"Emergent Saved My Life."
Emergent saved the life of Tony Jones. Before Emergent he was confused and now he sees things clearly, according to his comments here:
"People are drowning in the world—they are rethinking Jesus and church and Christianity and ministry, and they think they are all alone. People are ready to give up on faith and ministry and church. Then, one day, they find a blog or read a book or show up at an event, and they say, "Omigosh! I thought I was all alone. I thought I was the only one feeling these things, and now I find there's a whole host of people asking the same questions as I am!"
It's great to be on the receiving end of emails and phone calls like that, but it's also overwhelming. I can't help but wonder how many more people are out there, about to give up on ministry or even on faith...? Or how many people will never give Jesus a chance because they're convinced that Christ-followers are a bunch of closed-minded ideologues...?"
I spend all this time warning people about the dangers of the Emergent movement and here Tony Jones is claiming it saved his life.
Why are these people about to give up on ministry and/or faith? Who are these closed-minded ideologues? Are they those who hold to biblical certainties? Is that a bad thing? I thought that was what we're supposed to do.
I still cannot quite understand the pressure to give-in and "adjust" our message in order to appeal to those who decide to never "give Jesus a chance". Tony assumes the reason these people don't give Jesus a chance is the fault of christians who are too "closed-minded". Maybe Tony should consider 1 Cor. 1:18--For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Why not keep the message intact as taught in the Bible and, through much prayer, depend on the sovereignty of God for the purity of the faith and the conviction/conversion of the lost?
-Kenny
posted by kennyo at 8:13 AM
5 Comments:
Kenny , great point .
I feel better now that I am around people who are questioning God and the whole Jesus thing and they all talk about it and doubt out loud and consider all other ways besides the narrow minded christian way .Maybe we all came from another planet and we need to worship the planet of Saturn.
Be open to all things except the bible , doubt the bible , after all it was wriiten by Jews and christians ( the most narrow minded people to ever walk the face of the earth).
The problem with most emergent types like Tony Jones is that they in actuality ARE ashamed of the gospel. They think it is, or at least they go along with those who think that it is foolishness. Rev. Kevin Smith at Pinelands Presb. church made that point in his sermon Sunday as follows: When Paul in Rom. 1:16 said "I am not ashamed of the gospel..." he was asking this question in contrast to 1 Cor. ch. 1 when he described those who think the gospel is foolishness. Do emergents think that it is foolshiness? Do those in the Church Growth/Rick Warren/Seeker Sensitive movements think that?
I think so!
I'll even go so far as to say that many at our old church, University Baptist Church in Miami, believe the same thing. If not, then why don't they speak it with boldness and without compromise? Why do they keep holding back? Are they ashamed? Do they think deep down inside that it is foolishness? I think maybe so. I have been guilty of the same. May God forgive me.
-KCO
I've never heard of Tony Jones but the man is very confused and sounds like a real heretic. If he believes that having doubts, being unsure about everything, and finding people who think like him has saved his life, he has more than one or two problems.
I think time is better spent doing what Paul did, working hard and giving out the message. A man who is a heretic, after the first and second admonition, we should reject .... we should not be engaging these people in "dialogue" or any such rubbish. We are all guilty, I think, of being ashamed of the gospel at one time or another. Even so, we can keep on going and do what's right: be distinct in our walk and true to the message.
While there are probably many godly and sincere believers in some of these "emergent" churches, I think it's a waste of time to attempt to win those who are reprobate in their thinking. We warn, we identify, and we leave them alone to God's dealing.
Thanks for letting me post.
Kenny and friends:
I think like 'gomarus', these post-modern heretical movements mentioned are in fact embracing another gospel. They are modifying the gospel, in some cases beyond recognition. However, there is a sort of gospel message in there. You cannot reason that they do not have any gospel. Rather, use the Scriptures, especially Paul's Epistle to the Galatians. Manifest in an obvious way that they are preaching other gospel, which may lead reasonable believers to conclude that they are false gospels, rather than the true Gospel.
kenny- why do you assume that tony jones is speaking about those who hold to biblical certainty when he refers to close-minded ideologues?
and, while the gospel is at times foolishness to those who do not believe, are we not supposed to invite people to understand its wisdom? is evangelism unnecessary because the lost will consider it to be foolishness?
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