An Emerging Response
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:Â 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.
July 30th, 2007 at 6:39 pm
Reading Ken’s response make me wonder what type of reaction they were hoping for. Were they hoping for some righteous indignation a la Johnnie Mac? Possibly a mass epiphany of all “Emergents” realizing how wrong they were? That is just truly childish. It’s kind of like an older brother trying to goad the younger one into a fight.
July 30th, 2007 at 7:20 pm
I’ve never questioned C?N’s, SoL etc’s salvation, but I am starting to question their ability to actually understand anyone other than people exactly like themselves.
July 30th, 2007 at 7:25 pm
Absolutely Beauuuuuuuuutiful!
Then, to have Ken’s response made it a classic micro comparison of the macro debate.
Love wins.
July 30th, 2007 at 7:50 pm
“Wherever two or more are gathered in my name…”
July 30th, 2007 at 8:38 pm
Nathan,
“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”
Um, I’ve read that Burke himself claims to be a universalist. Is this true?
July 30th, 2007 at 8:51 pm
Nathan,
Burke has made statements which would be considered ‘universalist’. Granted, making the connection between quoting Burke (who may be a universalist) does not make one a universalist any more than me quoting John MacArthur would make me a divisive blowhard.
Ken’s assertion would fall under the logical fallacy of Guilt-By-Association.
July 31st, 2007 at 9:46 am
Spencer Burke is very dangerous and should be avoided. It is men like him who are used to broad stroke all emergent leaning men. One of the dangers in giving someone like him a forum is that even the basic boundaries of Biblical thought might be obliterated.
He is a universalist, just read his writings, and many emergents like Kimball reject his teachings out of hand, even though they are less than chastening in their assessments.
July 31st, 2007 at 9:48 am
Spencer Burke believes in an “opt out” theology. In other words, everyone is already redeemed, but people can return, or opt out of their redemption.
July 31st, 2007 at 9:49 am
Sorry, refuse would be a better word than return.
July 31st, 2007 at 10:02 am
Now I have to Google Spencer Burke…
I’ve never heard of most of these people.
July 31st, 2007 at 10:08 am
Julie,
Spencer Burke started The Ooze, which is a site where different people can submit articles. Some of them are decent, and some of them are out in left field. Burke may be the only person associated with the EC who more people may consider heretical than Brian McClaren.
Here’s his bio page.
BTW, I love those nifty little html buttons up there.
July 31st, 2007 at 10:19 am
Spencer Burke:
“I am a universalist who believes in hell.” (A Heretic’s Guide to Eternity, subtitle 196)
July 31st, 2007 at 10:30 am
Thanks for the info… but it goes to show that one could not tell that he was a universalist from that quote. But here is CRN’s logic used to discredit the blogger speaking out against the posters:
Julie is wrong because she is married to Mike
Mike is wrong because he once quoted Spencer Burke
Therefore Julie is probably associated with Universalism and her opinion is null and void.
August 1st, 2007 at 8:37 pm
Spencer Burke’s theories of “opt out” and his re-definition of “heretic” earned him several no-holds-barred rebuttals by people in the emerging church, including Bob Hyatt and Scot McKnight.
I also found myself in significant disagreement over what Spencer had written, but felt that Bob & Scot had done an admirable job in pointing out the same areas I had problems with, so I linked to them from my blog.
Spencer is certainly NOT indicative of the whole emerging church, as evidenced by the number of people within the emerging church who reacted strongly against the book, although I would also point out that Scot McKnight did an amazing job of interacting — online and by phone — with Spencer while reviewing his book. Scot deserves a lot of credit for his graciousness and desire for accurate reporting & understanding, even while vehemently disagreeing with Spencer’s writings.