-yet-hopeful + emergent + unfinished Christian.
According to McLaren, the goal of the Emerging Church is to formulate a Christianity for the twenty-first century that is based on a smorgasbord of ideas in the name of Christ. There are really no ideas barred. However, based on what we read in Scripture, many of these ideas lack support or are outright heretical.
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Stephen tong is right.
We need the reform movement to bring Christians back to the right path.
Scripture is most important. We should not do anything which scripture never mention. -
yeah.....if we stick to the bible. the dumb myths abt the holy grail, mary magdalene will have no impact on us.
since when the bible mentioned abt the holy grail? its the vain invention of ppl to think that the people of those days drink from such a cup...or at worse....use using a woman.
haha
i despise Dan brown more and more now...not because of the blasphemous plot of the da vinci code. but his low intelligence on writing such a lousy story. -
I think Dan Brown is a very intelligent man mind u. To be able to write such a deceptive book for millions takes the IQ of satan to do it. & satan is very smart. But these ppl have abused their IQs so that they become very stupid. Haha. How stupid can ppl get when they know God will win in the end & still try to deny God? How come they don't use their IQ for God instead? What a waste.Originally posted by NT2:yeah.....if we stick to the bible. the dumb myths abt the holy grail, mary magdalene will have no impact on us.
since when the bible mentioned abt the holy grail? its the vain invention of ppl to think that the people of those days drink from such a cup...or at worse....use using a woman.
haha
i despise Dan brown more and more now...not because of the blasphemous plot of the da vinci code. but his low intelligence on writing such a lousy story. -
No use already. Bcos God prophesied there will be an apostasy or falling away before the Antichrist is revealed. Too late for anything.Originally posted by laoda99:Stephen tong is right.
We need the reform movement to bring Christians back to the right path.
Scripture is most important. We should not do anything which scripture never mention. -
if you are not affected by dan brown's story than you wouldn't hate him at all.Originally posted by NT2:yeah.....if we stick to the bible. the dumb myths abt the holy grail, mary magdalene will have no impact on us.
since when the bible mentioned abt the holy grail? its the vain invention of ppl to think that the people of those days drink from such a cup...or at worse....use using a woman.
haha
i despise Dan brown more and more now...not because of the blasphemous plot of the da vinci code. but his low intelligence on writing such a lousy story. -
Originally posted by Ito_^:if you are not affected by dan brown's story than you wouldn't hate him at all.
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hate him becoz he will bring to hell?Originally posted by Ito_^:if you are not affected by dan brown's story than you wouldn't hate him at all. -
bring what to hell?
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Orh.... Laoda, need to go repent.... cause hateing someone is equal to murder which is a sinOriginally posted by laoda99:hate him becoz he will bring to hell?
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God's stupidity is still smarter than Man's intelligence.Originally posted by Repented John 2:I think Dan Brown is a very intelligent man mind u. To be able to write such a deceptive book for millions takes the IQ of satan to do it. & satan is very smart. But these ppl have abused their IQs so that they become very stupid. Haha. How stupid can ppl get when they know God will win in the end & still try to deny God? How come they don't use their IQ for God instead? What a waste. -
and since you have said so, why do you not acknowledge that the OT is relevant and applicable to our lives? there are no two covenants as you claim, but the one covenant, because there will be neither jew nor gentile when Yeshua returns again...Originally posted by laoda99:Stephen tong is right.
We need the reform movement to bring Christians back to the right path.
Scripture is most important. We should not do anything which scripture never mention. -
Originally posted by vince69:Orh.... Laoda, need to go repent.... cause hateing someone is equal to murder which is a sin
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looking at the title, prompts me to think, yes, many roads leads to Rome, actually there is a saying All roads leads to Rome....Originally posted by Repented John 2:The Emerging Church: Another Road to Rome
my thought is, but there is only one way that leads to Heaven, that which is Jesus Christ our Lord. -
Im sorry, but Satan doesnt exist.Originally posted by Repented John 2:I think Dan Brown is a very intelligent man mind u. To be able to write such a deceptive book for millions takes the IQ of satan to do it. & satan is very smart. But these ppl have abused their IQs so that they become very stupid. Haha. How stupid can ppl get when they know God will win in the end & still try to deny God? How come they don't use their IQ for God instead? What a waste.