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| Beware of the Emergent Church and the messages it brings. |
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ROB BELL: “TRAMPOLINIANITY” AND THE VIRGIN BIRTH You will say, “How I hated discipline! How my heart spurned correction! I would not obey my teachers or listen to my instructors.” (Proverbs 5:12-13) Rob’s New Religion Of Trampolinianity Jennifer Gold and Eric Young filed a report for the Christian Post on Rob Bell called Megachurch Pastor Looks Forward to Release of “Sex God” where they point out: Evangelist Rob Bell recently talked about his new book on faith and sexuality,... Sex God: Exploring the Endless Connections between Sexuality and Spirituality [which] is Bell’s second book and will be released in March 2007...by Zondervan... The founding pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville, Mich., one of the fastest growing megachurches in the nation, took part in an interview with Premier.tv, in which he also spoke of the risks of megachurches and evangelism in America... The megachurch pastor drew fire from some evangelicals and fundamentalists last year for his first book with Zondervan, titled Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith, particularly for comments regarding the virgin birth of Jesus and the concept of the Trinity. The context of what Rob Bell was discussing in his first book Velvet Elvis: Repainting The Christian Faith (VE) was his supposedly superior Emergent understanding of Christianity as opposed the proper historic orthodox Christian faith. In his excellent review of VE for 9marks.org Greg Gilbert gives us an example of Bell’s skewed view: ake Bell’s reconception of the idea of doctrine. Bell argues that the doctrines of Christianity should be thought of as the “springs” that hold up the trampoline on which we jump and live in Christ. The springs are not the main point; they merely facilitate the greater goal of “us finding our lives in God” (25). Now that analogy has some truth to it. But it’s also more dangerous than it might first appear. Conceiving of Christian doctrines as springs allows Bell to say that getting the doctrines right is not really that important. If you don’t like one or two of the springs, you can just take them out of the trampoline and keep on jumping. So in Bell’s pedantic postmodern repaint of the Christian faith he says the springs of a trampoline which bend and stretch are much to be preferred over that stinky and stodgy Biblical Reformed faith which is as rigid and unbending as bricks. You see in his refined, quiet, and quite polished arrogance Rob Bell mockingly refers to this type of Christianity as “brickianity.” And then as an example of how his new and not so improved “trampolinianity” would work he uses the Virgin Birth of Christ Jesus our Lord. http://www.apprising.org/archives/2006/12/rob_bell_atramp.html
http://www.pinpointevangelism.com/Bullhorn.htm Watch the above video's, Rob Bells first, then Way of the Master, judge for yourself. Pretty scarey stuff this emerging church stuff is, in my opinion.
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Grant |
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November 17, 2007 at 7:58pm |
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It certainly looks scary, but then so is every stage in the history of Christianity. It has always been fraught with a mixture of good and evil. There are also good things that could be mentioned about the emerging church movement. One-sided reporting is itself an evil - it is dishonest. I could not brand a whole movement because of one bad example. It is just not good logic.
Should I brand Lutheranism evil because of Luther's unfortunate comments about the Jews? Or should I brand Baptists evil because of the racial prejudice in some of their history? Or should I brand Episcopalians and Catholics evil because some of their ancestors murdered some of each other's ancestors? Or should I brand Disciples of Christ evil because in their historic camp meetings there was some adultery and drunkenness? Should I brand all Orthodox Churches evil because some in the Russian Orthodox Church are persecuting Evangelicals? Should I brand all of Pentecostalism evil because of some money-grubbing televangelists?
All of those churches also contain wonderful examples of faithful Christians, and we can learn much from them and their examples. The same is true of the emerging/emergent church movement. |
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Bunny |
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November 18, 2007 at 2:23pm |
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Grant said, "One-sided reporting is itself an evil - it is dishonest." I agree with you, Grant. Good response. I so wish Christians would stop attacking their brothers and start loving the lost to Christ. Loving includes full disclosure of sin, hell, etc, but few will listen if it's yelled at them through a bull-horn. |
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Grant I couldn't disagree with you more. If you don't see the danger of letting the emergent church movement have claim over your church, I think you would be wise to actually investigate it further. We many think there are many 'good' people in the world. Jesus said, only God is Good The church is the BRIDE of Christ. First I would say, the church needs to remember that when Jesus returns for us, we should present ourselves (the church) as clean and repentative of sin as God ordains us to. Mormens are lovely-goodly type people. I would not want them speaking at my church about anything, because their docturine regarding Christ is false. Therfore even though the nice Morman lady wants to come to my church, and speak on my church's pulpit about some religious subject, I would not want it, I would not allow it. Islamic peoples love Jesus, they regard him highly. But, because they do not believe that Jesus was the Son of God, I would not allow a faithful muslim to talk at my pulpit about any subject regardless of how learned he was in it. Just because you get a big of goodly, and godly in a group movement, doesn't mean it is automatically open to be taught and preached on your pulpit. I think Jude has something to say about that. I think Paul worked very hard to keep the church on the straight and narrow path. I would warn anyone against praphes like "start loving the lost to Christ", as the beginning of emergent type talk in your church. It may start out as innocent enough, but there is a movement behind it, and the movement is suspect, because I do not believe it comes from God, therefore it would come from....... |
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Bunny |
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November 19, 2007 at 8:47am |
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| Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Phil 4:5 (NIV) |
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| Do not let the sin of the outside world be excercised in God's church. The church is the bride, and it should be like a virgin, clean and shining for Jesus who will return soon. |
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Grant |
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November 19, 2007 at 4:02pm |
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First of all, you are describing emergent/emerging church people as if they are all one lump. They are not. Just like the rest of us they are diverse. The article http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/february/11.35.html identifies 5 distinct streams to this movement, not just one. One other article I read said that many EC people are former leaders in mainline churches - choir directors, pastors, etc. Many are theologically trained and quite orthodox in their faith.
