He who controls the definition wins

This axiom is critical to really understanding what cults are all about; how they manipulate and spread their heresies. And it's come to my attention that I've been throwing around a term that I've not defined closely enough.

I've lately been fond of using the term Emergent Church, and I'm beginning to regret my casualness. So in an effort to be more precise and not get lumped in with certain ideas and people that I most certainly do not identify with, let me at least start a list of how I understand this term...

A) I am not a Brian McLaren fan. If I say 'emergent' and you think 'McLaren', then you and I do not share a common defintion. I'm not really sure how much further down the road McLaren has to go before more people recognize him for what he is - a heretic. I've certainly learned some things from McLaren's writings, in much the same way as I've learned some things from other non-Christian authors.

You really can't go where McLaren has gone and still be considered Christian. Plenty of better men than I have already pointed out some of his many errors - for example, here and here. Sadly, he has come to be the face of the Emergent Movement for many people.

B) I am not abandoning the existence and importance of absolute truth. There are certain things that simply cannot be denied or debated. I read an emergent gent recently who said that his faith would not be changed if Jesus did not actually die on the cross! If that's emergent, then I'm not!

C) I am increasingly embracing the postmodern within me. I'm at the odd junction - born in 1973, which makes me about half modern and half postmodern! What intrigues me about postmodernity is the embracing of mystery, the value of art and nature, the missional way of "doing" ministry, and the appreciation of all the senses in learning and worshipping.

In short, then, I don't want to "do" church like it was done in the 1950s (like most IFCA churches), but I also don't want to abandon most of the doctrinal core of old fundamentalism. The EFCA seems to be plowing this middle ground. But I'm also interested in missional thinking and living. I'm not sure where the EFCA is on this yet...

So I'm stuck between a number of camps, and not really sure where that leaves me right now. I use the term "emergent" favourably when it applies to men like Mark Driscoll. It is my hope that history will record his brand of emergent as ultimately successful and the McLaren brand as a brief flash that died out quickly.

And I'm still thinking all of this through...

Hatushili