As New Fads Emerge
November 20th, 2007
(By Phil Johnson)
This is a continuation of our series on “The Fad-Driven Church.”
According to the cover article in November’s Christianity Today [2004], the next big fad is already on the horizon. It’s the “Emergent Church” movement—seeker-sensitivity gone to seed. It’s Saddleback for postmodernists—Willow Creek to the tenth power, for the pierced and tatooed generation. The most influential people in the Emergent Church movement are people who have consciously and deliberately abandoned the authority of Scripture.
Like all good postmodernists, Emergent Christians hate clarity and precision. They despise authority, and they detest certainty. They say they don’t want answers; they want mystery. They don’t want to be preached to; they want a conversation. They don’t want to have to judge whether something is orthodox or heretical, true or false; they want to create their own spiritual reality, and they want to be affirmed while they do it. Unfortunately, the evangelical movement has plenty of people who are willing to affirm all of those things.
At last year’s Emergent convention in San Diego, one of the speakers, Doug Pagitt, pastor of an Emergent Church known as Solomon’s Porch in Minneapolis, told Emergent church leaders he is convinced preaching is no longer a viable methodology for worship or evangelism in a postmodern world. “Preaching is broken,” he said.
Postmodern people don’t trust authority figures. They don’t want to hear someone stand up and expound the Word of God. It’s unhealthy, he says. It’s abusive. “Why do I get to speak for 30 minutes and you don’t?” he asked.
He went on: “A sermon is often a violent act. . . . It’s a violence toward the will of the people who have to sit there and take it.”
Let me say this: That epitomizes the direction all these fads are moving. The fad-driven church cannot be a church governed by the Word of God. If you get your direction by seeing which way the winds of change are blowing and following the prevailing trend, you are being disobedient to the clear command of Ephesians 4:14, which instructs us not to do that.
The way the wind is blowing these days is not good. The doctrine of justification by faith is under attack on several fronts. In England at the moment, there’s a huge controversy brewing because one of the most popular and well-known young British evangelical media figures—a man named Steve Chalke, published a book last year titled The Lost Message of Jesus. In it, he attacks the doctrine of original sin. He denounces the principle of penal substitution, suggesting that the doctrine of substitutionary atonement as evangelicals have historically understood and proclaimed it amounts to “cosmic child abuse.” He insists that God would never punish His Son for other people’s offenses. On page 182 of the book, he asks, “How have we come to believe that at the cross this God of love suddenly decides to vent His anger and wrath [against sin] on His own Son?” How have we come to believe that? I’ll tell you how I came to believe that: because the Bible says so (Isaiah 53:10): “It pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. [He made] His soul an offering for sin.”
The problem is, in the contemporary, fad-driven evangelical culture, almost no one is left who is both equipped and willing to answer a view like that. Someone decided several years ago that the word propitiation is too technical and not user-friendly enough for contemporary Christians, so preachers stopped explaining the principle of propitiation. Now that this idea is under attack, we have a generation of leaders who don’t remember what it meant or why it’s important to defend. And the overwhelming majority of British evangelicals have rushed to Steve Chalke’s defense, claiming his critics are just overweening negativists who are behind the times and out of touch with this postmodern era. The leadership of the evangelical alliance in England are busy wringing their hands about the “tone” of the debate and the “unity” of their movement—and frankly if things follow the historical pattern, ultimately very little will be done to stem the tide of heresy this book has already unleashed. (And you can be sure that the same ideas will be making the rounds of the evangelical movement in America soon. There are frankly already lots of people in American evangelicalism who are eager to challenge the doctrine of substitutionary atonement. This has been one of the main items on the Open Theists’ agenda for several years.)
Something seriously needs to change in order to rescue the idea of historic evangelicalism from the contemporary evangelical movement. And here’s what needs to change: A generation of preachers needs to rise up and be committed to preaching the Word, in season and out of season, and be willing to ignore the waves of silly fads that come and go and leave the church’s head spinning.
