texts - a rebuttal from a non-ecm'er

I'm not sure if it's worth it and I'm not sure I'll finish but since I was thinking I would reply to 50 conversation starters, Iid rather divert that energy to reply to the TeamPyro posters. I trust it will make for some healthy discussion - something I didn't see happening on their blog nor at the places they got their information from.

Here's the first one and the reference that prompted it.



What does this poster communicate? I see a generalization that Emergents have a low value for Scripture which can be bent for one's entertainment. Is there some other significantly different interpretation?

I first spotted the referenced video back in February and was beside myself. I had real difficultly getting past the stylistic differences (which I unfortunately made a public inappropriate remark about - so right now, I apologize to that fellow with the gym clothes and top hat).

But, more important, I could not accept the "Bible is fluid" and related comments. Coincidentally, I was also in the process of reading Emerging Churches. Allow me to quote myself from a post from back then, "I've had enough. If this is what the Emerging Church is about, in spite of the good stuff I thought I found, the Emergent Conversation is heresy."

Yep - that's right, what I understood from this video, what I read from that book were not Christian values and needed to be confronted.

But, at the same time, people I know who consider themselves as Emergents have communicated to me a very high value for Scripture. One of my friends said that what was really intended in the video was not that the Bible was changing but that as we change (i.e., grow), our understanding of the Truth changes - or more correctly, our relationship to the Truth changes. I can accept that.

But either way, I find the language in the video dangerous and consistent with the writings of others such as Friesen, Leeds, Bolger, Gibbs and others. Perhaps these guys know what they intend to communicate. But even if it is a good thing such as the way my friend articulated it, I think it is inappropriate. Many will not be able to read between the lines and will learn what is being said rather than what is intended. And worse, the unredeemed are not being confronted with Truth such that they are moved to reaction, they are hearing something much less than the Truth.

Here's the deal for me on this one. That video and related writings are seriously wrong but I cannot say this is what all of ECM believes. And I can also say that what was communicated in the comments to the article posting that video are very ugly and inappropriately judgmental, i.e., judging something that cannot be known from what was seen or heard. The generalization that the poster makes, i.e., that Emergents enjoy bending Scripture may be true for some but I do not know that - and it is not accurate for the Emergents I know (maybe they are not as Emergent as they think).

So, regarding the poster, I still maintain that it is irresponsible, inappropriate and misleading. Additionally, given the fruit that has come from it, it has served the wrong purposes. I think most have not been informed, I think they have been jaded.

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