An Emergen(cy)t Intermission

I recently paged through some online articles which talked about Rob Bell, or more specifically, the Emergent Church. I felt rather compelled to write down some thoughts, some which I drew directly from the articles I read, some of which seemed an issue which arose naturally from the theology of the Emergent movement. Eventually, I hope to post on how the many of the core values of the Emergent church can be redeemed, and in fact better utilized, in a Christ-adoring, Scripture-savoring, Spirit-soaked approach to Christianity.

Question #1: Do people apart from Christ need to fear the wrath of God?

Absolutely! The gospels all make this message very clear in their message of repentance, lest those who disregarded it should perish (Matt. 4:17, Mark 1:15, Luke 13:3, Luke 13:5, Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19, Acts 8:22, Acts 17:30, Acts 26:20). Furthermore, Jesus commanded his disciples to preach a strict repentance (Mark 6:11-12). Why do those who are apart from Christ need to fear the wrath of God? Because they are sinful and deserve the wrath of God! Apart from Christ, we all deserve the wrath of God. Praise God for the grace found in our Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus!

Question #2: Do people who are found in Christ need to fear the wrath of God?

Absolutely not! Now, we must have an utmost respect for the infinite holiness of God (respect that causes us to kneel before a King), and seek with our whole heart (through our love for Christ) to avoid sin, but we need not fear God’s wrath! As Christians, if we fear the wrath of God, we are robbing Christ of the proper glory He received, and the righteousness He imputed, on the cross. (Hebrews 4:16)

Question #3: What is the gospel?

The gospel is the good news found in Christ Jesus, namely, through Christ, we now have access to the Father. That is the good news! It was this very thing that was destroyed in the Garden of Eden- direct access/communion/intimacy with the Father. That was the good news Jesus came to declare, that through His sacrifice, we, who believe, are forgiven.

Question #4: But isn't the gospel feeding the poor and advocating for the oppressed?

Although these actions are truely one of the marks of a faithful Christian (Gal. 2:10, James 1:27), these actions are not the gospel themselves, but instead a RESULT of accepting the gospel of Christ through saving faith. Caring for the poor and advocating for the opressed are the natural result of the renewing of ones heart by the words of Scripture and the fruits of the Spirit. Martin Luther, in his commentary on Galatians 2:10, says thus: “Next to the preaching of the Gospel, a true and faithful pastor will take care of the poor. Where the Church is, there must be the poor, for the world and the devil persecute the Church and impoverish many faithful Christians.” Here we see that Luther makes differentiation between preaching the gospel and caring for the poor, and therefore, although one leads to another, there is still a clear distinction between the two.

Question #5: What is the best method of evangelism?

In reference to evangelism, I would pose this question: is it not true that Christ will return like a thief in the night? (2 Peter 3:10) If a man is walking on the edge of a precipice, do we shout a warning or simply whisper a simple observation or anecdote? Sir, if I am ever walking on the edge of a precipice, please shout, for although it is not pleasant to my ears, in hindsight, it is a far more loving thing to do. Now, granted, “shout” can moreso be understood as metaphor for a fervent, heartfelt, Scripture-soaked warning, and not necessarily yelling at someone through a loudspeaker (aka Bell's bullhorn guy), but to assume that the one shouting is not showing love in his actions is an equal tragedy. (Matt. 10:27)

Question #6: When Scripture speaks of "being a witness", doesn't it refer more to an identity rather than an action?

The Greek word for “witness”, when speaking of the action “to bear witness”, most literally means “to affirm that one has seen or heard or experienced something," or “utter honourable testimony, give a good report” or “to implore.” (Strong’s G3140) The word witness must not simply be used as a strict identity, when Christ used it as both an identity AND an action.

Question #7: Does hell exist? Is the Bible literal when it speaks of hell?

If the Bible is understood as a metaphoric literary hodgepodge of the Jewish nation's history, then hell's existance and literal meaning is definitely up for debate, but if the Bible is understood as the divinely inspired, breathed, infallible Word of God, then I believe the following verses would answer the question in a satisfactory manner: Isa. 26:44, Eze. 33:4, Matt. 13:49-50, Matt. 25:46, Luke 3:9, Luke 3:17, Luke 16:19-26, Romans 2:5.

Question #8: Is preaching the "fear of hell" a legitimate means of bringing nonbelievers to accept Christ?

I would argue yes (Matt. 13:47-51, Matt. 25:14-46, Luke 3:9, Luke 13:3-5, etc.), but at the same time argue that, ultimately, fear of hell is NOT the reason for accepting Christ, and Scripture makes this quite clear. John the Baptist, Jesus, Peter, and Paul make it quite clear that when speaking of fear, it is the fear of the WRATH OF ALMIGHTY GOD which should drive us to Christ! It is a terrible TERRIBLE thing to fall into the hands of the Living God! (Heb. 10:30-31, Heb. 12:29) We MUST turn to Christ for any hope of salvation! Our God is a just God, but He is also a God of mercy, compassion, and love, which He portrayed through His Son Jesus Christ, to the glory of His grace.

Question #9: Doesn't the Hebrew word "to save" really just mean "to be made whole"?

The Greek word “sozo” (Strong’s G4982) or “to save” does indeed also translate as “made whole.” The interesting thing, however, is that every time “sozo” is translated (in the New Testament) as “made whole”, it is ALWAYS referring to a physical healing by Christ. Now, granted, Christ never healed physically and neglected spiritually. On the contrary, Christ’s healings were almost always paired with a command to “go and sin no more” or “your faith has healed you.” The point is, when “sozo” is translated in reference to literal salvation, it ALWAYS refers, first and foremost, to a “saving from destruction.” (Luke 9:56, etc.) As a side note, the word “sozo” is used 110 times in the New Testament. 93 times, it is translated to being “saved”; 11 times it is translated in reference to being “made whole” (and once again, “made whole” is always paired with physical healing).

Question #10: Do you have any last comments on the Emergent Church?

I would like to make a statement to those reading this blog concerning the Emergent Church. Be wary of those who create a doctrinal theology around a handful of verses. This is a distributional fallacy, or more specifically, a fallacy of composition, which is understood as using the truth of the parts to understand/ascertain the truth of the whole. Now, this fallacy does not negate the truth of the parts, for on the contrary, it affirms them. However, Scripture must use the truth of the WHOLE to understand the truth of the whole, and not simply the truth of the parts. A proper Biblical exegesis is growing rare a little too quickly. For example, if we were to understand Scripture based off of a few key verses in the Old Testament (which incidentally is what the teachers of the law did), we would be in big trouble doctrinally and theologically, not to mention we still might be slaughtering animals for sacrifices! The point is, the Emergent Church may point to some Scriptures, e.g. "It is my will that none shall perish..", "For the Son of Man came into the world, not to condemn the world...", "God so loved the world...", and with them attempt to create an exhaustive theology/doctrine, but this simply cannot be done without being unfaithful to Scripture as a whole. Again, my statements here are NOT DENYING the truthes of the Scriptures aforementioned, but simply saying that, in good faith, the Bible must be read as the entire, revealed will of God. I would also make the point that the Emergent movement is not the only Christian movement guilty of this, and it is necessary to carefully examine our own doctrines to make sure we are savoring the whole of Scripture, and not just a part.