Scripture is better than any fad. Preaching the Word of God is more effective than any new methodology contemporary church experts have ever invented. I don’t care who thinks preaching is “broken.” If we would get back to the clear proclamation and exposition of God’s Word, everything that’s broken about contemporary preaching would be fixed.
“They don’t want to hear someone stand up and expound the Word of God. It’s unhealthy,”
This is a statement from a wolf, and the hirelings flee, because they don’t care for the sheep. The Good Shepherd will never leave His sheep, nor will His under-shepherds. I pray Doug would see his error.
“A generation of preachers needs to rise up and be committed to preaching the Word,”
Amen. And there are. I met one recently. He’s young, and he’s a little bit crazy, but he loves preaching, and he loves theology and doctrine, and he’s reading John Owen, and loves it. He’s a reformed young man, who loves the Lord, and is determined to preach the truth in love.
He has a tatoo on his forearm that spells GOSPEL. I hate tatoos, but I can meet this young man at the authority of God’s Word.
“It seemed good to me … to write to you … That you might know the CERTAINTY of those things.” Luke 1:3-4
Very good article. Thanks Phil.
Excellent Article. I have a pair of very godly 60 year old neighbors who are being sucked into the emergent movement. They constantly relay to me how “cool” the church is. This is what happens with the church glorifies the consumer instead of God. Just give them whatever they want to get them to the altar.
Sad stuff.
“The leadership of the evangelical alliance in England are busy wringing their hands about the “tone” of the debate and the “unity” of their movement—and frankly if things follow the historical pattern, ultimately very little will be done to stem the tide of heresy this book has already unleashed.”
This is incredibly true. More ink and time is wasted on harping on the STYLE of the critiquing message than on the SUBSTANCE of the critiquing message.
The proponents of “cosmic child abuse” totally distort the phrase “truth-in-love” to “ambiguity-in-LOVE” so that all-important feelings and self-esteem are protected.
Great article. Especially interesting is what’s going on in England with the emergent church - at the same time of explosive growth of Islam in England. When you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.
I am a fad-chasing charismatic independent church survivor. I began attending that church with about four families and learned more sound Bible doctrine in one year than my entire life. But, as the church grew and the pastor changed, it seemed that no one was satisfied with the “God” that they had. People were travelling to conventions and meetings to get the laughter in the spirit, the gold teeth, and the newest revelation. Everyone wanted someone to prophesy over them. I began to wonder what was wrong with me because I was very satisfied with the revelation of Christ that I had. Yes, I wanted to learn more and become more obedient to the Word, but I didn’t understand what seemed to me to be so many un-met needs. I stayed in that church until I felt God was leading me to leave. It seems that it was training ground for me. I watched as people were “slain in the spirit,” spoke in other tongues, and delivered the lastest Word from the Lord or vision they had received. Now, I do believe in supernatural miracles and experiences; but I also believe that Satan was working through people in that church who were so hungry to appear spiritual or to even be spiritual. The final straw for me was when the pastor told the congregation that anyone who did not speak in tongues was not saved. To the pastor, that was proof of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. I remember sittng in that service, angry, with my arms folded. It was not long after that when I left the church. The pastor was devasted when I left…didn’t see it coming. I didn’t share all of my concerns becasue it was obvious that they were not going to be received in love. To be part of that experience felt like spiritual rape, that innocent people were being taken advantage. It also angered me that tbe pulpit and altar were prostituted.
It is for those of you who have never been part of that kind of church experience that I decided to share. I do not usually discuss it, but I felt God’s leading. It is overwhelmingly sad to see CHRISTIANS so easily led away from the foundation of truth. I have heard that the church is now affiliated with the Kingdom Now people. (I can only assume that this is another heretical fad. They preach that Jesus won’t return until we’re perfected….like little Jesuses. EarlPaulk? Phil, any insights?)
Thank you for this series of articles. It helps to be armed with information so that I can pray for this church in particlar. Their faces haunt me, like lambs to the slaughter.
Hi Phil,
I am confused by fundamentalist- calvinist-evangelicals.
