5 Questions…..and perhaps clarity
UPDATE****
Okay, apparently we have received all of the questions we are going to get. I am reviewing all the questions and will announce next week when we will do a program based on these. Thanks to everyone who contributed.
I have said I was going to do this for some time, and have spent probably too much time thinking about how to do it. This post goes out to especially pastors, but could extend to all believers.
If you were sitting down at a table, and okay we will say over a cup of coffee, with someone who participates in or agrees with the emergent church philosophy, what 5 questions would you ask them? The questions should most likely be about their theology or belief system, but could be about other areas, but remember you have “5” questions.
By the same token, if you are a proponent of the emergent or emerging church movement, what 5 questions would you ask of someone who is what can be described as a proponent of the historic orthodox Christian faith? Just to state again, BOTH SIDES WILL BE SHARED, and you don’t have to list your full name unless you want to!
5 QUESTIONS! Post your questions here now and we will do a radio program about them.
PLUS…..if you are someone that is considered to be a leader or authority from both theologies, I would liketo entertain the idea of doing a radio program where both sides would be represented on the air and we discuss it all.
Now a couple of notes here……when you send your questions, just send your questions. I do not want any expanded commentaries or long-winded statements. There will time for that later, and I promise we will post the replies, so long as they are direct replies to the issue and not an attempt to use this site as a bulletin board time of thing where people try to carry on advanced conversations back and forth. Plus the usual rules apply as well as to content and language.
OKAY….GOT YOUR ASSIGNMENT? 5 Questions. I look forward to hearing from everyone.
29 Comments
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the expositor 
I think it is important that you assure people that both sides will get to answer the questions. If not, these questions will just be used as a weapon against thousands of pastors and ministries. I am not willing to help with that.
Mike, I do not know if I would come up with 5 questions, but I do know of one and it would be:
Do you believe the Bible is the inspired inerrant, infallible, Word of God? I don’t know maybe this question lacks clarity to the emergent church.
Maybe I would ask; Does the Bible speak in clarity to you about the virgin birth of Jesus Christ?
Does the Bible speak in clarity about the death, burial and ressurection of Jesus Christ?
Does the Bible speak in clarity about the sin nature of all mannkind?
Do you trust in the Word of God?
If not, where is the standard that you go by? What leads you to holiness? How do you seek after rigteousness?
Whose rules are clear enough for you to go by? is it man’s or God’s? If it is not from the His Word the Bible, it is not from God.
Mike,
I give you credit for starting what I hope and pray will be a constructive conversation. I look forward to seeing the results.
Russ
Does the “emergent church” view the Bible as a finished product and a
final authority for all beliefs and practices in your church?
How does the “emergent church” justify the “forms” of “worship” they
practice?
Does the “emergent church” agree with separate living (coming out from
them, the world, and their ways) and if so how or in what way do you feel
you accomplish this? If not, why not?
Does the “emergent church” have any absolute standards in both personal
living and corporate church life and if so what are they? If not why not?
What would say that the “emergent church” has to offer the “lost world,”
(that they do not already have), that would attract them to Jesus?
Pastor Greg Clemts
Southside Baptist Church
I am fine with the use of my whole name.
1. How is a person reconciled to God?
2. What is ‘sin’?
3. What are the greatest errors in what we see as ‘orthodox’ theology?
4. Are the first six chapters of Genesis literally true?
5. How can we know that any message to us purportedly from God is really from Him? In other words, how does God authenticate His message(s) to us?
Steve Coerper
author of Why I Left the Contemporary Worship Movement
Where did the Emergent Church originate?
Who are the main leaders in the Emergent “conversation?” What are their beliefs?
Aren’t ecumenical, far-left political, and new (age) spirituality movements the main thrust deceptively inter thread through this movement?
What part of deception do you not understand?
Who is Jesus? Is he a “feel good Jesus” or the unique Son of God, who alone always pleases the Father? Are we to compromise our salvation message in a “missional outreach” or are we to share the true Christ? (Mark 8:36-38)
great questions! Are you going to be answering these questions? It would be great to email the “top 10” to emergent leaders and post their response. This would bring alot of clarity.
Can only think of one today…
1. Can you give scripture to support why the below scripture
WOULD NOT apply to believers who decide they can choose which way to pursue or worhsip God?
Duet. 12:30 -32 “30 take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, “How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.’ 31 You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way; for every abomination to the LORD, which He hates, they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. 32 “Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.
Hi mike!
Hope all is well!
I emailed you, but haven’t heard back yet – so maybe asking the questions here will help with you asking for 5 questions.
