The following is ripped from Out of Ur the Christianity Today blog:
Sola gratia, sola fide, sola scriptura,…sola radio? The following conversation is based on true events.
Church member: “Pastor, I’m very disturbed by something you said in your sermon yesterday.”
Pastor: “I’m glad you came to talk with me about it. What’s bothering you?”
Church member: “In the sermon you mentioned Erwin McManus.”
Pastor: “That’s right. I quoted something he said about church membership.”
Church member: “Well, I’m very disturbed that you would reference someone like him in a sermon? McManus is part of the emerging church, and I have serious problems with their theology based on what I’ve heard on the radio.”
Pastor: “You do know Erwin McManus is a Southern Baptist and I’m pretty sure his theology is quite orthodox. In fact, our denomination invited him to speak at our convention two years ago.”
Church member: “Yes, I know they did and I’m very bothered by that as well. McManus is part of the emerging church, and the emerging church is involved in all kinds of heresy.”
Pastor: “The label ‘emerging church’ is used to describe a lot of different things, and I know some emerging church leaders are pushing the envelope with their theology, but I don’t think Erwin McManus is one of them. To tell you the truth, I’ve never really considered McManus part of that movement. I think his books are just packaged and marketed to that crowd. I don’t think you have to worry about his theology. Have you ever read one of his books?”
Church member: “No, but I don’t have to. I listen to Chuck Coleson on the radio and he says the emerging church is very, very dangerous. It’s not something we should be messing around with, and the fact that you’d quote an emerging church pastor in your sermon is very alarming.”
Pastor: Well, I’d encourage you to read up on what McManus teaches and believes, and if you find something problematic let me know. I’d be happy to talk with you about it.
Church member: “I don’t think you heard me. Coleson said on the radio that the emerging church is full of heresy. It’s dangerous. Why would I read one of those books?”
Pastor: “I haven’t listened to Chuck Coleson’s program, but I can assure you in my study I’ve found nothing wrong with Erwin McManus, and neither have the leaders of our denomination.”
Church member: “Yes, but Chuck Coleson is on the radio. I’m just letting you know it really bothered me yesterday. I hope this isn’t the start of a trend. I don’t know what I would do if this church started becoming emerging.”
I’ve recapped this conversation for you because it jives with something Brian McLaren wrote a few years ago. He said:
Sometimes I think that the most powerful and popular denomination in America is a stealth one. It’s not the Baptists or the Catholics or the Methodists or the Assemblies of God. It’s “radio-orthodoxy”—the set of beliefs promoted by religious broadcasting. Do you doubt the power of radio-orthodoxy? Just try contradicting it.
Related posts:
- a new life…. or lack thereof.
- emerging definitions
- the anti-biblical, emerging church.
- emerging doctrine.
- seeker-sensitive & emerging churches
All mainstream media outlets that are direct ad sponsored (most radio shows, if not all) have that attracting power over the masses, which is why I stopped watching and listening all of them. As soon as someone tells me what they heard or saw on the MSM, I tell them, point-blank, that the person they’re a fan of is a cohort of their advertisers, selling a product or an opinion of a product, and not gauging the truth in any way, shape or form. Nobody to this day has shown me an MSM-talking head that varies from the POV that their advertisers want. They spew garbage 90% of the time, regardless of their true feelings or background.
Christians have beaten me over the head about some of my “heretical thoughts” because of what others have spewed on TV or the radio. My conversation ender, and I always end it, is “Here’s a book on the subject. Form your own opinion.” If they can’t form their own opinion, and they prove to me again and again that they can’t, there isn’t a lot of room for discussion. I’ll love them and continue to let them know what I believe, but there’s no room for discussion without someone who actually has taken time to form their own opinion.
FWIW, McManus has never seemed to me to be “typical” of the “Emergent” movement. The fact that McManus wants to destroy Christianity as a religion is something that even hardcore Southern Baptists should believe — and live. Christ was anti-religion, and that’s a reason I’ll continue to buy and support McManus — he’s repeating that goal over and over, and eventually those who seek Truth will see it for what it is.
Instead of a gun buyback in your village or town, how about a radio and TV buyback? Way more dangerous.
Great thoughts A.B. TV buyback… nice! I got nothing to add.
Aaron, I’ve had almost identical conversations. It’s not always media driven, but rather quick judgements without really looking first hand at what someone is saying/writing/broadcasting. Out of context remarks are fabulous fodder for this as well. This door swings both ways… : )
Dada and Mike… Great comments!
I have been on the receiving end of that type of mentality, as have many of you are reading this, I suspect. It is the old rush to judgement thing coupled with the typical Christian knee-jerk resistance to all things new or different, along with an incredible gullibility and allegiance to “leaders.”
Mike is right, we all need to be slow to judge. Dada’s right the media can be dangerous, but not as dangerous as person who will not investigate things and think for himself!
I would add to radio the influence of all Christian media – books, music, and television. As a pastor, you often get the sneaking suspicion that with some in your congregation your voice comes in number three or four on the list in terms of authority or influence in spiritual matters. Christian leaders are not alone here. I’m sure doctors get sick of their patients coming in to see them with all sorts of bizarre theories that they found in the latest book or on the Internet. I am learning that pediatricians have it the worst.
All that being said, how do we respond to this “threat?” It strikes me that this whole discussion parallels what many on the political left have been saying about talk radio. “It’s too powerful. It’s too one-sided. Therefore, it must be dealt with.” Rather than dealing with it on an intellectual level, it is blanket dismissed (“We’re right and they’re always wrong – if only the plebes would understand and flip to NPR.”) and government intervention is called for. It falls on our shoulders as Christian leaders to be wise and patiently instructive to our flock. We should not deal in blanket condemnations – even when it comes to individuals that we might disagree with. We wouldn’t want to commit the same mistake in reverse. We should also patiently teach our congregations that same discernment. I believe that while pastors may not have the most immediate influence on their flock, they do have the most lasting influence.