15 Warning Signs (see *note at bottom of page) that Your Church may be becoming an Emergent Church or a Progressive Church (Detailed Information):
Do you need to read Part 1 First? Click here http://www.bibleanswerstoquestions.com/are-we-an-emergent-church
1. ) Scripture is no longer the ultimate authority as the basis for the Christian Faith. You might also review your Children’s Sunday School curriculum to see if there is an effort to replace solid curriculum with perhaps a rewritten curriculum that doesn’t address Bible stories and perhaps refers to external, historical characters and extensive references to God’s kingdom here on earth. Many times, a normal Bible may be replaced with a less offensive Bible that focuses on God’s kingdom here on earth. Children should be learning Bible stories and led towards a saving relationship with Christ. If sin (Romans 3:23), judgment (Romans 6:23a), atonement (Romans 6:23b, Romans 10:9-10) and the blessed hope of Christ’s Return is left out of the curriculum (Matthew 24:30), how are children learning what the Gospel means and the wonderful, good news of their future eternity with our King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ?
Joshua 1:8 (NASB) “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.”
II Timothy 3:16-17 (NASB) “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”
1 Peter 2:1-3 (NASB) “Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.”
2. ) The centrality of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is being replaced by humanistic methods promoting Church Growth and a Social Gospel, and / or an inconsistent verbal proclamation of the Gospel from the pulpit. Oftentimes, a Statement of Faith (SOF), will be trivialized by leadership and may be rewritten to make it more inclusive for members, thereby reducing or eliminating the distinctive, unique qualities that may have made the church a light and a beacon for the World to see (Matthew 5:13-15). The importance of the Statement of Faith is covered in another blog article. The Bible is clear on the importance of a verbal gospel being proclaimed (Mark 16:15, Romans 1:16-17) and disciples being made (Matthew 28:19-20). Often these commandments by Christ are removed from the core of the SOF. See the 49 general commands of Christ covered in the blog article, “Are We Obedient to Christ?” Many times, the gospel is no longer clearly and verbally proclaimed from the pulpit. Often, community events will be organized on church property and members will even be told not to proselytize since it may offend someone from the community. 1 Corinthians 1:18 (NASB), “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
3. ) More and more emphasis is being placed on building the Kingdom of God now and less and less on the Warnings of Scripture about the imminent Return of Jesus Christ and a Coming Judgment in the Future. Hebrews 9:27-28 (NASB), “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.”
4. )The Teaching that Jesus Christ will rule and reign in a literal millennial period is considered unbiblical and contrary to what the church now teaches. (Revelation 20:2-7, etc.) There have been several instances where a church member was teaching what the current Statement of Faith stated in this regard and then was chastised and oftentimes church discipline was applied for teaching this. Please see the blog article which deals with our biblical stance for a literal millennial reign of Christ at the following link, http://www.bibleanswerstoquestions.com/the-literal-future-second-coming-of-jesus/
5. ) The stated teaching or personal belief of the Pastor that God has removed His hand from Israel and that Israel no longer has any Prophetic significance. This is a loose, metaphorical interpretation of key scriptures in the Old Testament such as Isaiah chapter 9, 2 Kings 17:18 and other scriptures they associate with proof. Granted, Israel has many rocky points in its history with the Lord, however, God in the New Testament (as well as the Old Testament) reaffirms His covenantal promises made to Israel in its important role in God’s Eternal Kingdom. See Jeremiah 31:35-36, Romans 11, etc. John MacArthur has covered this topic extensively in his six part series, “Has God Cancelled His Promises to Israel?, found at http://www.gty.org/resources/sermons/title/h and scroll down to the part you want to review his notes or listen to the audio. Part of the emerging church theology is to teach more from a symbolic, allegorical and metaphorical interpretation of scripture instead of applying solid hermeneutics in studying scripture. Dr. Richard Mayhue has written some fine short-read books on how to study and interpret scripture. See Amazon.com website for some of his excellent study books.
6. ) The Teaching that the Book of Revelation does not refer to the Future, but instead has been already fulfilled in the past. Although your pastor and leaders may not directly state this, they may avoid teaching a long-held church belief that the pre-tribulation, pre-millennial rapture of the church is biblical and try to teach a new eschatological direction. This often leads to an Amillennial view of end times. This author holds to a pre-tribulation, pre-millennial rapture of the church. Please see our blog article, http://www.bibleanswerstoquestions.com/the-literal-future-second-coming-of-jesus/ .