Second, you compared EC people to Mormons or non-Christian groups. They are not. Many are orthodox in their faith and adhere to the same beliefs that you and I do. The major difference is that as they say, "the church has left the building."
May I suggest that rather than read the gossip columns about this movement you actually read what THEY say about themselves. www.emergentvillage.com/ and www.emergingchurch.info/ are a couple of websites. Many critics of the movement claim that they are "deconstructing" Christianity. However, that is an unfair and bigoted description. What they seek to "deconstruct" is vain tradition not core Christianity. They actually seek to go back to the simplicity of Christ.
Now, you and I actually DO agree by the way. I am also cautious about new movements. I put them under the lens and examine their faith, their orthodoxy (right teaching) and also their orthopraxy (right practice). Like anything new, I see a danger in some areas. Deconstruction of vain traditions is one thing, but deconstructing good traditions is quite another. However, EVERY single Protestant church has been guilty of those same things. We have all chosen which traditions from our mother church, the western church which we now call Catholic, to eliminate and which to keep.
Also, like every new movement, the emerging church will probably go from one extreme to the other. We human beings tend to be that way. We go from stuffy formality to uncontrolled informality. The Pentecostal movement has already been there, done that. We go from excessive ignorance of the Bible to bibliolatry (worship of the Bible). Evangelicals have already been there done that. We go from repulsion at the sin of drunkenness to legalistic teetotaling. Baptists and Methodists have already been there done that one. We go from exclusive self-righteousness to allowing the world too much influence. That may be the biggest weakness that many in the emerging church movement needs to be careful of.
It is too early to tell how this will settle out. I for one see a real contribution that the emerging church could make if they do it right. Traditions of the Christian Church have become like those of the Pharisees, stifling and imprisoning. The teachings of Christ have been buried under the rituals and politics of mainstream Christianity. These things the emerging church have brought to our attention. It is a real blessing to get our minds off politics and traditions and to refocus on Christ. I for one, pray that those in the emergent/emerging church movements DO get their acts together.
The basic idea of returning to the simplicity of Christ is good. Whether or not it will actually happen in practice is another question. |
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I believe your opening yourself up and your church's up to these teachings is the perfect example of how all religions will eventually be molded into ONE church, that the AC and false prophet will have complete control over. The emergent church is combining eastern techniques, pychobabel and down right heirsy and TEACHING it to our children using 'outreach' as the vehicle. Maybe YOU should look at some video's that I posted, and rethink your dangerous position. Contaminating Jesus's church with these teachings is disgusting, and people don't even do enough homework about their own church and Jesus's teachings to REALIZE the subtilties of the devil and what he is doing. Jesus threw out the moneychangers, he didn't bow his head, and say, well, yes these types of teachings and techniques will really help SELL my message better in this day and age. We DON"T need the emerging church and their message, they are just more of the 'Christians you are intolerant' to everything types, who want to snowball all religions into one so Christianity is not so decisive. But excuse me, Jesus was very decisive, and Jesus will BE very exclusive on judgement day, I wouldn't want to be responsible for contaminating HIS church with the likes of MaClaren and Bell, possibly contributing to people being DECIEVED and LOST forever. Just because I don't DIG these new HIP teachings. GET IT OUT of your CHURCHES, don't stand by why satan deceives the elect! |
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Grant |
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November 20, 2007 at 7:47am |
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| Guys, I think we will just agree to disagree on this one. Wherever God is, the devil is never far behind. Danger is all around us. I prefer to put my faith in Christ than to live in fear of any real or imagined evils. I don't wish to live in fear of anything or anyone except God. I don't fear false doctrines, because the Holy Spirit will lead me into all truth. I don't fear conspiracies because his rod and staff comfort me. I don't fear false religion sneaking in because he is with me. I don't fear any churches, because I know that despite many wrong teachings, there are those among all of them who understand truth. More than that I know that Jesus is on his throne and the active Head of the Church. |
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| Be wise as Paul and Timothy. |
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