McManus and the 6 points of the Emerging Church

1. Postmodern. What is postmodernism? “Whereas modernism is associated with unquestionable truth, postmodernism questions power bases and emotionally manifested ideas behind what is called truth. While modernism sees only one answer, postmodernism sees the possibility of several different answers as well as the possibility that there may sometimes be no immediate or simple answer.” (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-emergent-church.htm) Some in the church practice relativism, which goes hand in hand with postmodernism. The idea that there is no absolute truth attracts many of its leaders and followers. Many in the emerging church have the need to be relevant. Many see evangelism and relevance as cohorts. Christ gave us the great commission to go and make disciples of all men, but there is a line. We’re not to become of this world (John 15:19: "If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.”). I haven’t found a scripture yet that states that we should be more like the world. There is no time to be relevant. Some forget that Christ’s message of forgiveness and his gifts of salvation are already amazing. There is no need to “spunk” it up. My sister-n-law visited Mosaic a couple of years ago and was surprised it was a church. It came across as an avant-garde meeting place for the artsy, sure, but not as a church. Some Emerging churches have achieved the goal of becoming relevant.

Scripture: John 14:6: “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.”

Quote: GALLAGHER: Pastor McManus says a person can be good and still question traditional beliefs, that religion is more about questions than answers.(Delia Gallagher, CNN Faith and Values Correspondenthttp://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0607/10/pzn.01.html)

2. Worship. Probably no two churches in America worship exactly alike. And that’s one area that makes each church unique. Some want less of it and some want more. Some want hymns and others have never sung one. Some want chairs in a circle and others enjoy rows of pews. And that’s ok. If you step in an emerging church you know your somewhere a little “different.” There maybe candles lit. You may see a dance or a skit. You may be subjected to a hypnotic gong or flashing light. Well this may not be your type of worship, but it may be for others. The problem comes in the area when the art becomes the center of the worship and not Christ. An article in “Christianity Today” points out that neither Jesus nor Paul said much about aesthetics, but the author of Hebrews did. “And we should not forget that some Reformers, knowing the power of aesthetics, stripped churches clean of all artwork." (http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/february/11.35.html?start=3) This is actually one of the points why my wife and I left Mosaic. We were truly bothered one Sunday when Mosaic’s core values were presented to us. One of the five values states that “creativity is the natural result of spirituality”. This value has no biblical backing. My wife and I have contributed in plays, music videos and movies etc. and we would never make such a horrific statement. Why is it horrific? It’s horrific because Christ has made some of us artist, some teachers, some pastors etc. We’re not all artists. And to say such a statement devalues other gifting. And thank God for making us different with our unique talents. The art world is wonderful, but it has specific issues because of those who are gifted in this area. And a church needs to be equipped in shepherding all its flock, but if your whole congregation were pastors there better be leaders equipped to deal with the problems of its flock of pastors.

Scripture: Revelations 22:18: "I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book; if anyone adds to them, God shall add to him the plagues which are written in this book."

Quote: “We create art because it cost lives not to create art at Mosaic.”- David Arcos (http://realmealministries.org/WordPress/?p=243)

3. Mysticism. There has been a door opened into mysticism by many of the emerging church leaders in the United States. “This mysticism promises to bring us into contact with God in ways not experienced by most believers, and is especially appealing to those tired of fluffy Christianity.”(G. Gilley; http://www.svchapel.org/Resources/Articles/read_articles.asp?ID=106) There is no question mysticism is attractive to many new believers, especially presented by gifted speakers. Mysticism is becoming a new fad for many of the emerging church leaders in the United States. Believing that you can find God within yourself or the cosmos seems catchy especially for the young believer. Chants and rituals are appealing to some who came out of a similar background, but is it biblical? Or is it once again relevant? There seems to be a need for works and rituals. Accepting Christ is just not enough. And when speakers like Alex McManus, who has a strong influence on new pastors, has a website called “Into the Mystic,” you just can’t help but cringe. Many of these leaders, and I include both McManus brothers have not outwardly supported mysticism, but their vocabulary and actions flirt with this dangerous new phenomenon hitting our churches. “When your grandfather teaches you reincarnation and your grandmother teaches you that Jesus is Lord, you aren't taught postmodernism, you are postmodernism.” (http://www.freshministry.org/postmodern/erwin.html)

Scripture: Matthew 6:7: "And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.”

