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Postmodern Views & Churches See also The Emerging Church and The Purpose-Driven Church
See Biblical versus Postmodern Thinking and Biblical versus Cultural Christianity |
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December 2008
The Manhattan Declaration: "It probably represents any number of worthy causes, ideologies and agendas. And this is precisely how people are hooked in to signing on. After all, how could you be AGAINST saving unborn babies, good marriages, and morality? But there are a number of red flags that indicate that these types of documents have other agendas, causes and ideologies than meet the eye." See Biblical versus Cultural Christianity
November 2008
The Postmodern Church. Mangled Christianity: "This book claims to describe twelve 'bottom line' beliefs that all Christians hold in common. However, its description of those beliefs is confusing, and at times clearly contrary to Scripture. For example, in discussing what happens after we die (chapter 12), it includes reincarnation as a belief that is held by some Christians (p. 94). However... it is clearly refuted in the book of Hebrews, which says, 'it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.'" See Biblical versus Postmodern Thinking
June 2008
Why are young people leaving the church? "In previous generations, young people could live with this inconsistency... but with an increasingly secular and atheistic public education system – where some 90 percent of church-going youth are trained – today's youth find it hard to see a connection between what they are taught in church and what they learn at school. 'Because of the way in which they've been educated,' Ham said, teens come to believe 'that what they are taught in school is reality, but the church teaches stories and morality and relationship. Bible teaching is not real in the sense of real history.'
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young people are starting to see, 'Well, I can then believe what I'm taught at school – but school has nothing to do with God.' The key issue is that this doubt about the Bible's account of origins causes youth to doubt the authority of Scripture." See Biblical versus Postmodern ThinkingPostmodern church scolds Paul the Apostle: "Paul, we really feel the need to caution you about the tone of your epistles. You come across in an abrasive manner to many people. In some of your letters you’ve even mentioned names; and this practice has, no doubt, upset the friends of Hymenaeus, Alexander, and others. After all, many persons were first introduced to the Christian faith under the ministries of these men.... By your outspokenness, you have also diminished your opportunities for future influence throughout the church as a whole."
Februrary 2008
Burning with such zeal, Cizik helped transform the 60-year-old previously conservative coalition into a pawn of the rising new Evangelical Left. Once strongly concerned about sanctity of life, protection of marriage, and international religious liberty, NAE now pushes for open borders immigration and environmental activism....Remaking Evangelicals In Ted Turner's Image? "Former National Association of Evangelicals [NAE] lobbyist Richard Cizik says he is 'creating the future' of the evangelical church, with Ted Turner's money and environmentalist talking points. ... And he says skeptics of the climate apocalypse are akin to the naysayers who ignored ascendant Nazism in the 1930’s. ...
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He emphasized 'new evangelicals' like himself will have to 'partner' with other faiths in order to 'save the planet,' presumably from the majority of evangelicals not interested in currying favor with liberal opinion." See Saving the EarthJanurary 2008
Mere Anglicanism: "The Gospel is the ONE Gospel—it’s not one of many. Under the guise of Christian unity, Lewis has brought in syncretism—many gospels. ... Lewis also preaches that God speaks through myths and that pagan myths are actually precursors to the Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ." See Surprised by Joy
Evangelical Pastors Questioned for Highlighting Seattle's R-Rated Pastor at National Conference: "In response to those who will claim Driscoll is doctrinally sound, Mickels states, 'Since when is it doctrinally sound to refer to Jesus as some 'dude' who tells 'knock-knock jokes'?' Since when does Biblical doctrine tolerate the description of the Old Testament as 'a red-neck hillbilly comedy' containing mocking comments about Noah and Jeremiah?'...'It is just as puzzling... why a pastor, who warns young men about the dangers of pornography, admits to frequenting a barbershop Driscoll describes as 'providing the finest selection of waiting area pornography in our city.'" See Biblical versus Cultural Christianity
December 2008
Top evangelical resigns after backing gay unions: "A top evangelical leader has resigned his post following an uproar over a recent interview when he said he supports civil unions for gays. The National Association of Evangelicals says the Rev. Richard Cizik (SIGH-zik) quit Thursday as the group's representative in Washington."
