Be a Soul Winner

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The Emerging Debate Unfolds

As the Emergent Church begins to defend themselves against their growing list of critics, it will be interesting to see what "dogmatics" they will come up with to defend themselves. By not wanting to take a stance on some historic doctrines like Hell, Sin, and Justification by Faith, they will undoubtedly take a stand on lesser issues. Even as we speak, the Emergent Apologists are being groomed--let's get ready to rumble!!

In summary, the Emergent Church has the following going for it: (1) A good analysis of current problems in the Evangelical Church, (2) a hunger and concern for the church and it's effectiveness in it, (3) a desire for something different than what Evangelicalism has been giving them, and (4) a concern for social issues.

They also have much going against them, such as: (1) a disdain for historic creedal and propositional understandings of doctrines, (2) an anti-Reformed sentiment, (3) a tendency to side with Liberals on important issues, (4) a theology that starts with man instead of God, (5) wishy-washy doctrinal positions that make them comfortable with Liberals, Roman Catholics and everything else under the sun, and (6) a weak understanding of the Gospel.

Simply put, the Emergent movement is dangerous to the Gospel. It exalts man over God, has a low view of Scripture, and is weak in it's understanding of the Gospel and the Church. Not everyone who identifies with the Emerging Church is guilty of this, but the leading spokesmen certainly are. Having an Orthodox statement of faith is no longer adequate in our Post Modern culture--we have to define our terms and come to certain conclusions. Don't be swayed by a good statement of faith--it can mean anything a Post Modern wants it to mean. Brian McLaren will swear up and down that he affirms the historic doctrines of the church, but it simply doesn't hold true once he is pressed on it. Be wise and discerning with this movement.

Emerging Liberalism Part Four

As the old saying goes, "You are what you eat." If that is true in the physical sense, then I suppose the Emerging Church is in the intellectual and spiritual sense taking in a healthy dose of Liberalism from their favorite books (See some of McLaren's recommended books here). You can learn a lot about a movement by looking at what they enjoy reading. His reading list is like the "Who's Who" of liberal and postmodern thought. Guilt by association isn't always a logical fallacy, if you see a pattern developing in their reading and theology. The pattern in these books leads one to believe that they really despise theology that is definite, sure, and dogmatic.

From looking at the various websites promoting the Emergent Church, I see the same books popping up over and over again. They are always similar in subject matter and scope. Words like "postmodern", "rethinking theology", "emergent faith", "social justice", "Christian conversations", etc., keep coming up. Many of these buzz words are also found on various openly liberal websites promoting everything from homosexual Christians, to denouncing the Bible as evil and irrelevant. I wonder what would actually happen if they were to have a "conversation" with some of these openly liberal Christians? Would they earnestly defend THE faith, or would they concede important doctrines on the shrine of "love".

There is a Five Views book on the subject of the Emergent Church (Look Here). Michael Horton, from Westminster Theological Seminary, makes a contribution to this debate book, so it should be a good book on the subject. In my next post, I will attempt to summarize what I have discovered about the movement and give some final thoughts on the matter.

Emerging Liberalism Part Three

Scholar and theologian, N.T. Wright, has emerged as a favorite writer of folks like Brian McLaren and others who identify with the Emerging Church Movement. Who is N.T. Wright? He is a respected Evangelical scholar from England who has written and spoken quite eloquently in defense of the Christian faith, particularly against the attacks from the now infamous Jesus Seminar.

Wright has also espoused a new way of looking at some of Paul's writings called New Perspectivism. Simply put, it challenges some of the Historic Reformation teachings on such doctrines as, Justification by Faith, Imputed Righteousness, and first century Judaic Legalism. According to Wright, Justification by Faith should not be included (or apart of) Soteriology (the study of salvation). He believes that we have largely misunderstood Paul's writings against the Judaizers and have wrongly applied the concept of "Justification by Works" to the Jews of that day. Justification is not "a legal act" that gives us peace with God, but is a "covenantal sign" of our ecclesiastical belonging. In other words, we are not immediately made Righteous in God's sight (through an act of Justification) but are actually Justified (to other Christians) by our common faith in Christ.

This is, as Phil Johnson states in his fine essay on this subject, a pretty "audacious claim." (Download Johnson's Essay Here). Have Christian commentators been wrong about this all along? Was Luther wrong? Was Calvin wrong? Has N.T. Wright finally discovered what no other theologian has seen? Wright claims that this new understanding can actually unite Catholics and Protestants---it should not be used to divide them.

Why does McLaren speak at conferences with evangelicals, liberals, and even Roman Catholics? I don't know if it is a direct application of Wright's teaching, but it is part of the same spirit. When we become theologically "fuzzy" in our understanding of such essential truths, we lose our sense of direction and purpose in the church. Justification by Faith is at the very heart of the Gospel. To discard it would be disastrous.

Why Theology Matters

Why should we care about the study of theology? The doctrines that we believe can either damn us or save us, free us or enslave us. Theology matters, because God matters. We need to love and worship God in both spirit and in truth. Since theology seeks to know God for who He really is and what He wants to communicate to us--it is of the highest importance.

