The Emergent Church Archives

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Bill Muehlenberg's commentary on issues of the day...

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Three Cheers for Rules (and For Keeping Them)

Jul 12, 2018

We expect non-Christians to rail against rules. Most want to be free to do whatever they desire, and they look upon rules and laws and the like as constraints on their “freedom”. They want the maximum ability to do as

“Authenticity” and Making Excuses for Sin

Dec 13, 2015

Hypocrisy stinks – no question about it. The Bible often warns against this. Yet more and more I find too many Western believers today using hypocrisy – or the avoidance thereof – as a cover for living a carnal and

Five More Dumb Christian Copouts

Mar 9, 2015

In my last article in this informal series, I mentioned that there are plenty more unhelpful and unbiblical things Christians say which are little more than a copout. That is certainly the case, and I could have a fulltime career

The Appalling Apostasy of Rob Bell

Feb 19, 2015

“Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves

Standing and State

Feb 1, 2015

One would have thought that a very basic, long-standing, and well known theological principle needs little or no defending and explaining. But regrettably it seems clear that many believers do not have such basic understanding, and one must go back

Whither Theology?

Oct 29, 2014

Today it seems that theology is as popular for Christians as a ham sandwich is for Muslims. Most Christians avoid it like the plague. The surrounding culture says that the main thing is to feel good and be happy, so

Bell and Oprah Lovefest: No Surprises Here

Apr 7, 2014

The biggest promoter of New Age moonbattery in the world today is of course Oprah Winfrey. Many years ago she abandoned any claim to being a Christian, and she now shamelessly promotes every bit of loony spirituality around. New Age

How To Bring Down a Culture – Almost Overnight

Apr 2, 2013

The secular left is working overtime to destroy our culture. The attempt to utterly destroy marriage is just one of the ways in which they are doing this. And it may be the most successful assault occurring. Once you tamper

The Tragedy of the Submergent Church

Mar 22, 2013

Error leads to error. Rebellion leads to rebellion. Heresy leads to heresy. Apostasy leads to apostasy. That is how things usually go when deception is allowed to take a foothold in the Christian camp. And we see all this perfectly

No Surprises Here From the Emergents

Jan 19, 2013

There is a terrific way to seek to destroy Biblical Christianity: forget about trying to attack it from without – a much better strategy is to ravage it from within. And that has happened plenty over the past two thousand

On Being Negative Or Positive

Nov 4, 2012

What should our emphasis be as believers? Should we only focus on the positive, or is there a place to also highlight the negative? For example, should we only talk about righteousness, goodness and God’s love, and so on, or

Emergents, and the Importance of Doctrine

Oct 16, 2012

This is not my first post on this topic and it surely will not be my last. That is because we live in an age in which doctrine is downplayed, theology is ignored or disdained, and sound teaching is looked

The Rotten Fruit of the Emergents

Sep 26, 2012

Jesus taught us quite clearly that we would know someone based on their fruit. Indeed, he commanded us to judge, to discern, to assess, to see where people are at. We are not to be gullible and undiscerning, but we

On the Need for Boundary Markers

Jun 5, 2012

A passage from the Old Testament which I read this morning has dovetailed nicely with a discussion on another posting, so it is worth trying to tie the two together here. The text in question is Hosea 5:10: “Judah’s leaders

Loving God and Keeping the Commandments

Jun 18, 2011

A sad situation is enveloping large parts of the evangelical church today, especially those associated with the emergent church. Increasingly we are being told that love is the only thing that matters in the Christian life, and any talk of

A Review of Christ Alone. By Michael Wittmer.

May 23, 2011

Edenridge Press, 2011.

There have been plenty of articles and book reviews of Rob Bell’s Love Wins. I penned a few myself. But this may be the first book-length rebuttal of Bell’s controversial volume. The brief assessment (160 pages)

Just Who Is Being Divisive Here?

Apr 17, 2011

Imagine this scenario: You and your young family are nestled comfortably in bed for the night when you hear a disturbance downstairs. Everyone is startled awake at the sound of breaking glass. You fumble around in the dark for the

Jesus or the Emergents?

Apr 17, 2011

I have said elsewhere that if the emergent church with its emphasis on doubt, questioning everything, and suspicion about and hostility toward certainty would have been in charge for the past two millennia, there never would have been any Christian

On Emergents, Postmoderns, and Epistemological Suicide

Apr 16, 2011

The topics featured in my title have been addressed many times before on this site, but people keep raising questions and objections, so I have to keep dealing with these subjects. In this case a comment on a recent article

A Review of Love Wins. By Rob Bell.

Apr 15, 2011

HarperOne, 2011.

You can always tell when someone is losing the plot biblically speaking. Whenever the mainstream media starts lapping up what you have to say, then you need to worry about whether you can still maintain your Christian credentials.

About CultureWatch

We live in an age where we see evidence of cultural decline, the erosion of values, the decline of civility, the denial of truth and the elevation of unreason. Many people are asking, “Where is our culture heading?” This website is devoted to exploring the major cultural, social and political issues of the day. It offers reflection and commentary drawing upon the wealth of wisdom found in the Judeo-Christian tradition. It offers reflective and incisive commentary on a wide range of issues, helping to sort through the maze of competing opinions, worldviews, ideologies and value systems. It will discuss critically and soberly where our culture is heading. Happy reading!

Bill Muehlenberg

CultureWatch

Bill Muehlenberg's commentary on issues of the day...

Three Cheers for Rules (and For Keeping Them)

“Authenticity” and Making Excuses for Sin

Five More Dumb Christian Copouts

The Appalling Apostasy of Rob Bell

Standing and State

Whither Theology?

Bell and Oprah Lovefest: No Surprises Here

The Tragedy of the Submergent Church

No Surprises Here From the Emergents

On Being Negative Or Positive

Emergents, and the Importance of Doctrine

The Rotten Fruit of the Emergents

On the Need for Boundary Markers

Loving God and Keeping the Commandments

A Review of Christ Alone. By Michael Wittmer.

Just Who Is Being Divisive Here?

Jesus or the Emergents?

On Emergents, Postmoderns, and Epistemological Suicide

A Review of Love Wins. By Rob Bell.

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