What do you call side-by-side?

A word from that little animal I noted in my last blog entry: the one frozen in a cold and dangerous place, a place easily inhabited by hungry predators. She reads...all morning...about this stuff, not just these few specific articles, but many many articles. Still wondering, Martin Luther, what would be your take on these days? And, what will the people 500 years from now have to say about this spiritual maelstrom of our day?

On one side:
http://www3.calvarychapel.com/ccof2/parsontoparson.pdf
Calvary chapel's positional statement for the church leaders to follow as they lead their people
www.apprising.org/archives/emergent_church
a list of general articles intended to expose the heresies of the Emergent movement

http://www.marshillchurch.org/audio/driscoll_sebts_092107.mp3
www.marshillchurch.org/sermonseries/religionsaves/week_08.aspx
a perspective on the emerging church "conversation" by a guy who was one of the early leaders, left, and now offers perspective on what his happening. MP3 for first one, video for second one.


On the other side:
words attributed to the calvary chapel founder's own son in a book called "Stories of Emergence"
“To authentically connect with people who don’t attend church requires us to make more than superficial changes in our external forms. We must undergo the painful process of changing our ways of thinking, our deep-set attitudes, and our mental paradigms. An old codger with a face-lift is still an old codger with a face-lift.

By now most Christians realize that we have an insider vocabulary - a specialized language that’s difficult for people outside our religious subculture to understand. The problem goes deeper than the fact people don’t understand what we mean by sin, redemption, atonement, and sanctification. The problem is that we ourselves have a faulty understanding of many words that freely fall from our lips. Our language is bound by old paradigms that no longer evoke the same reaction as when they were first introduced to mainstream culture. . . .

The difficulty people outside the church face when they experiment with visiting a church in not the form of service – some people are even interested in historic forms of worship and devotion – but the paradigms that control our thinking. We tend to be unconscious of our prejudices, but those are the first red flags that wave in front of our guests. . .
Old paradigms include male hegemony, strict adherence to hierarchy, the assumption that biblical quotations end all arguments, anti-intellectualism (including hostility toward the sciences), holiness codified in external norms, anger toward people who disagree with us, judgmentalism, rejection of human cultures, narrow-minded dogmatism, the inability to acknowledge that a person may have a valid point or truth, ridiculing critics rather than treating them with respect and compassion, dependence on religious institutions for salvation, the notion that rational apologetics will once again be the most important force in evangelism, telling people what to believe rather than helping them form their own beliefs, and so on.”

and:
http://emergent-us.typepad.com/emergentus/2005/06/official_respon.html

(this, too, was available for cut and paste so is listed here)
This is the response from some of the most prominent leaders in the Emegent movement.
"Our Response to Critics of Emergent
We offer this in response to recent criticisms, with the hope that it will cause some to better understand us and others to find hope in a document that they can sign on to.PDF here for download.
By Tony Jones, Doug Pagitt, Spencer Burke, Brian McLaren, Dan Kimball, Andrew Jones, Chris Seay