7. ) An experiential Mystical form of Christianity begins to be promoted as a method to reach the Postmodern Generation. This may start to take shape and place with new art and symbols integrated into new building or remodeling projects. An example of a mystical symbol may be a labyrinth, a more common symbol used in Emerging Churches more frequently. (see Deuteronomy 18:9-13,2 Kings 23:24, Jude 1:3, etc.) We are warned in the Bible that we’re not to allow these into our buildings. The mystic origins along with the sometimes occultist background for what should be an offensive symbol such as the Labyrinth doesn’t have any redeeming Christian value and does not belong in a church courtyard or plaza. Rather than trying to list an overwhelming amount of hyperlinks and information across Internet to validate this point, just type “labyrinth Christian” in a popular search engine such as Google or Yahoo. You will confirm there is very little valid, Biblical Christian significance and value for the labyrinth symbol with a great deal more research weight showing the pagan, mystic and occultist origins. You can also use a less targeted research by typing in “labyrinth” and come up with more general information as well. Prayer walks in some churches are oftentimes organized or centered around this symbol. At the onset, this sounds good, right? Aren’t we supposed to be in prayer together? (Matthew 18:19-20, Colossians 4:2, 2 Corinthians 9:14, 1 Thessalonians 1:2, etc.). However, II Corinthians 6:14 (NASB) states, ”Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?”
8. ) Ideas are promoted teaching that Christianity needs to be reinvented in order to provide meaning for this generation. Often this is disguised as making the Gospel more relevant to the community. NOTE: The Gospel stands on its own. See Mark 16:15, Galatians 1:8-9. The Holy Spirit draws people to Himself, not our efforts to make it palatable to non-believers, (Romans 1:16, Romans 8:14-16, Romans 10:9-10, etc.).
9. ) The Pastor may eventually implement an idea called “ancient-future” or “vintage Christianity” claiming that in order to take the church forward, we need to go back in church history and find out what experiences were effective to get people to embrace Christianity. The caution and problem with this is that bad church history may be reintroduced as the way we should do things now.
10. ) While the authority of the Word of God is undermined, images and sensual experiences are promoted as the key to experiencing and knowing God. There may be a strong movement towards incorporating more artwork to teach the story of the Bible from a meta-narrative viewpoint, such as a five act play. There are several modern, emergent / progressive church theologians leading the charge on this viewpoint.
11. ) These experiences may include icons, candles, incense, liturgy, labyrinths, prayer stations, contemplative prayer, experiencing the sacraments, particularly the sacrament of the Eucharist. Also this is mentioned in number 7 above. Except for the labyrinth (Deuteronomy 18:9-13,2 Kings 23:24, Jude 1:3), these become a problem when experience is emphasized over the clarity of the Gospel.
12. ) There also seems to be a developing trend for a strong emphasis on ecumenism indicating that a bridge is being established that leads in the direction of unity with the Roman Catholic Church. Martin Luther would be appalled to see that evangelical churches are slipping back into syncretism in delineating the Biblical Gospel to a Social Gospel focusing on good works, rather than the verbal proclamation of the Gospel. Please see article in the link in this blog on the importance for the verbal proclamation of the Gospel, http://www.bibleanswerstoquestions.com/is-the-verbal-gospel-important-to-preach/
13. ) The danger of this movement toward ecumenical can be clearly seen when evangelical leaders are saying that the Reformation in fact went too far. They are reexamining the claims of the “church fathers” saying that communion is more than a symbol and that Jesus actually becomes present in the wafer at communion. Do you notice that your communion time may be becoming more like an administered ritual, similar to that of the Catholic Church? This point doesn’t always translate that communion is wrong just because it may be administered in a different way than what you’re used to. The concern here is that this may be conducted in a more ritualistic and non-biblical or emergent / progressive manner. Be cautious on this point. Please read 1 Corinthians 11 to discover what God’s Heart is about the way communion should be taken. This author also loves taking part in foot washing as part of the communion service and the Lord’s Supper. Not mandatory, but special. See John 13:1-17.
14. ) There will be a growing trend towards an ecumenical unity for the cause of world peace claiming the validity of other religions and that there are many ways to God. Although this may be the extreme version, this will be a gradual transition and the version this author believes will be the final destination unless the church repents early of their wandering away from sound doctrine and removes leadership. See 2 Timothy 4:2-4, and 2 John 1:9-11.
15. ) Members of Churches who question or resist the new changes that the Pastor and leadership are implementing are often reprimanded and “church discipline” is applied and the members usually are asked to leave in that they are considered being divisive to the new direction of the church. Mistreatment of members and a misapplication of Matthew 18 are becoming more and more frequent. If you see this happening, chances are that you are either experiencing deceptive behavior from the pastor, pastoral staff and church elders. Sometimes some elders may not even be aware of the gradual, deceptive changes. Often lying and known cover ups by certain elders and pastors will shield the truth from being exposed. They seem to think they are exempt from Matthew 18 themselves and the qualifications of an Elder (1 Timothy 3 and 4, Titus 1, etc., also covered in the article on this blog, “What are the Biblical Qualifications of an Elder?” Sometimes in a transition of change and deceptive behavior, a member may be teaching in accordance with the current Statement of Faith and Church Bylaws and then be chastised and disciplined for teaching in accordance with the present Statement of Faith and Church Bylaws. This occurs when the church leadership is trying to change a long church history based on the current Statement of Faith and Church Bylaws to fit their new desired theology. There have been several heated church membership votes over this very issue! Unfortunately, the younger people, ages 18 to 35, are usually among the more vocal supporters in these meetings. Quite a ruckus at voting times!
