I just heard Chuck Smith Snr’s New Years Eve speech where he uses the emerging church as an example of last days apostasy. Chuck’s major misfire here is probably another good reason to abandon the label.I don’t have time to go through it point by point but can I just say in a general sense that I/we feel that, although we respect Chuck very much, and my wife used to attend CC Costa Mesa as a teenager, we feel he has been grossly misinformed about this movement. In fact, its very sad to hear because so many of us claim Calvary Chapel heritage in some form or another. However, I would be willing to look at some sources if anyone would be kind enough to send me some links.
Related:
The Chuck Smiths on Emerging Church
How Your Emerging Church Can Stay in Calvary Chapel
Technorati Tags: emergent, emerging church, chuck smith
C’mon, Andrew, you really think that “abandoning the label” will curb the critics who call you and me apostates? It’s clear that CSSr has read nary a word of our work — yours, mine, or others. He is deliberately deceiving his flock. Change the label if you will, he’ll still stand against us.
yeah, I’m with Tony on this one brother, we abandon the label and then what? humans refuse to NOT be labeled so another label would be created and then THAT would be misunderstood. The truth is, people who want to understand, seek to understand; the others….well, they’re the Chuck Smiths of the Christian World – good Godly men but choosing to allow themselves to be misinformed. I’d like to know what your plan is for abandoning the label, it would be a sociological feat of epic proportions and if you have a plan to do it, I’m all ears.
What does that even mean? Abandon the label?? I really don’t get this “I agree with …. but I’m not Emerging” If problems with brand image is so important why do we keep calling ourselves Christians?
Whenever we move to a new city we always search out a Calvary Chapel as our starting point on our church search. I love the expositional teaching but they are severely lacking on the missional side when looking at community outreach while they emphasize global missions. They’re looking right past the culture around them to a perceived greater need elsewhere. Now before I get labeled for making gross assumptions I can only go by the CC’s that I have personally attended. Maybe Chuck’s letting a fault in our humanness shine through by fearing something different?
Sorry, more than a few grammatical errors in my last comment.
tony and makeesha – thanks
and this is my dilemma. its a great name – “emergent church” has been used in mission circles for almost 400 years. seems silly in some ways to give it up on a whim.
i need to give it more thought.
I’m sad for Chuck because I agree with you that he is misinformed. Chuck’s ministry began so long ago by feeding the Jesus people and allowing them to sit down in front on the floor, which at the time was considered scandalous. He simply offered the Gospel to the people in love. He was perhaps one of the first mega-emerging churches and he didn’t even know it.
yeah . . absolutely . . . actually, it was new carpet and chuckie fought for the bare-footed hippies to be able to come to church and possibly wreck the carpet
one of the best decisions he ever made
then he had to take the criticism of allowing that demonic, occultic drum beating rock music with its african pagan sound.
he took a lot for the next generation and God has blessed him for it
and God will bless us in the same way.
Andrew, what kind of resources did you think of?
Maybe you have already posted about this, Roger Oakland seems to be back in office, at CC. Why would they send his (Roger’s) prayer requests out together with all the other CC missionary requests, from the Costa Mesa church? Hm, do you know anything?
And tomorrow morning I’ll cover up my “I’m emergent” tattoo just to make sure. Praise God the misunderstandings haven’t reach the Hungarian CC pastors that much.
i didnt hear that – I am glad that Roger is back at his office.
When are the Calvary Chapels around the world going to stand up and speak up?
check out http://www.str.org
search for spencer burke. read about what pagitt, kimball, jones and the like preach and/or think. if it is biblical i pre-apologize. they are preaching and teaching mystical, non-biblical things. ecm, ev are not christian- sorry, but don’t get bogged down in your own definition of a word/s, use the REAL definition by dictionary standards and you’ll find that these guys are manipulating words and phrases to sound christian, like truth and belief. for example truth cannot be relative.
I wonder if Chuck Smith considers his son part of this apostasy?
I’m sure he does Lori.
jeff, i really dont think that is the case.
and dont you think some truth is relative to space and time, eg
space – “the speed limit is 50”
time – “christmas was last month”
But God is true.
you made my case. yes christmas was last month (true)and it will be on 12/25 this year, and the speed limit of 50 is set by law would be put into effect for our own good. if we go 51 we break the law. will we pulled over or go to jail? i doubt it, and i can go 110kph as relativism goes however the truth is that the limit is set at 50 (true). One question- when you think of a religious fundamentalist, what first comes to mind?
If truth is relative,
And my mother-in-law is (technically) a relative,
Then my mother-in-law is truth.
God help us all…
Jeff…be careful with the word “biblical.” You don’t own it. Tell me, is the intention to sacrifice your son on an altar in the middle of the desert “biblical”? Yes – Gen. 22:1-10. Oh but that’s OLD Testament! Ok then – is throwing dice (casting lots) to determine which man will be your church’s next elder “biblical”? Indeed! (Acts 1:26) How about greeting the burly greeter at your church next Sunday with a big kiss of love? Yes, that’s BIBLICAL (I Peter 5:14).
Hmmm…the word “Biblical” is more complex than we realize!
jeff. what i meant by the two truth statements is that they are both relative to time and space, history and geography, and connected to context.
the speed limit is 50 for some drivers but not in other places, states, countries, areas of the city.
christmas really was last month but move that truth statement forward a month and it is no longer true.
some truth is relative. thats all i am saying.
fundamentalist – first word to come to mind is separation.
Emerging, eshmerging…this is just the way we are trying to describe the rising expressions of Christianity in the rising generations.
I had an interviewer ask me, “What do we say to Pastors of traditional churches, is the emerging church a fad?” I am wondering if anyone asked Paul if Christianity was a fad? I’m sure they did ask Billy Graham if evangelicalism was a fad? The question itself misunderstands what is happening. The emerging church is a label for something that once you label it, you misunderstand it. It is not nearly homogenous enough to categorize and compare.
Accusing people of apostacy is almost as bad as setting the date for the rapture! Oops, I haven’t heard that anyone in the emerging church has done that…yet…:)
Emerging, eshmerging…this is just the way we are trying to describe the rising expressions of Christianity in the rising generations.
I had an interviewer ask me, “What do we say to Pastors of traditional churches, is the emerging church a fad?” I am wondering if anyone asked Paul if Christianity was a fad? I’m sure they did ask Billy Graham if evangelicalism was a fad? The question itself misunderstands what is happening. The emerging church is a label for something that once you label it, you misunderstand it. It is not nearly homogenous enough to categorize and compare.
Accusing people of apostacy is almost as bad as setting the date for the rapture! Oops, I haven’t heard that anyone in the emerging church has done that…yet…:)
well said Charlie