Do Dave & Tom Misunderstand The Emerging Church?

In this regular feature Dave and Tom respond to questions from listeners and readers of The Berean Call.Here is this week’s question:“To Hunt and McMahon:One of the main reasons you two don’t get the whole Emerging Church thing is you’ve lived too long in a church tradition that’s gotten comfortable not getting along with one another.This generation of Evangelicals is tired of the divisions it has inherited from your generation, and we see no reason why we can’t embrace Catholics and others who follow Jesus.Not only does that church have a rich history and tradition that we can learn from, but I believe our show of unity will help draw the lost to Christ.”

Tom:

Well, Dave, having spent 30 years of my life in a Roman Catholic Church, this attitude that this person has, it’s grieved me because I’ve seen it gain momentum in the evangelical church.The very people who told me that I was lost, you know, and of course I fought that, but they explained to me why I did not have the relationship with God.But I had all the trappings, this richness this individual refers to, so I didn’t have the gospel that saves.

Dave:

Tom, read that part again:“you’ve lived too long in a church tradition” about delusions, or what does it say?

Tom:

Yeah, “in a church tradition that’s gotten comfortable not getting along with one another.”They’re probably thinking, you know, from the Reformation on, we’ve had Protestants and Catholics, why can’t we get along?

Dave:

Right.Well, Tom, first of all, in anything we say, and our critique of the EmergingChurch, we have not referred to our “church tradition.”We’ve not said, oh we need to get back to the way some of the old church leaders did it.We have not said that at all!Now, where does this person get this idea?We have continually tried to go back to the Bible.If you want to know what a church ought to be like, it’s nothing about form, it’s nothing about the order of the service, or whether you going—well, it wouldn’t—let’s talk about candles and so forth, but it’s nothing like that.It is doctrine, it is truth.You would go back to the Book of Acts and you find out how the church got started.They did have some doctrinal disagreements there in Chapter 15.So, I will not accept this person’s critique in that part of it anyway.We have not referred to that, we refer to the Bible.What are we concerned about?I’ve said it a number of times, these people are leading us away from the Bible.When Kristen Bell says, “Well, I thought I understood the Bible, but now I hardly understand anything in it” what is that saying?I guess that’s God’s fault, He didn’t write this thing for our generation, He should have used some different words.This is the Word of God settled forever in heaven!

Tom:
Well, Dave, as we’ve said, once that takes place that we do have an understanding, then we have an obligation, then we are held accountable for what it says.That’s why she said, I believe she said, “You see, now everything is colorful, I’ve been set free.”In other words, I am not confined to rules and regulations, but life is more colorful now—I can enjoy and revel in the mystery.That’s what they love, mystery, and the mysticism, and so on.

Dave:

Life is more colorful now.Well, it was in black and white, now it’s in color, but you don’t know what the color is all about.You don’t understand it, you don’t understand the Bible.Does that make you feel good?Well, why would that be?I think there’s one reason, you don’t want to be restrained by what the Bible says.You don’t want doctrine; you don’t want reproof, correction.Where is the correction?Reproof, correction, instruction in righteousness, you get that from these EmergingChurch leaders?Well, the only thing would be, Well, let’s get out of that old mode and let’s get into some feeling.Tom, I will say it again, it’s a tragedy, they are trashing the Bible.They are saying the Bible is not important, we don’t need it, we can’t understand it, so now we are kind of out here flying out in space, and we’re going to get some good feelings about what we want to believe.

Tom:

Dave, the last statement this person makes, “Not only does that church (that is, the Roman Catholic Church) have a rich history in tradition that we can learn from, but I believe our show of unity will help draw the lost to Christ.”A couple of things, what about it’s history, number one and number two, what about unity?Are you against unity?

Dave:

Well, the Bible says, Ephesians Chapter 4, it doesn’t say, let’s try to establish unity, it says, we keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.Unity is already established, it’s the unity of the Holy Spirit.Jesus prayed, that they may be one, as thou art in me and I in thee, that they all may be one in us.And that’s a doctrinal prayer, Jesus talks about doctrine and about belief.How are we united?We’re united in what we believe.We are united in Jesus Christ.We are not united by some kind of an ecumenical movement.Well, let’s just get along with one another, can’t we get along?Jesus rebuked the Pharisees, Paul, most of the epistles are written to correct error, and have been introduced into the church.So let’s tell Paul, Why couldn’t you just get along?I mean you could have left out most of these epistles that you wrote because they are correcting people and we don’t need that, we just want unity.Even thought the Catholic Church, its doctrine is false, it has the wrong gospel, but I mean they do talk about Jesus and so do the Mormons—let’s just get along with one another.That is not what the Bible teaches!