NEWS FLASH: A new disease has stricken a very large group of people. The disease has claimed the lives of thousands, if not millions of people on a global span. Early symptoms include: - Indifference
- Lack of belief in Traditional Principles
- Excessive allowance of corruption
- Fear of offending someone
- Fear of spreading the Good News
- Lack of belief in Moral Absolutes
This disease is contagious, and anyone who comes in contact with it should contact...... umm..... Hey, here's a bright idea! The Bible!
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This is something that I would not be surprised to hear as a public service announcement one of these days. It may seem a little far fetched, but it is a reality among none other than the Church itself.
We have begun to see the "emergence" of a "New emergent man-centered religion passing for Christianity" (as one website calls it). The aptly titled "Emergent Church" is one that starts small... it grows on you. At first sight, it sounds great! What could be better than a Church with a totally outward focus?? How about a Church with a totally outward focus that denies absolutes?? From there we begin to see people being sucked into what is now one of the biggest lies told to Christians today.
Sure, we can all hold different views, but where do we draw the line? I was recently reminded by a close friend that it is extremely dangerous to put one's interpretation of the Bible ahead of someone else's... and I agreed with him. But, to quote a letter I recently wrote to someone whom I was talking with about some of the symptoms of the disease:
"Please understand that I am not randomly deciding that my view or
interpretation of the Bible is more relevant than yours. I know that to
do something like that is extremely dangerous, and ultimately wrong.
However, when the Bible gives us a blatant description of how we as
Christians should believe, we are to follow it just as it says. Doing
this is not "putting our interpretation of the Bible ahead of someone
else's," but rather is taking God at his word, and doing as he says.
"
Sometimes the term "Emergent Church" is used in conjunction with the term "Christian Spirituality." To quote the "Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality" on their website: "The Society for the Study of Christian
Spirituality (SSCS) exists to promote research and dialogue within
the growing community of persons interested in the field of spirituality.
The SSCS is ecumenical and strives to be inclusive of the widest
possible range of expressions of Christian spirituality. Its work
is interdisciplinary, encouraging the application of diverse critical
approaches to the study of spirituality."
ECUMENICAL??? Since when did we completely throw away the whole John 14:6 "No one comes to the Father..." thing??
Rob Bell, one of the "founders" of the
movement, says that: "This is not just the same old message with new methods. We’re
rediscovering Christianity as an Eastern religion, as a way of life."
Way of life? Yes. Eastern Religion? Hardly. He [Bell] does not believe
that all the answers can be found in "Scripture alone." 'Brickianity'
is the term he uses to describe churches that emphasize doctrine. Brian McLaren is the leader and founder of the Emergent Church and "'questions' the biblical doctrine of justification by grace through
faith and has that postmodern belief that it's 'dangerous' to
completely know what the gospel is." What is wrong with these people?? Sure, it is okay to question our faith, but to 'throw the baby out with the bathwater' is ridiculous, and it is exactly what they are doing. Bell's books, some of which are entitled things like: "Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith," or "Sex God: Exploring the Endless Connections between Sexuality and Spirituality" delve into a completely new world of wholly inappropriate, off-color topics and principles that violate everything that the Christian Faith stands for. To once again quote the letter I wrote:
"We have come to a point where it is no longer a war of political
persuasions, but rather that of one within the foundational principles
held by the Christian Faith. I realize we all are called to love God,
and to love our neighbors as ourselves, but a desire to be so inclusive
and tolerant that there is virtually no sense of Biblical discernment
in terms of recognizing and labeling false beliefs, practices, or
lifestyles is something that is not taught by the Bible, and is wrong.
We are called to follow exactly as the Bible teaches, and we are also
given a distinct view of the character of God through the Bible
(specifically the New Testament, but the Old is still relevant) in a
very literal sense. Each event and happening recorded in Scripture is
to be taken literally. The Bible is not a "mysterious" book that we can
never truly know the answers to, but rather a revelation of the
Character and attitude of God."
We've all heard the interesting phrase that we should not be religious, but rather relational in our walk with Christ... and for the most part, I wholeheartedly agree! But, what we will now call the "Christian Spirituality Emergent Movement" (or rather, the CSEM) takes it to a whole new level! I found an article on Wikipedia (not a very credible source, but evidence from even things like the previously aforementioned website agree with this particular article) that states "Those who speak of spirituality as opposed to religion generally meta-religiously believe in the existence of many "spiritual paths" and deny any objective truth about the best path to follow. Rather, adherents of this definition of the term emphasize the importance of finding one's own path to whatever-god-there-is, rather than following what others say works. In summary: the path which makes the most coherent sense becomes the correct one (for oneself)."
So, according to these guys, there are many "spiritual paths" to God, and we all deny objective truths! Wow... sounds like quite the PAR-TAY! Or not! These people are Christians! Or, at least they profess to be. We have strict Biblical Evidence that there ARE objective truths, and that they are inescapable! We can't decide right and wrong for ourselves... Hitler and Stalin both tried that, and it really didn't go over so well! When will Christians realize that it is not for us to decide, to pick and choose, but to watch and wait. To let him teach us is one of the greatest things we can do. It is not for us to decide what our faith mandates, we can't mold it to our interests, we have to follow exactly as it says. The CSEM movement is crippling us folks, and we have to do something about it. It is killing our Churches. Friends, keep your Church in prayer. Keep the people in positions of power within your Church in prayer. The enemy is at the gates, and is ready to take us by storm, but with the right tools, and by the Grace of God we will withstand. Posted by: T. Fehrman
Comments (5)
ROFLOL @ Sam!
Church? I don't have a Church....