Week #8: Becoming Conversant With the Emerging Church by D.A. Carson

One of my favorite people in the world to interact with intellectually. Dr. Carson is a capital B... brilliant man. He can talk about things that I cannot even begin to understand without even having any notes in front of him. I've seen him do it. The man could preach an entire sermon reading from his Greek New Testament. I doubt he would do that (or certainly not broadcast the fact that he was) because he is also a genuinely humble man.

The above paragraph could be referred to as credentialing.

In this book Carson demonstrates his ability to not only grasp the thinking of the Emergent Church/Conversation, but also to dissect it and evaluate it in the light of Scripture.

In early chapters he talks eloquently about the major themes from within the movement. He is fair-handed and balanced in that he even credits Emergents with their keen understanding of contemporary culture.

Perhaps his most useful contribution comes in the later chapters where he cites voluminous numbers of scriptures that assert the exact opposite of what Emergent philosophies project.

Why Is It So Hard to Slow Down?

I don't know how the discussions go in your home, but it seems that my kids are constantly telling me that I need to slow down. Kids sure are smart.

Truthfully my wife is my greater conscience on this topic. I just don't slow very easily. I'm stuck in fifth gear rollin' in a four-speed ride. There are many reasons for this. The sanctified ones go something like this...

I'm the breadwinner of this household.
If a man doesn't work, he shouldn't eat.

Those types of statements sound good when you're thinking them... and only then. In my own experience it will always be a continuing struggle to pace myself better. Prioritize accurately. And the hardest one for me... say "no".

In a few weeks my Book of the Week is entitled The Rest of God by Mark Buchanan. I hope I can make it 'til then.

What has prompted me to write about this? I've been sick (again) this week. I'm beginning to think illness may be God's way of slowing me down. Not retribution. Just the fruit of my poor decisions. So maybe thinking about it... talking about it... dare I say, praying about it... will help me to see that this slowing down stuff is the way to go.

Week #7: Safe People by Henry Cloud & John Townsend

The first - and most obvious - thought that this book brought to mind was how blessed I am. This is primarily so because of my college training in counseling. At Northland Baptist Bible College where I was trained, we were taught the value of healthy relationships. Prior to my experiences there I had never considered the value of accountability in being mutually connected to other people for the sake of growing in my faith and life.

This book brought all of that early learning rushing back! It served as a barometer to show me how fortunate I am. My best friend (and the safest person in my life) is my wife. We share life. Even after almost 13 years of marriage I am still learning the complexities of her safety. And to borrow and paraphrase a thought from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe... safe is not always easy... but safe is always good.

In addition to my wife since my college days I have always actively looked for and participated in weekly accountability with other guys. These relationships have proven to be my most enduring friendships. I list them here because they have each contributed to my spiritual safety and given me solicited and unsolicited prodding to stay on the path.

Monty Kaufman
Andy Henderson
Josh Matteson
Allan Beane
Flynn Clanton
Jim Gray
Randy Bennett

I suspect that my list is not complete. For the last almost 5 years Jim Gray and I have been meeting almost every week. He is one my best friends in the world... a truly safe person.

These relationships take time to develop. But I think each of us knows what we need in this type of friendship. Pray for it. Look for it. God will show you someone within your reach to befriend in this way.

Week #6: A Case for Amillennialism by Kim Riddlebarger

You know how every year you make one of those New Year's things (resolutions) - you end up reaching that determinative point... the one where you will either keep going or fail... That was where I found myself last week.

Our denomination is wrangling with thoughts (thankfully not each other) about our written stance regarding last days and the order of such. We have historically stated - and currently do - that we are pre-millennial. I have always considered myself such as well. After all, I reasoned, it's the only position I could potentially be wrong about and still change my mind later.

Joking aside, I wanted to get a perspective that was not my own to see how others reasoned through the same key passages that I have considered and come to different conclusions. Their company is many and great and includes the likes of Luther and Calvin.

Because this almost-300-page treatise was a candidate to end my resolution, I will not assume to have exhausted its power to put even spiritual minds to sleep. And so I write a single takeaway this week...

Amillennialism, not unlike any of the other views of last days, is an attempt to interpret and understand Scripture and apply it. When held completely and carried to its full conclusions, it definitely makes assumptions about the nation of Israel (i.e. their end times exclusion) that I am not ready to make.