Remember that not all of these 15 warnings have to be present in your church for you to be an emergent church or dangerously heading this direction!
Look to God’s Word. Remember Paul’s instruction to Timothy:
“The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will. (2 Timothy 2:24-26, NASB).
Jesus is coming soon. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, NASB) “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”
*Notes: Some sources were used for my research, such as my own personal experiences and association with an unnamed Church group for the majority of practical examples presented and the website http://www.so4j.com/emergent-church-false-teaching.php, God’s Holy Word, His precious Son Jesus Christ, and The Holy Spirit. Any mistakes made, I claim the responsibility. Anything of excellence and supreme virtue – the credit belongs to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (The Word, John 1:14).
I stumbled on your site through Googling – thought you’d like to hear what I experienced this weekend. We have left a very conservative Baptist church and were attending a new Community Church. The music is professional, the people very, very involved in the community and no one would fall asleep during any of the excellent sermons. We decided to attend the new member class this week, we were so excited.
The minister made an off-hand remark about people who have not heard the gospel being saved when they die. He said they are saved by Jesus who has ultimate judgment even if you didn’t make that choice here on earth. This is against Biblical teaching but to me, we don’t know if they are presented with the gospel upon death so it wasn’t a show stopper. But something didn’t set well with me (obviously the spirit wasn’t happy).
I pulled the minister aside and asked what he felt would happen to a God-fearing, kind, compassionate muslim – who knows the Gospel inside and out but still rejects it. He said, “I would say he is saved”. I was stunned. He went on to tell me how he feels that anyone who is “true to their religion and strives to please their god will be saved” then – get this – he quotes at length from C.S. Lewis’ “The Last Battle” how a character (who is clearly muslim) is greeted by Aslan (Jesus) when he dies. He uses a fictional story to back his idea, not the Bible? Then he tells me that nowhere in the Bible does it say you MUST accept Jesus to be saved. I immediately brought up Romans 10:9 and this is what he said, “Romans 10:9 is severely misunderstood. It doesn’t say UNLESS, it says IF. IF you accept Jesus you are guaranteed salvation but that doesn’t preclude God from saving someone anyway”. I was physically sick at my stomach at all this. Then later, his wife said, “The Catholic church is doing such wonderful things!” I said, “Well, they do have the Mary thing going for them”. She said, “Oh, well, if that makes them feel worshipful”.
We didn’t sign the membership papers. This church is growing exponentially, they are rapidly sucking members out of every traditional church in the area and I believe went from 600 members to 1,500 in just a year. NONE of what he said is in their core values and we know a lot of members who were longtime, conservative Baptists who would never ascribe to his ideas but have been attending this church for years. I was suspicious when I saw that they model their structure on Saddleback and they do quote Rick Warren and Bill Hybils a lot, but I saw nothing in their beliefs that betrayed these ideas. A growing, thriving emergent church just 4 miles away. I guess Satan is the angel of light.
As I read your story, I’m saddened at the deception going on in your church (sounds like your family experienced this). Yet I rejoice that the Holy Spirit bore witness with yours that something was amiss and you didn’t sign the membership papers. It was wonderful scripture that you shared with your pastor (Romans 10:9) and you handled it accurately as exhorted by the Lord (II Timothy 2:15-16). I really like verse 16 here since it warns of worldly and empty chatter leading to ungodliness. Your pastor didn’t handle the Word correctly and twisted the meaning horribly. Also, Hebrews 9:27 states that it is appointed for man to die once and after this comes judgment. It seems that your pastor is trying to blend the idea of purgatory with the ability to change your mind before judgment. This is not what God’s word says. Also see Romans 1:28 which talks about our depraved mind when we stop acknowledging God. God’s word more often than not validates what the Spirit reveals to us. Sometimes we need to wait on clear direction, but the two (Bible and our feelings) should not contradict each other. This is our spiritual checks and balances. When we’re looking for confirmation of something we feel that is directed by the Holy Spirit, we should try to confirm it through the Word so we can keep our feelings in alignment with God’s word (Jeremiah 17:9, Psalm 119:9-11, II Timothy 3:16-17). I personally went to a church that historically had a wonderful evangelistic outreach but over the past 20 years under the pastor has moved away from a verbal proclamation to a more experiential form of message and worship. They say they are “living out the Gospel” and that the church is learning to experience God’s big picture – they’re big on building community. They are teaching scripture now from a meta-narrative instead of good expository teaching as taught by four successive pastors before. Now instead of a gospel-centered message, they are man-centered and are pulling their theology from liberal scholars and theologians to support the new direction. I withdrew my membership earlier this year and now attend a Bible-believing Baptist church that handles the Word accurately and preaches the Gospel clearly, boldly and concisely from the pulpit. Although these Bible-believing churches seem to be fewer and fewer in number, there are still some wonderful churches out there who hold to strong tenets similar to these listed on our website http://www.bibleanswerstoquestions.com/our-beliefs/. I’ll be praying for you.