That is why I seek answers from Emergent Church books and other sources. But I seek answers from you too. There is a lot of mystery in the Bible. There is stuff I can’t explain. I don’t want to sound sarcastic but I don’t understand why you guys who say you have clarity and precision won’t or can’t answer BIBLE questions. You say the Bible is without error. OK. I want to know why fundamentalists don’t practice Bible customs. We follow some laws in the OT but ignore others. Why? Maybe the EMERGENT guys are just trying to make some sence out of it all.
We are supposed to repent of sin. But what is sin? We are not under the law. So what sins should we as christians stop doing in order to repent? How should we then live?
Homosexuality is an abomination in the OT but so is eating shrimp. Why should we be against GAY MARRAGE and not RED LOBSTER? I am not kidding. I would like answers and I assume others would too. I want to know GOD I don’t reject him. Onan would not impregnate his sister in law and God was upset. Why don’t we practice that custom any more? These are just a couple of examples. Please offer your answers and see how they stack up against the OPEN THEO people and the EMERGENT people.
Thanks, Keith
Only one small quibble; I wouldn’t call the Emergent movement the “next big fad”. Some major players are already distancing themselves from both the name and the philosophy. Not surprising. Fads, by their very nature attract the fickle among us. Perhaps we could ask one of the disillusioned former emergents where we can find the next “revolutionary ideology”?
Tahnks for this series. I reminds us of what needs to be at the core of our work in advancing the Kingdom the way the Lord commands.
“Homosexuality is an abomination in the OT but so is eating shrimp. Why should we be against GAY MARRAGE and not RED LOBSTER?”
This is one place where Brian McLaren’s in error. Sexual purity is something that should be oobvious. When a man lies with another man, or a woman with a woman, even nature shows this is wrong.
This would be a long rabbit trail to discuss all what you ask here Keith.
But I did want to touch on what Brian McLaren said about the sin of fornication between two men. He said we need to revisit it in 5 to 10 years, because it’s too complicated.
I believe God would not be happy with a statement like that, from someone who claims to be a Christian, and a pastor.
Fornication is condemned in the NT. So is murder, pride, hatred, and many other sins are plainly listed for us. Food, and the eating of different foods is not condemned.
If this is too far down a rabbit path, then I’d be glad to delete this comment.
Keith,
The reason that we do not practice many OT customs, is because not all of scripture is didactic teaching. Much of the OT is historical narative, and while there are many principles to be gained from it, we are not commanded to do everything that they did (Ruth for example).
The Bible does not claim to contain everything there is to know about astronomy, but everything that it does say is true. The Bible does not claim to contain everything there is to know about history, but everything it does say is true. However, the Bible does claim to contain everything there is to know about life and Godliness.
You said, “Homosexuality is an abomination in the OT but so is eating shrimp.”
In Genesis, God gave us EVERYTHING to eat. Dietary laws have no connection with morality. God’s laws for marriage (and any other moral issue), however, apply to all men.
You must believe that the Bible is without error to be a Chrisian. If the Bible contains error, then it is not trustworthy. If it is not trustworthy, then we cannot place our faith in the gospel it contains.
Phil,
You said, “Like all good postmodernists, Emergent Christians hate clarity and precision. They despise authority, and they detest certainty. They say they don’t want answers; they want mystery.”
This is so true and so dangerous. They claim to be seeking answers, but when directed to the source of those answers, “well the Bible is not clear” or “Oh yea, well the Bible also says this”. Thanks for the article.
Keith,
I’m taking a shot at answering your questions.
We are supposed to repent of sin. But what is sin? We are not under the law. So what sins should we as christians stop doing in order to repent?
He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. — John 3:16
This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He (AO)has sent. - John 6:30
…and whatever is not from faith is sin. - Rom 14:23b
And without faith it is impossible to please Him… - Heb 11:6a
How should we then live?
Please see Eph 4:17 through the end of the book. I am not kidding.
Homosexuality is an abomination in the OT but so is eating shrimp. Why should we be against GAY MARRAGE and not RED LOBSTER?
