Thank you for being measured, clear and respectful

In an interview in “Relevant” magazine, he explained what is the “core” of this book:
“The Barbarian Way was, in some sense, tryng to create a volatile fuel to get people to step out and act. It’s pretty hard to get a whole group of people moving together as individuals who are stepping into a more mystical, faith-oriented, dynamic kind of experience with Christ. So, I think “The Barbarian Way” was my attempt to say, ‘Look, underneath waht looks like invention, innovation adn creativity is really A CORE MYSTICISM that hears from God, and what is fueling this is something really ancient.’ That’s what was reallyt the core of “the Barbarian Way.”

For information, on hte Mosaic Alliance website there is a section called “Awaken Humanity” which “serves the purpose of history by maximizing the divine potential in every human being.”

Please take the time to discover the ties I mentioned with Peter Drucker and Bob Buford. It might make for some interesting reading. For the record I am not threatened by any one of you or these men in this movement. I will contend earnestly for the faith given once unto the saints and I will not resort to “unwholesome words” to do so.
John

This post really set some people off, Nathan.

I still think the Hitler comparison was a bit much, but the “Christo-fascism” of certain fringe elements is still made quite plain by virtue of the internet.

Some people just refuse to get it…

Emergent is a network of relationships, people!
Get it through your heads.

That network exists to encourage reflection on missiology, ecclesiology in whatever context you find yourself in.

Some of those friends have been able to write some books.
It represents “their understanding” of a wide variety of things.

We are not a denomination, “church”, etc. THUS collectively we have no official position.

Why do friends have to have a “position” on things?

We are grateful for the chance that some of us have to share their own views. They challenge us, inspire us to think more deeply about OUR OWN VIEWS, and encourage us to follow their example of searching to be faithful in our own contexts.

That MEANS we are not expected to parrot, ape, or buy wholesale into anything they say or write.

It just means we are driven by hope and a desire to learn, recommit to our own convictions….

NOT BE THREATENED by someone who thinks differently…or even INCORRECTLY…

GOD is the author of our stories…NOT Brian McLaren, et. al.

All this handwringing shows that all the protesters for Absolute Truth and God’s sovereignty don’t reallly believe it.

becuase if they did…the wouldn’t freak out, but be confident in God’s righteous guidance and judgement.

You DO what you really believe.

If you have to make a so called “ministry” from “your master” out of being driven by fear…you might have to take another look at who your “master” really is.

You might find yourself looking in the mirror…

I know this sound uncharitable…
But…

Get it through your heads people.
It’s a NETWORK of FRIENDS whose friendship is not predicated on “being the same”. We’re not codependent like that.

I know that’s a huge difference between us and your average church, but some of you might take a cue from it and get out of everybody’s backyard and needing to control even “how” people say things.

This is what leads to people calling people “heretics” when they have a different theory of knowledge–epistemology.

We as a church have NEVER done that until now.
It’s psychotic crazy.

phew!!

Got that off my chest.

Love to all…

“I have read how Rob Bell, Tony Compalo, McLaren and McManus all engage in and heartily endorse these practices, as well as Buddhism and its practices, in line with Thomas Merton and the Taize monastic practices.”

I work with McManus on a weekly basis. Can you please tell me what or which mystic practices that are unscriptural that he endorses? I would love to see that. I mean, maybe he is hiding something from all of his friends and community. Or did you read that in a Ken Silva article

I certainly agree that the Emergent Movement has justifiable claims against the mockery that represents the “church” today. As one who has been born again for 10 years I am amazed at the deception, the lack of depth, the lack of changed lives, the perversion of the gospel into “believe and receive” without ever a mention of repentance. I spend my free time in our local college, in my dental practice, and inthe community deliberately seeking out the lost and engaging in conversation and ultimately discussing matters of eternal life. There is a core group in our community but it is a fraction of a percentage the community. As Stephen Curtis Chapman sings, “What about the change, what about the difference, what about forgiveness?” I know what the Emergent movement was in response to. We see Bill Hybels admitting he was wrong in seeking to be seeker sensitive and the “if you build it they will come” mentality. What I take issue with is the solutions proposed, which from the lens of scripture look actually worse than the problems they are trying to correct.
Talk with Jason Carlson sometime. He is a great guy, one of the original men in this movement and ask him why he had to part ways with Doug Padgitt. YOu might also find it interesting reading to see how Peter Drucker, the recently deceased business guru and Bob Buford of “halftime Ministries” were instrumental in this movement, the human potential movement, and “No child left behind.” There is much more behind this movement than you may know. Be a Berean, as will I, and let’s continue to converse.
Love ya,
John

It is not the “literalism” but the out of context literalism as well as the pick n choose method of most Non emerging of what they take as literal…

I found (and as well as actually being one of those evil emergent guys) that I now take the bible MORE literal than before but with MORE understanding of the context.

So, before you cast huge stones and straw men… go and read some of the earlier book by McLaren. These will help you understand from where he built on.

It is not a replacement (well not all of it, though I think what most “left behind” Christians miss is that they do need to replace that view with the biblical view) it is adding and complimenting… it is not getting rid of substitionary atonement but understanding that the Gospel of Mark does not teach that but teaches Christus Victor from which we get substitionary atonement from… it is a fuller view.

Again, you state you have read a book… good, but you also miss that is the view of that person and not the view of every single emerging folk out there… in fact many are not and have not read any McLaren at all and are also part of emerging…

N.T Wright and G K Chesterton are huge influences on McLaren… I also recommend reading some of their books also as well as books on Plato so you can understand how his influence has infused into many common Christian teachings and are not biblical.

Now, if you have a question you want to ask a “emergent” go ahead… ask me what I believe… you might be surprised as most are to how I really think as opposed to how John MacArthur slanderously states people like me think.

I am not just a movement, I am a person who Jesus died for and saved… by Grace through faith… hopefully just like you are also.

iggy

SnarkOTron?
That is tooo funny…