By now you are probably wondering if I have finally lost it, or you are convinced I lost it and this confirms it. So, what am I talking about? I am talking about some of the accusations floating around about the emerging and house church movements. Dan Kimball addresses the issues here He has just listed his core beliefs, very orthodox ones and then he continues:
It feels like there are certain types of people [who] seem to love to focus their ministries and lives on pointing out things they don’t agree with. So when they have been making a big deal about something they disagree with, but only to find it is really not there if you look closely or talk to the person – they then start making even crazier accusations and start pulling from almost anything to make a case through association. Your name begins with a “D”, so you must be aligned with the “d”evil etc., is practically what happens with some of the things I read. I just hope they don’t keep crying out “wolf” so often, that then when a real wolf comes, no one will listen as they have lost their credibility. We do need to be watching for “wolves” as Jesus and Paul both warned the church about (Matt. 7:15; Acts 20:29), but I think we are crying wolf and attacking our own fellow sheep who happen to like experimenting in wearing their wool in different styles or like coloring their wool different colors, but they are not wolves - they are fellow sheep. But because they are not monotone white wooled all-the-same-look sheep, they get attacked as though they were a wolf.
<idle musing>
I wish what he says here were not true. A short time ago I saw a fundraising letter from a well-known preacher. He was claiming that the number one problem facing the church today was the emerging movement. He asked for donations to fight this heresy, emphasizing the urgency and requesting immediate funds. Call me cynical if you want, but I can’t help but think he needed a heresy to get his constituents to fund his ministry.
What ever happened to the faith-based ministries of the 1800’s where they never asked for funding from man, but from God alone? Sorry folks, if you need to ask for funding, there must be something wrong with your prayer-line. Last time I checked, God was still in the business of answering believing prayer. I suspect that the marketing department has more input into what some ministries say than the prayer department does.
</idle musing>
1 comment:
You know, even the most hard-core of those faith-based ministries have relaxed their rules about letting supporters know about needs. There have been many times the Lord has laid it upon my heart to give, but I cannot recall a single time that I have felt led to give without first knowing there is a need.
Yes, there are many egregious examples of people who do more fundraising than prayer and ministry, but to rule unspiritual all those who ask is neither kind, nor fair, nor generous, nor loving.
Post a Comment