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Anyone heard or read about the "Emerging church Movement? also called the post-modern church movement. Seems to be quite a growing movement...this article and accompanying links made the hair stand up on my neck. Come soon Lord Jesus!

http://www.apologeticsindex.org/290-emerging-church (http://www.apologeticsindex.org/290-emerging-church)

“Our business is to put what is timeless (the same yesterday, today and tomorrow - Hebrews 13:8 - in the particular language of our own age. The bad preacher does exactly the opposite: he takes the ideas of our own age and tricks them out in the traditional language of Christianity.”
C. S. Lewis

W.S.

Hello Whitestone,

There are so many new groups, tags, and labels springing up on just about every corner that it's impossible to keep up with all of them. There are even many tags and labels that overlap each other and cause confusion in even defining them. There are also terms, tags, and labels that had different meanings in times past. BUT JESUS CHRIST is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

If you look in our Christian News section, you will find that portions of major churches are splitting, some falling away from the things of GOD, and some even voting about whether JESUS CHRIST is GOD or not. So, let's say you have three churches in your city bearing the identical denominational name but each having a different set of beliefs and doctrines. SO, man's tags, labels, and denominations don't mean much except more confusion. When GOD'S children go home to be with the LORD, all of these tags and man-made nonsense is left behind.

In terms of compromise for Salvation, GOD doesn't compromise, so there is none. On the other side of the coin is Brothers and Sisters in Christ fighting each other over small things that aren't Salvation issues. We are told that we are to love our enemies, and we are also told how we are to treat others in the household of faith. We rarely ever get it right, but we are to try. This does not suggest that we are to compromise the Truth of GOD'S WORD.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Colossians 2:2 NASB  that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ Himself,

AMEN!

There is the importance to be unified in the Lord. Unfortunately there are those that desire to take this a bit too far and forget the "in the Lord" portion of that statement. This is much of what the "Emerging Church" movement does. As Brother Tom said there are many different movements today. There are many that attempt to draw all different beliefs into one.

Unity is achieved when one accepts Christ as their Saviour and truly follows him, worshipping God in truth and in spirit. One Lord and Saviour, one body of Christ.

I had to chuckle just a little bit when I saw the term "modernist". I remember my dad preaching and talking about the evils of modernists 50 years ago. Many of the same terms come back over and over again. So, the chances of the terms meaning something different to each person you talk to is high. The terms even have different meanings in different parts of the country and different parts of the world, so the devil has had great success in division. It becomes necessary to define the terms before Brothers and Sisters in Christ can have pleasant conversations. I remember a joke about two Christians getting along well together and sharing a lengthy list of tags and labels they shared. It seemed they might be able to be friends after agreeing on a very long list, but they finally got to a tag they couldn't agree on, and they were so disgusted with each other that they had to part company. I think that it might have been Allinall who told this joke, and it was sadly pretty close to the truth of today.

Speaking of terms coming back again, many ancient terms are back and groups are trying to entice followers to join them. Some of the terms and beliefs go all the way back to the false teaching and cults of the Apostle Paul's time. It's almost as if it worked once for the devil thousands of years ago so why not use it again.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Revelation 21:3-4 NASB  And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away."

Amen bros.

Regarding unity...I always think of :

I Jn 1:7
7. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
(KJV)

Don't know how far you went in the articles, but one section was a satirical glossary of post-modernist terms...really, it is the most informative of everything there in terms of exposing this devilish trend.

W.S.