The Errors of the Emergent Church by Eric Barger

A Few Reasons Why You, Your Family and Your Church Need to Keep Your Bible Open...

For some time now, I have been tracking something called the "Emergent Church Movement" (also known as the "Emerging Church"). I don't want to assume that everybody here is up to speed on what I'm talking about so first, a few words of definition. At some point in the mid-1990's the moniker "Emerging Church" surfaced out of the Young Leadership Network. It came from the notion that because the culture has changed a new church should emerge in response. Claiming to be the answer to reach the so-called postmodern generation, Emergents claim to have explored all of the avenues of what the Church has historically been only to find that little or none of it satisfied them. The common bond of the Emergents was and still is a general dissatisfaction for Bible believing Christianity - though nearly all of them claim to be "Evangelicals!"

Like many in the various isms before them, Emergents set forth to tackle a seemingly noble cause. They appeared to want desperately to reach a lost generation. However, it soon became clear that no matter how zealous Emergents were, the message they offered to their target postmoderns was not the authentic biblical model. Almost before even taking flight, the Emergents veered sideways into the ditch of heretical thinking, doctrine and practice. Their unorthodox view of the Christian faith, including doctrine and solo scriptura aided in drawing many who were seeking a self-styled Christianity rather than the biblical version. Those who came early to this perilous party also brought volunteers and funding to the soon-to-be-famous heretic leaders and in the eyes of some, their very presence added credibility just because the seats were being filled on Sundays. After quickly jettisoning the constraints of biblical hermeneutics and (God forbid) sound doctrine, Emergents picked up steam (and press) as being "hip, "different" and "refreshing." In reality though "hip" transposed into "we'll accept almost anything," "different" means "far out...really far out" and "refreshing" symbolizes "any Wiccan or Buddhist will feel right at home with us."

Eric Barger's website: www.ericbarger.com