A new conversation is brewing within the Christian community in America. The conversation started small and insignificant, but the ideas, orthodoxy, and mission of this once small voice have transformed into a loud and convincing conversation that is "a powerful force in North American Christianity with the potential to bring radical changes to churches across the continent," (Barbour & Toews, 2010, p. 33), and "has the potential of being to North American Christianity what Reformation Protestantism was to European Christianity” (2004, Tickle). This conversation, more commonly known as the Emergent Church movement, is seeking to rebuild the Christian faith from the ground up by first demolishing the "foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone" (Eph. 2:20, ESV); the very foundation the Christian church rests upon. According to Travis Barbour and Nicholas Toews (2010, p. 32), graduate students from Columbia Bible College, "the Emerging Church movement is about forming church communities that fit the postmodern cultural context"; a context that clings to the rejection of "an unassailable basis on which all other knowledge can be built" (p. 34). The Emergent Church appeals to postmodern thought by rejecting foundationalism, and therefore, they deny the self-sufficiency, infallibility, and supreme authority of Scripture as the Word of God, placing Scripture under the authority of the church community. As the Emergent Church movement continues to gain momentum and as emergent leaders gain more notoriety through their book sales one must ask if their rejection of unassailable truth and their method of Biblical interpretation are legitimate uses and understandings of the Holy Scriptures, and if not, what harm could result within the Christian church.
Kevin DeYoung (2008), senior pastor of University Reformed Church in Michigan, writes that, "Defining the emerging church is like nailing Jell-O to the wall" (p. 17). The Emergent Church movement is new, it "[does] not see the need for centralized, pastoral leadership" (Barbour & Toews, 2010, p. 33), and "Emergent authors, bloggers, and pastors do not see themselves as leaders or authoritative theologians, but as talkers" (DeYounge & Kluck, 2008, p. 17). The movement is purposefully vacuous and devoid of form and foundation precisely because of its anti-foundational and postmodern approach to doing church. The Emergent Church does not want to be seen as an institution, but rather, they would like to be seen as a new idea and a new, open discussion forum about what Christianity is and what Christians ought to believe. Tony Jones (2008), pastor of an Emergent church in Minnesota, writes that, "Emergents believe that church should function more like an open-sourced network and less like a hierarchy or a bureaucracy" (p. 108). However, "once you start selling thousands of books, speaking all over the country and world, and being looked to for spiritual and ecclesiastical direction, you're no longer just a conversation partner" (2008, p.17), argues DeYoung and Kluck. Therefore, the Emergent Church is best defined by the conglomeration of numerous pastors, authors, and leaders in the movement, and "its spirit is surely captured in authors like Brian McLaren, Doug Pagitt, Peter Rollins, Spencer Burke, David Tomlinson, Leonard Sweet, Rob Bell, and Tony Jones" (2008, p. 19).
Although there is no written, concrete constitution or creed of the Emergent Church, the leaders in the Emergent Church have published dozens of books that outline, describe, and defend what they believe about many Christian doctrines, including their views on Scripture. In order to get a firm grasp of what the Emergent Church believes about Scripture's authority, inerrancy, and sufficiency, one must first turn to the published works of many of the Emergent Church leaders.
Brian McLaren (2004), founding pastor of Cedar Ridge Community Church and a member of the board of directors for emergentvillage.org, writes that, "Scripture is something God has ‘let be,’ and so it is at once God’s creation and the creation of the dozens of people and communities and cultures who produced it” (p. 180, emphasis original). This claim would seem to propose that the Scriptures are not entirely God's Word but also the words of the men that injected themselves into it while writing it. Similarly, Rob Bell (2005), founding pastor of Mars Hill Church in Michigan, writes that, "The Bible is a collection of stories that teach us about what it looks like when God is at work through actual people" (p. 65, emphasis original), and that the Bible's authority flows from the fact that "it contains stories about people interacting with the God who has all authority" (p. 65). Both McLaren and Bell emphasize that the Bible's authority rests not upon God alone but also upon the witness of the people of God who actually put pen to paper. To solidify his point further, Bell (2005) argues that "when people say that all we need is the Bible, it is simply not true" (p. 68) because "we got the Bible from the church voting on what the Bible even is" (pp. 67-68).
