Ministry and the Emergent Church

Over the last few years there has been a great deal talk about the Emergent Church and recently I was directed to a video on the issue as I visited another site I enjoy reading:

10 Signs You May Have Entered the Emergent Church Zone

Now the fact remains that the Emergent church is a reaction to traditional church. The belief that we have entered a new era where ministry in the post modern world. My article here is to engage this video in relationship to effective ministry. I simply ask the question is the video accurate and does the Emergent Church have a point.

1. Doctrinal Statements are a good thing but I myself have seen doctrinal statements get completely out of hand. When you are defining what being a Christian is and you leave no room for variance of opinion at all you have gone to far. There is a central core of Christian doctrine that all churches subscribe too but it is often the extras that break Christian fellowship and in that regard the Emergent Church is right on. The Emergent Church is funny this way, I admit: they do have statements on how not to make doctrine to big a deal but they still define their views on the Bible, the trinity, etc. But may that is their point -- "In essentials unity, in non essentials liberty, in all things charity.

2. Polemics refers to an aggressive attack on the opinions of another group or person. I hate to say it that the Emergent church has a point on this one -- I have seen Christian Brother divide against one another because of this problem -- when we get so involved in in being Right that we forget to love one another and allow for differences of opinion we are not really following Christ anymore. I have no problem with engaging other people's ideas to test them to see if they are right (See my Tiptoeing Through the TULIPs series), I do have a great deal of problem with Spirit it is usually done in. At the end of the day, I still want to go out and sit with my Christian brother or sister and have dinner and friendship.

3. Like the third comment -- commercialism is often attacked but it is amazing how many churches do so and then advertise their church in the paper. That however is not simply a Emergent Church problem, it hits a lot of others as well.

4. The fourth point the video makes is a good one. The Emergent Church's problem is that irrelevancy often is more important to them than anything -- including the plain statements made by Scripture. Evangelism in such churches is often watered down to what God does for me, instead of what God asks of me.

5. I am not sure the guy on this point is right. 'Living incarnationally' means to live like Christ. It is a reaction to the character of many Christians who know their faith but don't live it in their daily lives. It means to not only know how Christ lives, but model it in your own lives. Sorry the guy is overgeneralizing on this one.

6. Not sure in this one, the point he is making is confusing. He should define his terms a little better.

7. Good point, but not all Emergent Churches do this, another overgeneralizing point.

8. I do not see this as a problem. The fact is theology without relationships is dry and dead (See Revelation 2:1-7) but relationship without theology is nothing but feel good nonsense. If a church argues theologically for relationship and can do so with the Scriptures how are they wrong? This question has been around long before the Emergent Church.

9. I like this one, but I have not really met an emergent church person who does this in truth. It seems to be an attack by their critics but I have yet to see and example of it myself.

10. I think the emergent churches point on propositional understanding of Scripture is actually more of a point involving how this is only one facet of interpretation. I propositional understand Scripture but i don't stop there. I also ask the question how it applies to my relationship to God. The fact is not all truth is prepositionally attained or understood. I don't reject this as a method, but it also has its limits -- kind of like logic.

All this said I like the video and enjoyed some of its points. I just think at times it over generalizes. When you present the views of someone you are arguing against you should be more accurate with what they actually say and do.