Modern Reformation #5: Emergent Church Roundtable Discussion

July 21, 2005 Posted by Roger Overton

Yes, I know I skipped #4. Stop thinking everything has to be
in such modernistic order! Actually, the roundtable discussion was recorded and
was broadcasted last Sunday on the White Horse Inn radio show. It’ll be
available to listen to for free through this Sunday, so I wanted to make sure
y’all would have enough time to listen to it. In the magazine, it is
transcribed to 11 pages, around 45 minutes on audio. One thing I found to be
odd was that the transcript and audio didn’t always match up. A few comments
were in one form but not the other.

In this roundtable discussion Michael Horton discusses the
Emergent movement with three Southern Californian pastors- two lean Reformed
and one is Lutheran (Missouri Synod). Overall, I agreed with most of what the
pastors said. From what I heard and read, these men are translating the Gospel
to people in a fallen culture without compromising it. Below are three quotes I
really liked. They’re all from the Lutheran, Charlie Mallie, but everyone
seemed to be in general agreement…

“There needs to be a connection between doctrine and
practice. And so often the way in which something is presented conveys part of
the meaning. It would be sort of inappropriate to convey the glories of the
resurrection of that Sunday after Good Friday with sort of a commercial jingle.
I think there is something missing there.” (43)

Me too. The church I left earlier this year turned their
Easter service into a commercial for the church. It was rather disgusting. I
think Christ’s resurrection was mentioned somewhere in it, but mostly in a way
of pointing to themselves to say- “Look what’s going on here!” instead of
Christ being the center and focus.

“Everybody understands that “God is everywhere.” And
while it is true that God is everywhere, he is not everywhere to save. And he
is present to save only where he has revealed himself to be present to save.
And at least scripturally, those places are very narrow. In his Word, in the
waters of baptism, and in the Supper. I think when we go on a journey we are
seeking God, we might want to realize that perhaps he saved us a lot of the
work. And he’s given us a road map to say, “Here I am.” (45)

I realize Pastor Mallie has some Lutheran understandings
that are very different from mine in regards to the role of baptism and the
Supper in salvation, but this was said in the context of worshipping God on His
terms rather than our own. Instead of worshipping God in ways we feel good
about (like these “Punks for Christ”- video shows commercial before starting), God’s already told us how He wants to be
worshipped and that He’ll bless us when we worship on His terms.

“I think that our pastors need to start their week by
praying and translation the Scriptures from the original languages and trying
to, as I had a wonderful professor who once said, “Think yourself empty and
read yourself full.” I know none of us can really do that—start with a blank
slate. But the point is to let the Scriptures come to you in such a way where
the power of God’s Word is speaking.” (46)

Amen. That pastors would preach the Word instead of
their personal stories and self-help therapies.