Post Lecture Thoughts

Both the "Emergent Church" and what it means to "Preach the Cross" are hot topics that need to be discussed today. The 2008 Andrew Fuller Center Lectures with Dr. Liam Goligher did just that this past Saturday morning. After a description of the "Emergent Church" Dr. Goligher pointed out what we can learn from it before warning us of various errors which unfortunately characterize certain popular strands of the movement. I found his survey of the topic very helpful and came away thinking that indeed there is nothing new under the sun. As someone has said "the more things change, the more they stay the same." The challenge all Christians face is how to proclaim the unchanging message of the gospel in new and fresh ways without compromising the essence of the gospel message. The rise of the Emergent Church forces us to wrestle with these issues and challenges us to justify our current practice. This is not bad in itself. It is good to know what we are doing and why. Just as it is good to know why we do not do things that may be considered trendy for this brief moment in time.

A case in point is the "preaching of the cross." What could be more basic than that? And yet, there are those who want to retain the label 'evangelical' who do not believe that Jesus died as a substitute for his people to bear God's wrath and the penalty of their sins. What was once a fundamental component of orthodox Christianity along with the virgin birth, the deity and humanity of Jesus, his physical resurrection from the dead and his return at the end of the age, is now open to question and criticism. But for all the theological attacks that have been launched by acclaimed scholars what amazes me is the weakness of their arguments and reasoning. Simply put: they should know better! But instead they resurrect old heresies that have been soundly thumped in the past and dress them in new clothes in the vain hope that no one will recognize the scam. In the name of profundity and mystery the parade their unbelief and their unwillingness to submit themselves to the revelation of God in the Scriptures. Their selective use of texts fails to take into consideration the larger framework of the Bible. In short, they are blind leaders of the blind instead of faithful preachers of the cross which lies at the center of the Christian faith. But, as with the Emergent Church, the fact that God has providentially allowed their voices to be heard indicates that we need to go back and make sure we are proclaiming Jesus and him crucified as we should. Sometimes it is darkest before the dawn -- perhaps this darkness will lead to a fresh discovery and proclamation of the faith once for all entrusted to the saints which will explode the darkness with the blazing light of revival.