We don't study theology to become a connoisseur of theology. We study theology to (1) know the true and living God for who He is and to think right thoughts about Him, and (2) to learn to worship and serve Him better. If my study of theology doesn't lead me to love and adore Him more, then I am doing it for all the wrong reasons.

My heart breaks for those who get "tossed to and fro" by every new wind of doctrine. It can happen to any of us. However, if we exalt the Word of God to mean just that--God's very WORDS to us, then we can't go too wrong. If you love God, then you love His word. You cannot separate the two.

Emerging Liberalism Part Two

Brian McLaren has "emerged" as the spokesman for the Emergent Church movement. He is articulate, likeable, and the most theological savvy of the group. He has years of experience as a pastor and his pastoral spirit really comes across when he speaks. He is a gentle man, always patient with those he speaks with.

McLaren rightly sees many problems in the contemporary Evangelical church--such as: (1) Fundamentalism, (2) a market-driven church expressed in many of the mega-churches, (3) professed believers who don't act different from the world, (4) lack of interest in social issues, (5) and a lack of generosity amongst differing theological traditions. There are more issues that trouble him, but these will suffice our considerations here. What he doesn't share as much, however, is his disdain for certain historical doctrines.

One of these "unfortunate" doctrines is the churches historical understanding of hell. The idea of a God who hates and punishes sin makes McLaren feel uncomfortable. You can hear him being interviewed on this blog site about this particular issue: www.bleedingpurplepodcast.blogspot.com. Like Robert Schuller and other liberals before him, he claims to hold to all of the historical creeds of the church, but at the same time refuses to affirm those very doctrines in his teachings. This interview is very helpful in understanding McLaren (Kudos to Josh Martin for finding it). He is being interviewed, here, by a very open liberal who seems to like McLaren very much. Unfortunately, McLaren feels right at home as well.

One of the "disarming tactics" that McLaren uses is to insist that we discuss theological issues in non Left and Right terms. In other words, don't accuse him of being a liberal on any given viewpoint. Once people start using that term on him, then his goose is cooked. He knows that better than anybody. You see, liberals know what they are teaching corresponds with liberalism, but they want you to look at the issues in a "fresh" way--we need to get rid of our "traditions" and think through the issues again.

My first impression of McLaren is that he lets his "feelings" and pastoral experience dictate his theology. He's heard all of the arguments against God before. The Doctrine of Hell is right there at the top of any critics list. In his need to "justify" God, he now feels the need to water down this particular doctrine. This demonstrates his very low view of Scripture. He's allowing his own feelings and thoughts to override what the Bible clearly teaches. Once you rationalize one doctrine away, it becomes easier to do so with others. In my next post, we will look at some of those other doctrines.

Emerging Liberalism Part One

I first heard Brian McLaren speak at a conference in Atlanta. He was one of the few speakers, there, that left an impression on me. He was thoughtful and passionate about what he talked about. He didn't turn on his "dynamic speaker" switch or push his "I am a preacher" button--he simply spoke from his heart. Though I had some reservations about some of the things that he said, I was determined not to come to a judgment about him until I read more from him.

I had almost put him out of my mind until the day that I heard that he was "disinvited" from speaking at the Kentucky Baptist Convention's Evangelism Conference in the Spring of 2005. Critical articles expressing concerns for his theology began to spring up (One Example Here). People began to openly ask, "Is he that bad...I've heard such great things about him?" Little did I know at the time just how far off he really was. My next series of posts will be dealing with the teachings of this now controversial teacher. I think that by examining his theology and thought, we can learn a lot about the subtle dangers of Liberalism and why a man-centered theology simply doesn't work. More to come later.

By Request Only

A cruel joke was once played on poor Ken here. You see, after one of his performances years ago, a man told him, "You know Ken, it's not polite to sing songs unless you have first been requested to do so." From that moment on, poor Ken never sang again.

Stop Looking At Me Like That!

This is, perhaps, the creepiest album cover that I have ever seen. Would you please tell these men to stop!

Trick Photography

Rumor has it, if you stare at this picture for 2 minutes, something amazing happens. The first time I did it, I just couldn't believe it. Try it sometime and let me know.

Jesus the Socialist?

I remember it like it was yesterday. My senior year at Ball State University and my last English course that I needed to complete my English degree. My professor (who was a liberal...imagine that!) sat calmly in her desk chair and uttered these words: "I think that Jesus...now I don't want to get struck with a lightening bolt for saying this...was the first real Communist."

After waiting a few seconds (to allow God the opportunity), I very enthusiastically spoke up in His defense. I simply pointed out her misunderstanding of the Book of Acts and that the "sharing of goods amongst the brethren" was simply that--the early church helping each other out. This was not meant to be applied to government, or a socialist system. Also, I pointed out to her the repeated terminology of Jesus, in the Scriptures, as the reigning King of Kings and Lord of Lords. A Monarchy would be more accurate in respect to Christ.

