The emerging church (also known as the emerging church or the emergent church movement) is a Christian movement of the late 20th and early 21st century whose participants seek to engage postmodern people, especially the unchurched and post-churched. For other uses, see Christian (disambiguation). ... Postmodernity (also called post-modernity or the postmodern condition) is a term used by philosophers, social scientists, art critics and social critics to refer to aspects of contemporary art, culture, economics and social conditions that are the result of the unique features of late 20th century and early 21st century... Unchurched or The Unchurched or unchurched people are people who did not grow up in the church or have any prior understandings of the church. ...

"Emerging Christians" deconstruct and reconstruct Christian beliefs and practices. This accommodation is found largely in this movement's embrace of postmodernism's postfoundational epistemology, and pluralistic approach to religion and spirituality. Proponents of this movement call it a "conversation" to emphasize its developing and decentralized nature as well as its emphasis on interfaith dialog rather than verbal evangelism. The predominantly young participants in this movement prefer narrative presentations drawn from the biblical narratives over propositional exposition. The term deconstruction is often used in a loose way as a synonym of critical analysis, especially the kind of uncooperative critical analysis that subjects a work or a text to close scrutiny in order to expose contradictions, poor logic or unwelcome affinities with other works or cultural objects. ... Reconstruct, or reconstruction could mean : To rebuild, usually a building The process of creating a three dimensional object from images. ... Theory of knowledge redirects here: for other uses, see theory of knowledge (disambiguation) According to Plato, knowledge is a subset of that which is both true and believed Epistemology or theory of knowledge is the branch of philosophy that studies the nature, methods, limitations, and validity of knowledge and belief. ... Narrative theology was a 20th-century theological development which supported the idea that the Churchs use of the Bible should focus on a narrative presentation of the faith, rather than on the exclusive development of a systematic theology. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Emerging church methodology includes frequent use of new technologies such as multimedia and the Internet. Emergent blogs are quite numerous, as are blogs of their opponents. Emergent writers have also written many books and articles have been written, and leaders in the movement often conduct seminars. Parallel books, articles and seminars have been generated in opposition to the movement. Look up Multimedia in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Critics of the movement are found mostly among Evangelical scholars and ministers. Some academics critique the movement for being without legitimate theological, historical and philosophical roots. Postmodern academics such as John Franke, Scot McKnight, F. LeRon Shults and the late Stanley Grenz have been supporters^{[citation needed]} of certain aspects of the movement. Conservative, evangelical theologians and pastors believe the movement's embrace of a postmodernist philosophy leads to unorthodox theology, relativism, antinomianism, universalism, and syncretism. These critics frequently equate emerging church theology with the liberal theology that has historically been at odds with Christian fundamentalism and Evangelicalism. Stanley Grenz Stanley James Grenz (January 7, 1950 Alpene MI _ March 11, 2005) was an American Christian theologian and ethicist in the Baptist tradition. ... This page is a candidate to be moved to Wiktionary. ... Theology finds its scholars pursuing the understanding of and providing reasoned discourse of religion, spirituality and God or the gods. ... For the physics theory with a similar name, see Theory of Relativity. ... Antinomianism (from the Greek αντι, against + νομος, law), or lawlessness (in the Greek Bible: ανομια,[1] which is unlawful), in theology, is the idea that members of a particular religious group are under no obligation to obey the laws of ethics or morality as presented by religious authorities. ... This article is about Universalism in religion and theology. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Liberal theology is a branch of religious thinking which emerged in the late 18th and early 19th century, in the wake of The Enlightenment. ... Fundamentalist Christianity is a fundamentalist movement, especially within American Protestantism. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Relation to other religions Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Christianity Portal This box:      In contemporary usage, the word evangelicalism refers to a collection of religious beliefs, practices, and traditions typified by an emphasis on the Bible and on evangelism [1]. Evangelical...

Membership

Emerging churches can be found throughout the globe, predominantly in North America, Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Africa.^[1] Some attend local independent churches or house churches^[2][3] labelled emerging while others worship in traditional Christian denominations. North American redirects here. ... A current understanding of Western Europe. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... For other uses, see House church (disambiguation). ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      A denomination...