Bell (2005) also argues that "the Bible is open-ended" (p. 46) and it is the church's duty to foster discussion on how to interpret the Bible for each culture, generation, and individual. That is to say that, "God has spoken, and everything else is commentary" (p. 52), and that "the Bible has to be interpreted [and] decisions have to be made about what it means now, today" (p. 55). Bell also argues that the Bible is not perspicuous (clear and understandable) but that Christians require the community of the church in order to fully grasp and understand what the Bible teaches. Bell rejects the notion that "a person can simply read the Bible and do what it says - unaffected by any outside influences" (p. 54), and "that there is a way to read the Bible that is agenda- and perspective-free" (p. 53).
The Emergent Church's perspectives on the perspicuity, authority, and self-sufficiency of the Word of God stem from their postmodern understanding of "truth". Bell (2005) portrays postmodern "truth" when he compares truth to "a pool that you dive into, and you start swimming toward the bottom, and soon you discover that no matter how hard and fast you swim downward…the bottom will always be out of reach” (p. 33). Bell believes that God is truth, but "because truth is insight into God and God is infinite and God has no boundaries or edges...truth always has layers and depth and texture" (p. 33). Bell clearly articulates the Emergent Church's acceptance that God is the absolute truth, but because He is infinite and boundless and we are bound to this world and finite creatures we cannot understand Him as He is. "The mystery is the truth," (Bell, 2005, p. 33), and "being a Christian then is more about celebrating mystery than conquering it" (p. 34). With this view of the truth, the Bible is no more infallible than the person that reads it. The Bible contains truth in the Emergent Church, but finite men can only fallibly interpret and understand it. Therefore, the community of the church must come along, foster discussion on what the Bible means, and the majority interpretation of the church determines the authority of the Scriptures. According to McLaren (2010), "It becomes clear that the Bible, if it is truly inspired by God, wasn’t meant to end conversation and give the final word on controversies" (p. 92), but, rather, it was given to us by God and men as a tool to stimulate conversation within the community of God's people.
The Emergent Church's communal view of Scripture's authority, sufficiency, and perspicuity is a detachment from the classic orthodox understanding of Scripture. Regarding the Bible's authority, the Scriptures do not rely on the external authority of the church, but, rather, rely on the internal authority and evidence within both the Old and New Testaments that they are the very Word of God (2 Sam. 23:2, John 14:26, 1 Thess. 4:8, 1 Cor. 2:13, 2 Pet. 3:15-16). The external evidence of the church is important, but is subordinate to the internal evidence contained within Scripture itself of being God's Word.
Concerning Scripture's sufficiency, G.I. Williamson (2004), an ordained minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, demonstrates that "Christ said that he was 'the truth' (John 14:6), and we believe he embodied the whole truth (Col. 2:9)" (p. 14). Christ has revealed the truth in its entirety and He has revealed all that God the Father has spoken (John 15:15) that we might know God (John 14:7). Therefore, the whole truth is known in the Scriptures. How else could Paul command believers to put on the whole armor of God in Eph. 6:11 if the sword of the spirit was not solid and sufficient to combat "the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places" (v. 12)?
Finally, concerning Scripture's perspicuity, Cornelius Van Til (1974), a professor of systematic theology and apologetics, writes that, "No human interpreter need come between the Scripture and those to whom it comes" (p. 140). The Apostle Paul teaches us that all Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable "for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work" (2 Tim. 3:16-17). In verse 15, Paul points out that even children are capable of being acquainted with the teachings of Scripture. There is no mention of the mediation of a communal interpretation or the necessity of the church to discuss how to properly understand what the Bible teaches before it is made profitable. As Williamson (2004) argues, "It is the original lie of Satan that God, speaking in his Word, needs an interpreter to give man infallible guidance (Gen. 2:17; 3:4)" (p. 17).
