CRN.Info and Analysis

What sorrow for those who say
that evil is good and good is evil,
that dark is light and light is dark,
that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter.

Isaiah 5.20

I have actually been very proud of the emerging church’s response to the de-motivational posters over at team pyro. It has been soft spoken and a good demonstration of loving our enemies, even though we would not consider them that. I will admit, my first reaction was to bust out the Photoshop and show them what’s up. But after reading Chris’ blog on the matter, I realized it would not have been the best thing to do (but they would have been really funny, just for the record). So, I sat back and watched how the rest of those involved in God’s new movement around the world would respond.

However, the Christian Research Network had a few other things to say about the response to the posters. After quoting one blogger’s response to the posters, Ken Silva attempts to connect emerging leaders to universalism. First off, the response to the posters was not harsh or mean spirited in my opinion (you can read it in the article). Second, the blogger’s remarks was followed up with this outright laughable commentary

These words were written by Julie Clawson whose husband Mike was one of the planners of the Mideast Emergent “Gathering”, which by the way also happens to a term Wiccans use as well for their meetings. (emphasis mine)

I guess once again, if you can’t beat ‘em, make fun of their hair or find some random and irrelevant connection to a cult, right? However, the author goes on to try to connect this statement by Spencer Burke (an emerging leader whom I have never heard of) with universalism

We wrapped up the conference with a fiery and prophetic set of exhortations from Spencer Burke, who encouraged us not to get bogged down with creating ecclesial empires or big structures, but to begin reimagining a whole new way of being the light of the world in our postmodern cultural context.

I was especially touched by his closing comments about coming back to the heart of God and just remembering the love that our Father has for all of us as he holds us close to his breast (like a parent holds a newborn infant). It was the perfect note to end the conference on.

Any thoughts on how that is promoting universalism? I guess Burke should have said, “remembering the love that our Father has for a few of us as he holds a small remnant close to his breast.” Once again proving… if you can’t beat’em….

back to the posters…

Emerging Grace created a number of posters, using the exact same words… missional, apologetics, narrative theology, postmodern, etc. Rather than turning the posters into hate filled messages, he simply and beautifully corrected the negative and incorrect assumptions published by team pyro. They really do a great job of illustrating what many of us in the emerging community of faith believe, and how the watch doggies have twisted it. I encourage you to look at all of these posters here.

Side note:  Ken posted this verse as a response to the new posters

For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

teachers saying what itching ears want to hear?  Turn aside to myths?  Sounds like the watch doggies to me.

A recent post criticized Tammy Faye Messer’s choice of speaker at her private funeral. Here’s the pertinent part:

Christianity Today last week featured a blog post that claimed Tammy Faye taught us “how to die.” That she has become, in death, something of an evangelical cultural icon surprises me very little in our lawless age. The news from ABC that the private family service after Tammy Faye’s death was conducted by a homosexual “pastor” illustrates very clearly what she believed about the authority of the Scriptures.

And then further down:

The rebellion against God’s order in homosexuality attacks the very image of Christ and His bride. That Tammy Faye chose a man to conduct her funeral service who not only manifests that rebellion, but has taken it into the office of the pastorate, says all that needs to be said about this brand of religion the purports to be Christianity.

So my question is, who’s in, who’s out and why? Obviously we’re talking about a guy who’s not just tempted by homosexual temptation but a guy who acts on it. He’s speaking/leading/whatevering a private service for a friend. I suppose what I’m asking is where do we draw the line? What constant pursuit of sin excludes someone from what activities?

FWIW, I’m throwing this out there as something worth discussing, rather than as a criticism or disagreement with the posted article. That’s not to say I necessarily agree with the quoted article either.