Values and characteristics

While practices and even core doctrine vary within the emerging church "conversation," many exhibit the following characteristics:

Postmodern worldview

The emerging church movement arose as a response to the perceived influence of modernism in Western Christianity. As sociologists noted a cultural shift to postmodern ways of perceiving reality in the late 20th century some Christians began to advocate changes within the church that corresponded to these cultural shifts. These critics began to assert that the church was culturally bound to modernism and began to challenge the church regarding its use of institutional structures, systematic theology, use of propositional teaching methods, a perceived preoccupation with buildings, attractional understanding of mission (trying to bring people into the church rather than improving their world), professional clergy, worship lacking in medieval spiritual practices and the participation of conservative Christians in the political process (which emergents also participate in). The movement's postfoundational epistemology causes some participants to reject a posture in which they see the world in darkness and Christians as the light in that darkness who call "outsiders" to repentance. Instead they engage in peer-to-peer dialog or "conversation" with people of all beliefs. Some in the movement believe it is necessary to deconstruct and reconstruct (redefine and reshape) Christianity in order to engage post-Christian Western culture in this two-way conversation rather than proclaim a message that is alien and unpopular to the prevailing culture. Others in the movement embrace the missiological insights that drive the movement in an effort to make the Christian message intelligible to those they believe are "lost". For Christian theological modernism, see Liberal Christianity and Modernism (Roman Catholicism). ... Postmodernity (also called post-modernity or the postmodern condition) is a term used by philosophers, social scientists, art critics and social critics to refer to aspects of contemporary art, culture, economics and social conditions that are the result of the unique features of late 20th century and early 21st century... For Christian theological modernism, see Liberal Christianity and Modernism (Roman Catholicism). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. ... The term deconstruction is often used in a loose way as a synonym of critical analysis, especially the kind of uncooperative critical analysis that subjects a work or a text to close scrutiny in order to expose contradictions, poor logic or unwelcome affinities with other works or cultural objects. ...

Narrative theology

Narrative explorations of faith, Scripture, and history are emphasized in some emerging churches over exegetical and doctrinal approaches (such as that found in systematic theology and systematic exegesis), which are often viewed as reductionist. Others embrace a multiplicity of approaches. Narrative theology was a 20th-century theological development which supported the idea that the Churchs use of the Bible should focus on a narrative presentation of the faith, rather than on the exclusive development of a systematic theology. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Reductionism in philosophy describes a number of related, contentious theories that hold, very roughly, that the nature of complex things can always be reduced to (explained by) simpler or more fundamental things. ...

Generous orthodoxy

Some leaders in the movement publicly welcome open discussion with other religions regarding the definition of Christian faith. Others in the movement label the practice differently, calling the interfaith dialog a means to share their narratives as they learn from the narratives of others. Critics consider this fluid, non-dogmatic approach to beliefs and practices to be destructive relativism. Certain figures in the movement respond by denying any essential content to faith, claiming by the existence of non-essential differences that there is little consistency in Christian beliefs throughout history. Thus, they cite such differences as those found between different Baptist groups as an equivalent to Christian differences with Muslims or Hindus. Self-proclaimed emergent author Marcus Borg, for example, notes that individuals who have read the same Bible "literally" may have different accounts of the message of Christianity, which are often mutually exclusive.^{[citation needed]} Borg claims that many aspects of people's lives, including their political beliefs and their surrounding culture can provide a "lens" that can distort the Bible and influence which parts of the Bible they take literally, and which parts they may ignore.^{[citation needed]} The postmodern relativism which predominates the emerging church movement causes participants to believe there are radically diverse perspectives within "Christianity" that are valuable for humanity to progress toward truth as they understand it and a better resulting relationship with what they understand to be God. They believe this non-dogmatism coupled with a liberal social agenda will facilitate harmony with the rest of God's creation (other people and the rest of the universe). Marcus Borg is a contemporary Jesus Scholar and religious author. ...