So is amillennialism right or wrong? I am not ready to look at it that way. I think I can make my case for pre-millennialism strongly. And instead of bickering over who goes first and who gets... say... left behind... The honest theologian says, "To the best of my understanding..." and leaves it at that. Will amillennarians be seated next to me at the marriage supper of the Lamb? Absolutely. Who will get to heaven first? We'll see.

Not So Fluent In the Emergent Conversation

Until recently I have been confused, even enamored, by the phenomenon formally known and often referred to as the Emergent Church. Seems everyone is… actually… and why not? I mean the student in me always tries to listen and learn – it’s what students do. First, let me be clear that there is much within the Emergent Conversation (a title they prefer) that I identify with. They are touching on some viable issues that Evangelical Christianity had better grapple with… or face extinction. I love some of their emphasis on historic church practices and thinking. This reverse forward thinking is what draws many of the post-moderns that are so frustrated with over-programmed church. We want it real. We want it raw. The Emergent Church has succeeded in stripping away some of the negatives that may be attached to the conventions of the contemporary church.

So I am not questioning the importance or even the success of their movement. I have always believed that when there is a question about someone (particularly when someone’s character is at stake) that it is best to go to the source. Ask questions. Get answers. I try to avoid unintelligent water cooler stuff. I do have serious reservations about the conclusions to some of the important questions Emergents are asking and answering. Leading Emergents seem to be for an open-ended Christianity. However, it seems to me, that this offer does not extend to those whose thoughts are more conservative than their own. Because of my curiosities I went with my wife to the Emergent Conference in San Diego. We were in for quite an education.

The main trouble that I have with the Emergent Conversation stems from their very moniker. I am not sure what they are emerging from… nor to.

In reverse order (dealing with the Conversation)… I’m pretty sure that they could not articulate (no one has yet to my satisfaction) the Conversation part. I have extensively read Emergent authors such as Brian McLaren, Tony Jones, Dan Kimball, Doug Pagitt and even pre-Emergent writers like Stanley Grenz and Leslie Newbigin. It seems that they are in favor of a non-descript, amalgamated faith that has few if any borders to it.

And while I have found great challenge and conviction in their writings, I have also found a recurring theme that I cannot ignore. Though they are asking some good questions like, “What will it take to reach a post-modern… post-Christian generation?”... I fear that their answers fall short for one main reason and it has everything to do with what they seem to be “emerging from”. They have consistently been willing to abandon the Solo Scriptura position.

Wikipedia gives this simple (accurate) definition which explains my exuberance as well… Sola scriptura (Latin by Scripture alone) is one of five important slogans of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. It meant that Scripture is the only infallible rule for deciding issues of faith and practices that involve doctrines. The intention of the Reformation was to "correct" the Catholic Church by appeal to the uniqueness of the Bible's authority, and to reject Christian tradition as a source of original authority alongside the Bible or in addition to the Bible. This is in contrast to Prima scriptura, which holds that the Bible is the primary source of doctrine, but that understanding can be improved by reference to other sources.


There are certainly elements of following Christ that we have eliminated from the church for cultural or personal preference reasons that can have benefit in our worship experience for today, but all of those same things must pass through the verification of Scripture to test their validity.

Week #5: Walk On, The Spiritual Journey of U2 by Steve Stockman

Ironically enough Bono of the Irish supergroup U2 was one of the featured speakers at last week's National Prayer Breakfast. I missed his interview live, but was able to watch and listen to it later via the power of the internet on CNN. Say what you want about some of this man's language and lifestyle choices... he has challenged my thinking as a believer and follower of Jesus. Bono says, "To me, faith in Jesus Christ that is not aligned to social justice - that is not aligned with the poor - it's nothing." He said that in 1988. Almost 20 years of backing that statement with his life have followed. Including, but not limited to, his recognition as one of Time's People of the Year in 2005. You can read a transcript from that recent speech here... National Prayer Breakfast

How easy it would be to confuse this man's image with his character. I find Bono to be a truer soul than most of us. Granted he has shunned organized religion because of some of the hypocrisy it has manifested. And I am not saying that everything he is or does stands in total agreement with the Bible.

What I am saying is that we would do well to learn from his example. To live our lives as Jesus did... for the least of these. To challenge the culture creatively to examine herself. The beauty of an album like Zooropa is that precisely. In an unconventional way U2 forced us to see our own excesses and question them. Brilliant. I could say so much about this band. The one thing that I know is that the spiritual journey for them is to be continued.