Has the emergent church movement impacted Anabaptist young people? Does it matter if it has?
I was recently asked what I thought about the emergent church movement and how I thought it is impacting Anabaptist youth. In thinking about it and dialoguing with the person, I decided to write about it.
To be honest, I’m always a little confused what people mean by “emergent church.” I’ve never heard anyone claim to be a part of the “emergent church movement.” Yet, people talk about it as if it’s something happening right before our eyes that we shouldn’t be able to miss. Now, I know there have been a few books written using that title, so it’s obviously a term people have gotten used to, although I believe it has been put on people similarly to the term Mennonite being put on those who followed the teachings of Menno Simons.
For that reason, when someone asks what I think of the emergent church, I find myself speechless because I’m not exactly sure what we’re talking about—there’s a host of forms of Christianity and I know I fall in there somewhere. I may believe things that remind other people of the emergent church, but I am probably coming at it from a completely different foundation.
For instance, (since we’re going to bump into this at some point let’s talk about it now) when I use the word relevant, I probably get automatically lumped into the “emergent church” group because that is a term leaders who get dubbed “emergent” have trumpeted. However, some people talk about making the Bible relevant to our generation and others talk about presenting the Bible in a relevant way. There is a big difference between the two. The first changes the message so the hearers accept it. The second keeps the message the same, but changes the packaging through which it comes so the hearers open it and face a decision about what they’re going to do with the message of God.
When I talk about relevance, I’m talking about the latter.
Even so, using the term relevant and changing my approach for evangelism and church will likely get me thrown into the emergent label, even though I don’t think I rightfully belong there because I am coming at it from a totally different foundation.
So if we’re talking about presenting the message of Christ in a relevant way when we talk about the “emergent church,” then I suppose I agree with it.
However, if by talking about the “emergent church” we’re talking about Brian McLaren and Rob Bell and what they teach, then I have strong cautions. Here’s why.
Promoting Faith, or Doubt?
In recent years, I have noticed an increasing amount of people who struggle with faith, God, confusion in their walk with Him, or disillusionment with the church. Now, grant it, I’m only twenty-five—there is a lot of life I have not seen. But it isn’t just me who notices this.
Those over forty talk about it. When I asked my Dad about it (who is actually over fifty, just for the record), he said it seems that his generation struggled more with outright rebellion whereas my generation seems confused. He believes the rebellion was caused by heavy-handedness and the confusion is caused by permissiveness. Other men in Dad’s generation agree.
Now, the point of this post isn’t to figure out how we should lead (heavy-handed vs. permissive), which is certainly a needed discussion. Limitations force me to leave that for later. For now, I simply want to evaluate what all plays into the confusion we deal with today and to suggest that perhaps part of it is the result of leaders such as Bell or McLaren.
In the permissiveness, new ideas have emerged (pun intended) that feel like answers to the questions and doubts people face on the heels of the heavy-handed, see-it-believe-it, pragmatic approach to leadership and God’s Word. The problem is, unless these ideas are rooted and founded in the Word of God they will only produce more error.
Are people talking more about their struggles with belief in God and their disillusionment with church because we are more comfortable with people sharing about such struggles? Has the church become a safer place to be honest? If so, that’s absolutely wonderful!
I’ve been blessed with older men in my life who are okay with my struggles and questions. This blog deals with a lot of the feelings people have, but don’t talk about, and it’s often negative. That’s because I have experienced growth and life in being free to put words to the struggles and sort through the emotions and find God’s Truth in the midst of struggle. Men, pastors, spiritual leaders have given me that freedom even though it may have been easier to squelch my questions and manipulate me to be okay with the way things are.
That’s why I am passionate about entering into risky conversations. We cannot grow unless we make the undiscussable discussable. However, in our discussions, we must align our answers with God’s design and His Truth.
I’m skeptical that teachers like Bell and McLaren are doing that, and there are quite a few of young people, many who struggle with faith, who read these men quite a bit.
Personally, I don’t like naming specific people in criticism, however, I have major hesitations with these men and what they teach and feel it valuable to pause and give warning about them. Staying away from false teachers is just as much a Biblical command as loving one another is.
Bell and McLaren do a wonderful job of connecting with people’s questions. Perhaps these men have a perspective of God and spirituality that we can learn from, but I’ve listened to enough of their teaching to know they play primarily to the doubts and struggles people are facing. Yes, they are being relevant in the sense that they connect with where people are at. The problem is they find their solutions from human perspective and experience. Not God’s Word. If they do use God’s Word, it’s often fit in to make their point, rather than submitting their intellect to it.
We need to be real about the struggles we face and questions we have, but we must seek answers and solutions in God’s Word. If we can’t find them there, rather than try to make scripture fit our mind, we ought to ask God to help us understand. We should ask Him to help us gain His perspective.
God’s Word is Truth. And if Truth is not the lens through which we view the world, confusion and doubt inevitably take hold.
How This Affects Anabaptists and Why It Matters
In messaging about this with Brother Frank Reed (teacher at Sharon Mennonite Bible Institute and regular writer on his blog at Biblical Brethren Fellowship), he said,
My concern is that, while they (emergent church) are focusing on some very important concepts, they are missing much of the basic Christian doctrine. So, in the Anabaptist world, it is easy to do the same thing. In an effort to bring good things into our groups (Holy Spirit, love, peace, grace, fellowship, etc.) we can forget about the basic, underlying beliefs that have made us who we are. The confessions of faith are important. They are typically ignored.
So, can we bring the needed, neglected concepts/experiences into our church groups without neglecting the foundational beliefs?
It bothers me when we get so focused on making sure people know how bad others are, such as teachers or authors we don’t agree with. It makes us look as if we’re insecure bullies. At the same time, I believe it is healthy to be honest about the dangers of not only certain teachings, but also certain teachers (we know them by their fruits, Mt. 7:15-20 & 2Pt. 2).
As Reed pointed out, the emergent church is focusing on some very important concepts. The questions and concerns they put to words are not wrong. It resonates with people who come from heavy-handed, Bible-thumping church backgrounds because in the passion of holding to God’s ways, leaders in that background neglected the relationship of God with His creation.
We as Anabaptists identify with them in this regard. Which is why many people listen to what they have to say. They are putting words to the conflict within us. As we listen, we hear them telling our story. And as we are caught up in the story, we fail to see the subtle neglecting of Truth.
That is why this matters. That is why I go against everything I stand for in being critical of others and warn people about Bell and McLaren’s teaching.
The Biggest Threat to the Anabaptist Church
The emergent church isn’t the biggest threat to the Anabaptist church, however. The Anabaptist church is.
I believe the more we teach straight from the Bible and quit worrying about “preserving” Anabaptist heritage we would in fact find people deeply valuing the heritage and building on their upbringing instead of reacting to the obvious flaws that accompany it.
There is a lot of relevance Anabaptists have to offer the world. We don’t need to feel threatened by peoples struggles with the way church is done, with certain positions that Anabaptists hold, or their literal interpretations of Scripture; we simply need to walk with them in it.
Are we willing to grow? Are willing to self-evaluate instead of being critical of others and trying to keep people from following them? Are we willing to do all of this (fellow-millennials) in an attitude of humility, showing reverence for those older than us (understanding that they have forged something for us that we now benefit from), and seeking out answers in the Truth of God’s Word rather than just what seems better than the current position or belief?
Our answer determines whether we live and thrive or whether we die.