Additionally, many participants in the movement assert that dogma has led to the tragic events in history such as the Salem Witch Trials, genocide occurring during the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, and many other unfortunate events. Using such things as part of their justification, emergents reject biblical or historical borders for orthodoxy. Nevertheless, some emergents personally hold to the historic creeds as the best expressions of essential, Christian identity for themselves. Still other participants in the movement embrace emerging church methods while celebrating their particular denominational doctrinal positions as valid for their personal narrative. 1876 illustration of the courtroom; the central figure is usually identified as Mary Walcott The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings by local magistrates and county court trials to prosecute people alleged to have committed acts of witchcraft in Essex, Suffolk and Middlesex Counties of Massachusetts in 1692... This article is about the medieval crusades. ... This article is about one of the historical Inquisitions. ...

Postmodern hermeneutics

Postmodern literary theory rejects the referential theory of language (semantic externalism) and the correspondence theory of truth. For some in the movement, the text takes on a personal meaning as they experience it, but it has no authoritative meaning such as authorial intent to distinguish a right from wrong interpretation. A plurality of Scriptural interpretations is acknowledged in the movement. Emergent Village leader Tony Jones says “We must stop looking for some objective Truth that is available when we delve into the text of the Bible.”^[4] 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 such as Jacques Derrida and Stanley Fish. In the philosophy of language, semantic externalism is the view that the meaning of a term is determined, in whole or in part, by factors external to the speaker. ... The correspondence theory of truth states that something (for example, a proposition or statement or sentence) is rendered true by the existence of a fact with corresponding elements and a similar structure. ... Anthony or Tony Jones is the name of: Anthony Jones (photographer) (b. ... Jacques Derrida (IPA: in French [1], in English ) (July 15, 1930 – October 8, 2004) was an Algerian-born French philosopher, known as the founder of deconstruction. ... Stanley Fish (born 1938) is a prominent American literary theorist and legal scholar. ...

Authenticity

The movement favors the sharing of experiences and interactions such as testimonies, prayer, group recitation, sharing meals and other communal practices, which they believe are personal and sincere over propositional, evangelistic preaching of the Gospel (preferring to guide persons to their own personal version of non-dogmatic "Christian faith" through friendship and mercy). Teaching in the Emerging Church tends 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 finding cross-cultural, propositional absolutes regarding salvation and conduct. Emerging church participants are thus true to the social constructs of their local narratives.^{[citation needed]}

Conversation

The movement's participants claim they are creating a safe environment for those with opinions ordinarily rejected within modern conservative evangelicalism and fundamentalism. Non-critical, interfaith dialog is favored over dogmatically-driven evangelism in the movement. Those in the movement do not engage in apologetics or confrontational evangelism in the traditional sense, preferring to allow persons the freedom to discover their version of faith through conversation.

Missional living

Participants in this movement assert that the incarnation of Christ informs their theology, believing that as God entered the world in human form, adherents enter (individually and communally) into the context around them, aiming to transform that culture through local involvement in it. This holistic involvement may take many forms, including social activism, hospitality, and acts of kindness. This beneficent involvement in culture is part of what is called "missional living." This approach leads to their focus on temporal and social issues, as opposed to the Evangelical emphasis on eternal salvation. In emerging communities social action, community involvement, and sacrificial hospitality are emphasized over preaching and teaching.

Unstructured ecclesiology

Proponents of the movement communicate and interact through fluid and open networks because the movement is decentralized with little institutional coordination. Participants avoid assumptions about the role and nature of the church, attempting to gather in ways specific to their local context. In this way some in the movement share with the house church movements a willingness to challenge traditional church structures/organizations though they also respect the different expressions of traditional Christian denominations.^[5]

Creative spirituality

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. Neocharismatic is a reference to those Christians who have received Pentecostal-like experiences, yet they claim no association with either the Pentecostal or Charismatic movements. ... In the broadest sense, contemporary music is any music being written in the present day. ...

Re-discovered spirituality

Emerging church practitioners are happy to take elements of worship from a wide variety of historic traditions, including Anglicanism, Roman Catholicism, the Orthodox church, 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, and lectio divina. This box:      Anglicanism most commonly refers to the beliefs and practices of the Anglican Communion, a world-wide affiliation of Christian Churches, most of which have historical connections with the Church of England. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Eastern Christianity. ... Celtic Christianity, or Insular Christianity (sometimes commonly called the Celtic Church) broadly refers to the Early Medieval Christian practice that developed around the Irish Sea in the fifth and sixth centuries: that is, among Celtic/British peoples such as the Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Cornish, Manx, Cumbrians (the inhabitants of the... A liturgy is the customary public worship of a religious group, according to their particular traditions. ... Prayer beads are traditionally used to keep count of the repetitions of prayers, chants or devotions by adherents of religion. ... Look up icon in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Spiritual direction is a practice of asceticism for Christians who are aiming for sanctity. ... Lectio Divina is Latin for “spiritual reading” and represents an early Roman Catholic monastic technique of prayer that continues in practice though less widely, intended to achieve communion with God as well as providing special spiritual insights and peace from that experience. ...

