# Emergent



## SolaSaint (Jun 22, 2011)

Hi all,

I have been reading a few of the Emergent authors lately and find that they are anti-reformed. They claim that ever since the Reformation that Western Christianity has become a exclusive white mans club. They also don't care for liberal Christians but truly I feel they aim most of their arrows towards conservative Christianity.They seem highly against Sola Scriptura and this tells me they don't care for objective truth. They seem to take confirmed dark eras within the church and claim they still affect the church today. I believe this is how they can seem accurate in their apologetic to the immature Christian who doesn't care for traditional church. 

I went on "The Ooze" and read some of their forum comments and came away very worried about this movement/conversation etc. One guy used some very bad language to slam John MacArthur. For the most part they used very foul words in their posts which tells us what is in their hearts or what isn't. They all seemed to laugh at the doctines of grace. I feel this is a youth movement that is attracting some genuine Christians and many want-to-be's. I feel this is just another liberal movement that is trying to look conservative, in a weird way. 

Does this movement seem to be headed anywhere? Should there be an apologetic aimed at bringing light to this movement?


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## Rufus (Jun 22, 2011)

> They claim that ever since the Reformation taht Western Christianity has become a exclusive white mans club.



Seeing as the Reformation happened in Northern Europe and spread with the settling and missionary work of White Europeans, yes there are a lot of people. However, do they forget the mission works of Linvingston, Taylor, and Carey? Or the history of the Black Church in the U.S.?


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## Philip (Jun 22, 2011)

Rufus said:


> > They claim that ever since the Reformation taht Western Christianity has become a exclusive white mans club.
> 
> 
> 
> Seeing as the Reformation happened in Northern Europe and spread with the settling and missionary work of White Europeans, yes there are a lot of people. However, do they forget the mission works of Linvingston, Taylor, and Carey? Or the history of the Black Church in the U.S.?



Or for that matter in Korea and Africa---that's where the future of Christianity is, and it's in the Western Christian reformational tradition. 

I think that in responding to this movement, we need to do two things: first we need to be self-critical and to recognize our own weaknesses. Second, we need to respond with the pure Gospel in all its offensiveness.


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## SolaSaint (Jun 22, 2011)

I haven't read enough to say, but so far yes, they seem to skip over anything positive and hit hard anything that appears negative.


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## Rufus (Jun 22, 2011)

P. F. Pugh said:


> Or for that matter in Korea and Africa---that's where the future of Christianity is, and it's in the Western Christian reformational tradition.
> 
> I think that in responding to this movement, we need to do two things: first we need to be self-critical and to recognize our own weaknesses. Second, we need to respond with the pure Gospel in all its offensiveness.



And the Chinese house churches, Korea is the second largest missionary sending country. Some pacific islander countries are generally over 90% Christian, Tuvalu is 93% Reformed.


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## Andres (Jun 23, 2011)

SolaSaint said:


> They claim that ever since the Reformation that Western Christianity has become a exclusive white mans club.



 Nobody told me.


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## N. Eshelman (Jun 23, 2011)

There are more non-white Christians world wide than white ones. You see, the problem with the emergent church is that they all have white guilt- they need to put down the iPod, step out of the BMW, take off the Hollister hoodie and realize that the Christian movement is bigger than their sub-urban coffee house hang out. 

Plus, the emergent church is dead. WORLDmag.com | Community | Blog Archive | Farewell emerging church, 1989-2010

---------- Post added at 12:34 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:31 AM ----------

For the record, my Reformed congregation is made up of descendants from Europe, India, South and Central America, Mexico, Korea, Philippines, and places in between. It's what the Gospel does- even when there's white bread in the pulpit! :LOL: 

I find it annoying that a white upper middle class church movement would point the finger at us. How many "minorities" do you see in their churches?

---------- Post added at 12:35 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:34 AM ----------

For the record, my Reformed congregation is made up of descendants from Europe, India, South and Central America, Mexico, Korea, Philippines, and places in between. It's what the Gospel does- even when there's white bread in the pulpit! :LOL: 

I find it annoying that a white upper middle class church movement would point the finger at us. How many "minorities" do you see in their churches?