The Emergent Church's understanding and appreciation for the authority, sufficiency, and perspicuity of Scripture is an obvious detachment from the classic views of Scripture. The Emergent Church's view on Scripture more closely resembles Roman Catholic views on Scripture than Protestant views. Williamson (2004) notes that the Roman Catholic Church recognizes that God has spoken to men in the Bible, but they "teach that God has not made clear what he means, and so above the Word of God must stand the authoritative interpretation of the Church" (p. 17). This is precisely what Rob Bell, Brian McLaren, and the Emergent Church are proposing as an alternative to the classic orthodox view of the infallible, authoritative, self-sufficient, and perspicuous Word of God. Therefore, "Rome (and the Emergent Church) would have us trust in the clear word of man rather than the obscure Word of God" (p. 17). However, where the Roman Catholic Church would claim to have the only infallible interpretation of Scripture, the Emergent Church claims that all interpretation of Scripture is fallible, including their own. They also argue that it is more important to discuss Scriptural interpretation within a church community and ask questions than to try to know something about God that is not contained in Scripture to be known. That is to say, it is better to discuss Scripture and not come to a concrete and affirmative conclusion than it is to use Scripture as infallible truth to end Biblical controversies.
Is the Bible open-ended or is the canon (written and revelation) closed? Is Scripture perspicuous and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness by its own account as the Word of God or does it require the mediation of the church in order to be effective? Is the truth revealed in Scripture vacuous, infinite, and unknowable or is the truth absolute, concrete, completely revealed, and unavoidable? Perhaps the most important question to ask is: What is the Christian church without the Word of God?
The Emergent Church is still somewhat small in regards to the number of congregations and members. According to Andy Crouch (2004), a columnist for Christianity Today, "McLaren guesses that 'only a few dozen' churches across the country are fully committed to the theological journey he sketched in A New King of Christian" (p. 41), but the sales of his books and those of his fellow Emergent leaders would suggest that the numbers are much higher, possibly within the tens of thousands. As they continue to write books (like Rob Bell's controversial book Love Wins that received national notoriety), start churches across the continent, and speak at national and global church and pastoral conferences, their ideas on truth, Scripture, the church, the church's mission, and the Gospel will continue to spread across the continent and across the globe.
Michael Horton (2011), professor of systematic theology at Westminster Theological Seminary, recognizes a grave danger in the Emergent Church's communal view of interpreting scripture when he writes that, "In numerous variations, across the theological spectrum, we often imagine as believers and as churches that our speaking is more relevant for our contemporaries than God’s speaking" (p. 200). Instead of accepting Christ as "the most decisive cultural-linguistic location for the covenant people" (p. 201), the church too often seeks to be relevant to the world in a different manner. The Emergent Church seeks to be relevant to modern culture by "forming church communities that fit the postmodern cultural context" (Barbour & Toews, 2010, p. 32). Abandoning the Gospel as it is truthfully, clearly, authoritatively, and self-sufficiently revealed in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament renders the Christian faith innocuous and devoid of any substance worth believing. It becomes nothing more than another idea, another religion, and just another philosophical way of life. Jesus is no longer the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6) but is merely "our connection to how things truly are at the deepest levels of existence" (Bell, 2005, p. 83). As Horton (2011) so clearly articulates, "When tradition and culture are given authoritative roles alongside Scripture…the church easily becomes indistinguishable from the world instead of a witness to Christ in the power of the Spirit” (p. 203).
Christians must be valiant for the truth as it is clearly revealed in Scripture. We should diligently search the Scriptures, seek the truth revealed in them, desire to sit under the preaching of them as an effectual means of grace from God (Rom. 10:17), and desire to be taught, reproved, corrected, and trained in righteousness by them through the indwelling of the Spirit. That is not to say that we will not come across anything hard, profound, or difficult to wrestle with in Scripture. The Apostle Peter tells us that there are hard things to understand in Scripture (2 Pet. 3:16). As Williamson (2004) enumerates, "The fact that God has spoken clearly about hard things does not make them easy" (p. 18). To throw in the towel, accept that the truth will always remain mysterious, enter into useless dialogue with others who have also given up on knowing the truth, and then conclude that truth is unknowable and "we have to let it be what it is" (Bell, 2005, p. 34) is not the solution. Bell concludes that "being a Christian then is more about celebrating mystery than conquering it" (p. 34) and embracing Scripture as an enigma. The Westminster Divines, on the other hand, argued that "the infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the Scripture itself: and therefore, when there is a question about the true and full sense of any Scripture (which is not manifold, but one), it must be searched and known by other places that speak more clearly" (Williamson, 2004, p. 24). We, as Christians, would do better to search the Scriptures, seeking out the truth revealed therein as the infallible, authoritative, self-sufficient, and perspicuous Word of God, knowing with full surety what God requires of us as His created image bearers, how we have so terribly fallen into sin as to render us unable to restore ourselves into His perfect communion, and how He has worked mightily and gloriously in redemptive history to restore us to Himself once more through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Immanuel!