See Cizik, Clinton & "Christian" pluralism
September 2008
Donald Miller, gave Monday night's Benediction at the Democratic National Convention: "'Father God, This week, as the world looks on, help the leaders in this room create a civil dialogue about our future.... We need you to protect us from our enemies, but also from ourselves, because we are easily tempted toward apathy. [What about other sins?]... Help us figure out how to pay teachers what they deserve and give children an equal opportunity to get a college education. Help us figure out the balance between economic opportunity and corporate gluttony.... We need your help. Father, will you restore our moral standing in the world.... Lastly, father, unify us. Even in our diversity help us see how much we have in common." See Green Like Envy: An Ex-pagan Looks at Blue Like JazzAffinity churches - Evangelicalism or Escapism? "It would appear that affinity churches have become the new chic in Sunday services. ... Using a favorite hobby, theme, pastime or lifestyle as an eye-catching novelty or motif to lure in likeminded prospects is certainly not a new concept – especially among seeker-sensitive churches." See Transformation
Church Sponsors ‘Extreme Drinking’ Conference: "No, this video is not a Saturday Night Live skit. It’s a real church in our state, Valley Harvest in Neenah, Wisconsin. The fratboy-style preacher appears to be sampling the real sauce in considerable quantities, but he attributes his blasphemous, mocking, drunken state to the Holy Spirit.... Linked nearby is another video that portrays something in the UK called 'Sloshfest ‘08' where the young people are engaged in a 'Glory Trance Dance'—supposedly worship of the Lord." See Mocking God
The Author of Blue Like Jazz:
August 2008
Donald Miller, the Emerging Church, and the Democratic National Convention. "The following quote by Miller (in BLJ) reveals much about his spiritual propensities: 'For me, the beginning of sharing my faith with people began by throwing out Christianity and embracing Christian spirituality, a nonpolitical mysterious system that can be experienced but not explained (p. 115).' When Miller says that 'Christian spirituality' cannot be explained, he means that solid, unchangeable biblical doctrine and theology do not exist. When Miller says 'Christian spirituality' can only be 'experienced,' this is referring to mysticism."
Evangelical Manifesto Lays Out 'Chamomile Tea' of Theologies: "But something about the Evangelical Manifesto put forward last week by Os Guinness, Richard Mouw, and other moderate Evangelical luminaries [including Rick Warren] called that plan to mind: We urge our fellow-citizens to assess the damaging consequences of the present culture wars, and to work with us in the urgent task of restoring liberty and civility in public life, and so ensure that freedom may last to future generations. ... the signers of the Manifesto are the Young Turks of the Evangelical movement determined to strip the old-guard, partisanized leaders of their title. In twenty closely-reasoned pages of theology, the younger leaders lay out a case for redefining Evangelicalism as a religious movement similar to the Protestant mainline. Not coincidentally, such a move would delegitimize the older, more sectarian Religious Right." See
July 2008
"LIVE Bible Equips Teens to Put Faith, Creativity Into Action: "The Bible is the world’s bestselling book, but it often leaves younger audiences looking for relevance and practical ways to connect with and apply its message to their lives. LIVE (Group Publishing/Tyndale, June 2008) is a revolutionary Bible created for teens.... 'LIVE is not a static, cement block of a Bible—it’s a living, breathing example of God’s love for us,' says Craig Cable, marketing director. 'This is about interacting with the Scriptures on all levels. It’s about challenging teens ... to grow, to get their hands dirty in the world and shape culture in their day-to-day lives and expressing themselves through the arts." See God's unchanging Word
May 2008
Those Who Resist: "Every cult in the world has sprouted from the fertile soil of deception, always initiated by a drastic move away from the primacy of the Word of God into the nebulous, self-defining atmosphere of experience....
"...most people will do exactly this: they take pains to look the other way when something bumps up against their doctrine. As a Christian, there's no quicker way to start a fight with a friend than to tell him that some of his most fervent beliefs are wrong.... It's ironic that, in a fellowship that taught a watered-down version of the fear of the Lord, it was fear that motivated me to stay put."
See Re-Inventing the Church
April 2008
Southern Baptists now in Decline: "'This report is truly disheartening,' said LifeWay president Thom S. Rainer....[W]hat about the books LifeWay offers on Contemplative Spirituality, aka, Spiritual Formation, from Emerging Church authors and leaders, many of whom reject absolute truth, downplay doctrine and encourage their readers to incorporate mantras and mysticism into their Christian walk? One of the foremost authors and leaders of the Emergent movement, Brian McLaren, recently spoke at Willow Creek Community Church... at the annual Shift student ministries conference. Here’s what the SBC’s own Baptist Press had to say about him: 'McLaren's views break harshly from traditional Christian theology that Jesus died on the cross as substitute for sinful humanity, taking the punishment that men and women deserved for their sin.' Yet, at this writing, his books are available for purchase at LifeWay Christian Stores."