I have 2 questions:
1) Why do you say that anyone “emerging” or “emergent” is not a “proponent of the historic orthodox Christian faith” (as you indicated in your question from someone emerging or emergent asking back the other way here? Most people involved who are pastors in various emerging churches that I know are proponents of the core doctrines of historic orthodox Christianity.
2) On one of your recent radio shows, you said that you “totally are in disagreement” with my theology and you named me by name. I was wondering what specifically that you totally disagree with. So that would be my second question. I publicly write in books and on my blog and also emailed you that I believe the Bible teaches these core doctrines that I personally believe and teach in our church such as:
– the Trinity
– virgin brith
– bodily resurrection
– future return of Jesus
– deity of Jesus
– we are sinners in need of a Savior
– judgment/there is a heaven/hell
– the importance of repentance
– sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit
– inspiration and authority of Scripture
– substitionary atonement
– Jesus alone is the way of salvation
– salvation by faith in Jesus, not by works
In our church we preach sermons (35-40 minutes each week) and almost all of mid-week groups study through books of the Bible.
So as someone involved in the emerging church, and these are doctrines I believe and teach, which if these do you “totally disagree with” as you said on the program? I was confused hearing that from what I understand of your beliefs in core doctrines.
Thanks Mike! I appreciate your openness in what you are doing on the blog here.
Peace in Jesus,
Dan Kimball
1. Do you believe God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, that He is unchanging?
2. If God’s word was sufficient for accomplishing salvation for the past 2000+ years, what has changed that leads you to dismiss it now?
3. What is so wrong with the way traditional churches are run that makes you want to throw it all away and start from scratch?
4. Culture has been a changing scene since NT times, is there anything in history to show that churches have ever adapted their evangelism methods based on the culture?
5. If the answer to # 4 is yes, can you give some examples and tell us if they were successful?
1. I just finished Dan Kimball’s book on the emerging church. He is critical, and rightly so, of the seeker-sensitive model of church. It seems to me, though, that the emerging church is really just another type of methodology that is trying to give the unregenerate what they say they want. How is this different from the seeker-sensitive approach? The seeker-sensitive folks also polled the “unchurched” to find out what they wanted and responded by giving them what they said they wanted. Isn’t the emerging church doing the very same thing?
2. What do the emerging church folk mean when they say the unsaved want to “experience God”? Please ask them to describe what it means to “experience God”.
Thank you for answering my questions.
Questions for those opposed to the emergent church:
1. Is it wrong to hold man made traditions (those developed after the close of the canon) as SACRED and NECESSARY for the church today? This includes man made songs, furniture, practices and order of worship.
2. It seems like most people who leave PD churches have more of a problem with the style of music than implementing more evangelism, worship, fellowship, discipleship and ministry. If God is alive and active thru song writers today, why not use their music?
3. If we use music as an act of worship in the church, are dance and art biblical forms of worship to (since they are used in the bible)
4. Would you agree that many throughout history, including most churches in the South have used their interpretation of the truth of God to hurt and even murder innocent people (gays, blacks, jews, slave trade)? Why is the biblical “truth” that black men are not equal in the site of God of the 1950s not biblical “truth” now? Or, in other words, how do we know that our truth today is THE truth when even our “truth” has changed so much?
5. What has the emerging (not emergent) church denied in scripture (and please back up your statement with emerging trends as a whole, not just one or two renegade emergent/emerging pastors).
5.
Hi Folks,
The big 5
1. Is there such a thing as absolute truth and if there is where can it be found ?
2. Who is Jesus Christ and what is the single most important thing He did ?
3. Do you believe in literal places called Heaven and Hell ?
4. What must one do to be saved ? (please be specific)
5. Do you believe the “virgin birth” and “resurrection” are literal historical physical events ?
Thank you,
Dale
Eh…
how about:
1) Do you believe that words can be used to potray a definite fixed objective meaning, and that there is only one correct meaning of a particular phrase in a particular context in the Bible, and that this does not change over time?
2) If a concept, doctrine or practice is not approved of within the Bible, can it even be considered as being remotely Christian if held or done in the name of Christ and using Christian terminology?
3) Do the ends justify the means in obeying any of God’s commands and decrees?
4) Which is better in the eyes of God: Being open to all points of views because we are only human and thus do not know anything, or being confident and bold in our proclaimation of only one interpretation of God’s absolute and unchanging truth?
5) What is the doctrine of seperation, and if you agree with it, how should it be applied? If you don’t agree with it, why not?
1. By examining God’s Holy Word, the scriptures and studying Godly men’s critiques (from that same source- scripture) of your teachings and methods would you REPENT (turn away from and renounce them) immediately of any sinful error in your teaching, worship , “doing church” ?
