Stealth Apologist: The Emerging Church Movement

Josh from Ohio writes:

Dear Mr. Stealth,

I've been hearing a lot about the "emerging church" from within certain Protestant circles. Can you help explain this movement within Protestantism?
Thanks,

-------------------------

Josh, now that's a question I don't mind answering. And since you are from Ohio, I'll do it for free (but you owe me!).

New Church for a New Millenia

The emerging church movement is a branch of evangelical Christianity that basically says, “Hey gramps, get with the times man! We need a church that Generation X and Y can understand! You are just way too much talk and no substance!” At least, that's what the movement would say if it were an adolescent teenager.

emerging church loves diversity of everything Imagine you are at a Thanksgiving dinner. Catholicism would be like the main course with all of the fixings; mainline protestantism and evangelicalism would be the Turkey salad that your cousin Susie made for herself because she thought that the main course was too fattening; finally, the emerging church would closely resemble your Aunt Gloria's famous gelatin mold that melted on the table last year and got all over everyone's food and clothes.

The emerging church concept is a sort of anti-evangelicalism in that, rather than taking the fundamentalist stance against post-modernism that most evangelical Christians did, it embraced post-modernism as a means to living the Christian life. Now, the movement itself does not have a centralized and formal teaching, so you have various groups within the movement that differ in their view of their participation in post-modernism. Typically, you can break emerging church members into 3 categories: those that witness to post-modernists, those that witness with post-modernists, and those that witness as post-modernists. In essence, some followers of the emerging church may not uphold the ideas of post-modernism and simply view it as a means to have common ground with those who do. On the other hand, some members hold all of the ideas of post-modernism, to include the idea that absolute truth cannot be known (i.e. relativism *shudder*).

Now, the emerging church is like your Aunt's melted gelatin mold in that it subsumes whatever theology and liturgy it finds that suits its needs. The whole idea of the movement is to provide an experiential Christianity that is not simply abstract ideas about God, but a tangible experience that brings you closer to Him. That being said, if you want a plethora of religious practices that are aimed at making you feel good, but aren't really focused on seeking objective truths about God, then the movement is perfect for you! Depending on the group, the movement takes bits and pieces of liturgical practices from Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Anglicanism, and Evangelicalism. Some members, use the sign of the cross, recognize Ash Wednesday, and a whole host of other things. However, only those practices that enhance their experience with God are accepted, which can be pretty arbitrary.

Evangelicalism and the Emerging Church Movement

It's ironic that evangelicalism is seen by emerging church adherents as “too traditional, abstract, and dogmatic.” It is almost like a reformation of the reformation. Evangelicals, seem to have no idea how to react to the movement. The majority of them disapprove of it, even going so far as to say that it is a path to the “false church of Roman Catholicism.” That is, the emerging church movement is somehow like a gateway drug to harder drugs like Catholicism I suppose. To which I reply, “that would be sweet.” Others, like the famous pastor Rick Warren (author of The Purpose Driven Life) seem to embrace the concept as a necessary change in Christian thought.

What Should Us Catholics Think?

How should we as Catholics view the movement? Well, as with anything there are truths that are indeed good in the movement. For example, we should all have an experiential relationship with Christ, we should witness to those that espouse post-modernist ideas, and Christianity should be an intrinsic part of our lives rather than an abstract concept. On the other hand, the egalitarian view that all religious and moral traditions hold the same amount of truth is reasonably not the case. To embrace theological and moral relativism is to move away from one extreme (fundamentalism), to another. In short, the movement falls way short. But, there is some common ground there that would allow a dialogue between us and emerging church adherents.

All-in-all, this is why it is great that we have the Church. We don't have to worry about making a new Christianity for every new century that comes our way. Fashion doesn't dictate our belief and practices. If it did, I'd advocate that everyone be required to wear a hood and a mask.

Sincerely,

The Stealth Guy

Comments

Add New