Christian City Church - About: "….we aren't traditional or orthodox in our presentation of the ageless, culturally adaptable gospel of grace. We have a commitment to cultural relevance.... Our hearts are in heaven and our feet in the 21st Century. … We believe in apostolic and prophetic leadership.… We aren't fundamentalists, but we are believers.… We pray loud and long.... We wait in the silence that speaks…. We are honest about that complex marvel full of promise and debilitating contradiction - our humanity with: failure, sin, temptation, marriage, money, sex, life, death and taxes…. We believe in faith, hope and love… supernatural happenings, vision…. We are irreverent, risky, fun, conservative, serious and holy. … We believe in God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (even though we have no real idea how Trinity works)…. We really love God, and He loves us." See Biblical versus Postmodern Thinking
February 2008
Bishop challenges Anglicans to be ‘Christ-centred' [but not Bible-centered]: “We English Anglicans are extraordinarily good at talking down our church,' says Bishop Mursell in his letter.... He also took a swipe at the bitter volleying between liberals and conservatives in the wider Anglican Communion over homosexuality, saying that Anglicans are 'incomprehensibly obsessed with sex'.... 'Perhaps we’ve never really got over the fact that one of our founders [Henry VIII) had serious marital problems.'”
See Biblical versus Cultural Christianity
Repeated.
Purpose-Driven Message. A New Century: A New Reformation: "Warren says that he recently told a group of business leaders, 'The future of the world is not secularism. It’s religious pluralism… The world is becoming more religious, not less.. We’re going to have to minister in a context where we… learn how to get along.' To that end, Warren is trying to increase civility in the world.... 'I think we need a second Reformation in the church about how we behave.... The first Reformation was about creeds. I think the second Reformation needs to be about deeds…."He calls this second Reformation a 'mobilization.' Saddleback is developing a 'peace plan” and worldwide mission to promote reconciliation through service....During 2008, the church intends to make its methods available to any church." See Warren's Peace Plan & UN Goals
December 2007
Dumping Sola Scriptura: "At a recent conference, the most popular paper resulted in four times as many people crowding into the room than it was designed to hold. The title of this provocative lecture was 'How Evangelicals became overcommitted to the Bible and what can be done about it.' The speaker said that in 'the actual practices of the Evangelical community in North America, there is an over-commitment to Scripture in a way that is false, irrational and harmful to the cause of Christ.” He claimed that this over commitment has produced a mean-spirited and grotesque distortion of Christianity....
"So what?, I hear you say, 'this is what you can expect from atheists, liberal theologians and other unbelievers.' The problem is that these ideas were proposed at a meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society by no-one less than J.P. Moreland, a well-known Evangelical theologian and professor at Talbot School of Theology, which describes itself as 'a conservative, evangelical seminary'!"
See God's unchanging Word
November 2007
Baptist Sunday school undergoes 'extreme makeover': "What kid doesn't like painting? How about storytelling and dressing up in period costumes? Maybe they love playing computer games...? Infuse this fun with peace on earth, good will toward men, and you have Sunday school 2007 at Middle Street Baptist Church....
"'Attendance was down and the older method was boring for kids,' said Pease....'With all the technology and fast-paced lifestyles, we found the kids were having a hard time sitting still.' ... The Temple Courtyard serves as a multipurpose room for games, spiritual formation, missions and more. The music and movement room is called The Psalms and Songs Conservatory.... Pease, a strong supporter of multiple intelligences theory, said children learn through multiple pathways to the brain such as tactile, visual, verbal, spatial, mathematical and more.... And what is the message they are trying to get across?"
See Re-Branding Christianity
October 2007
Postmodern Churches. A Congregation of Customers: "If you can find a way of seeing religion primarily as a form of consumerism -- skipping the faith and truth part of religious belief -- then Mr. Twitchell's analysis makes some sense. And in fact there are churches out there self-consciously engaged in marketing. They hire consultants and public-relations experts to 'grow' their flock, and they obey a market discipline...." See Re-Branding Christianity
September 2007
Church and Fellowship: "The center of attraction in a true church is the Lord Jesus Christ.... If the many activities engaged in by the average church led to the salvation of sinners or the perfecting of believers they would justify themselves easily and triumphantly; but they do not. ...many, perhaps most, of the activities engaged in by the average church do not contribute in any way to the accomplishing of the true work of Christ on earth." See Spiritual fellowship
August 2007
Many Churches Preach "Gospel light": "...In an article published by the Baptist journal Die Gemeinde he recalls the old days, when pastors and evangelists preached fervent sermons of repentance. Today this call had been replaced in many churches by an invitation 'to make friends with Jesus'. Many find it hard to talk about sin, hell, the need for conversion and the ensuing joy in Jesus." See Trading Truth for a "Social Gospel"
January 2007
What saves? - The power of God or the sensitive way? "A dialectic question, usually offered by change agents and facilitators in a group setting, is designed to present a false and distracting premise in order to encourage dialog between opposing positions with a predetermined outcome in mind - which, more often than not, involves the compromise of absolutes....
