I just finished reading Rob Bell's book: Velvet Elvis. I really liked it. It challenged me to read and understand what the Bible means to me, and to love people where they are without an agenda. I stumbled across a few web sites that don't really like Rob Bell, this link being one of them: http://www.apprising.org/archives/2006/07/rob_bell_a_very.html
So I'm confused. I don't know much about the Emerging Church or why people are angry about it. Am I missing something here? The only thing I see is people trying to find a reason to stone people like Rob Bell. It almost reminds me of a group that also did this to Jesus and some of the first Christians...the Pharisees. Again, I don't really know what I'm talking about and I would like input from anybody. Am I missing something here?
8 comments:
that person seems like an idiot to me. did you read the commentary under "so God created pagan religions" ? this person has an alternate view of reality - most likely they have some preconceived notion of how things should be and they are not willing to let go. i would bet that that person is a horrible listener - someone who hears what they want instead of what is said.
if you like that and haven't read blue like jazz by donald miller yet, you really should. it'll give you more of a realistic look at what is going on at some of these 'emergent' churches, namely Imago Dei in Portland, OR, and to me, it makes me wish my church was more like that, but it helped me see why fundamentalist/reductionist/fear of change types see it as a bad deal.
in other news, last year some time, kyle lake, the pastor at UBC Waco (the church where David Crowder Band leads worship) died after electrocution. he dropped his mic into the baptism while he was standing in it. there has been this whole backlash against the postmodern/emergent church since this stuff started, but one prominent writer on newswithviews.com took his death as a chance to warn everyone about the postmodern church and how God was telling everyone in the movement that it wasn't of him, and more people were going to die that continued the heresy. ridiculous. kyle lake actually wrote a really good book too called understanding God's will: how to hack the equation without using formulas. really good read and kind of awkward knowing how he ends up dying. anyway, thought that might help. --k.lib
The word "hatemongerer" comes to mind. I've read many, many websites of people of this guy's ilk devoted to diatribes against sincere Christian teachers of every stripe. They all have in common an amazing ability to take a quote totally out of context and assert that the author meant something entirely different and sinister than what was intended. The worst part is that they're almost universally unwilling to consider any other position than their own extremist one.
i thought rob bell was very , very good. he has a way of teaching you when you don't even realize you are being taught. it was just like having a conversation.
people who have gone to years of bible college and have learned a formula for preaching sermons might be a lil intimidated and so then therefore they might be the ones lashing out because of thier own insecurities.
people are interesting no matter what thier profession.
Another common theme that I have found - the 'reformed" church has seen itself up as the representative & one true voice on all things Christian.. and over the last few years has been increasingly vocal in pointing out what they call "errors & heresies" in the church, but esp. in the developing & emerging church.
I think this has partially to do with new methods being embraced - reformers often see the new methods as compromising the message (e.g. using a different translation of the Bible instead of the KJV);
attempts to communicate to the culture in a way it understands - seen as watering down the gospel (e.g. not giving 'truth" to people);
addressing other forms of spirituality without loud & strong condemnations (as Bell & others see Buddhist & Hindu pursuits, as a person seeking for connection w/God, & as a starting point to be able to point people to Christ) - seen as being weak on sin.
The focus on building relationship w/people, regardless of their Christian status, & the need to have relationship w/a people before speaking into their life... or waiting until you're asked before speaking - many reformers wouldn't touch a non-Christian w/a 10' pole, & not feel bad about it. After all, in reformed TULIP theology, God chooses some people, & not others - the responsibility for bringing people to Christ falls only on Him; therefore, in good conscience we can let people all around go to hell & do nothing but point at them because hey, God didn't choose them.
There's a lot more i could write, but hey, this is your blog. Let's talk tonight.
I'll never forget when a movement called Promisekeepers was big and God was using it to draw men into a great place in His purposes. Well, someone wanted me to tune into a radio show that was basically bashing on Promisekeepers and I literally was SOO grieved, because it was like - this is NOT what Jesus died for - to tear one another apart....And then I remembered this great quote by Jim Elliot, one of my favorite missionaries...."We are "sideliners" -- coaching and criticizing the real wrestlers while content to sit by and leave the enemies of God unchallenged. The world cannot hate us, we are too much like its own. Oh that God would make us dangerous!"
This is so common in Church history. The recipients of the past move of God end up being the biggest enemies of the next move.
God will periodically reintroduce or remind his church of a "truth" (healing, faith, evangelism, spiritual gifts, discipleship,etc.). People will run with it, overcome resistance, and take new ground (as they should). But eventually several things happen; that truth is taken by some adherents to an extreme out-of-balance view; a movement is organized into a denomination; rules for walking out that particular "truth" are developed and religion rears its ugly head; and an all-out war is declared on the next "truth" coming down the pike.
Still, God manages to mature and prepare his bride along the way.
I have a pet named Rexy the cat. (for Joeydl)
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