We continue to be amazed by the enthusiastic interest in the work of emergent, a conversation and friendship of which we are a small part. This conversation is bringing together a wide range of committed Christians and those exploring the Christian faith in wonderful ways, and many of us sense that God is at work among us. As would be expected, there have also been criticisms. A number of people have asked us to respond to these criticisms. These ten brief responses will, we hope, serve to clarify our position and suggest ways for the conversation to continue constructively for participants and critics alike. It is our hope and prayer that even our disagreements can bring us together in respectful dialogue as Christians, resulting in growth for all concerned.
First, we wish to say thanks to our critics for their honest feedback on our books, articles, speeches, blogs, events, and churches. We readily acknowledge that like all human endeavors, our work, even at its best, is still flawed and partial, and at its worst, deserves critique. We are grateful to those who help us see things we may not have seen without the benefit of their perspective. We welcome their input.
Second, we have much to learn from every criticism – whether it is fair or unfair, kindly or unkindly articulated. We pray for the humility to receive all critique with thoughtful consideration. Where we think we have been unfairly treated, we hope not to react defensively or to respond in kind, and where we have been helpfully corrected, we will move forward with gratitude to our critics for their instruction and correction. We especially thank those who seek to help us through cordial, respectful, face-to-face, brotherly/sisterly dialogue. As we have always said, we hope to stimulate constructive conversation, which involves point and counterpoint, honest speaking and open-minded listening. As a sign of good faith in this regard, we have invited and included the voices of our critics in some of our books, and as far as we know, have always treated these conversation partners with respect. We have also attempted to make personal contact with our critics for Christian dialogue. Even though most of these invitations have not been accepted, we hope that the friendly gesture is appreciated.
Third, we regretfully acknowledge that in our thought, writing, and speech, we have at times been less charitable or wise than we wish we would have been. Whenever possible we will seek to correct past errors in future editions of our books; when that is impossible, we will make other forms of public correction.
Fourth, we respect the desire and responsibility of our critics to warn those under their care about ideas that they consider wrong or dangerous, and to keep clear boundaries to declare who is "in" and "out" of their circles. These boundary-keepers have an important role which we understand and respect. If one of your trusted spiritual leaders has criticized our work, we encourage you, in respect for their leadership, not to buy or read our work, but rather to ignore it and consider it unworthy of further consideration. We would only ask, if you accept our critics’ evaluation of our work, that in fairness you abstain from adding your critique to theirs unless you have actually read our books, heard us speak, and engaged with us in dialogue for yourself. Second-hand critique can easily become a kind of gossip that drifts from the truth and causes needless division.
Fifth, because most of us write as local church practitioners rather than professional scholars, and because the professional scholars who criticize our work may find it hard to be convinced by people outside their guild, we feel it wisest at this juncture to ask those in the academy to respond to their peers about our work. We hope to generate fruitful conversations at several levels, including both the academic and ecclesial realms. If few in the academy come to our defense in the coming years, then we will have more reason to believe we are mistaken in our thinking and that our critics are correct in their unchallenged analyses.
Sixth, we would like to clarify, contrary to statements and inferences made by some, that yes, we truly believe there is such a thing as truth and truth matters – if we did not believe this, we would have no good reason to write or speak; no, we are not moral or epistemological relativists any more than anyone or any community is who takes hermeneutical positions – we believe that radical relativism is absurd and dangerous, as is arrogant absolutism; yes, we affirm the historic Trinitarian Christian faith and the ancient creeds, and seek to learn from all of church history – and we honor the church’s great teachers and leaders from East and West, North and South; yes, we believe that Jesus is the crucified and risen Savior of the cosmos and no one comes to the Father except through Jesus; no, we do not pit reason against experience but seek to use all our God-given faculties to love and serve God and our neighbors; no, we do not endorse false dichotomies – and we regret any false dichotomies unintentionally made by or about us (even in this paragraph!); and yes, we affirm that we love, have confidence in, seek to obey, and strive accurately to teach the sacred scriptures, because our greatest desire is to be followers and servants of the Word of God, Jesus Christ. We regret that we have either been unclear or misinterpreted in these and other areas.But we also acknowledge that we each find great joy and promise in dialogue and conversation, even about the items noted in the previous paragraph. Throughout the history of the church, followers of Jesus have come to know what they believe and how they believe it by being open to the honest critique and varied perspectives of others. We are radically open to the possibility that our hermeneutic stance will be greatly enriched in conversation with others. In other words, we value dialogue very highly, and we are convinced that open and generous dialogue – rather than chilling criticism and censorship – offers the greatest hope for the future of the church in the world.We regret that some of our critics have made hasty generalizations and drawn erroneous conclusions based on limited and selective data. We would welcome future critics to converse with us directly and to visit our churches as part of their research. Of course, they would find weaknesses among us, as they would among any group of Christians, including their own. But we believe that they would also find much to celebrate and find many of their suspicions relieved when they see our high regard for the scriptures, for truth, for worship, for evangelism, for spiritual formation, and for our fellow Christians – including our critics themselves.
Seventh, we have repeatedly affirmed, contrary to what some have said, that there is no single theologian or spokesperson for the emergent conversation. We each speak for ourselves and are not official representatives of anyone else, nor do we necessarily endorse everything said or written by one another. We have repeatedly defined emergent as a conversation and friendship, and neither implies unanimity – nor even necessarily consensus – of opinion. We ask our critics to remember that we cannot be held responsible for everything said and done by people using the terms "emergent" or "emerging church," any more than our critics would like to be held responsible for everything said or done by those claiming to be "evangelical" or "born again." Nobody who is a friend or acquaintance of ours, or who agrees with one of us in some points, should be assumed to agree with any of us on all points. Nobody should be held "guilty by association" for reading or conversing with us. Also, contrary to some uninformed reports, this conversation is increasingly global and cross-cultural, and because North Americans are only a small part of it, we urge people to avoid underestimating the importance of Latin American, African, Asian, European, and First Nations voices among us.
Eighth, we are aware that there is some debate about whether we should be considered evangelical. This is a cherished part of our heritage, but we understand that some people define this term more narrowly than we and in such a way that it applies to them but not to us. We will not quarrel over this term, and we will continue to love and respect evangelical Christians whether or not we are accepted by them as evangelicals ourselves. However others include or exclude us, we will continue to affirm an evangelical spirit and faith by cultivating a wholehearted devotion to Christ and his gospel, by seeking to join in the mission of God in our time, by calling people to follow God in the way of Jesus, and by doing so in an irenic spirit of love for all our brothers and sisters.(We hope that those who would like to disassociate us from the term evangelical will be aware of the tendency of some in their ranks toward narrowing and politicizing the term so that it only applies to strict Calvinists, conservative Republicans, people with specific views on U.S. domestic, foreign, military, or economic policy, single-issue voters, or some other subgroup. We pose no threat to these sincere people, nor do we wish to attack or discredit anyone, even though we do not wish to constrict our circle of fellowship to the parameters they propose.)
Ninth, we felt we should offer this encouragement to those who, like us, do not feel capable of living or explaining our faith in ways that would please all of our critics: if our work has been helpful to you, please join us in seeking to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace by not becoming quarrelsome or defensive or disrespectful to anyone – especially those who you feel have misrepresented or misunderstood you or us. As Paul said to Timothy, "The Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, patient when wronged." In addition he warned Timothy not to develop "an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions, and constant friction." The apostle James also wrote, "the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness." We believe it is better to be wronged than to wrong someone else; the Lord we follow was gentle and meek, and when he was reviled, he didn’t respond in kind.Instead of engaging in fruitless quarrels with our critics, we urge those who find our work helpful to pursue spiritual formation in the way of Christ, to worship God in spirit and truth, to seek to plant or serve in healthy and fruitful churches, to make disciples – especially among the irreligious and unchurched, to serve those in need, to be at peace with everyone as far as is possible, and to show a special concern for orphans and widows in their distress. We should keep careful control of our tongues (and pens or keyboards), and seek to be pure in heart and life, since this is "religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless."With millions suffering from hunger, disease, and injustice around the world, we hope that all of us – including our critics – can renew our commitment to "remember the poor" (Galatians 2:10) rather than invest excessive energy in "controversies about words." "They will know you are my disciples," Jesus said, not by our excessive disputation, but by our love. Words and ideas are essential, for they often set the course for thought and action, and constructive dialogue is needed and worthwhile, but we cannot let less productive internal debates preoccupy us at the expense of caring for those in need.
Tenth, we should say that along with a few critiques, we are receiving many grateful and affirming responses to our work. Respected theologians and other leaders have told us, either in private or in public, that they are grateful for the emergent conversation and that they stand with us and support us. We are frequently told that people sense God graciously at work in the emergent community. We hope that those who see problems will not overlook the signs of God’s presence and activity among us, just as we do not overlook our many faults, including those pointed out by our critics. Only time will tell what the full outcome will be, but in the meantime, we welcome the prayers of both friends and critics.We must once more thank both our critics and those who affirm our work, because we know that both are trying to help us in their respective ways, and both are trying to do the right thing before God – as we are. At the risk of redundancy, let us state once again that we welcome conversation with all who desire sincere and civil engagement over ideas that matter.If you would like to be involved in the emergent conversation and friendship, we warmly invite you to visit emergentvillage.com. And feel free to pass this response on to others for whom it may be helpful."

