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Emerging Church: “is a Christian movement of
the late 20th and early 21st centuries that crosses
a number of theological boundaries: participants
can be described as Protestant, post-Protestant,
catholic, evangelical,[1] post-evangelical, liberal,
post-liberal, conservative, post-conservative,
anabaptist, adventist,[2] reformed, charismatic,
neocharismatic, and post-charismatic. “
“In the US, some Roman Catholics have also
begun to describe themselves as being part of the
emergent conversation.[1]”
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“Stuart Murray states: ‘Emerging churches are
so disparate there are exceptions to any
generalisations. Most are too new and too fluid
to clarify, let alone assess their significance.
There is no consensus yet about what language
to use: 'new ways of being church'; 'emerging
church'; 'fresh expressions of church'; 'future
church'; 'church next'; or ‘the coming church’.”
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“Proponents believe the movement transcends such
‘modernist’ labels of ‘conservative’ and ‘liberal,’
calling the movement a ‘conversation’ to emphasize
its developing and decentralized nature, its vast
range of standpoints [beliefs], and its commitment to
dialogue.”
“What those involved in the conversation mostly
agree on is their disillusionment with the organized
and institutional church and their support for the
deconstruction of modern Christian worship,
modern evangelism, and the nature of modern
Christian community.”
“The emerging church favors the use of simple story
and narrative.”
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“Members of the movement often place a high
value on good works or social activism,
including missional living.[3] While some
Evangelicals emphasize eternal salvation,
many in the emerging church emphasize the
here and now.”[4]
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“Gibbs and Bolger[24] interviewed a number of
people involved in leading emerging churches
and from this research have identified some
core values in the emerging church, including
desires to imitate the life of Jesus; transform
secular society; emphasize communal living;
welcome outsiders; be generous and creative;
and lead without control.”
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“Emerging Christians began to challenge the
modern church on issues such as: institutional
structures, systematic theology, propositional
teaching methods, a perceived preoccupation
with buildings, an attractional understanding
of mission, professional clergy, and a perceived
preoccupation with the political process and
unhelpful jargon (‘Christian-ese’).[35]”
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“As a result, some in the emerging church
believe it is necessary to deconstruct modern
Christian dogma. One way this happens is by
engaging in dialogue, rather than proclaiming
a predigested message, believing that this
[dialogue] leads people to Jesus through the
Holy Spirit on their own terms.”
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“The emerging church movement contains a
great diversity in beliefs and practices,
although some have adopted a preoccupation
with sacred rituals, good works, and political
and social activism. Much of the Emerging
Church movement has also adopted the
approach to evangelism which stressed peerto-peer dialogue rather than dogmatic
proclamation and proselytizing.[36]”
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“A plurality of Scriptural interpretations is
acknowledged in the emerging church
movement. Participants in the movement
exhibit a particular concern for the effect of the
modern reader's cultural context on the act of
interpretation echoing the ideas of postmodern
thinkers. …”
“Some emerging church leaders see interfaith
dialogue a means to share their narratives as
they learn from the narratives of others.”
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“A Christian is then defined by their focus and
movement toward Christ rather than a limited
set of shared beliefs and values.[39]”
“Teachers in the Emerging Church tend to
view the Bible and its stories through a lens
which they believe finds significance and
meaning for their community's social and
personal stories rather than for the purpose of
finding cross-cultural, propositional absolutes
regarding salvation and conduct.[41]”
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“The emerging church claims they are creating
a safe environment for those with opinions
ordinarily rejected within modern conservative
evangelicalism and fundamentalism. Noncritical, interfaith dialog is preferred over
dogmatically-driven evangelism in the
movement.[42] Story and narrative replaces the
dogmatic:”
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“The bible is no longer a principal source of
morality, functioning as a rulebook. The
gradualism of postmodernity has transformed
the text into a guide, a source of spirituality, in
which the power of the story as a moral
reference point has superseded the didactic
[instruction or teaching].”
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“Those in the movement do not engage in
aggressive apologetics or confrontational
evangelism in the traditional sense, preferring
to encourage the freedom to discover truth
through conversation and relationships with
the Christian community.[44]”
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“This can involve everything from expressive,
neocharismatic style of worship and the use of
contemporary music and films to more ancient
liturgical customs and eclectic expressions of
spirituality, with the goal of making the church
gathering reflect the local community's tastes.”
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“Emerging church practitioners are happy to take
elements of worship from a wide variety of historic
traditions, including traditions of the Catholic
Church, the Anglican churches, the Orthodox
churches, and Celtic Christianity. From these and
other religious traditions emerging church groups
take, adapt and blend various historic church
practices including liturgy, prayer beads, icons,
spiritual direction, the labyrinth, and lectio divina.
The Emerging Church is also sometimes called the
‘Ancient-Future’ church.[61]”
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“One of the key social drives in Western Postindustrialized countries, is the rise in new/old
forms of mysticism. … Therefore, the Emerging
Church is operating in a new context of
postmodern spirituality, as a new form of
mysticism. … many people now believe in and are
searching for something more spiritual
(postmodern view). This has been characterized as
a major shift from religion to spirituality.”
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“[T]he Emerging Church Movement is seeking to
missionally assist people to shift from being
spiritual tourists to Christian pilgrims. Many are
drawing on ancient Christian resources
recontextualised into the contemporary such as
contemplation and contemplative forms of prayer,
symbolic multi-sensory worship, story telling and
many others.[66] This again has required a change
in focus as the majority of unchurched and
dechurched people are seeking 'something that
works' rather than something that is ‘true’. [67]”
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerging_church#cite_note-15)
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World wide movement
Involves all of Christendom and other religions
Includes some in Seventh-day Adventist Church
Has many good sounding stated values and goals
Represents those with vast difference in beliefs
Seeks to find agreement on key points
Moving from authority of Scripture to narratives
Culture and experience rather than absolute truth
Moves from Biblical organization to individualism
Worship combines old & new forms of mysticism
Brings about change through “Conversations” etc.
Involves much more than Contemplative Prayer, etc.
Separates mission work from gospel message
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“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he hath anointed me to preach the
gospel to the poor;
he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted,
to preach deliverance to the captives,
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty them that are bruised,
to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”
(Luke 4:18-19)
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“Christ's method alone will give true success in reaching
the people. The Saviour mingled with men as one who
desired their good. He showed His sympathy for them,
ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then
He bade them, ‘Follow Me.’“
“There is need of coming close to the people by personal
effort. If less time were given to sermonizing, and more time
were spent in personal ministry, greater results would be
seen. The poor are to be relieved, the sick cared for, the
sorrowing and the bereaved comforted, the ignorant
instructed, the inexperienced counseled. We are to weep
with those that weep, and rejoice with those that rejoice.
Accompanied by the power of persuasion, the power of
prayer, the power of the love of God, this work will not,
cannot, be without fruit.” (Ministry of Healing, p. 143)
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(May-Ellen Colón, “Once a Month Jesus Comes and Holds my Hand,” Elders Digest, Dec.
2011, pp. 26-27; http://www.eldersdigest.org/assets/archives/ED%20Q4%202011.pdf)
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