An emerging Christianity is reshaping faith

An emerging Christianity is reshaping faith [Excerpts]

Christians may believe that they are participants in a "faith once delivered to the saints," but the shape of that faith has varied greatly through the centuries. From the stately and ornate forms of Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism, to the humble and plain worship of the Amish, Jesus is followed and revered in a myriad of ways. In fact, so great is the diversity of forms within Christianity, it may be more appropriate to refer to them in the plural -- Christianities.

Even now a new form of the faith seems to be taking hold within the broad tradition of evangelicalism. Calling themselves "emerging Christians," or in some instances "the Emergent Church," a movement of mostly younger believers are re-shaping the traditional faith in ways that is creating excitement among some, and deep worry among more established Christian leaders.

This past February, Scot McKnight, a professor at North Park Seminary in Chicago wrote an article [detailing] the significance of this new movement within the traditional faith.

"Emerging churches are communities that practice the way of Jesus within postmodern cultures. This definition encompasses nine practices. Emerging churches identify with the life of Jesus, transform the secular realm, live highly communal lives, they welcome the stranger, serve with generosity, participate as producers, create as created beings, lead as a body, and take part in spiritual activities."

For instance, one of the central concerns of the emergent Christian movement is the desire for their faith community to be all-inclusive -- to welcome the stranger. This concern has resulted in high tolerance for people of other faiths. Emergent Christians have serious doubts about doctrinal ideas which hold that some are in and some are out -- that is in or out with God.

Emergent Christians hear Jesus' words, "Whoever is not against us is for us," as a challenge to find ways to include rather than exclude others. This means, of course, that emerging Christians are not very evangelistic -- at least in the traditional sense. For the most part we will not find them trying to convert people from one faith to another or from no faith to their faith.

Emergent Christians also tend toward a more liberal social view. They are concerned about the poor and about the environment. The emphasis here for emergent Christians is on serving and being generous. They think it is more important to live and act in faithful ways rather than obsessing about what we should believe. This concern for people and the world is not a stance related to any political party. For emerging Christians, caring about people in this world is their mission in life.

http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/religion/columns/070428.shtml

[TBC: The person who truly cares about an individual is willing to share the “words of eternal life” (John:6:68Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
See All...) with them. Most "Emergent" Christians dismiss the authority of the Scriptures, deny the literal fulfillment of prophecy, and find reasons to excuse almost any behavior. They promote a Jesus conjured up from their own imagination and offer a gospel of good works centered on establishing “His” kingdom on earth. This is the old liberalism and communal counterculture dressed in biblical garb. Tragically, they are a magnet to today’s evangelical youth.]