Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Should Churches Be Seeker-Friendly?
http://www.gotquestions.org/seeker-friendly-churches.html
Question: "Should churches be seeker-friendly?"
Answer: Of course churches should be friendly towards seekers. We are to be friendly to seekers no matter the location. But, being friendly, even welcoming, to seekers, is not what the seeker-friendly church movement is all about. Many evangelical church leaders these days have redesigned both their churches and their services in an effort to bring more people through their doors. This is, in a nutshell, the essence of a “seeker-friendly” church—offering worldly allurements to attract the multitudes. The proponents of the seeker friendly church claim to be doing whatever is necessary to “reach the lost.” The fallacy with that kind of thinking is that “the lost” are not seeking God at all. The Bible says that “no one seeks for God” (Romans 3:11). This means there is no such thing as an unbeliever who is truly seeking for God on his own. Furthermore, man is dead in his sin (Ephesians 2:1), and he can’t seek God because he doesn’t recognize his need for Him.
But there are lots of people who are seeking to be entertained and assured that God loves them, despite their sin and ungodly lifestyles. There are many who seek a form of religion, and if the goal of the seeker-friendly churches is to fill seats with these people, it appears to be working. Growth in many of these establishments is staggering indeed. Some of the larger ones will usher in tens of thousands of attendees for weekend services alone. With annual budgets reaching well into the millions of dollars, many of these edifices are more likely to resemble a large corporate office than a church. That is why you’re less likely to find stained glass windows, than a coffee shop, gift shop, bookstore or even a basketball court. Some even have swimming pools and bowling alleys! To these church leaders, the Great Commission has essentially become more of a marketing scheme, with the use of surveys and studies to determine which enticements are needed to “reel them in,” and then to cater to their appetites by giving them what they want.
Another problem with the seeker-friendly movement is that in their desire to please every itching ear, these churches have relegated God and His Word to the back pews, ensuring that no one is offended by the truth. The great doctrines of the faith have been deemed “divisive” and shelved. Sadly, many of these churches are flourishing these days because they have reshaped the gospel into the kind of “product” buyers are willing to tolerate. The bottom line is that these churches have placed the focus on man, not on God where it belongs. And God’s Word cannot be recast to conform to the needs of a consumer-driven culture. God never intended for His Church to be cozy and comfortable. But there is nothing comfortable about the truth, which Hebrews 4:12 describes as “sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
The message received by those attending seeker-friendly churches too often is that the Christian life is a one of ease and comfort and free from conflict. However, this is certainly not the life that Christ’s followers are to expect. Jesus told us “in this world we would have trouble” (John 16:33), and that we could expect to be persecuted (Matthew 5:11-12, 44, 10:23, 13:21; Mark 10:30; John 15:20) and even hated (John 15:18) on account of following Him. And when Jesus said “anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:38; Mark8:34; Luke 9:23), He meant that one must be willing to give his life in order to follow Him. Look at what preaching the truth of Christ got Paul—flogged, beaten, stoned, imprisoned and run out of the country, many times! And yet this devout servant of Christ still said “we are hard pressed on every side but not crushed; perplexed but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9). He further taught us to “press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called [us] heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).
The apostle Paul told us the time would come when men would not put up with sound doctrine (2 Timothy 4:3). However, with over 70% of adults under the age 25 thinking all beliefs are equally valid (according to Barna Research), sound doctrine is exactly what is needed. It is the Word of God that plants the seed for the new birth (1 Peter 1:23), and the Word must be taught for the purpose of “teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17) and for taking the true message out into the world (Matthew 28:19-20).
Question: "Should churches be seeker-friendly?"