Morality

In a strict theological sense, legalism pertains to justification by works. Legalism in a popular or colloquial, evangelical sense is^{[citation needed]} a pejorative describing the imposition of unbiblical regulations regarding conduct. Many emerging church participants do not subscribe^{[citation needed]} to the moral standards of Evangelicalism such as abstaining from alcohol, profanity, and watching movies with explicit sexual content. Those who identify with the emerging church movement are not likely^{[citation needed]} to be dogmatic about private, moral behaviors which do not hurt others or the environment. Others in the movement seek to expand the range of moral concerns to include issues of social justice alongside personal moral behavior as they understand it. Legalism, in Christian theology, is a term referring to an improper fixation on law or codes of conduct, or legal ideas, usually implying an allegation of pride and the neglect of mercy, and ignorance of the grace of God. ... The Harrowing of Hell as depicted by Fra Angelico In Christian theology, justification is Gods act of declaring or making a sinner righteous before God. ...

Use of new technologies

Emerging churches use the Internet as a central medium to facilitate global friendship and to converse about theology, philosophy, art, culture, politics, social justice, etc. through various blogs, websites, and online videos.

Postmodern terminology

The movement's participants make use of terminology that originates from postmodernliterary theory, social network theory, narrative theology, and other related fields. Literary theory is the theory (or the philosophy) of the interpretation of literature and literary criticism. ... Not to be confused with social network services such as MySpace, etc. ... Narrative theology was a 20th-century theological development which supported the idea that the Churchs use of the Bible should focus on a narrative presentation of the faith, rather than on the exclusive development of a systematic theology. ...

Justice

Many people in the movement express concern for what they consider to be the practical manifestation of God's kingdom on earth, by which they mean social justice. This concern manifests itself in a variety of ways depending on the local community and in ways they believe defy "modernist" labels of "conservative" and "liberal." This concern for justice is expressed in such things as feeding the poor, visiting the sick and prisoners, stopping contemporary slavery and working for environmental causes.^{[citation needed]}

"Emerging" versus "Emergent"

Although some emergent thinkers such as Brian McLaren and many Evangelical scholars such as D. A. Carson use "emerging" and "emergent" as synonyms, a large number of participants in the emerging church movement maintain a distinction between them. The term emergent church was coined in 1981 by Catholic political theologian, Johannes Baptist Metz for use in a different context.^[6] "Emergent" is sometimes more closely associated with Emergent Village. Those participants in the movement who assert this distinction believe "emergents" and "emergent village" to be a part of the emerging church movement but prefer to use the term "emerging church" to refer to the movement as a whole while using the term "emergent" in a more limited way, referring to Brian McLaren and emergent village. Many of those within the emerging church movement who do not closely identify with "emergent village" tend to avoid that organization's interest in radical theological reformulation and focus more on new ways of "doing church" and expressing their spirituality. Mark Driscoll, an early leader associated with the emerging church conversation, now distances himself from the "emergent thread."^[7] Some observers consider the "emergent stream" to be one major part within the larger emerging church movement. This may be attributed to the stronger voice of the 'emergent' stream found in the US which contrasts the more subtle and diverse development of the movement in the UK, Australia and New Zealand over a longer period of time. As a result of the above factors, the use of correct vocabulary to describe a given participant in this movement can occasionally be awkward, confusing, or controversial. Brian D. McLaren is a prominent, controversial voice in the Emerging Church movement. ... Donald A. (D.A.) Carson is an evangelical Christian scholar. ... Mark Driscoll Mark Driscoll (born October 11, 1970 in Grand Forks, ND) is an American minister and author. ...