Quote: In Soul Cravings, McManus writes, "Jesus once said that the kingdom of God is within us. Yet most of us don’t even bother to explore the possibility that this might be true. It seems that what he is implying is that we have a better chance of finding God in the universe within us than in the one that surrounds us. (Soul Cravings, introduction)

4. Liberalism. Liberalism has started to creep into our churches. I’m not necessarily talking about politics. It’s the acceptance of liberal ideology; it’s the emasculating of our church. It’s the practice of not “offending” anyone. One example would be in the area of homosexuality. This topic is either ignored or accepted. Emerging leader Tony Campolo is one who goes contrary to scripture; “people do not choose to be gay. I don't know what causes homosexuality, I have no idea. Neither does anybody else.” (http://www.beliefnet.com/story/150/story_15052_2.html). Syndicated columnist and Pastor James L. Evans gave his analysis on these liberal leaders in a recent article. “Emergent Christians also tend toward a more liberal social view. They are concerned about the poor and about the environment. The emphasis here for emergent Christians is on serving and being generous. They think it is more important to live and act in faithful ways rather than obsessing about what we should believe. This concern for people and the world is not a stance related to any political party. For emerging Christians, caring about people in this world is their mission in life.” (http://www.newswithviews.com/PaulProctor/proctor121.htm) It’s important to point out that we should be concerned with the poor and helping those in need. But like our worship we need to be Christ centered. People like Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt and George Clooney do wonderful things for those in need around the world, but those actions are not the end all. Lest we not forget Mathew 6:5; “And when you pray, you are not to be as the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners, in order to be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.” There is emptiness in doing good deeds for ourselves and not for God. In December of 2006 Rick Warren invited Barack Obama to speak at his church. He defended this invite by sharing that Obama has a mutual respect for those with HIV/Aids in Africa. This is a man who is against traditional marriage, and supports abortion including partial birth abortion. Why would a pastor have a man with a liberal ideology speak at his church? This is becoming more of the norm for emerging church leaders. There is“awe” for those on the left. Not always in word, but many times in action. We need spiritual leaders who are not afraid of the “uncomfortable” parts of the bible and speak with courage. We need leaders.

Scripture: Acts 20: 28- 30: Keep watch over yourselves and over the whole flock of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers, in which you tend the church of God that he acquired with his own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come among you, and they will not spare the flock. And from your own group, men will come forward perverting the truth to draw the disciples away after them.

Quote: Jesus was killed because of how He confronted a particular socioeconomic religious system. He’s a first-century Galilean revolutionary who proclaimed a Kingdom other than the kingdom of Herod, so the Gospel does have political edge.” –Rob Bell
(http://blog.christianitytoday.com/ctliveblog/archives/2008/01/rob_bell_on_pol.html)

5. Leader. The Emerging Church has dynamic leaders. Rob Bell, Erwin McManus, Dan Kimball, and Brian McLaren are gifted speakers and many Emerging Church leaders struggle with arrogance and narcissism. They quite simply forget that the message is not about them, but about being a tool in communicating God’s word. These leaders are very charismatic, captivating and hip. (I only know Erwin and he is very likeable. It’s difficult not to be swayed by his charm. ) Moreover, many of these teachers speak at each other’s churches, write introductions in each other’s books, and teach similar theology. They may not belong to an official organization, but they spread a similar message. They believe Christianity is broken and they have been given the revelation to “fix” it. “My goal is to destroy Christianity as a world religion and be a recatalyst for the movement of Jesus Christ.” (Erwin McManus -http://www.christianexaminer.com/Articles/Articles%20Mar05/Art_Mar05_09.html) Some have even distant themselves from the term Christian because of the negative connotations it brings up. Some prefer Christ Follower to Christian. A common excuse by many in the movement is that Christians are no different than other religions. "Religion, after all, has become one of history's most powerful tools for controlling people. If you were thinking of a strategy to keep people in line, religion would have to be at the top of the list. In this, Christianity has become no different." (EM -Source: Soul Cravings, entry 22) Also some have pointed out that Christians in history have done evil in the name of Christ. These leaders sometimes get the Christian Church and being a Christian mixed up. A Christian has a relationship with Christ. Non-believers called the early followers Christians. Christian were “little” Christ. What an honor to be associated with Christ. Now its true evil has been done in Christ name, but committed by men “stuck” on religion and not by Christians who have a personal relationship with Christ. (http://www.livingway.org/library/faq/faq100.html). We are to be relevant to God and to him only. This seems like a minor point, but the vocabulary used by the leaders of the Emergent movement has been well thought out. Nothing is done by accident. Take a look at the Mosaic web site and you will find the following terms: Origins, Awaken, Gatherings, and Yelo, to name a few. There is nothing wrong with these strategically chosen terms, but they’ve been chosen. Has this vocabulary been designed for the mature or young believer?

