Books are being written. Conferences are being held. “Faith communities” are being established under radically different principles and presuppositions than those of previous generations. And, meanwhile, people – particularly young people – are leaving “the church” – choosing instead they’d say to follow Jesus. Is that nonsense, or is it simply the tragic commentary that modernity has at last strangled the church to death and now the only glimmer of hope is for a new kind of Christian and a new kind of church?
The emerging/Emergent conversation has many people at the table. Brian McLaren would be one of the more prominent voices in the mix. But, the point is this: what are the Emergent leaders saying and are there warranted concerns that some of those things may be endangering biblical truths and values that the church of all ages has been called to protect? To the degree that the Emergent voices are uncovering deep weaknesses in the church of our day, we need to change. To the degree that they are capitulating to the culture and dumbing down essential truths of Scripture, we need to sit down at the table and with humility and courage contend for the truth “once for all delivered to the saints.”
Check out Al Mohler’s brief review of McLaren’s work, A Generous Orthodoxy.
