Signs the Emerging Church is Emerging There are specific warning signs that are symptomatic that a church may be headed down the emergent/contemplative road. In some cases a pastor may not be aware that he is on this road nor understand where the road ends up. Here are some of the warning signs: Scripture is no longer the ultimate authority as the basis for the Christian faith. The centrality of the gospel of Jesus Christ is being replaced by humanistic methods promoting church growth and a social gospel. More and more emphasis is being placed on building the kingdom of God now and less and less on the warnings of Scripture about the imminent return of Jesus Christ and a coming judgment in the future. The teaching that Jesus Christ will ruleand reign in a literal millennial period is considered unbiblical and heretical. The teaching that the church has taken the place of Israel and Israel has no prophetic significance is often embraced. The teaching that the Book of Revelation doesnot refer to the future, but instead has been already fulfilled in the past. An experiential mystical form of Christianity begins to be promoted as a method to reach the postmodern generation. Ideas are promoted teaching that Christianity needs to be reinvented in order to provide meaning for this generation. The pastor may implement an idea called “ancient-future” or “vintage Christianity” claiming that in order to take the church forward, we need to go back in church history and find out what experiences were effective to get people to embrace Christianity. While the authority of the Word of God is undermined, images and sensual experiences are promoted as the key to experiencing and knowing God. These experiences include icons, candles, incense, liturgy, labyrinths, prayer stations, contemplative prayer, experiencing the sacraments, particularly the sacrament of the Eucharist. There seems to be a strong emphasis on ecumenism indicating that a bridge is being established that leads in the direction of unity with the Roman Catholic Church. Some evangelical Protestant leadersare saying that the Reformation went too far. They are reexamining the claims of the “church fathers” saying that communion is more than a symbol and that Jesus actually becomes present in the wafer at communion. There will be a growing trend towards an ecumenical unity for the cause of world peace claiming the validity of other religions and that there are many ways to God. Members of churches who question or resist the new changes that the pastor is implementing are reprimanded and usually asked to leave.
Posted on: Wed, 02 Apr 2014 15:15:04 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015