Why Al Qaeda Supports the Emergent Church

Orginally published on Thursday, July 26, 2007 at 7:22 AM
by Todd Rhoades

Did you read this headline? There was a recent article written by KKLA Radio Host Frank Pastore that theorizes that Al Qaeda actually supports the Emergent Church. I'll have to chalk this up as the most ridiculous item of the day (possibly the year). There are things being said by some emergent church leaders that I don't agree with (to be sure); and there are very theologically 'emerging' leaders (like Mark Driscoll) that wouldn't fit into Pastore's 'emergent' definition. But linking them to Al Qaeda? Give me a break. Frank Pastore writes...

The emergent church is an ally in the war against radical Islam–al Qaeda’s ally. Not in the sense they are supplying bullets and bombs to Osama, of course, but in the sense they are weakening our conviction to fight.

If those in the emergent “we’re-a-missional-not-an-institutional” church had their way, American church buildings would be just like European church buildings – empty. And the church, the people themselves, would be so intellectually, morally, emotionally, and spiritually lost, confused and uncertain, that they would be incapable of doing hardly anything more than inviting their Muslim oppressors in for a cappuccino and a good conversation about the sociology of knowledge, the absurdity of propositional truth, and the misplaced certitude of the Muslim metanarrative. All the while, no doubt, nodding in agreement that America probably deserved to die and mumbling something about carbon footprints.

The term “emergent church” refers to a loose association of people who share common values and attitudes toward, well, everything. It’s Christianity for postmoderns who don’t like truth, knowledge, science, authority, doctrine, institutions, or religion. They claim absolute or objective truth is unknowable, that the only “truth” that can be known is rooted in communities of shared subjective experience–the infamous “it’s my truth” of relativism.

And if nothing is objectively true, if no text has a meaning independent of the reader, then the truth claims in the Bible are no more authoritative than the funny papers. Hence, there’s no emphasis on core beliefs, essential doctrines, statements of faith or the institutions built to defend and propagate them–especially the institutional church and its Bible colleges and seminaries.

Bottom line, it’s feelings over thoughts, the heart over the head, experience over truth, deeds over creeds, narratives over propositions, the corporate over the individualistic, being inclusive rather than exclusive, with none of that offensive “in versus out” language, such as those who are “saved” and those who are “not saved,” or even the most divisive of all referents–“Christian” and “non-Christian.”

The emergent church and its allies on the religious left are to Christianity what termites are to wood. They devour it from the inside out, little bit by little bit, and you don’t notice it until it’s too late–unless you look for the droppings.

They’re leaving lots of droppings if you only have eyes to see.

The emergent church has rejected the “linear” and “modern” categories of true/false, good/evil, and right/wrong, and they recoil at the notion of applying these terms to Christianity or any other faith tradition–even radical Islam. To believe Christianity is true, good, and right is divisive, offensive, and well, rude and anti-conversational.

It’s time to call these people out from the shadows and expose them to the light of public scrutiny.

Their unwillingness to distinguish truth from error, right from wrong, and good from evil leave them intellectually immobilized to resist the encroachment of false teaching and heresy, and even incapable of knowing the good guys from the bad guys in the war for the free world.

The whole point of terrorism is to destroy the will of the enemy to fight.

Whose side are they on, anyway?

What Yogi Berra said about baseball is true of this war against radical Islam: “Half this game is 90% mental.”

Yogi knew this. Osama knows this. I wonder if the “emergents” do?

You can read the whole article here. HT to BibleBeltBlogger.com

What do you think?  Fair representation?  How many people do you actually think will look at this article and say, “Wow, Frank… you nailed it!?”

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