Evangelical Resources

Apologetics Index on the Emerging Church

12:01 pm | Uncategorized | Emergent Church

Anton Hein, owner and maintainer of Apologetics Index, announced a major new entry on the emerging church. In his own words:

It was long past-due, but we have just posted a major entry on the Emerging Church at Apologetics Index:

Postmodernism and the Emerging Church Movement
http://www.apologeticsindex.org/290-emerging-church

The author is David Kowalksi, an ordained minister with the Assemblies of God. He has authored a number of articles, including two in the “Encyclopedia of Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity,” published by Berkshire Publishing.

The article provides

• An appropriate response to the Emerging Church Movement
• An overview of the distinctive teachings and goals of the Emergent Church
• A look at the movement’s methods and communication strategies
• The Church’s proper role in postmodern culture
• An overview of the movement’s leaders
• An overview of the movement’s opponents
• A (satirical) glossary for those who are new to the conversation
• Overviews of Emergent Church teachings versus those of the Bible and non-Emergent Christians on the topics of Truth, Scripture, Faith, Doctrine, Lifestyle and ministry
• A listing of pro, neutral, and contra web sites
• Recommended books

“Any thoughtful consideration of the removal of the foundation and the boundaries for Christian faith must conclude that this postmodernization is fatal to biblical faith, stripping the term “faith” of any real meaning and opening the door to substantial change in fundamental beliefs. These changes can be found most prominently in the soteriology and eschatology of emergents. After they have undergone emergent accommodation to postmodernism, doctrines such as atonement and judgment no longer resemble the biblical teachings Evangelicals believe are non-negotiable. The collection of quotations from emergents found later in this article should give the reader an idea of the extent to which heresies have been entertained in the movement.

The effect of the emergent movement’s presence in the body of Christ is equivalent to both an autoimmune disease (such as multiple sclerosis, in which the body attacks itself with harmful consequences) and an immunocompromising disease (such as AIDS, in which the body lowers its defenses to external pathogens). The Emerging Church movement acts like an autoimmune disease, stripping Christian terminology of its biblical meanings, and it acts like an immunocompromising disease, disarming the body’s defenses against foreign invasion. The result is that this movement represents a deadly influence within the Church which requires a decisive response from those who recognize it as such.”

From “An Appropriate Response to the Emerging Church Movement”