Anti-emerging emerger...

One of my concerns regarding the Emerging Church movement has been an apparent lack of regard for doctrinal principles as well as a relativistic approach towards theological issues. My only friend from the Emerging Church movement, Dave over at Welcome to the Planet, has a reassuring post titled, Emerging Church or Emerging False Teachers?, in which he tackles the same issues. Dave writes,

Every spring a bunch of emerging church leaders put on a conference in conjunction with Youth Specialties, to teach and talk about the emerging church. ...I did not attend the EC04 this year for various reasons, but I have been following this years conventions in San Diego through Desertpastor and recently through pomomusings Both bloggers did a great job of portraying the conventions... As I was reading Cleve's experience, there was something that was said at the most recent EC that made me say "back the truck up" Cleave was sharing his notes from a church planting course taught by doug pagitt and tim keel. When giving a definition that the emerging church is not just an asthetic change, Cleave writes: "But it is clear that this is NOT all that emergent is. Emergent is very much a rethinking of not only church, but theology…the message. The message doesn’t in fact stay the same. And…THAT is what is scary. THAT is what causes people in the seminars (and not just the ones wearing the NPC nametags) to squirm in their seats. When Doug talked about how the doctrine of the Trinity may not necessarily be needed in today’s 21st century, people squirmed" At what point are people going to cry "foul" on something like that? Maybe he was saying it to be reactionary, which makes him irresponsible at best. If pagitt believes that the doctrine of the Trinity isn't needed in today's 21st century, then what other doctrines are not needed? Do I get to pick and choose what I like and dislike? What fits and what doesn't fit?...

I've turned off a lot of PoMos with the opinions I've shared in some of my past posts. While they probably won't listen to me anymore, I'm confident that the Emerging Church still has many people like Dave to help keep them in line.