A voice came to him, “Get up, Peter, kill and eat!” But Peter said, “By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean.” Again a voice came to him a second time, “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.” — Acts 10:13-15
For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. — Rom 1:26-27
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. — 1Cor 6:9-10
I want clarity and precision. Thanks for the input. It makes me feel better. I had pork short ribs for dinner last night. I am glad it is not forbidden. Is slavery forbidden in the NT or the OT? Is polygamy forbidden in the NT or OT? Is oral sex or masterbation forbidden? Is eating blood forbidden in the NT? We should not murder. Should we keep the Sabbath? Should we kill people who don’t keep it? Sexual purity should be obvious. Why should it be? Can’t God just tell us? The Bible implies polygamy is OK because it gives laws for its proper execution. But we tend to think of it as a sin? Why? Don’t get me wrong. I think HOMOSEXUALITY is a sin. I think there are a couple of places in the Bible that say HOMOSEXUALITY is sin. But there are places that it is a sin not to KILL Wiccans. And the Bible commands killing HOMO SEXUALS. Why do we choose not to obey those moral/civil laws? The folks in Salem did kill witches and we think of them as wrong. Why don’t we burn people at the stake for heresy anymore? Maybe the EMERGENT brothers are just trying to figure things out. Maybe they are being honest and admiting they don’t understand the Bible. Should we kill Homosexuals or have a CONVERSATON with them? Do we really want to go back to the good old days of Calvin and Luther? If we did we MIGHT start a campaign to BURN the United Pentecostals at the stake because they are modalists concerning the Trinity. I like hearing your input (all of you). It helps me try to understand GOD and this universe better. I hope my examples don’t sound to sarcastic, but I really do struggle with these questions. And I think our EMERGENT brothers do too. If you have the answers they seek, let them know. Have a conversation with them. Thanks.
Hi Phil!
I have to admit that I’m a first timer to this blog but I found your posts very interesting. I have heard many people complaining about the emergent church and its lack of authority and reference to the Word.
However, no matter what fad may come, the Word of the Lord will always remain. How we interpret his visions and the impacts may change, but we must cling to the hope we find and the truth of the resurrection.
Our pastor did a sermon this week about our call to spread the resurrection to all nations. How powerful of an idea, death is no longer our enemy, Jesus has won the victory. May we bring this light and truth to the darkness that covers the earth and be the beacon of truth to a world in need of a Savior.
One thing I would encourage you to consider is if the church is turning against itself, how will it stand? Instead of persecuting fellow Christians, we should be praying and encouraging each other in truth and love.
-Kelly
Thank you, Phil. Please correct me if it is needed, but I believe that this type of fad driven mentality thrives because of the modern concordance study mentality, meaning I use a concordance to find a verse here and there, out of context usually, that fits, or seems to fit, my “theology”. If it is “supported” by a Bible verse, it must be good. Even if that verse is twisted to say the exact opposite of what it really says.
Again, thank you for this series and the Shpherd’s Conference message.
Hi Kieth,
I recommend you get a hold of a DVD called “Herman Who”; you can get a copy from the online store at www.livingwaters.com and probably a few other places (its only 20 bucks).
The hermeneutic principles taught in the DVD will help you find answers to the questions you are raising. It will give you the basic tools you need to understand how to interpret the Old Testament in light of the covenant we are currently living in.
I think you will find it a 75 minutes well spent (or maybe a bit more if you are trying to fully answer all the questions in the discussion guide!).
“Maybe the EMERGENT brothers are just trying to figure things out.”
I think they, (some that is), think they have it figured out, by saying they don’t need to figure it out.
“but I really do struggle with these questions.”
Tell the Lord you want to understand, and you will, if you really want to know. The Scriptures are very clear in much of what you struggle about. However, the deeper things of God is a different question.
The Bible is pure and simple in many teachings. god does not want us to be bewildered about the simple things of His Word.
However, they are spiritually discerned, and the natural man can not know them, he must be born again. Perhaps many of these EC people need to be born again? And then they will see the pure and simple truths of the Bible.
Happy Thanksgiving!
“Instead of persecuting fellow Christians,”
Who’s doing that Kelly? Or are you sinply making a general statement?