In the mid-1990s I was part of what is now known as the Emerging Church and spent some time traveling the country to speak on the emerging church in the emerging culture on a team put together by Leadership Network called the Young Leader Network. But, I eventually had to distance myself from the Emergent stream of the network because friends like Brian McLaren and Doug Pagitt began pushing a theological agenda that greatly troubled me. Examples include referring to God as a chick, questioning God's sovereignty over and knowledge of the future, denial of the substitutionary atonement at the cross, a low view of Scripture, and denial of hell which is one hell of a mistake. Brian D. McLaren is a prominent, controversial voice in the Emerging Church movement. ... Doug Pagitt is an influential voice in the Emerging Church movement. ... This article is about the theological or philosophical afterlife. ...

– Mark Driscoll^[8]

Key voices in the movement have been identified with Emergent Village, thus the rise of the nomenclature "emergent" to describe participants in the movement.

Comparisons to other movements

It is sometimes useful to compare the emerging church movement with other Christian movements, which emphasize a similar approach to Christianity and inner experience.

The Taizé Community in France parallels the emergent experience in many ways. Traditional symbols in this community such as candles and crosses have intensified importance in creating subjective feelings. Taizé places a greater emphasis on meditation and the experiences derived from the monastic life than they do upon Scripture. They also embrace a religious pluralism that discards notions of eternal judgment. Within the wider Emerging Church there is a growing exploration of a similar kind of monasticism, known as new-monasticism. Communities such as "Moot"^[9] in the UK and "COTA"^[10] in the US are examples. Prayer in the Church of Reconciliation at Taizé The Taizé Community is an ecumenical Christian mens monastic order in Taizé, Saône-et-Loire, Burgundy, France. ...

The Religious Society of Friends ("Quakers"), although not born from a conflict with modernism, has nonetheless influenced the emerging church movement through mystics such as Richard Foster. This influence is often seen in the mystical tendencies of emergent worship and devotion. Some emerging churches mirror the Quaker rejection of church hierarchy while valuing the sacred as a personal, subjective experience, others utilize their particular denominational structures for church leadership. Quaker redirects here. ... Richard Foster Richard J. Foster is a Christian theologian and author in the Quaker tradition, though his writings speak to a broader Christian audience. ...

The house church movement, which has been partly influenced by the Jesus Movement of the 1960s and 70s, is considered to be a “cousin” of the emerging church movement because of its lack of structure. Most of these house churches, however, are quite different from those in the emerging church movement as they are conservative in their theology and structure. For other uses, see House church (disambiguation). ... For the first century movement surrounding Jesus of Nazareth, see Early Christianity The Jesus movement was the major Christian element within the hippie counterculture, or, conversely, the major hippie element within the Christian Church. ...

All four of these groups seek fellowship with likeminded groups and value some subjective traditions and experiences. The emerging church movement stands out by its postmodernism as well as its pluralistic dialog with the surrounding culture.^{[citation needed]}

The emergent methodology which relies upon community activism before propositional evangelism has been advocated by many liberal theologians who find propositional evangelism to be a form of arrogant "theological colonialism." These theologians tend to reduce the Christian mission to an effort to create a more just world (often through socialism) that is environmentally responsible. In 1917 Walter Rauschenbusch presented a lengthy rationale for this approach to Christian mission in his book A Theology for the Social Gospel. Walter Rauschenbusch (October 4, 1861-1918) was a progressive American Baptist minister, known as a leader in the social gospel movement. ...

