Emerging/Reforming/Missional
by Tony @ church plant my eye

(editors note: here's another Texas church planter, planting near Austin Texas -- great post)

There seems to be so much going back and forth about what kind of church is or is not Biblically healthy. Currently, there is this intense discussion about whether or not the emerging church is of value, has Biblical accuracy, or if it is simply watering everything down and making it seem to easy to get into Heaven. I realize this is a discussion that needs to be had by some very influential people and who no doubt have some right and authority to speak into this kind of debate.

In my limited view of 20th & 21st century church history, these things always make me a bit uneasy. It’s not the discussion itself that makes me uneasy, but rather it is the wide open discussion. It seems that whenever the church puts its laundry out on the line for everyone to see, it never makes the discussion easy. Maybe this is the only way it can get resolved. Maybe it’s the only way people will entertain the discussion. Then again, is it the role of people to make assessments on whether or not some aspects of how people reach people are good enough? I totally agree that anything that diminishes the Word of God or negates its instruction needs to be knocked down. But I think my point is that when we start knocking on people’s doors and telling them that their way of doing church isn’t the right way, perhaps it is more telling about our own methods and the possibility that they are out of order.

Case in point – Jimmy Swaggart and James Bakker. It was Swaggart who wagged his finger at Bakker in the midst of revelations of his affair. Yet a few short years later, it was Swaggart looking at the wagging fingers in his face. Both ministries took a huge tumble. They probably needed to. But the publicity killed a lot of other great ministries simply by association of the public viewing.

Case in point – The Kansas City Prophets shootout. Several years ago, there were two prophetic camps at war with each other, each denouncing the other. It got so heated that Charisma picked it up. And, in the end, much damage was done, including a lot of wounding and bitterness.

So what’s my point? I think my point is that we must lead where God has put us into leadership. I don’t think I fall in the Emerging church category. And I am not the leader of the Emerging church movement. Therefore, I am not empowered or qualified to speak about their ministry unless it steps outside of Biblical accuracy. And even then, I wouldn’t do it in a public forum. I am not 100% reformed, as is the Acts 29 movement, nor am I in leadership in that organization. I can speak about what I personally am not comfortable with. But to take them to task publicly is a bit dangerous, in my opinion. There is a lot of volleying going on between Doug Padgett, Driscoll, Calvary Chapel, et al., in a very public way. And this is forcing people to decide, weigh in, and pick their side. Where can it end and how will it help the body?

Whenever I see something that really bugs me about someone else, I eventually get to this question “What in me is messed up that causes me to take a dim view of someone else?” What I fear the most here is that the measure that people take issues public is the same measure their issues will be taken public if there are any and they are found out or called out. Maybe my final question is “How is God going to get glory out of this and how do we help it to that end?”

Finally, I realize I am no expert here and the history and scope of this issue is beyond me. I am simply putting a few thoughts down to challenge myself and hopefully others in our handling and processing of other peoples’ stuff.