Chuck Lawless on the Emerging Church

Chuck Lawless is the new Dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and Church Growth at SBTS and a guy I really like.  When I was commissioned as a "missionary" to international students I asked him to preach at the service.  I think very highly of him. 

Dr. Lawless recently gave a breakout seminar on the Emerging Church at the collegiate conference held at SBTS.  Here's a news article giving some of his thoughts and critiques.  I like a lot of what he has to say.  And though I might say some of it differently, I think it's good to have Dr. Lawless encouraging students to learn (cautiously) from the Emerging Church.  I have the last bit for you...

"We have to build relationships to gain a hearing," he said. "I'm right there. But New Testament evangelism does not say, 'I'll just wait and listen and when you ask, I'll respond.' New Testament evangelism is initiatory and it is confrontive."

Some teachings from the emerging church movement "do not fit Christian orthodoxy," Lawless warned.

"Read very, very cautiously. Hear the positive. Then pray that God would help us to work on our own churches to take those positives and to become more relational, to become more authentic, to become more vulnerable as needed, but without ever compromising the truth of the Gospel."

Comments

[John Divito]

I am also a "big fan" of Dr. Lawless. And as one who has heard Lawless' entire seminar, I can tell you that it was one of the best presentations I have heard on the emerging movement.

I hope that Southern will post it in MP3 soon. We'll see.

[Steve McCoy]

I've emailed Dr. Lawless on the audio. If/when I hear back from him, I'll be sure to let everyone know.

[Jonathan Herron]

Sweet.

[Brandt]

Very good advice from Lawless. As well, please let me know if and when the MP3 is ready!

[Steve McCoy]

Dr. Lawless said he doesn't know, but I now have an email in to Media Services. They should know something.

[Hunter Beaumont]

Thanks for that snippet; it definitely made me want to hear more. I think that not prophetically and publically proclaiming the gospel is one of evangelicalism's greatest weaknesses. Ironically, we are bold in prophetically and publically proclaiming morality. So maybe we just need to change our message?

[Scott M]

Just as one example, it's statements like this that utterly fail to communicate anything meaningful to me.

I think what has to happen is that the churches as they are today must learn relevance while also taking an absolute, undeniable, uncompromised stand on the Word of God.

It's not that I disagree with the statement or that I agree with it. I simply look at it and it means nothing. What is an "absolute, undeniable, uncompromised stand"? What does it look like? What are some of the characteristics? A "stand" seems like a position to me. But I don't get how the adjectives used are intended to describe it. My initial reaction tends toward the negative. Since the adjectives used have the "feel" of other ones like inflexible, dogmatic, close-minded, arrogant, I tend to keep such statements at arm's length. However, I can tell from the context that such does not appear to be his meaning. There does seem to be no acknowledgement, though, that any understanding of scripture necessarily involves interpretation. And attributing an "absolute" character to any human understanding seems to me to be problematic.

And then there was this statement:

We have to build relationships to gain a hearing

No. We have to build relationships because we love other people unconditionally simply because God loves them. If we have a goal in a relationship, if we're doing it for some purpose of our own, then that feels more like manipulating or using the other person, not loving them. I'm willing to grant that's probably not what he intends. But it's certainly how it comes across.

[Steve McCoy]

From Media Services, "Only the general sessions in alumni chapel will eventually be available on the internet. You need to contact admissions to order any other sessions of the conference."

[JGray]

Steve,

The Admissions Office usually arranges the individual sessions to be put on a disc for $10 or so.

I'd call Scott Davis and see if he'll get you on the list. They'll then send you a copy when they are finished.

[Steve McCoy]

Cool, thanks Jason.

[blind beggar]

Two quotes from Lawless:

"[EC] tends at times wrongly to deemphasize the necessity of a personal relationship with Christ."

"They do not help us when they go so far as to suggest or hint at [salvation] happening apart from a personal relationship with Christ."

I've not talked to one EC movement member who would deemphasize the necessity of a personal relationship with Christ. None. I’m sure there may be some who have tendencies towards universalism, but I can find plenty in the mainline church who do also. Finding and applying a minority opinion to a whole group isn’t a practice that is going to allow Lawless' legitimate criticism to be heard.

Those of us who are not involved in the EC must learn to be more discerning and careful.

[Ted Gossard]

I agree with Scott M about why we should build relationships. Then, because we love them, we will want to see them come to Christ.