Posted: 03/26/06

The Emerging Church And The Bible–Not!

By Ken Silva

"When you come to appear before Me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of My courts? Stop bringing meaningless offerings!" [1]

My guess is that there are some who have come to read this and are awaiting a thorough biblical analysis of this cult that has emerged within new evangelicalism. Some Christians hoping for Bible verses with which to confront the Emergent, and the Emergent looking for verses with which they can dispute. And this is one of the important points I am making in this short piece. The so-called "conversation" of the Emerging Church movement is not really interested in dialogue because they have already decided beforehand what they believe. In my experience here at Apprising Ministries  with pastors of Emerging churches I've yet to meet one who was actually willing to consider an opposing view.

All one need do to see the truth of what I have just shared is to take a quick peek at any of their blogs and watch them descend like piranha upon anyone who happens to disagree with their pontifications. Well thought out arguments from Holy Scripture immediately dismissed because one or more the resident Emergents simply say that the other person's "interpretation" is wrong. Based on letters I am receiving from brother pastors I am trying to help you see here that if one truly wishes to understand the Emerging Church movement it really is rather simple. This entire cult that is blossoming within our Lord's Church is nothing more than a rebellion against authority of any kind, and most particularly the Bible itself.

This is why the traditional apologetic approach so common in evangelicalism today is useless. There is no reason to try and coddle this rebellion and to find its "good points." Yet this also is a sad sign of these tepid times in our Lord's Church where we lack men with strong spiritual backbone. A tragically false over emphasis on the love of God is now so ingrained in the American Christian Church that we are literally afraid of our own spiritual shadows. I am thankful to see that recently Dr. John MacArthur, who has been a real blessing to the Church of our Lord, did a whole series on the lack of discernment in Christianity today. And with that lack of discernment has come an unwillingness to speak out against the false teaching that is now so rampant.

A New Reformation Of Love?

It's time for us to come to see the bigger picture because the Emergent Church itself is a primary part of the new evangelical Ecumenical Church of Deceit that has nearly fully arrived on the scene of timid American Christianity. The other major cogs in this Devil-designed serpentine vehicle to enable people in these later times [to] abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons [2] would be the Purpose Driven Church and the Word Faith Church. And what needs to be further understood is that they themselves are judgments upon the apostatizing Christian Church that have been allowed by the Lord Himself just as He permits their Mother in Rome to exist. Well, at least until they all finally serve His ultimate purposes. God does not sleep.

I am currently in dialogue with a couple of brother missionaries who are stationed in Europe and sadly they are battling much more advanced versions of these terrible excuses for Christianity. Men and women, it's not like our Lord didn't try and prepare us. For instance, in the mid 50's A.W. Tozer saw these travesties like these coming and wrote:

If Christianity is to receive a rejuvenation, it must be by other means than any now being used. If the Church in the second half of this century is to recover from the injuries she suffered in the first half, there must appear a new type of preacher. The proper, ruler-of-the-synagogue type will never do. Neither will the priestly type of man who carries out his duties, takes his pay and asks no questions, nor the smooth-talking pastoral type who knows how to make the Christian religion acceptable to everyone. All these have been tried and found wanting.

Another kind of religious leader must arise among us. He must be of the old prophet type, a man who has seen visions of God and has heard a voice from the Throne. When he comes (and I pray God there will be not one but many), he will stand in flat contradiction to everything our smirking, smooth civilization holds dear. He will contradict, denounce and protest in the name of God and will earn the hatred and opposition of a large segment of Christendom.

Such a man is likely to be lean, rugged, blunt-spoken and a little bit angry with the world. He will love Christ and the souls of men to the point of willingness to die for the glory of the One and the salvation of the other. But he will fear nothing that breathes with mortal breath. [3]

But unfortunately instead we have seen the rise of almost the exact opposite type "leader." One who fears almost anything and instead of defending the honor of God he or she seeks rather to please their fellow man. The reason I mentioned my missionary brothers is that it has partially been through their correspondence that the Lord has been able to help me see the state of the Church in this country from a fresh perspective. Next time we look a little further at what has come emerging as I have talked with them.

By Ken Silva Click here for bio and archived articles