Answer: Of course churches should be friendly towards seekers. We are to be friendly to seekers no matter the location. But, being friendly, even welcoming, to seekers, is not what the seeker-friendly church movement is all about. Many evangelical church leaders these days have redesigned both their churches and their services in an effort to bring more people through their doors. This is, in a nutshell, the essence of a “seeker-friendly” church—offering worldly allurements to attract the multitudes. The proponents of the seeker friendly church claim to be doing whatever is necessary to “reach the lost.” The fallacy with that kind of thinking is that “the lost” are not seeking God at all. The Bible says that “no one seeks for God” (Romans 3:11). This means there is no such thing as an unbeliever who is truly seeking for God on his own. Furthermore, man is dead in his sin (Ephesians 2:1), and he can’t seek God because he doesn’t recognize his need for Him.
But there are lots of people who are seeking to be entertained and assured that God loves them, despite their sin and ungodly lifestyles. There are many who seek a form of religion, and if the goal of the seeker-friendly churches is to fill seats with these people, it appears to be working. Growth in many of these establishments is staggering indeed. Some of the larger ones will usher in tens of thousands of attendees for weekend services alone. With annual budgets reaching well into the millions of dollars, many of these edifices are more likely to resemble a large corporate office than a church. That is why you’re less likely to find stained glass windows, than a coffee shop, gift shop, bookstore or even a basketball court. Some even have swimming pools and bowling alleys! To these church leaders, the Great Commission has essentially become more of a marketing scheme, with the use of surveys and studies to determine which enticements are needed to “reel them in,” and then to cater to their appetites by giving them what they want.
Another problem with the seeker-friendly movement is that in their desire to please every itching ear, these churches have relegated God and His Word to the back pews, ensuring that no one is offended by the truth. The great doctrines of the faith have been deemed “divisive” and shelved. Sadly, many of these churches are flourishing these days because they have reshaped the gospel into the kind of “product” buyers are willing to tolerate. The bottom line is that these churches have placed the focus on man, not on God where it belongs. And God’s Word cannot be recast to conform to the needs of a consumer-driven culture. God never intended for His Church to be cozy and comfortable. But there is nothing comfortable about the truth, which Hebrews 4:12 describes as “sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
The message received by those attending seeker-friendly churches too often is that the Christian life is a one of ease and comfort and free from conflict. However, this is certainly not the life that Christ’s followers are to expect. Jesus told us “in this world we would have trouble” (John 16:33), and that we could expect to be persecuted (Matthew 5:11-12, 44, 10:23, 13:21; Mark 10:30; John 15:20) and even hated (John 15:18) on account of following Him. And when Jesus said “anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:38; Mark8:34; Luke 9:23), He meant that one must be willing to give his life in order to follow Him. Look at what preaching the truth of Christ got Paul—flogged, beaten, stoned, imprisoned and run out of the country, many times! And yet this devout servant of Christ still said “we are hard pressed on every side but not crushed; perplexed but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9). He further taught us to “press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called [us] heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).
The apostle Paul told us the time would come when men would not put up with sound doctrine (2 Timothy 4:3). However, with over 70% of adults under the age 25 thinking all beliefs are equally valid (according to Barna Research), sound doctrine is exactly what is needed. It is the Word of God that plants the seed for the new birth (1 Peter 1:23), and the Word must be taught for the purpose of “teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17) and for taking the true message out into the world (Matthew 28:19-20).
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
'Mysticism' infecting Nazarene beliefs
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Church/Default.aspx?id=1328690
A ministry based in Massachusetts is voicing its concern about the so-called "emergent church" movement's growing influence on the Nazarene denomination.
Silva adds that many of the Nazarene universities have featured emergent church gurus in recent years, including Donald Miller, Rob Bell, Brian McLaren, and Dallas Willard.
'Mysticism' infecting Nazarene beliefs
Russ Jones - OneNewsNow - 4/13/2011 4:15:00 AM
A ministry based in Massachusetts is voicing its concern about the so-called "emergent church" movement's growing influence on the Nazarene denomination.The InterMountain Christian News reports that roughly 10,000 Nazarenes in the United States and Canada have left the denomination over the past four years. Manny Silva, director of Stand for Truth Ministries, says research shows that unbiblical ideology is rampant throughout the denomination.