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## JohnGill (Jun 23, 2011)

nleshelman said:


> There are more non-white Christians world wide than white ones. You see, the problem with the emergent church is that they all have white guilt- they need to put down the iPod, step out of the BMW, *take off the Hollister hoodie* and realize that the Christian movement is bigger than their sub-urban coffee house hang out.





That one just made me laugh out loud.


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## Bill The Baptist (Jun 23, 2011)

Joshua said:


> SolaSaint said:
> 
> 
> > Does this movement seem to be headed anywhere?
> ...



Thanks to Rob Bell, they don't believe in hell so I guess they aren't worried.


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## Rufus (Jun 23, 2011)

> I find it annoying that a white upper middle class church movement would point the finger at us. How many "minorities" do you see in their churches?


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## KevinInReno (Jun 30, 2011)

Frankly the Christians I knew frequently persuaded by emergent ideas did a quick about face with Rob Bell. He's done a great service to help slow/kill the movement. Sort of like how Camping first had some mainstream appeal early on in his life, Rob Bell is FORTUNATELY letting terrible theology trip up his previous emergent credibility. Though it ironically enhanced his celebrity, Oprah and him should start a church together. 

P.S. Note to Rob Bell: Ghandi is still likely in hell, but nice try writing a book in large part hoping to get him out of there.


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## rookie (Jul 4, 2011)

I remember hearing Voddie Baucham quote Brian Mclaren (one of the leaders of this emergent movement) as saying "We have to move away from a theistic view of God"

I would like to know how he plans on doing this?? 

From what I have read of this movement, none of them are actually in accordance to what others believe, all within the same movement. They are very big on emotions. So what ever feels fine for one, is good for him, and the total opposite for the other person, that's fine too.

I can't make this a definitive, but I believe Doug Pagitt is also from this movement (He debated John MacArthur on the Larry King live show about whether or not yoga is acceptable for Christians)


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## ClayPot (Jul 4, 2011)

The 'emergent' movement is just your typical liberalism disguised in cool clothing. As with any form of liberalism, they will attack the true church and draw some of the goats out of the midst of the true church. However, this movement has a great disdain for structure and authority; this will ultimately lead to the movement killing itself off since there will be no leader to continue the advance!


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## timmopussycat (Jul 4, 2011)

I could see this RIP coming from the first moment I heard about that churches were basing their evangelism on post-modernism, let alone hearing of emergent churches.


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## kodos (Jul 4, 2011)

SolaSaint said:


> They claim that ever since the Reformation that Western Christianity has become a exclusive white mans club.



Wow, color me (no pun intended) surprised! I wonder why Reformed Churches have been so friendly to me?!
On the flip side the only people I see in these latte-sipping, trend setting emergent churches _are_ white folks.


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## Curt (Jul 4, 2011)

In our congregation we are approximately 90% white with a half-Japanese woman (and her 1/4 Japanese children) and a Korean lady (don't think she's from Korea). We minister to who is here - the demographic. I suppose we could go to some places where there are other ethnicities and bus them here, so that we don't look bad. 

Oh, I forgot the Tex-Mex guy.


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## Rufus (Jul 4, 2011)

Curt said:


> In our congregation we are approximately 90% white with a half-Japanese woman (and her 1/4 Japanese children) and a Korean lady (don't think she's from Korea). We minister to who is here - the demographic. I suppose we could go to some places where there are other ethnicities and bus them here, so that we don't look bad.
> 
> Oh, I forgot the Tex-Mex guy.



Well, if Maine is anything like New Hampshire, pretty much everybody is White.


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## Curt (Jul 4, 2011)

Rufus said:


> Curt said:
> 
> 
> > In our congregation we are approximately 90% white with a half-Japanese woman (and her 1/4 Japanese children) and a Korean lady (don't think she's from Korea). We minister to who is here - the demographic. I suppose we could go to some places where there are other ethnicities and bus them here, so that we don't look bad.
> ...



That is correct, sir.


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