"We're not called to be loved but rather to love; and as I've written many times before, telling someone the truth is the most loving thing you can do for them. Jesus already warned us that we would be hated by the world because of Him. If we concern ourselves with what the world thinks of us, we'll never preach the Gospel, will we?"
See Evangelism
December 2006
Hillary Hires Evangelical Consultant: "Hillary Clinton has hired an 'evangelical consultant' to help woo Christian conservatives in her likely 2008 presidential campaign.... Clinton’s new hire is Burns Strider, an evangelical Christian who directs religious outreach for House Democrats and is the lead staffer for the Democrats’ Faith Working Group....Incoming Speaker Nancy Pelosi created the group...." See Biblical versus Cultural Christianity
November 2006
Erwin McManus & the Five Elements: "Erwin McManus is an emerging church leader, author of The Unstoppable Force, and lead pastor and self-professed 'cultural architect' of the Mosaic church in Los Angeles. He believes that the church needs to shape a cultural movement, an apostolic ethos. To create this apostolic ethos he has reinvigorated the five elements that come from ancient pagan spirituality."
See Biblical versus Cultural Christianity
Episcopalians install female leader: "Katharine Jefferts Schori took office Saturday as the first woman presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church.... She will now represent the American denomination to the many Anglican leaders angered by the 2003 consecration of the first openly gay Episcopal bishop, V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire.Her job is further complicated by her personal support for Robinson's election. She believes the church should ordain gays and bless same-sex couples, though she insists she won't impose her views on others. [Yet she says:] 'If some in this church feel wounded by recent decisions, then our salvation, our health as a body, is at some hazard and it becomes the duty of all of us to seek healing and wholeness.'... Some Anglican leaders also reject the idea of women's ordination: Jefferts Schori has said they'll have to 'get over it.'" See Softening God's Word
October 2006
Only when Christendom dies, it can bear fruit: "Mike Love is the chairman of the ecumenical Churches Together in the English city of Leeds.... The era of Christendom is over, according to Love....The modern church, built on rationalist principles, doesn’t work anymore in the age of postmodernism....
"The church... can never be a sphere separate from other sectors in society.... ‘Seeking the shalom of the city’, I see that as a primary task for the church..... An example is Together for Peace. We brought 100 Christian and non-Christian organisations together, around themes like peace, multicultural society, racism, sustainability, et cetera. With, a couple of months ago, a final festival, and it was amazing. It went totally out of the box of the church....
"The early Christians made use of terms like ‘saviour’, ‘kingdom’ and ‘lord’, unmistakeably political, those are words used for Caesar.... As a result of that, He subverts the logic of the system, the logic of power and oppression." See Trading Truth for a 'Social Gospel ' and The Language of Dreams and Idols
Emerging from the Emerging Church: "...during his argument about education in his little book The Abolition of Man, Lewis defines the ground of all truth as the Tao, the Chinese concept of impersonal truth. This effectively makes Christianity a subset and the God of creation a subset of the Tao.... How can the 'greatest Christian apologist of the 20th century'—as he is often called—write things like this? Here’s a quote from part of this section: 'This conception (A view of the reality of truth) in all its forms, Platonic, Aristotelian, Stoic, Christian, and Oriental alike, I shall henceforth referred to for brevity simply as ‘the Tao.’...
"Lewis was steeped in philosophy in his education, with a special emphasis on German philosophy of the 1700s and 1800s. He even taught philosophy....
"Brian MacLaren and other Emergent Church leaders are claiming to be rediscovering valuable parts of church traditions that have been neglected or rejected by conservative evangelicalism. In this process they are also incorporating traditions and philosophies from non-Christian and occultic religions.... As a result of my background in being rescued from occultic/New Age religion, I am very sensitive to the kind of syncretism." How mysticism & the occult are changing the Church
August 2006
Word'- Raising the Roof: "Hip-hop services are popping up all over. ...Holder has developed 'The Hip Hop Prayer Book,' inspired by the Book of Common Prayer, which he wrote with help from dozens of rappers, musicians and poets. Here's their version of the 23rd Psalm: The Lord is all that, I need for nothing. / He allows me to chill. /He keeps me from being heated /and allows me to breathe easy. /He guides my life so that I can /represent and give shout outs in His name." See Chart: Biblical versus Cultural Christianity