Theologically, the emerging church movement bears many striking similarities to the theology of neo-evangelical Christians such as Langdon Gilkey and David Tracy, shares many beliefs with the more liberal post-Vatican II Catholic theologians such as Karl Rahner, and can trace much of its roots to the teachings of "postliberals" such as George Lindbeck.^[11] In many ways emergent thought resembles that of the iconoclastic Stanley Hauerwas. Eschatology in the movement closely resembles that found in theologians such as Jürgen Moltmann who advocate the "theology of hope." The emergent approach to interfaith dialogue is similar to earlier discussions of this kind of dialogue as found in authors such as John Hick as well as the "federalist/universalist" approach to pluralistic theology of Ninian Smart. Some emergent thinkers have also been deeply influenced by postliberal authors such as Walter Brueggemann^{[citation needed]} and Lesslie Newbigin.^[12] Newbigin, especially, along with fellow missiologist David Bosch, offers alternatively nuanced understandings of dialogue which, nevertheless, do embrace a relativistic epistemology.^{[citation needed]} Emergent ecclesiology is reminiscent of the "religionless Christianity" proposed by some twentieth century thinkers.^{[citation needed]} NT Wright's eschatology, missiology and ecclesiology have also influenced emerging church theology. ^[13] The Neo-Evangelical movement was a response among traditionally orthodox Protestants to fundamentalist Christianitys separatism, beginning in the 1920s and 1930s. ... Langdon Brown Gilkey (1919 – November 19, 2004) was an American Christian Protestant Ecumenical theologian. ... The Second Vatican Council, or Vatican II, was an Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church opened under Pope John XXIII in 1962 and closed under Pope Paul VI in 1965. ... Karl Rahner in 1975. ... Stanley Hauerwas (b. ... Jürgen Moltmann (born April 8, 1926) is a German Protestant theologian. ... Professor John Hick (born 1922) is an important and influential philosopher of religion and theologian. ... Professor Roderick Ninian Smart (1927–2001) was a writer and university educator. ... Walter Brueggemann (b. ... Bishop Lesslie Newbigin in 1996 James Edward Lesslie Newbigin (December 8, 1909 – January 30, 1998) was a Christian theologian and bishop involved in missiology and the Gospel & Our Culture Movement. ... Nicholas Thomas Tom Wright (b. ...

I don’t like to use the word “objective.” It’s not a Biblical word. I also find the word “known” problematic. I believe people are saved not by objective truth, but by Jesus. Their faith isn’t in their knowledge, but in God .

– Brian McLaren^[14]

You can talk a lot about techniques, programs, and practicalities, which are important, but I think the deepest problems are theological.

– Brian McLaren^[15]

What happens when antiquated worldviews and conceptual metaphors are clung to in the face of their declining moral and intellectual force is not hard to predict.

– Leonard Sweet^[16]

New Lights offer up themselves as the cosmions of a mind-of-Christ consciousness. As a cosmion incarnating the cells of a new body, New Lights will function as transitional vessels through which transforming energy can renew the divine image in the world, moving postmoderns from one state of embodiment to another. -- Leonard Sweet^[17]

Criticisms

Many evangelical Christian leaders have criticized elements of the emerging church movement. The movement is diverse in nature, making the distillation of emerging theology down to basic tenets a difficult and controversial process. In spite of this, many conservative evangelical Christians have expressed concern about a few common elements of emerging thought:

Non-constructive focus on protest

Some evangelical Christians such as D. A. Carson have characterized the emerging church movement as primarily a movement of protest in which participants are reacting against their more conservative heritage. These same evangelical Christians generally claim that emergent books and blogs are more preoccupied with this protest than they are with any genuinely constructive agenda. Donald A. (D.A.) Carson is an evangelical Christian scholar. ...

Denial of certitude of faith

Many evangelical Christian scholars criticize the movement for maintaining that certainty in faith is not achievable,^[18] and for rejecting the view of historical orthodoxy regarding the perspicuity of Scripture. Brian McLaren does not know why Jesus died on the cross, and he maintains that even Jesus did not know the reason for this sacrifice.^[19] The movement's rejection of epistemological foundationalism and reliabilism, as well as bounded-set theology (borders for orthodoxy) has caused similar concerns within Evangelicalism.^[20] Evangelical Christians complain that when these factors are combined with the postmodern tendency to deconstruct traditional terms and biblical texts, and the emphasis on deriving "truth" through group consensus dialectic and transformational thinking,^[21] the result is the emerging church movement's toleration of doctrinal and moral positions that most evangelical Christians consider non-negotiable. ... Reliabilism, a category of theories in the philosophical discipline of epistemology, has been advanced both as a theory of knowledge and of justified belief (as well as other varieties of so-called positive epistemic status). ... The term deconstruction is often used in a loose way as a synonym of critical analysis, especially the kind of uncooperative critical analysis that subjects a work or a text to close scrutiny in order to expose contradictions, poor logic or unwelcome affinities with other works or cultural objects. ...

