I'll Have the Truth, Please, With a Side of Reason

For those of you who've yet to encounter it, there's a new trend within Christianity called the "emergent church" movement. I think its intentions are well-meaning enough: change the way people, especially non-Christians, look at church. Evaluate our culture and use it to reach out to those who would never in a million years consider Jesus if doing so necessitated wearing a suit or pantyhose on Sunday morning.

Fine with me. There's nothing wrong with changing some things about church. Nothing wrong with contemporizing the trappings of a service -- the music, the look of the space, the order of things. Nobody who's a genuine follower of Christ has any reason to complain about that. I, for one, like being able to roll into church on Sunday morning in my jeans and flip-flops, with a latte in my hand. I like attending an Easter sunrise service on the beach. I like that I never see my pastor in a necktie (furthermore, I like that he surfs and collects vintage denim). I like hearing a conga drum in the worship band. I like that nobody's telling me whether or when to stand up or sit down or raise my hands in ecstasy or adopt a somber countenance during the music.

There are lots of people out there who, like me, were not raised in the church. I understand why somebody wouldn't be comfortable in a traditional worship setting; I'm not always a fan of the full formal gig myself, to be honest. If you weren't raised in the tradition, chances are you won't feel the same loving affinity for it as those who were.

But church is not, and never has been, about what you wear or where you sit or when during the service you take communion. The Church -- capital "C" -- is just another name, like the "Body of Christ," for the worldwide group of people who believe in the message of the gospel. A church -- lowercase "c" -- is the gathering of a local group of people who belong to that larger group of people.

There are apparently two "emergent" camps. The first is composed of those who want to change the trappings of church -- to empty the church of cookie-cutter ritual, reignite in the believer a sense of God's powerful mystery, and get rid of meaningless "Christianese" terminology that has become a cultural and communicative barrier to many non-Christians in this jaded generation. When that's done properly, I'm all for it.

Granted, there's a certain silliness to the method when it's taken too far. At a recent youth ministry conference here in Southern California, one "emergent" proponent spoke proudly of how his "community" (they don't even want to use the word "church") meets "not on a schedule, but on a rhythm" of every 6 to 8 weeks or so, at random places. "I don't know where or when until I get the e-mail," the spiritual-leader-don't-call-me-pastor said, chuckling as he noted that he'd missed the last one because he somehow hadn't been told where and when it was to occur. Personally, I fail to see how not applying for 501(c)(3) non-profit status will give you more credibility in the eyes of the people you allegedly want to reach, but if you think that's really going to work, then by all means give it a try.

The movement is credible and valuable when it seeks to shift perception while maintaining the core elements of the faith. Far more disturbing to me, however, is the camp full of those who want to change the trappings AND the message. A representative of this second camp spoke condescendingly of the first: "We need to change our message because our theology needs to continue to evolve."

When it comes to "evolving our theology," we have to ask on whose authority that mandate has presented itself. The gospel is a hard message, a hard truth...but the idea is that it IS the truth. And once you get away from that, once you change the message, it's no longer capital-C Church, or even Christianity. It's about how you can have the best possible experience that will fulfill you and make you happy and comfortable. And experience becomes your god. It's the Church of the Pretty Candles and Non-Offensive Buzzwords. It's the Church of the Culturally Hip. And ultimately, it is the Church of Me.

The message is insidious: "Don't worry about what your so-called 'better judgment' might tell you about the truths of the Bible."

Postmodernists often try to remove the concept of truth from the discussion. When you get down to the nitty-gritty elements of the Christian faith (what we like to call "essential doctrine"), what do the "change the message" proponents say? Let's take the concept of absolute truth as an example -- this is at the very core of classical Christianity (and what's more, at the very core of reason). When asked whether the deity of Christ was an absolute truth, one speaker said, "No -- my community believes in it, but another one might not, and that's okay." And there it goes; the concept of truth becomes relative, despite all evidence to the contrary.

According to that mindset, one can never claim something is better, right or true -- only different. The problem is, it's impossible to live your life that way. The words they use indicate, on the surface, that there's no value judgment, but they imply, by way of manipulative emotional appeals, that the old way, the "modern" or "traditional" way, is inferior. Without coming right out and making the accusation fairly and honestly, they judge us to be "judgmental." Postmodern relativists do the very thing of which they accuse the moderns...but when you call them on it, they say, "Why are you judging and arguing? We don't judge and argue. We don't say our way is right, so stop saying your way is right."

How do you argue, or even come to an agreement, with someone who believes that 2 plus 2 might equal chicken? No meaningful discussion can be had, and that's just what they want.

Anyway, if you're interested in learning a little more about this "emergent church" phenomenon, Amy has written an excellent critique of a book by one of the influential leaders of the movement (who appears to be leading the charge of the "change the message" camp). If you're a Christian, I encourage you to read Amy's review and familiarize yourself with the vocabulary of the postmodern movement and the faux logic of relativism.

(And if you're not a Christian, but you somehow find yourself still reading and thinking to yourself that I must be insane, or worse, please accept my apologies for the murky depths of this entry -- I promise I'll be funnier tomorrow.)

A word to the wise: seek the truth of God, conform the desires of your heart to His, but keep your thinking cap squarely fitted to your head. If you really want to be like Jesus, you'll follow HIS heart, with your heart and your head working together in search of the truth that transforms lives. Beware any church that quotes more from the Matrix movies than from the Bible. Beware any church that proclaims itself "relevant." If the ultimate revelation of God Himself, in the person of Jesus Christ, isn't relevant enough for you...all the pretty candles and non-offensive buzzwords in the world aren't going to solve your biggest problem.