POC Blog

The random technotheolosophical blogging of Reid S. Monaghan

A Nod for Biblical Orthodoxy

Mark Driscoll has a good post over at Resurgence on the effect of theologically conservative, gospel preaching, Bible teaching practice in churches.

I concur with him on one major point. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many denominations scampered around to become "more Modernist." In other words, the recrafted their doctrine in the image of the spirit of the age. So they removed all the miracles from the Bible, removed the idea of sin and judgment, and presto, they looked just like the world around them. What was left was simply a form of godliness which denied its power. An empty shell of ritual and ceremony devoid of the gospel which is the power of God for salvation of all who believe.

Today's Emergent crowd is on a familiar path. They cry out like those who came before "The church must change its doctrine/theology to concur with the spirit of the age - lest we die!" Not realizing this is precisely what kills churches. What we need is cultural engagement, winsome evangelism, thoughtful believers who swim in the cultural worlds we inhabit, without swallowing the hook of the philosophy of the age at the expense of gospel Truth

A quick exerpt from the Resurgence Post:

In conclusion, the way out of this sort of mess calls for theologically conservative Bible teaching, real church members actively doing ministry, drifting from national denomination leadership to more local authority, raising up pastors from within, and ignoring the parade of fools who will shrill at such changes.

Now the post does have some of Driscoll's concern with "large churches" - but the rest of the post is very good. To read the whole deal go on over to Resurgence Those Bloody Presbyterians | Resurgence