Journal: Christian Apologetics Journal
Volume: CAJ 07:1 (Spring 2008)
Article: The Maze Of Mysticism In The Emerging Church Movement
Author: Ronald C. Rhodes

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The Maze Of Mysticism In The Emerging Church Movement

Ron Rhodes, Th.D.

Ron Rhodes is president of Reasoning From The Scriptures Ministries and adjunct Professor of Apologetics at Southern Evangelical Seminary.

The Emerging Church movement is a broad, trans-denominational movement that claims to be dedicated to discovering new ways of “doing church” in today’s postmodern (“emerging”) culture. Having read a substantive volume of material on this movement, I find myself in agreement with one critic who said, “Any author attempting to profile the phenomenon of the ‘emerging church’ faces a daunting task.”1 The movement is so fragmented, so varied, and so (for lack of a better

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word) slippery that nailing it down is like trying to nail Jell-O to the wall.2

The problem churches face today is that many people in postmodern western society are dissatisfied with traditional religion and are looking for something new. The emerging church movement seeks to meet this need, exploring new modes of expressing the gospel to postmodern western culture. Not surprisingly, no one is quite sure where the movement will end up, but it must go somewhere, proponents say, because the modern church, as it presently exists, cannot connect with the postmodern mind.3

Though the emerging church movement is diverse,4 one can observe a number of common or typical themes in the writings of its leaders. As will become clear below, some of these themes seem innocuous enough, while others constitute a dangerous and damaging departure from historic Christianity.5

1. Participants in the movement seek to serve God “out there” in the real world rather than isolating themselves “in here” within the walls of the church or within tight-knit Christian communities of like-minded people. They do not sit passively in pews, but rather want to stay actively involved in things.

2. Participants are community-oriented in their lifestyle. They are “people” persons who value relationships. Instead of merely going to church, they want to be the church.

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3. Participants seek authentic experiences in preference to superficial religion. They also seek to be relevant in today’s changing (“emerging”) culture.

4. The teaching that takes place in em...