Modern Reformation #3: Settlers, Pilgrims, and Wanderers by Michael Horton

July 19, 2005 Posted by Roger Overton

This article by Michael Horton has got to be one of the best
articles on the emergent church I’ve ever read. To be honest, as much as I’m a
huge fan of Dr. Horton, I was really disappointed with his contribution to the
book The Church in Emerging Culture. I think most everything he said was
right on, but I don’t think anyone who isn’t an academic would understand a
word of what he said. In contrast, this article by Dr. Horton addresses many of
the important issues regarding emergent and does so in a clear, precise,
charitable, and comprehensible manner. This article is worth the price of the
magazine.

Dr. Horton begins by describing some general characteristics
of the Emergent Church. “First and foremost, Emergent identifies with postmodernism,
although its celebration of postmodernism is often as sweeping as its critique
of modernity.” (19) “At the same time, they display an eclectic approach that
one might expect from “surfing the Net,” often revealing a naïve acceptance of
completely contradictory views and practices. The mystical usually wins out
over anything that smacks of systematic theology or doctrine.” (20)

He then goes on to show these characteristics through
dissecting Brian McLaren’s A Generous Orthodoxy. Here are a few of the
highlights… “The Protestant Reformation separated two brothers: Scripture and
tradition” (227). But this is pure caricature, not to mention, a somewhat off
criticism to hear from a movement made up largely of independent congregations
that do not subscribe to any particular tradition.” (22)

“To fit with McLaren’s definition of a generous orthodoxy, a
Calvinist, for example, would have to reject Calvinism and accept McLaren’s
redefined version. Agreement is reached only when we agree with the new
definition—that is, with McLaren’s own theology. Is this not his own form of
dogmatism?” (22)

“While Emergent leaders like McLaren encourage us to
investigate the wisdom of the past, their versions of orthodoxy and their
generosity are as selective as any other tradition. One might even gain the
impression that the author is still working with the categories of heresy and
truth firmly in place, but correlated to “modern” and “postmodern,”
respectively. Whatever he doesn’t like is dismissed as modern, while his own
version bears the postmodern imprimatur.” (23)

Dr. Horton goes on to discuss the differences of settlers,
wanderers, and pilgrims, suggesting that Christians should be pilgrims. We’re
not settlers because we haven’t arrived yet. But there’s also a danger in being
a wanderer, which suggests endless journeying with no direction. This
instability is often reflected in emergent notions of certainty and conviction.
“While in the past, humility was the opposite of pride, in modernity it
has become the opposite of conviction, and postmodernism can be
exploited to give a new lease to such doctrinal indifferentism. Today, being
sure of something is considered a character flaw.” (23)

He offers this corrective for all of us: “It is a great
opportunity for the church to be the church again. However, it is time that we
all stop reinventing the church and join it again. This means submitting to the
discipline of Christian speech in concrete, embodied, living spaces. It gives
us a language that we did not invent or paste together from the pooled
ignorance of chat rooms… The real division is not between generations created
by niche marketing or even between being “modern” or “postmodern,” but is, as
Jesus said, between “the children of this age” and “the children of the age to
come” (Luke 20:34).” (24)

My reflections: The Biblical view of the world is not of
dispensations as man evolves from different philosophies throughout history.
There is one age post-resurrection and pre-judgment. It is an age where the
world of man seeks to elevate himself above the revealed truths of God. At the
root of the secular periods- premodern, modern, and postmodern- is always the
sinful desire to worship some aspect of creation over the Creator. In this age
we have but one mission regardless of the cultural/philosophical context we
discern- to embody the true Gospel of Jesus Christ through our thoughts,
passions, and actions. Our motivation in doing so is not found in hopeless
wondering, but with a keen eye of hope in the age to come.