Use of false dilemma and straw man fallacies

Critics of the movement often assert that emergents frequently indulge in logical fallacies, especially the false antithesis or false dilemma,^[22] and self contradiction.^[23] Evangelicals also complain that the emergent characterization of Evangelicalism as culture-bound to modernism is a straw man argument^[24] and they respond that Evangelicalism has never embraced modernism in its entirety in spite of its acceptance of the correspondence theory of truth and semantic externalism. They maintain that only classic, liberal theologians have completely accommodated modernism and many of these same scholars fear that the emerging church movement's accommodation to postmodernism has the same practical effects as liberal accommodation to modernism. Evangelical Christians reject accusations that they are belligerent toward non-Christians, and, given the historical record of Evangelical benevolence, they are puzzled by rhetoric that caricatures evangelical Christians as unconcerned and uninvolved in benevolence and sincere Christian living. A logical fallacy is an error in logical argument which is independent of the truth of the premises. ... The form of the fallacy of false dichotomy as an argument map with the conclusion at the top of the tree. ... A straw man argument is a logical fallacy based on misrepresentation of an opponents position. ... The correspondence theory of truth states that something (for example, a proposition or statement or sentence) is rendered true by the existence of a fact with corresponding elements and a similar structure. ... In the philosophy of language, semantic externalism is the view that the meaning of a term is determined, in whole or in part, by factors external to the speaker. ...

Unorthodox theology

While many evangelical Christians have been open to some of the criticisms that the emerging church movement has offered, most seem to have rejected the emerging church movement's views of several key theological themes within their soteriology and eschatology as well as the openness of some in the emerging church movement to alternative lifestyles. Many of these critics seem especially concerned about unorthodox views in the now emerging church movement on doctrines such as blood atonement, salvation by faith, hell, and the sovereignty of God.^[25] Soteriology is the study of salvation. ... For the eschatological beliefs of various religions, see End Times. ...

Propositionless evangelism

Conservative evangelical Christians contest their understanding of one of the emergent perspectives on evangelism. Those critics believe that some in the emerging church's view of God's kingdom is too narrowly limited to improving social conditions while ignoring eternal matters^[26]. One finds the distinction between the evangelical and emergent approaches to evangelism in the emergent rejection of propositional evangelism^[27] which Evangelical Christians insist complements friendship and good works in order to impact both the mind and heart of others. Biblical descriptions of propositional evangelism by Luke and its teaching by Paul in the New Testament^[28] causes Evangelical Christians to believe this is a timeless practice which is needed for hearers to understand the gospel and believe it. Look up evangelist in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Syncretistic spirituality

Some evangelical Christians express concern that postmodern spirituality is more syncretistic than scriptural.^[29] These Christians have questioned a variety of mystical techniques found in the emerging church movement such as contemplative prayer (although this term is used with various meanings) and labyrinths; and they express concern regarding the premodern (as exhibited in the medieval mystics) and Eastern approach to "spirituality" found in the movement. Syncretism is the attempt to reconcile disparate, even opposing, beliefs and to meld practices of various schools of thought. ...

Criticisms persist despite diversity in the movement

Several critiques of this movement have been written recently by leading Evangelical scholars such as D. A. Carson and Millard Erickson. In September of 2006 an open conversation was held in Perth between D. A. Carson and two Australian emerging church leaders, Andrew Hamilton and Geoff Westlake.^[30] This meeting restated the proponents and critics positions. Critics have long recognized the great diversity within the movement which makes it difficult to critique with too broad of a brush. This conversation served to highlight that issue, as Carson affirmed that the 'brand' of emerging church he was observing in Australia seemed different from that which he critiqued in his book. This concession by one critic concerning the churches in one region has not eliminated all of the controversies and questions this movement as a whole has stirred. J. P. Moreland expresses the heart of the reaction by some Evangelicals to the movement: Donald A. (D.A.) Carson is an evangelical Christian scholar. ...

Faced with such opposition and the pressure it brings, postmodernism is a form of intellectual pacifism that, at the end of the day, recommends backgammon while the barbarians are at the gate. It is the easy, cowardly way out that removes the pressure to engage alternative conceptual schemes, to be different, to risk ridicule, to take a stand outside the gate. But it is precisely as disciples of Christ, even more, as officers in his army, that the pacifist way out is simply not an option. However comforting it may be, postmodernism is the cure that kills the patient, the military strategy that concedes defeat before the first shot is fired, the ideology that undermines its own claim to allegiance. And it is an immoral, coward’s way out that is not worthy of a movement born out of the martyrs’ blood. -- J. P Moreland^[31].