Scripture: Mathew 24: 21-26: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, not ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there: believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth, Behold, he is in the secret chambers: believe it not. (Mathew 24: 21-26)

Quote: “My goal is not to keep up with the changing world, but to be standing there waiting for it when it arrives. People are going to need someone to show them the way.”(Erwin McManus -http://72.14.253.104/searchq=cache:Jtb0LX3zCW0J:missionallife.org/media/Seminar%2520Notes%2520Website%2520Giveaway%25202-2406.doc+erwin+mcmanus+doctrine&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=82&gl=us)

6. The Youth. The emergent church has put a lot of energy in attracting the youth in the United States. The messages are geared for the youth and young adults. Visiting Mosaic you notice that there are a lot of young people, which is important for a thriving church. However, the concern comes when families and older adults don’t feel that they have a place in the church. The average age of a Mosaic member is 26 (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0SOR/is_3_67/ai_n20510726). I have had friends and family leave because the direction of the church is for the young. This direction to go young does have its consequences, and it’s not only at Mosaic. Many of the new converts that attend Mosaic leave after a couple of years. The question many churches like Mosaic are asking themselves is how do we keep these new believers in the church? A former member of Mosaic by the name of Frank Loaiza had these concerns years ago, before the explosion of the Emerging Church movement. What about the importance of discipleship? “Erwin has quoted me as saying that I said, "Mosaic is too evangelistic" This is simply not true, I never said this. I said that we had an unbalanced emphasis on evangelism and not enough emphasis on discipleship.” (Frank Loaiza - http://rubensreview.blogspot.com/2007/02/interview-frank-loaiza.html)

If the message of being relevant and looking inside you to find God doesn’t resonate with older, mature believers, it resonates with the young. Look at the Christian book stores and see what our children are reading and listening to. The music and worship presentation is geared for our young people. Josh Reich wrote the following for a Christian magazine called “Youth Specialties.” “Over the years something happened. The landscape of student ministry has changed. Students are now more open to spirituality than previous generations. Some of the values of the emerging church are an emphasis on emotions, global outlook, a rise in the use of arts, and a rise in mysticism and spirituality.” (http://www.youthspecialties.com/articles/topics/postmodernism/worship.php) This article goes on to encourage youth leaders on how to structure a bible study or Sunday morning “gathering.” Message by Rob Bell on DVD are readily available for your child’s Sunday school class for the low cost of $19.99. The Emerging Church needs the next generation to continue its postmodern theology. The good news is that we can put an end to it.

Scripture: Colossians 2:8: See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

Quote: Erwin likened many churches today to, "...cemeteries - very organized but dead."(http://www.the-next-wave.org/stories/storyReader$330)

I wrote to Erwin some months ago and told him that I would be writing on the emergent church and I also shared with him that I believed he was one of its leaders. He replied that he felt that the previous pastor had the same theology as he did. That answer bothered me for some months and I believe it is because he didn’t deny that he is Emerging. I love Erwin and truly believe he wholeheartedly supports this theology. His sincerity doesn’t make it right nor does it keep his congregation invulnerable to the evil one and his tricks. Though Emergent Church leaders cannot be clumped in as one group and as practicing all that I have written, they do observe many of these things and that fact alone is threatening the “Church.” The blogs on the internet regarding Erwin has given many of those hurt by him and those in leadership a chance to dialogue with friends at Mosaic and at times with those outside of Mosaic. Many past Mosaic members have encouraged current members to speak up and ask questions of its leaders. Some have decided to leave. My encouragement is to stay, but always ask questions when something in your opinion go contrary to scripture. These blogs have been up for nearly a year and it is my prayer that this dialogue continues with those at Mosaic and others attending Emerging Churches. God has placed it on my heart to act as one of many brothers and sisters who are speaking out publicly and privately about the Emerging Church. It is not too late to take back our “Church.”

Jacob Aguilar