In response to Doug Pagitt, there is a logical inconsistency to what he is saying. He is an authority figure standing up at a conference telling us that people don’t trust authority figures. He is lecturing that expounding the word of God is abusive. I would assume that lecturing us on its abusive nature is also abusive. Just as a sermon is an act of violence on the will of the people, so too must a lecture about sermons be an act of violence.
Keith,
I would recommend the book “knowing scripture” by R.C. Sproul. While I do not agree with all of his beliefs, This book is an excellent resource on properly interpreting scripture.
God commanded the Israelites to do many things that He does not command us to do. For instance: killing those who were morally perverse. God commands us in Romans 12:18 “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.” That is what God commands us to do. We must be able to interpret which commands are cultural, and which are moral.
1 John 3:4 gives us a definition of sin: “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.”
Keith,
“Maybe the EMERGENT brothers are just trying to figure things out. Maybe they are being honest and admiting they don’t understand the Bible.”
If the emergent brothers (and sisters) don’t understand the Bible don’t you think that it would be prudent of them to submit themselves in humility to more a more knowledgeable shepherds teaching and preaching to learn to understand the bible?
I doubt that as a possibility because according to one emergent leader,”Preaching is an act of violence toward the wills of the people who have to sit there and take it.”
And in our pride, we certainly don’t want that….do we?
I think some emergents need to make the even more honest statement of “We don’t WANT to understand the bible. Mystery allows me to keep doing what I enjoy doing.
I’ve found in my life that everything is only as complicated, or unclear, or mysterious as I need to make it to justify my present sinful actions or inactions.
Grace & Peace my friend.
Chris: “Only one small quibble; I wouldn’t call the Emergent movement the “next big fad”. Some major players are already distancing themselves from both the name and the philosophy. Not surprising. Fads, by their very nature attract the fickle among us.”
Exactly. But note: The message these articles were transcribed from is more than tree years old already. The Emerging/Emergent fad is already unraveling. Sadly, for people who have imbibed the fad-chasing mentality, what’s coming next is even worse. I write about these things on my blog weekly, and I’m trying my best to keep up with the shifting trends.
These would be very discouraging times to be a Christian if we did not know God is sovereign.
“Sadly, for people who have imbibed the fad-chasing mentality, what’s coming next is even worse. I write about these things on my blog weekly, and I’m trying my best to keep up with the shifting trends.”
“Shifting trends?” Hmmmmm. I think that the next big fad will be “The Shift”. I think that Brian McLaren is already starting to align himself with it. And yes, it is worse than emergent.
Keith,
You have asked good questions in regards to the law and I want to approach you with a covenantal understanding of the law in regards to ethical questions. I hope you find what I say here helpful.
First we must remember that our God is an unchanging God and he would never command something that went against his character. It is because of this we are to keep the law; that we may be more like Jesus and reflect his character. Because of this, adherence to God’s law is the responsibility of all men.
Though it is certain that Christ has fulfilled the law, it is also certain that he did not come to abolish the law. As a reflection of God’s moral character, the law is a great tool for our sanctification and should therefore cause great joy as it is an instrument used of God to conform us to the image of his Son, whose perfect righteousness was in accordance to the law. As the scriptures say, the law serves as our tutor, leading us towards Christ.
Through the law we are able to reflect all that is righteous and good. Though we are justified by faith alone, it is only by following the law that we may understand God’s will for our lives and know if our actions are pleasing to him.
There are many questions in regards to the continuity/discontinuity of scriptures that I am still dealing with today (though I have come to the conclusion that the ceremonial aspects are no longer needed as their sole purpose was to point towards Christ), however, one thing is for certain. God’s law is a reflection of God and the more we follow it, the more we reflect his altogether lovely character.
Sincerely Yours,
BD
BD said,
“we are to keep the law; that we may be more like Jesus and reflect his character. Because of this, adherence to God’s law is the responsibility of all men.”
Should we stone our rebellious sons to death?
That is not a ceremonial law.
If not. Why not?
Please some one give me the proper interpretation of this.