Change | thebereancall.org

TBC Staff

[TBC: The following comments accurately reflect the philosophy of today's emerging church. The term "change agent" refers to the individual whose goal is to make the Church applicable to a post-modern world.]
 
"This new era demands that our theology becomes a creative pursuit with passionate inquiry, like the best art and the best science. Psychology, sociology, the new physics, history, comparative religion, and spirituality, not to mention postmodernism in general, all are calling for some creative Christian leaders to unfold some new paradigms for us to use in our explorations. Am I calling for new wineskins? Yes, but new wine will be required if we're going to navigate the dynamics of a new time."
 
"Change agents patiently help their people understand that "postmodern" people experience God in different ways than "modern" people. In the modern world everything in worship is reduced mainly to the visual sense, but post-moderns need more than the visual. They need to hear God, smell God, taste God, and touch God. The Pentecostals and the Eastern Orthodox are doing this best, with Pentecostals using their bodies in worship and Eastern Orthodox having "the smells and the bells." Communication in a post-modern culture needs to be experiential, participatory, image-based, and connective."
 
"Change agents are coaches who see the future and pull the church along attempting not to lose any, but there comes a point when you have to be very clear about where you're going. And remember, no matter what you do, some will refuse to come along. Some people are just not going to agree with forward thinking. That is the time when you let them know that the boat is leaving the dock. Remind them that there are plenty of seats for everyone, but they have to choose whether they're going to get on board" (http://graceawakening.faithsite.com/content.asp?SID=263&CID=42114).
 
[TBC: The apostles were called the ones who have "turned the world upside down" (Acts:17:6). The "emerging church" seems content to leave it where it is but provide cushions for increased comfort.]