After gently, but firmly correcting her, one of the other students spoke up. He was known as the "anti-Christian" of the class. He had been very outspoken, in some of the other classes, about how he despised Christianity and how he thought it was a total waste of time. He was always very quick to speak up on the subject of Christ and Christianity. After struggling a bit with his choice of words, he stated that "Christ was to be respected" and "understood as someone truly great". There seemed to be something different in his voice--he seemed to be struggling with something.

At church, the week before, I had specifically prayed for him with the church. The whole church lifted him up and I asked that the Lord would reveal Himself to him. When we were praying, his face just came to my mind. I didn't think much of it at the time, until he said that in my class.

It was one of those "holy moments" for me. Not only did God give me the boldness and calmness to speak up that day, but He also seemed to be dealing with a hardened critic.

Master's Seminary Faculty Lectures

The Master's Seminary has now made their faculty lectures available for download (Link Here). A great resource for current and relevant issues in the church. Their faculty lectures on the Emergent Church Movement are excellent. Every semester they tackle a new issue or look at an important doctrine.

The Emergent Church Movement is an important issue to learn about. There is much about the movement, on the surface at least, that is attractive. However, when you really look at the core issues, it's nothing but Liberalism repackaged. These lectures do a great job of getting into the minds of the proponents of this movement. If there are other good resources out there, on the issue, then please let me know about them.

Successful Church Leader

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Pastor Rick Long of the Point Community Church says, "A true life-saver: Informative, practical, it really works! Better than even Seminary!"

Albert Mohler, President of Southern Seminary exclaims, "My suits have never looked better! Thank you Dr. Paul Benjamin!"

Albino Fawn

Interesting picture of an Albino Fawn. I've never heard of such a thing until now. I know that I've been living in Bagdad, Kentucky too long when the first thing that comes to mind is: "I wonder if albino venison tastes different than regular?" Sorry about that.

Clinton Vs. McCain

The 2008 Presidential race seems to be shaping up quickly. John McCain is coming out as the likely Republican favorite, while Hillary Clinton is emerging as the Democrat front-runner. Of course, much could (and will) change between now and then, but this scenario seems quite plausible. You can read about it here (2008).

In a heads up matchup, McCain would easily prevail. However, he has two major problems: (1) Age, and (2) shaky support amongst Conservative Republicans. Most are polite enough to not make his age an issue, but it will be, in my opinion, an issue nonetheless. The Conservative thing is serious but can easily be overcome. After all, McCain is pro-life, strong on defense, and has recently voted to extend some of Bush's tax-cuts. If he can successfully make his case to the Conservatives, then I believe that they will back him.

Hillary has one major problem--the people that don't like her, REALLY don't like her. Even worse, is the fact that almost half of the electorate already has made up their mind that they will NOT vote for her (around 47% in another poll that I read). She inflames passions by the mere mention of her name. This is a serious, and perhaps, fatal blow to her ambitions. It will be interesting to watch how it all unfolds.

Hodge on Justification

A classic work on Justification by Faith. Charles Hodge, the great Princeton scholar and theologian of the 19th century, lays out a very clear presentation of this important doctrine (Book Here). Both doctrinal and practical--I've used this book to witness to Mormons and others who struggle with Justification.

The understanding of this doctrine seems to be at the very heart of mankind's dilemma before God. It has been rightly said that this doctrine separates all religions into two distinct categories: (1) Those that seek to be justified by works and (2) those who seek to be justified by grace and faith. The "narrow road" of Justification by Faith is clearly in the minority, while those religious systems that seek to set works as our means of being justified before God is the "broader road" of the world. Having grown-up Roman Catholic, this doctrine is very important to me. It brings clarity to our lives and gives a sure foundation for our Christian faith.

Imputed Righteousness and Justification

Thrilled to see this article online concerning the great doctrine of Justification by Faith (Article Here). John Piper and Justin Taylor do an excellent job of not only laying out the doctrine Biblically, but also applies it practically as well.

Perhaps one of the greatest scandals in the Evangelical Church today is that this subject is rarely or never taught on. With all of the fad books floating around, it's refreshing to see some modern pastors and theologians actually publishing on these vital topics. Many of Piper's books have been best sellers, so there must be a hunger out there for more doctrinally drenched books.

I would also like to highly recommend John Piper's new DVD entitled, "When I Don't Desire God: How to Fight for Joy." You can purchase it here (DVD). The one thing that I have always appreciated about Piper's ministry is that he keeps his costs low on his resources. He will even work with those who can't afford the cost of any given resource. Freely He gave to us, freely we should give to others.

Christian Anti-Smoking Program

Want to stop smoking? Are you a Christian? Then try the new Jesus Condemns You Ashtray! The ashtray's power is in two things: (1) You have to read the message over and over again, and (2) you have to drop ash and put out your cigarettes on an image of Christ. For those of you who are against Icons and Images of Christ, then this ashtray probably won't work for you.

I stole this amazing picture from Josh Martin. You can visit his new blog here: Josh Martin. Please pray for Josh, he's been using the ashtray for some time now and still hasn't kicked the habit. He's lost his salvation many times because of it. It's a sad, sad, sad story!