But most distressing of all to me on a personal level is when I found this quote that appointed Rob Bell among those who would drag You into the position of being a watered-down, New Age spokesman for divine-to-human relationship:

A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A COURSE IN MIRACLES
by the Christ-hating New Age Guru Marianne Williamson:

"our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond all measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us the most.’ We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, famous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.
There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just some of us; it’s in everyone. And, as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. And as we’re liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. (190,191, emphasis mine)"
Now if you are under the spell of Bell I admonish you in the Lord to ask yourself this critical question: What kind of a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ could agree with this above lie from the pit of Hell?

Here's why it bothers me: I found this very quote some time ago quoted--received it under unknown authorship--either on a forum or in a forwarded email. And at that time, I quoted it here in this blog as a great encouragement for the sake of accepting that rich and amazing commission You had put at my own personal feet through the synthesis of dreams and Bible study. I never took it to be "universal" to all human-kind. I saw it as speaking to the redeemed who are then told to go out and disciple according to Your commission and Your call. By these words, I found such encouragement that I could, like Gideon or like Moses, hear You call me to something so much larger than I'd ever dream You'd put on my table. Oddly, that which the ignorant would call a point of highest pride was at least for me the most profoundly humbling. How could You think I can do this? So my faith came up against its author and was bolstered. And since then, I've watched You, in Your great care and tenderness, groom me toward that very call...grooming that has been without spot or wrinkle and full of wisdom higher than I could ever have devised or constructed, wisdom not obvious to me until after I'd humbly submitted my will to You, time and time again.

Yes, I know that I know that I know I'm in deeper personal relationship with You now than I've ever been before. I also know that it is Your voice I hear and not the voice of some foreign shepherd, for You've allowed them to test me...and they look, feel, and sound quite different from You, even when they bandy Your own words around.

And still, I find all this is about to knock my feet out from under me. To me, what I face here is the equivalent of telling me everything You've shown me in my heart of hearts, all that personal guidance, the encouragement, the humor, the reconciliation where I was still blind to Your nature, the conviction and confession, and most of all the vitality that has washed all over my reading of Your word, the holy Bible...ALL of it was a sham. I simply can't believe that. To do so would be the same as agreeing to make a total denial of my faith. No, not even that would matter so much as the fact that it makes a total denial to me of Who You are.

I'd venture to say, "If I'm wrong about this, Lord, then show me," but the very ways that I hear You are the very thing I'm being told to reject. God help me. I suppose at the very least, it is time I stopped evangelizing or bearing witness of the wondrous ways You involve Yourself in this life You gave me until I know I'm not disrespecting the leadership You've placed over me. Lead me in the paths of righteousness, O God, for Your name's sake.