McLaren (2010) argues that the Bible “was inspired and intended to stimulate conversation, to keep people thinking and talking and arguing and seeking, across continents and centuries” (p. 92). John Calvin (1989), the 16th century reformer, argues that God uses "the light of his Word in order that he might make himself known unto salvation, and bestowed the privilege on those whom he was pleased to bring into nearer and more familiar relation to himself" (p. 64). The contrast between these two differing views on the purpose and usefulness of Scripture is stark. Is the Bible just a conversation piece, a place to start talking about who God is, how we should approach Him, and what we think we should do to be relevant and carry on the Christian message to a new generation that does not believe in an unassailable, knowable truth? Or is the Word of God the special revelation of our Holy Creator, who spoke us into existence, who requires our perfect obedience, and who has promised eternal life to those that place their faith upon Jesus Christ, resting in the truth that He became a curse for us (Gal. 3:13) and bore the iniquity of us all (Isa. 53:6) so that we may once more enter into the presence of God, worshiping Him forevermore? God is not a mystery. God is not unknowable, and the Scriptures do not just propound this problem. God became man, and just as sure as the disciples could see the Son of God and know Him, they could see and know the Father through Him (John 14:7).
In the first chapter of John's Gospel we learn that Jesus is the Word of God. The very voice that spoke the world into existence is the voice that cried out "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" upon the cross. Rob Bell (2005) argues that, "The Christian faith is mysterious to the core," and "it is about things and beings that ultimately can't be put into words" (p. 32). The Emergent Church argues that words fail and language is too subjective for anyone to effectively communicate the truth. All language has to be interpreted by someone in order to truly understand the meaning, and because we are not infinite beings like God, we cannot understand the Words of God as they are perfectly portrayed in the Scriptures. However, John articulates, "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). This verse is a direct contradiction to the teachings of the Emergent Church on the stance of our inability to know truth and to know God. The truth is not a mystery, but has bore our own finite flesh, and has redeemed body and soul to the infinite, perfect image of God our Father. Adam was infinite and became finite. Christ Jesus was made finite for our sakes and became infinite, everlasting life, and we through him. In Adam, all men died, but in Christ, all men are alive (1 Cor. 15:21-22)! This is the truth of Scripture! This truth is not only knowable but unavoidable. The church must confess and defend this truth rather than suppress and embrace an unnecessary mystery. If we embrace the Emergent Church and their views on Scripture, then the Christian faith worldwide will be altered from a proclamation of the Gospel truth to the lies of an unknown salvation from an unknown God. May God's glory, truth, and Word be raised on high forevermore!
References:
Barbour, T. I., & Toews, N. E. (2010). The Emergent Church: A methodological critique. Direction , 32-40.
Bell, R. (2005). Velvet Elvis. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
Calvin, J. (1989). Institutes of the Christian religion. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
Crouch, A. (November 2004). The emergent mystique. Christianity Today , 37.
DeYoung, K., & Kluck, T. (2008). Why we're not emergent: By two guys who should be. Chicago: Moody Publishers.
Horton, M. (2011). The Christian faith. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
Jones, T. (2008). The new Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent frontier. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
McLaren, B. (2004). A generous orthodoxy. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
McLaren, B. (2010). A new kind of Christianity: Ten questions that are transforming the faith. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.
Tickle, P. (2004). Foreward by Phyllis Tickle. In B. McLaren, A generous orthodoxy (pp. 9-12). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
Van Til, C. (1974). Introduction to systematic theology. Nutley, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed.
Williamson, G. (2004). The Westminster confession of faith for study classes. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing.
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