An Insider Leaves the Emerging Church

A former insider in the emerging church has gone queasy over what he’s seen and heard and has headed for the exit. Jeremy Bouma writes:

I’m not exactly sure when my saucy love affair with emergent and liberal Christianity ended. My “I don’t” isn’t as crystalized as my “I do.” Maybe it was when I read Pelagius‘ writings and realized much of Emergent theology really does mirror his 5th century theology.

Maybe it was after the former head of Emergent Village, Tony Jones, rejected original sin, a historic part of the Rule of Faith, claiming that it is “neither biblically, philosophically, nor scientifically tenable. “.

Maybe it was when I read Fredrick Schleiermacher and realized his and modern liberalism’s vapid, gospel-less faith are being repackaged and popularized to an unsuspecting, ignorant Christian community as a wholesome alternative to what has been.

Maybe it was after I read Karl Barth and realized the natural theology pushed by popular emergent theologians is not revitalizing Christian faith, but killing it; it is the same kind of faith Barth so vociferously fought against in order to preserve the historic Rule of Faith.

Maybe it was after reading a leading emerging church voice suggest that God and grace and the Kingdom of God are not tied directly and exclusively to Jesus Christ; ultimately its not really about Jesus, but about a vanilla, generalized World-Spirit god (lower-case “g”) (Source)

Read the entire report from Apprising Ministries.



---

Commenting at the Crosstalk Blog is not a right, it is a privilege. Crosstalk Blog staff reserves the right to reject any comment that is found to be offensive or otherwise unaccaeptable for any reason. We will not tolerate the following: abusive or profane language, objectionable links, off-topic remarks, and bickering with other commenters. Thank you for respecting this policy.

6 Responses to “An Insider Leaves the Emerging Church”

1. hockeydad14 says:

   February 9, 2010 at 1:36 am

   I heard you mention that Rick Warren is involved with Tony Blair's inter faith group???
   Can I get more details?

   Reply
2. Blogger says:

   February 9, 2010 at 3:42 am

   I did a post on this back in May of 2008, so the news story link is down, but you can find other posts about Rick Warren's announcement back then that he was joining. Here's my original post:

   http://www.sliceoflaodicea.com/new-spirituality...

   Reply
3. Blogger says:

   February 9, 2010 at 3:44 am

   Ah, here's more details on that…

   http://www.exchangedlife.com/departing/warren3….

   Reply
4. kim says:

   February 10, 2010 at 5:09 pm

   Fantastic! I think it helps so much when someone inside emergent has their eyes opened, and then is able to come out and warn others that are still caught in it. He will have that added dimension of being a part of it, and seeing the deception up close and personal. I'll pray for this young man as he continues to take this bold stand.

   Reply
5. A_Disciple says:

   February 13, 2010 at 2:42 am

   The secular movement of the main line denominations of protestantism in the first half of the 1900s keyed in on the existential action of faith, but without Christ as the object as they rejected a literal super-naturalism. Thus, one was authenticating oneself as, it was supposed, Jesus did, the man who was truly himself, if ones personal identity was no longer rooted in the subjective and even superstitious religions and social constraints that modern man allowed to imprison him in a false self identity. This of course was fuel to the fire that was rapidly burning the ties the generation after world war II had to the previous.

   The real Christian position of course is that when we believe in the gospel as literal truth, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13) and now have an inner witness that we are now members of God in and through Christ, as our faith and foundation is in Christ and no longer in ourselves. so the secularists were left with the activity of independent or authentic being (meaning it rests on nothing but what we objectively choose or not to choose), rather than being with Christ as the foundation.

   The modern secular shift of course is not not at all opposed to the supernatural, but uses the generic spirituality of western mysticism and eastern pantheism.

   Reply
6. Seminary says:

   March 12, 2010 at 5:41 pm

   Another brave soul who stands on what he believes in. The seminary will pray for you and good luck for your endeavors.

   Reply