Answers for Church Members

What’s wrong with the emerging church?

9Marks

See the question “What is the emerging church?” for the necessary caveat that it is difficult to accurately generalize about the emerging church. Still, somebody’s gotta do it.

Basically, what’s wrong with the emerging church is that it takes the postmodern ideology and cultural mood as its starting point—its “given”—which then relativizes Scripture’s role as our authoritative norm for life and doctrine. Examples? Proponents of the emerging church tend to:

What is the emerging church?

9Marks

The emerging church is an incredibly diverse movement that sprung up out of evangelical Christianity sometime in the 1990’s. Since it has had no confession of faith, no formally recognized leaders, no denominational structure, and no official institutions, it is difficult to speak accurately about the emerging church as a whole. That said, here are some traits that characterize many within the emerging church movement. Participants in the emerging church conversation tend to:

What are some key components in a biblical perspective on culture?

9Marks
God is Lord of the entire universe. As Abraham Kuyper put it, “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, ‘Mine!’”* This means that all humans are accountable to God for all of their actions, including the most mundane or seemingly unspiritual.

How should Christians relate to the culture around them?

9Marks
Jesus prayed that his followers would be in the world but not of the world (Jn. 17:11, 14-15). Therefore, all of Christian cultural engagement should be pervaded with a sense that our citizenship is in heaven, our hope is in heaven, and our affections are fixed on heaven (Phil. 3:20-21; Col. 3:1-3). We’re not of the world, so we should not share its values and hopes and goals.

How can local churches work toward racial harmony?

9Marks
Know the history of the problem. In order to understand present racial tensions, one must know something about the history of race relations in one’s context, the history of the church’s involvement in racial oppression, and the particular historical experiences of different minority groups.

How can Christians think biblically about race and ethnicity?

9Marks

In order to develop a biblical perspective on ethnicity Christians should recognize that:

Must evangelism always be accompanied by social action?

9Marks

No. But…

What is the connection between an individual’s evangelism and his or her church’s corporate witness?

9Marks

A church’s corporate witness will either enhance or undermine an individual’s evangelism.

Should pastors try to be cool?

9Marks

Many people assume that the best way to reach people is to be like them. So, if pastors want to reach cool people, they should try to be cool. But there are several problems with the idea that pastors should try to be cool:

Why should we evangelize?

9Marks
Desire to be obedient. Jesus commands his disciples to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19). Peter says to all Christians, “Be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Pet. 3:15, NIV). Peter says this to explain how we are to “set apart Christ as Lord,” that is, how we are to obey him. We should evangelize because God commands it.

What should we do after we evangelize?

9Marks

That depends mainly on your hearer’s response. Here are some responses you might encounter.

What are some practical guidelines for evangelizing well?

9Marks
Pray. Jesus said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him” (John 6:44). Salvation is God’s work, so we should ask him to do it. Ask questions and provoke self-reflection. Ask good questions that provoke people to reflect on their lives, their beliefs, and the claims you’re making. And then listen to their answers! It will help you better understand them and their concerns.

What are some examples of bad evangelistic practices?

9Marks
Failure to share the gospel at all. Because evangelism is sharing the gospel, the main way to go wrong is to fail to tell the message at all. Sometimes people who are doing social work think that by caring for the poor or helping the oppressed they’re “sharing the gospel without words.” They’re not. They may be doing wonderfully kind and selfless things for others, but evangelism means telling others the message about Christ.

Is there a “best” way to evangelize?

9Marks

The only “best” way to evangelize is to tell someone the whole gospel message and call him or her to faith in Christ. That may mean building a relationship first, or not. It may mean writing a letter to a family member or sharing the gospel with a friend over coffee. It may mean preaching a sermon in a church or hosting an evangelistic Bible study in your home or anything other way you can think of to share the gospel. 

The message is what matters. The method, as long as it reflects the truth and is spoken in love, is somewhat flexible.

How important is it for pastors to follow the latest bands and movies in order keep up with culture?

9Marks

Not very.

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