Non-Christians are more receptive to the Gospel today than at any point in recent American history, according to one research team.
"We are seeing a new level of curiosity among those who are seeking out religion – and we rejoice that people are willing to hear about Jesus," said Sam S. Rainer III, who heads Rainer Research.
While Rainer said he finds the increased receptivity among non-believers encouraging, the problem lies with churches not being able to connect with them and the culture.
"Christians and non-Christians intermingle socially every day, at work, the ballpark, and in the grocery store. But we’ve lost a sense of urgency in sharing the story of Jesus Christ," he told The Christian Post. "We rush home from work in our cars, pull in the garage by the push of the button, and disappear in our homes to watch two hours of TV, only to get up and do it all over again. We’ll stand for hours in line to purchase a Nintendo Wii, but we cringe at crossing the street to get to know our neighbors.
"Believers, me included, need to do a better job at building a sense of community in our own neighborhoods," he added.
But there are churches that have contextualized the timeless message of the Gospel to the culture and are connecting successfully with their communities, Rainer noted.
"Nothing excites me more as a pastor and researcher than hearing about churches that connect with their communities and unashamedly proclaim the name of Christ in a way people can understand," he said.
Ryan Bolger, assistant professor of church in contemporary culture in Fuller Theological Seminary's School of Intercultural Studies and co-author of Emerging Churches: Creating Christian Communities in Postmodern Cultures, has found many churches that are expressing their faith in ways that resonate with those in the 21st century. And they go beyond outreaches and trendy worship that only aim to draw people to church services.
"Donald McGavran ... said a person shouldn't have to change cultures to find God," Bolger said, referring to a former Fuller professor. "A person's difficulty with the Christian faith is often sociological, not theological."
After five years of research on emerging churches, Bolger discovered places that were expressing the Christian faith in cultural forms that made sense to a population that has become more urban. Churches that have been able to connect with their communities were more relational, focused on practices and less institutional, he found.
Such churches incorporated aspects of people's daily lives – whether it's ipods, art or music – into their worship to "weave together the sacred and the secular," he said in a recent interview featured on Fuller's Web site. Along with creativity, these emerging churches have refocused on the life of Jesus as a model way to live. Thus, inviting the outsider in, hospitality, forgiving, peacemaking and praying together daily are central, Bolger pointed out.
"It's not extra, it's not an outreach. It's actually the Gospel. So it's something they have to get right," he said, noting that the emerging churches look to express faith in the workplace, neighborhoods and in everyday activity and are not necessarily looking for ways to bring people to church services.
"The reason they do that is to ground their faith in the practices of everyday so it's not a detached other worldly only faith, but it's something that connects to their everyday," said Bolger.
Comments
There is enough heresy in the Emergent to point to and far from a need to attempt to make man's doctrines (Calvini's and Arminius') the standard by which to judge any church or brother or heretic.
Grace and Peace,
Jim
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080417/31980_Emergent_Church_Leaders%27_InterSpirituality_Talks_Raise_Flags.htm
DRJ you seem to be confused, the emerging churches are based upon Arminian beliefs which naturally attract the natural man. As a Calvinist myself it seems to me that they are seriously taking the Name of the Lord in vain.
The Name of the Lord in Vain
http://polemos.net/Articles/The%20Name%20of%20the%20Lord%20in%20Vain.html
Doctrines of Grace (Calvinism)
http://polemos.net/Doctrines%20of%20Grace%20%20(Calvinism).html
Maybe I'm a little on the simple side, but isn't the emerging church pushing reformed theology (Calvinism)? If so, it is Satan's church. No wonder the un-churched are more receptive to its ideals!
We connect with others through the power and message of the cross, the LORD will bring them and they will be ready to hear the right message. I wonder how many came- spurred by THE HOLY SPIRIT, but did'nt receive the message, instead they got entertained ? We as true believers must ensure our priorities are in the right place- ( JESUS) NOT in watching useless T.V. or absorbed in video games, when we let distractions take our focus off CHRIST we become enslaved by those distractions, no matter how seemingly harmless they may seem. IN JESUS NAME
Thank you for a good article, Ms. Kwon.
Easy to say that the world is more receptive to the gospel when we've dumbed it down and made it man-centered, God is just love, he's worried about our self-image etc... of COURSE they'd be more receptive to that, and that is EXACTLY why the Emergent Apostasy is gaining ground!
A.S. Matthew, in premise I agree with you. To a new believer, or potential believer it is not necessary to laud complex doctrine on them. But Doctrine is very very very important to the Christian life.
"Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers." 1 Timothy 4:16
"He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it."
Titus 1:9
"You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine." Titus 2:1
AS Mathew..i think i knw u..can u tell me abt u? can i read ur profile somewhere?
It's too bad they're taking the name of the Lord in vain
http://polemos.net/Articles/The%20Name%20of%20the%20Lord%20in%20Vain.html
In my travel, I have shared the gospel with Hindus and Muslims, and their thirst to hear the
good news of the gospel was very surprising. I shared the story of Jesus Christ with a
Hindu in my 4 hour flight from Cochin to Delhi, and he was sad to leave me. When we add
dogmas to the plain gospel, that creates confusion and rejection from the listener. The only
negative response I got was from a group of women who are from Netherland when I met
them in Bahrain airport. I was rather shocked to hear their response " we don't need God
to control our affairs, we can handle by ourselves". Yet one lady was interested to hear
the good news.
For those who are unsure what the emerging church is, here is a section of a Christian Apologetics website that deals with it extensively and discusses both the good and the bad of the movement.
http://www.carm.org/emerging.htm