2.If you say you would, are you reading any of the critiques with the diligent study of the Word, and what are you doing to show with the PLUMB LINE the critque’s error?
3. Do you beleive and trust fully on God’s sovereign ability (He is God after all) to bring men and woman to repentance through the preaching of the Gospel (it is His Gospel after all) ?
4. Have any of your methods ever been questioned by someone you had trusted in the past and had seen the fruit of the Holy Spirit ( A gift from the Lord Jesus Christ after all) and if they were, think back on that initial response to them from you, and was it from the Holy Spirit working in you, or was it from the flesh? After all we should be able to discern between the two. Right?
5. Where in the Holy Word of God ( our directions of His Holy will) do you find your “method” ?
Since the emerging church movement or conversation appears in many ways to revert to Roman Catholic and mystic emphases, doctrines, and practices, I would pose questions based on the five solas of the Reformation.
1. Do you believe that Scripture alone is our rule and authority for life and salvation, containing inerrant propositional truth?
2. Do you believe that salvation is by faith alone?
3. Do you believe that faith comes through grace alone?
4. Do you believe that salvation is in Christ alone?
5. Do you believe that the plan of salvation and indeed all things that God controls are for the glory of God alone?
No “yes, but” answers should be necessary. These are exclusive claims, and Biblical every one.
1.Do you believe what the Bible says?
2.Why, or why not?
3.What do you do with Jesus?
4.How do you deal with those who disagree with your
theology?
5.Upon what do you base the actions you take in life?
I have 2 questions that both sides of the table are welcome to comment on…
1. From your perspective, could you briefly explain what it means to reckon one’s self dead, mortify the flesh and carry your cross?
2. From your perspective, could you explain how liturgical practices from Catholicism, Bhuddism, Hinduism play apart in your orthoprayxy?
Personally speaking, when I talk to people I usually have just one question:
Why did Jesus have to die?
In a way it’s a trick question because he didn’t HAVE TO lay down His life for us. But it really cuts to the heart of the matter and when you phrase it this way, it usually short-cuts any response a person might have to just recite a party line, using words they probably don’t understand anyways.
I know I have 4 more but I can’t think of any. 🙂
#1 How does the Bible define “grace” in Titus 2?
#2 Can a man live holy by the Grace of God and the indwelling Omnipotent Holy Spirit of Almighty God?
#3 According to 2Cor.5:17 and 1stJohn3, what happens to old, sinful habits and things when someone is “in Christ”? Think about the fact that Jesus warned many times about hell. Those people that went to hell somehow weren’t forgiven, despite the fact that popular theology states God’s forgiveness is unconditional.
#4 In light of Bible language such as, “Christ in you the hope of glory” (among many others)should professing Christians excuse sin with cop-out phrases such as, “I’m only human”? The Bible teaches the staggering thought that Christians are NOT “little gods” as some heretics assert, but are nonetheless, “supernatural”!
#5 What does it mean when someone has, “a form of Godliness, but denying the power thereof”? Read that verse in the context of the above questions, while contemplating the Bible language that Christ forgives sins that are past, and nowhere promises to forgive excuses.
Thanks, Kevin
For those opposed to emergent:
1. Have you ever been to an emergent gathering? If not, are you basing your judgment solely upon what you read on the internet, in books or magazines or hear on the radio?
2. Do you recognize the difference between Emergent, emerging, PDL and seeker-sensitive churches?
3. Does the fact that the Catholic Church does something make it inherently wrong? In other words, is it Biblical to base our orthodoxy and orthopraxy upon what those with whom we disagree don’t do?
4. Does the Historic Orthodox Church have any absolute standards in both personal living and corporate church life and if so what are they and what are they based upon?
5.Which is better in the eyes of God: Loosing the chains of injustice, sharing our food with the hungry, providing the poor with shelter and clothing the naked OR making sure that every historic, traditional belief is upheld, making sure that the world is aware of when it’s not and making sure that those who do not hold those beliefs understand their precarious position?
There are only two kinds of questions, really, in these kind of “debates”:
1. Questions seeking understanding, so that there is clarity, charity, and clear communication.
OR
2. Questions seeking ammunition, so that people can attack even further those they are already attacking. Sort of like the scribes and lawyers constantly trying to trick Jesus into saying something they could use against Him.
I would suggest that several (perhaps even the majority) of the comments above clearly fall into the category of “seeking ammunition”. I hope this will not be indicative of the tenor of the responses that are forthcoming.
Hi Mr. Corley…
I don’t know if I qualify as an “authority” in the emerging church movement, but I’m certainly in the thick of it. I’m the editor of the church/culture/emerging church e-zine Next Wave (next-wave.org) and the pastor of the evergreen community, an emerging church in Portland Or (we meet in a pub… how’s that for “emerging” credentials???)