See also

• Postmodern Christianity
• Alternative worship
• Contemplative prayer
• Tony Campolo
• Doug Pagitt

Postmodern Christianity is an understanding of Christianity that is closely associated with the body of writings known as postmodern philosophy. ... Alternative Worship is what happens when people create worship for themselves, according to Steve Collins ([1]). As a phenomenon it began mainly in Europe in the early to mid 1990s. ... In Christian mysticism, Contemplative prayer can refer to: infused contemplation, for many writers, including St. ... Tony Campolo Dr. Anthony Tony Campolo (born 1935) is a well-known American pastor, author, public speaker known for challenging Christians by illustrating how their faith can offer solutions in a world of complexity. ... Doug Pagitt is an influential voice in the Emerging Church movement. ...

References

1. ^ Amahoro. Retrieved on 2006-08-09.
2. ^ ReligionLink.org : Emerging Church trend expands, diversifies. Retrieved on 2006-07-20.
3. ^ Kreider, Larry (2001). "1", House Church Networks. House to House Publications. ISBN 1-886973-48-2. 
4. ^ Tony Jones, Postmodern Youth Ministry (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004), 201.
5. ^ and a significant number of emerging church proponents remain in denominationally identified communities. There is also a significant presence within the movement that remains within traditional denominational structures. Emergent Village: Values and Practices. Retrieved on 2006-08-09.
6. ^ Johannes Baptist Metz, The Emergent Church(New York, NY: Crossroad, 1981)
7. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcbnGXSYxuI
8. ^ TheResurgence.com
9. ^ Moot.UK.net
10. ^ ApostlesChurch.org
11. ^ TheologicalStudies.org
12. ^ Scot McKnight (2007). Five Streams of the Emerging Church (html). Christianity Today. Retrieved on 2007-05-04.
13. ^ Emerging church resources: A beginner's reference guide. Retrieved on 2007-02-26.
14. ^ BrianMcLaren.net
15. ^ TheOoze.com
16. ^ LeonardSweet.com
17. ^ LeonardSweet.com
18. ^ The Emerging Church, Part 7: Sheep Without a Shepherd. Retrieved on February 22, 2008.
19. ^ Brian McLaren, More Ready than You Realize: Evangelism as Dance in the Postmodern Matrix (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), 80-81.
20. ^ Erickson 2004, 59-79
21. ^ Cross Over To The Otherside. Retrieved on February 22, 2008.
22. ^ ApologeticsIndex.org
23. ^ Smith, 97-98
24. ^ Carson, 59-60
25. ^ Carson, 157-187
26. ^ Equip.org
27. ^ SonLifeAfrica.com
28. ^ Acts 2:12,41;8:4-5,25,30,35,39-40;10:27,44;13:16;16:13;17:1-4,16-17;18:4,27-28;19:8;28:30;2 CO 5:11
29. ^ Veith 1994, 192-193
30. ^ Forgewa.org
31. ^ "Truth, Contemporary Philosophy and the Postmodern Turn", JETS, March, 2005, 48:1. by J. P. Moreland

Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 221st day of the year (222nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 201st day of the year (202nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 221st day of the year (222nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 124th day of the year (125th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 57th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... James Porter Moreland (born 1948), commonly referred to as J.P. Moreland, is an American Christian apologist, theologian, and philosopher. ...

External links

• The Emerging Church - Modern Reformation column by D. A. Carson
• The Emerging Church, Part One July 8, 2005, PBS Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly. Retrieved July 29, 2005.
• The Emerging Church, Part Two July 15, 2005, PBS Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly. Retrieved July 29, 2005.
• Five Streams of the Emerging Church - Christianity Today article by Scot McKnight
• The Emergent Mystique - Christianity Today feature by Andy Crouch
• What Should We Think of the Emerging Church? Part One - Christian Post column by Albert Mohler
• What Should We Think of the Emerging Church? Part Two - Christian Post column by Albert Mohler