A little blog from an upstart theologian that will do its best to exemplify Christ while sharing a thing or two along the way.
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| Preachin's Blog A little blog from an upstart theologian that will do its best to exemplify Christ while sharing a thing or two along the way. |
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Thursday, April 27, 2006 On the Immigration IssueApologies to interrupt my Evangelical Vision for the Emergent Church posts but I feel compelled to post something about this issue. I believe the evangelical church, my home denomination in particular, has no position to assert any kind of political capital on this issue. The immigration should be considered a purely political matter that has no room in our churches for condemnation or comment. To do so turns our pulpits and pews into a political action campaign which Christ never intended our churches to become. We are to be "salt and light" to our world and not political pontificators seeking an edge into every scenario playing itself out in our political town square. These immigrants, regardless of their status, should welcomed into our churches and given a cup of cold water and our clothes if necessary while sharing Christ's love with them. We should offer no condemnation to their cause, no promulgation of their activities, but only a place of solace and restoration where they can find the love of Christ expressed for their souls. Teach them the Gospel, live out the Gospel, and win them with the Gospel. There is no room in our churches or denominations for political posturing of any kind on this issue. We should simply voice our opinions outside the realm of the church if it our course, but never use Christ's Bride to win political points in our culture. God bless...may His light lead us to a higher walk posted by Preachin Jesus | 9:40 PM | Thursday, April 06, 2006 Authentiquity: Reforming the consumer mentality by not adding to itLet me begin by restating a major point from above: the Established Church in North America (even the world) absolutely needs the Emerging/ent Church. I wish to restate this often, not only do I believe to be true, because I wish to convey my deepest belief that there are good things going on within the EC while there are some questionable things going on. I believe we are at a critical moment in the life of the Evangelical Church in America, or the western world, where must begin to determine if our aspirations are for building God’s Kingdom or building men’s kingdoms. Too much of what goes on at many IC churches is bland religiousity and personal pastoral pride over legitimate Kingdom building ministry…of course I give pause to remember that there are many good IC churches out there. We in the IC need the vision and passion of the EC and their desire for authenticity if we intend to grow and be fruitful for the Kingdom. We have the consumerist mindset down in the IC. I can sit down and lay out a great marketing plan for at least three IC church structures that will almost guarantee a 1,000+ congregation in a couple of years. Granted there will be a marked departure from, in my view, biblical reason…but we have mastered the ability to draw large crowds. One thing the EC objects to about the IC is the rampant consumerism present in her congregations and public message. I believe this to be an accurate critique. Nearly every preacher boy coming out of our seminaries has been told that in order to be successful in ministry you need: a) a big church, b) a big budget, c) a big book, d) a big television ministry. Now certainly this is not a message coming from the leaders of our seminaries, rather it is bred in the cultures of many of the church and conferences they are attending as they get that pricey education. While there are some aspects to making your church more appealing to the lost and dechurched of this world, no one should deny the excesses. We have encountered the modern day Johann Tetzel and welcomed him into too many of our congregations in the IC.  He sits among us and makes us mindful of his presence as we acquiesce to his “newer” indulgences. How many times have slick marketers come along and transformed a growing ministry from its biblically authentic roots into a money machine to line their own pockets? These are some of the most blatant excesses the EC is addressing in the IC…yet they do so with a 2x4 lodged in their own eye.The day I knew the EC was probably never going to grow beyond a movement (like the Purpose Driven or Willowback movements) was the day when I wandered through a Christian bookstore (again, I acknowledge there is no such thing as a “Christian” bookstore…but only a bookstore promoting a decidedly Christian catalog) and saw a leader in the EC who had his latest two books placed in video format for us in a small group Bible study…even though that leader had been quoted as saying the Bible isn’t that awfully useful in the previous months. The original impetus behind the propagation of EC literature was to use the media as a sounding board and way to get the message beyond Mars Hill (if you will allow an illusion.) The EC was wise, imho, to publish a number of profound works to bring attention to the growing excesses within the IC, particularly the evangelical side of things. They got their message out and Christendom was made aware of their presence and positions (well more of the former than the latter.) Then it seems that some in the EC have begun to take their writings and use of the media to the next level where they are going beyond just pointing out problems and began to pontificate about their model(s) and how their knowledge of the problems. Unfortunately there has not much in the way of solutions to come from the EC in addressing the excesses and perceived problems in the IC. While the EC has been great to offer its critique of everything in the IC from homiletical style to carpet choices, the offerings of effective solutions have been limited at best. As the EC stands now it is coming to a place where the established media outlets are willing to out their biting critiques, which they know the masses will buy, yet there is the need for answers and solutions to the critiques. The EC is obligated to provide these answers and solutions, and for them to grow outside of a movement they must provide them. The Reformation grew beyond just a movement status for several reasons. Clearly the Reformers were passionate about their cause and believed it was God centered task, God ordained task. Also, the Reformers were able to clearly elucidate the excesses and problems with the Roman Catholic Church. Likewise, they were able to, because of recent developments of technology, able to propagate their message and distribute it quickly to the masses with a great level of precision. Notice all of these are in line with what the EC has been able to do. Yet, the one thing that was part and parcel with the Reformers’ tasks was a concurrent ability to offer cogent, biblically based solutions for their critiques. The Reformers realized for the message to be authentic and coherent they had to offer rational solutions to the problems. This is something that the EC has not done. The Reformers moved beyond the excesses of their day and did not contribute to the system. They Reformed the system, but did not further corrupt the system. If the EC is to move beyond the movement stage and into a more established reply to their perceived issues in the IC they must begin to detach from the mindless, and mind numbing, obsession to feed the giant media beast with volumes of criticisms and begin producing peaceable solutions that are rooted in a biblical response. posted by Preachin Jesus | 2:19 PM | |
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