The Emergent Church

[methinkshe]

I have not yet managed to pin down exactly what is the emerging church. However, I think I got a taste of it today at our fellowship. Our pastor said that a limping leg holds back a functioning arm (and limped across the stage, with arm flailing to prove it) and that he had a prophetic word that very soon God will separate the limping legs from the functioning arms so that the bride of Christ will emerge spotless and the limping legs will be left behind.

Hmmmmmmmmm...............

Ruth

[OLD SCHOOL]

tsth:

Thanks so much for sharing that with me. You know how it feels. There aren't many good fundamental churches to go to. I went to a church last night that was pretty good. I like Sat even services but not sure if I'll join. The pastor

was good and leads a Bible study on Tues mornings. I'm not 60 yet but have been retired for 3 years and love the traveling and doing nothing-lol.

You're right about the the seeker services and the big numbers but these non-traditional churches water down the scriptures to lure the "un-churched" in and entertain them with drama and what not to keep them in. Their services are equivalent to a rock concert blowing everyone's ear drums out.

No thanks for me.

But thanks again for your wisdom and encouragement and God Bless YOu.

OLD SCHOOL

Edited July 29, 2007 by OLD SCHOOL

[MrLuke]

tsth:

Thanks so much for sharing that with me. You know how it feels. There aren't many good fundamental churches to go to. I went to a church last night that was pretty good. I like Sat even services but not sure if I'll join. The pastor

was good and leads a Bible study on Tues mornings. I'm not 60 yet but have been retired for 3 years and love the traveling and doing nothing-lol.

You're right about the the seeker services and the big numbers but these non-traditional churches water down the scriptures to lure the "un-churched" in and entertain them with drama and what not to keep them in. Their services are equivalent to a rock concert blowing everyone's ear drums out.

No thanks for me.

But thanks again for your wisdom and encouragement and God Bless YOu.

OLD SCHOOL

I have no problem with the new music and drama and skits in church, as long as what they sing and what they perform are in line with God's word! I cna't stand these "wishy washy" songs that have no Biblical backbone at all in their lyrics, except maybe some strung out line that resembles a line of Holy Writ..

And don't even get me started on the Political Correct terms they use like the one you mentioned - "unchurched"!

PEOPLE ARE LOST!!! And I don't care how much offense that causes, God calls them lost so they shall be known as lost to me unless He comes down and changes the Bible to say the "unchurched sheep of Israel" and other such things...

I'll stop now before I start ranting some!

[OLD SCHOOL]

All I can say about that kind of music is, when I went to my aunt's funeral which was in a church across town, it was the first time I felt like I was in church in years with the old time hymns they sang and the way they sang them. Those songs have doctrine in them.

There is another church just a bit too far for me that has grown to over a thousand members recently doing it the traditional way - good old time preaching and singing.

The drama is just a gimmick of the non-traditional churches but to each his own.

God bless.

[MrLuke]

Those songs have doctrine in them ... The drama is just a gimmick of the non-traditional churches but to each his own.

That's what I was saying, if the new songs they write have good sound Biblical basis, then good on them! It doesn't just have to be all that drawn out hymn style music to be Biblically accurate.

And non-traditional doesn't necessarily mean bad. Just depends what traditions they are replacing the old with.

[OLD SCHOOL]

AGREED!

[MrLuke]

AGREED!

Huzzar

[EricH]

The emergent movement is wide and varied. Like any group there are people at the extremes that do not truly represent most of those in the movement

[methinkshe]

The emergent movement is wide and varied. Like any group there are people at the extremes that do not truly represent most of those in the movement

What bothers me inasmuch as I have been able to pin down what the emergent church is, is that there seems to be a blanket dismissal as legalism or religiosity of all that has gone before within the church of Christ. So that, for instance, my 80 yr old mother who has been a Christian for 60+ years, and is known and accepted as a dear sister in Christ by all those who know her, and whose works are very much evidence of her faith, is dimissed as legalistic because she will not dance in church, or raise her hands on demand (she has often raised her hands of her own accord but rejects being instructed to as "proof" of her spirit-leadness.) Such dismissal of elders in Christ by some who are, by comparison, very new converts seems to me to be bordering on heretical. There is nothing new under the sun, so Solomon says, and all that the emerging church is resurrecting is ancient gnostic heresies as far as I can tell. They rely on a continuing revelation and a form of experientially derived mysticism as opposed to the Canon of Scripture - God's Word. This is dangerous territory, i.m.o. and has overtones of occult practice. But this is only what I have been able to gather of the movement because it is very amorphous and difficult to pin down. Suffice to say that it doesn't witness to my spirit.

Nevertheless, I'd be interested to hear from other brothers and sisters in the Lord who have greater experience than I of this movement.

Ruth