I’ve lectured on the emerging church at Western Seminary, and am both a fan and critic of much of what is said and done within the scope of the emerging church movement.
I’d be happy to take a crack at the questions above… I really think theres a lot of misunderstanding out there, mixed with a whole lot of what qualifies in my mind as slander and gossip… along with some very concerning things as well.
But clearly, this is a topic people are interested in and I’d like to do my part to at addressing some concerns. I think someone else who sould be great to speak to, someone who like me tends toward the “middle way” in the emerging church conversation is Andrew Jones, tallskinnykiwi.com.
I’m open if you are interested.
“What must I do to be saved?”
For the non-emegers (from someone who doesn’t sit on either side of the fence, but will play emergent for the sake of this exercise):
1) Do you understand that I don’t agree with everything that Brian McLaren has ever written or spoken, nor does he speak for me, or anyone I know?
2) Do you understand that I don’t agree with everything that Rob Bell has ever written or spoken, nor does he speak for me, or anyone I know?
3) Do you understand that I don’t agree with everything that Dan Kimball has ever written or spoken, nor does he speak for me, or anyone I know?
4) Do you understand that I don’t agree with everything that Doug Pagitt has ever written or spoken, nor does he speak for me, or anyone I know?
5) Do you understand that I don’t agree with everything that Scot McKnight has ever written or spoken, nor does he speak for me, or anyone I know?
1) Do you believe that the Scriptures alone teach how God is to be worshiped?
2) Do you believe that Scripture alone teach how we are to evangelize?
3) Are church members more holy as a result of the emergent church philosophy?
4) In Paul’s day the theater was very prominent, but he continued to teach that it was through the preaching of the Cross that men are saved, so why did he not use drama, dance, dialogue, ect, when the people were do gear to such activity?
5) Where in Scripture does it teach that we are to go to the world and ask how we are to “do church”?
To clarify my first question posted on Apr. 27th.
It was direted at the idea within the emergent thought that beleivers can embrace and practice other religious practices as a means to worship or get closer to God. In other words, does God’s word teach us to practice other non-Biblical religious traditions or pratices (e.g. centering prayer, laberynth walk, etc…) to pursue Him? For reference starters, check out Deut.12:30-32. Please give scripture to support your answer.
My delayed 2nd, 3rd and 4th questions:
2.) Where in scripture does it teach that the church “may not survive” or “we must change our method” if we (the church) do not “do” something?
3.) It was stated that “when does truth become truth, when it is proclaimed or when it is lived? If “when lived”, give scripture to support it. If “when proclaimed”, give scripture.
4.) Where in scriture does it teach that we (the church) should ask the world (yea, the lost and unsaved) about what they think of the church (true believers [and doers] of God’s word) and how we can better reach them?
Mike,
I am behind at sending in my 5 questions you asked about. I know it’s been awhile back, but I hope I can still add a few. My son was hospitalized at the time. He is home and a lot better, so I can concentrate a little easier on what I would ask.
1. For those who consider themselves emergent, but don’t think they are as liberal as Brian Mclaren, Doug Pagitt, Dan Kimball, etc., and don’t deny so many Biblical truths as these and other leaders, what is it then in this movement that you identify with that the traditional church has not been doing already?
2. We as God’s children can always do a better job in every area of life, so putting that aside as obvious, what proof does the emergent movement have that they are now better at helping the poor, witnessing, doing missionary work, etc. than the church has been doing before most of them were even born?
3. I would like to know where in the Bible, God says its ok to bring worship practices from other belief systems and other gods, and use them when we worship the One and only true God? And please don’t insult our intelligence by accusing people with concerns on emergent of being upset because you use different music. It’s the denying of who God is, what His Word says and denying its sufficiency that I’m concerned with.
4. If some in the emergent movement don’t adhere to the non-biblical beliefs and practices that is throughout it, how do they justify still partnering with those who do, by promoting their materials and being a part of their conferences? How do you justify not separating out from those who teach new age teachings, buddhism, and other deceptions as Biblical, to a trusting congragation?
5. Do you believe when witnessing to people in other religions, that they can just add Jesus onto whatever belief they already have, and that will be ok and please God? What are the man-made traditions, in todays church, that the emergent has accused them of having?
Sorry Mike,
I’d like to add one more thing to question 5 that I submitted. Worship practices popular in the Emergent movement are the labyrinth, lecto divinia, contemplative prayer, using icons, etc. Do they think that these are man-made worship practices? If not, where in the Bible are they talked about?
I guess I asked a few questions on each of my 1-5. Sorry. Feel free to consolidate if its too much. Thanks