The ECM

What do you know of the Emerging Church Movement (ECM)? How about the terms: “Emergent” or “Emerging”? Or perhaps you’ve heard of some popular authors and pastors associated with this movement: Dan Kimball, Mark Driscoll, or Donald Miller? No doubt many of you have been somewhat introduced to this latest fad.

The Pyromaniac, Phil Johnson, has posted his transcript from his seminar on the ECM at the Shepherd’s Conference last week. I was delighted to read the entire 22-page transcript yesterday afternoon.

Here are some snippets of Phil’s five part definition of the ECM:

“1. The "emerging church" is a convenient name for a broad-based and growing assortment of similar or related movements that have flourished in the past half-decade--mostly on the fringe of the evangelical movement. "Emerging" congregations in one way or another tend to be keenly attuned to the postmodern shift in art, literature, and public discourse. …”

“2. Now, here is another vital aspect of what distinguishes "emerging church movement": Most congregations in the movement would describe themselves as missional, by which they mean they stress the importance of evangelistic outreach by involving themselves in the lives of unbelievers in the community outside the narrow circle of the church. They point out that the way believers live is one of the most potent and persuasive aspects of our testimony to unbelievers--if not the single most important thing of all. …”

“3. Here's another (similar) feature of the "emerging church movement": Emergent-style churches show a preference for "narrative theology" as opposed to systematic doctrine. The story of the gospel is ultimately more important than the theology of it. The simple narrative of salvation history must not get lost in the careful parsing of theological words and ideas. …”

“4. In this same vein, people in the emerging church movement often don't hold the idea of propositional truth in very high regard. And this one of the key points many of them want to make: A proposition, by definition, is a premise that is either true or false. There is no third choice. (That is one of the most basic laws of logic, known as the law of the excluded middle.) …”

“5. Here's a final element in my abbreviated description of the emerging Christian subculture: Most insiders like to portray their movement as an answer to the influence of philosophical modernism; a departure from modernism; something wholly distinct from modernism. As you know, modernism has assaulted the church for some 150 years, at least. It has always, consistently been hostile to evangelical truth. …”

Each point goes into much greater detail than I’m providing for you here.

There are a couple good books/articles out there that offer a critique of the ECM (DA Carson’s book, SGM articles), but none that I have wanted to recommend … until now. Phil’s transcript is the best material I have read about the movement. Phil is more than fair in how he describes the ECM.

I believe Phil makes a correct prediction that the Emerging Church Movement will be the first in a long series of postmodern movements that will do great harm to the body of Christ and her reputation. This is why I encourage all of my readers to take the time out of your busy schedules to read Phil’s transcript. I know it’s a bit lengthy, but it is well worth it. If you haven’t personally met anyone affected by the ECM, you probably know someone who has. This is a big deal on the apologetic front, and we, as Reformed Christians need to have a ready response.

Emergent … No thanks,
Casey