"There is mysticism coming into the denomination -- a lot of mystical practices, including the use of pagan prayer labyrinths. There is the teaching of open theism and process theology in the university," Silva reports. "The underlying problem that is going on in the Church of Nazarene, most of us believe, is the denial that the holy scriptures are the inherent, infallible Word of God."
He goes on to express concerns that institutions like Northwest Nazarene University, Point Loma Nazarene University and Trevecca Nazarene University have become training grounds of flawed theology, but many of the schools have failed to adequately address his organization's concerns.
"Ultimately, we want to at least have people be aware, have as many Nazarenes become aware of these issues as possible...so that even if the responses of clarity that we want to get do not arrive, we'll at least have more people become aware," the Stand for Truth Ministries director notes. "They'll be able to voice their concerns, and hopefully there will be a growing body of Nazarenes who continue to express their concerns until we get a response from the leadership."
"There is mysticism coming into the denomination -- a lot of mystical practices, including the use of pagan prayer labyrinths. There is the teaching of open theism and process theology in the university," Silva reports. "The underlying problem that is going on in the Church of Nazarene, most of us believe, is the denial that the holy scriptures are the inherent, infallible Word of God."
He goes on to express concerns that institutions like Northwest Nazarene University, Point Loma Nazarene University and Trevecca Nazarene University have become training grounds of flawed theology, but many of the schools have failed to adequately address his organization's concerns.
"Ultimately, we want to at least have people be aware, have as many Nazarenes become aware of these issues as possible...so that even if the responses of clarity that we want to get do not arrive, we'll at least have more people become aware," the Stand for Truth Ministries director notes. "They'll be able to voice their concerns, and hopefully there will be a growing body of Nazarenes who continue to express their concerns until we get a response from the leadership."
Silva adds that many of the Nazarene universities have featured emergent church gurus in recent years, including Donald Miller, Rob Bell, Brian McLaren, and Dallas Willard.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
The Emergent Church—an Evolutionary Hermeneutic?
The Emergent Church—an Evolutionary Hermeneutic?
Many people have been perplexed on why the leaders of what’s called the emergent church movement believe and teach the way they do. The research we have done into the movement shows very clearly it is a result of using an evolutionary hermeneutic. And what do I mean by that? Because the leaders have accepted the secular belief in evolution, they then use this to interpret and understand Scripture. Here is emergent church leader Brian Mclaren in his own words:
If we believe that the same God who created an evolving universe is revealed in an evolving Bible, we can derive some fascinating insights from contemporary studies of genetics. Today’s chickens, it turns out, still have the genetic information in their DNA that was used to produce long tails, scales and teeth in their ancestors the dinosaurs. During embryonic development, some of those primitive dinosaur characteristics still manifest themselves in chickens. (Human embryos similarly have stages where they sport gills and tails, so it is said that our ontogeny recapitulates our phylogeny.) We might say that the Bible similarly retains a record of its own evolution, and in our individual spiritual development we may personally recapitulate earlier stages. This is a theme to which we will return in our last few chapters. (McLaren, Brian D., A new kind of Christianity: ten questions that are transforming the faith(New York: HarperOne, 2010), p. 273)
The above quote is from McLaren’s notes at the end of the book. In the section of Chapter 10 that this note refers to, McLaren uses the word “evolution” very loosely, but also uses evolutionary ideas. Mclaren states, “As human capacity grows to conceive of a higher and wiser view of God, each new vision is faithfully preserved in Scripture like fossils in layers of sediment” (p. 103). Really, both statements say it all—they sum up much of the emergent church theology.
How many people have not really understood that the emergent church really is an outgrowth of evolution applied to the Bible?
Again, such movements show clearly the importance of the Answers in Genesis’ biblical upholding ministry as we expose the scientific and theological problems with evolution and the church’s compromise with it.
Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken
Friday, April 1, 2011
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