Scot McKnight on House Churches

Posted on April 22, 2008 by rbirkey

Scot McKnight - Professor at North Park University

I’ve recently been diving into personal research about what the “Emerging Church” or the “Emergent Conversation” is all about. One of the resources I came across is a website called Emergent Village which appears to be a sort of clearing house for this movement in the US.

One of the resources they offer on the site are podcasts by a number of different speakers, writers and authors who are leading this movement or “conversation” as they like to call it. People like: Brian McLaren, Scot McKnight, Doug Pagitt, Diana Butler Bass, Tony Stone, and many more. You can also subscribe to the Emergent Village podcasts through iTunes.

I have found the communication by one of these leaders to be very good. His name is Scot McKnight, and he is a professor of Biblical & Theological Studies at North Park University here in the Chicago area. He has written a number of books, including one called Jesus Creed… which is also the name of his blog… which I highly recommend subscribing to.

One podcast that is outstanding is Scot speaking to a leadership group of Northpoint Community Church in Atlanta about “The Whole Gospel.” You really must listen to it.

Near the beginning of his talk, Scot highlights some amazing facts about “the church.” First, that there are 20 million Christians in the US who are currently not involved in any organized, institutional church. They are completely disconnected from it, and they meet in organic house-based churches. These organic churches are “growing like crazy” according to Scot, who was basing his facts upon research done and reported by George Barna. This growth is mostly by new believers being “added to the church.”

He also pointed out that a research group in Europe has been studying this same trend worldwide, and they estimate there are currently 125 millions Christians worldwide who do not go to a “local church.” They predict that in 2025, there will be 250 million Christian like this.

He notes that “This is the growing generation”… and that many of his college students graduate and then end up getting together informally with other believers informally on Friday night and weekends and they do not attend a local church. They feel that this is “good enough.” This pattern usually lasts up to 5 years.

My response is: what is the institutional, organized “church” have to say about this? Does this not reflect a growing sense of “irrelevancy” that many of the young are saying they experience toward “the church?” What is “the church” going to do about it? How will it respond?

I sincerely hope that we “moderns” who have grown up in the institutional and organized “church” can find the maturity and humility to look at ourselves, and change where we need to change in order to stay relevant to not only the younger generation of Christians, but more importantly to the “post-modern” culture around us.

Chapter One: Have We Really Been Doing It By The Book?

Posted on March 16, 2008 by rbirkey

Frank and George open up this first official chapter of the book Pagan Christianity? with a story which reminds me of the way Patrick Lencioni writes his books. The fictional story style pulls you in and gives you a more or less “real life” scenario to relate to as the main idea is introduced. Their story is of a typical Christian family and how they bicker, fight and get on each others nerves as they get ready to “go to church.” Then, once at “the church” they put on a different persona as if nothing is wrong, and go through the motions of being a “perfect” family. The husband/father named Winchester, starts thinking about all this during the sermon and then wonders if the pastor ever has a morning like his. Pastor Farley passionately claims in his sermon that “their church does everything by the book!” Yet Winchester sits and wonders if the Bible ever mentioned that people should dress up for church. This train of thought just snowballs into many other questions like: Why do my kids hate Sunday School? Why do we go through the same predictable ritual every Sunday morning? Why do I wear this uncomfortable necktie every Sunday morning when all it does is cut off blood circulation?

Coming out of the story, the authors state that:

“As startling as it may sound, almost everything that is done in our contemporary churches has no basis in the Bible.” And that “precious little… maps to anything found in the first century church.”

Questions We Never Think To Ask

It was the Greek philosopher Socrates (470-399 BC) who invented the Socratic method also known as the dialectic. He believed that truth is found by dialoguing and relentlessly questioning a particular issue. It was his habit of doing this – especially of long held traditions – that eventually got him killed for “corrupting the youth” of Athens. He was not alone. Many others have given their lives for similar reasons including Isaiah, John the Baptist and Jesus. Many thousands more have been martyred over the centuries for asking hard questions in pursuit of truth.

Christians today are typically encouraged by our leaders to believe, think and behave in certain ways. We are encouraged to read our Bibles, but usually through a particular lens of tradition (Baptist, Reformed, charismatic, etc.). We are taught to never challenge those traditional teachings, or if we do, to run the risk of being labeled heretics, be shunned from leadership or membership, or be accused of fomenting disunity, and leading God’s people astray. (I Randy, have personally seen and experienced some of this over the years.)

However, at this point in the chapter, Viola and Barna issue an amazing statement to all those who feel their rebellious spirits (including mine) rising to the surface. “We do not stand with you. Our advice: Either leave your church quietly, refusing to cause division, or be at peace with it. There is a vast gulf between rebellion and taking a stand for what is true.”

Instead, the authors invite the reader to ask the tough questions about why we do the things we do, and to discover where those traditions came from. Most Christians that claim to know The Book, and order their lives by it, have have never really explored this topic, and are not conscious of the non-biblical roots of many things that are often passed off as “Christian.”

A Terrifying Invitation

So, Viola and Barna invite the reader to the “untrodden path.” The path of asking tough questions. They claim that as you read their book, you will be surprised at how little of our modern ideas and practices of doing church are actually from Jesus, the Apostles or the Scriptures. Most of it was lifted right out of pagan culture. We think of pagans today as those who practice no religion at all, but the early Christians understood them to be polytheists, who followed the gods of the Romans. It was this brand of paganism that dominated the world at the time of Christ and into the 4th century, during which many of its elements were absorbed by the church. Two other periods stand out as times of great influence on our current church practices: The Reformation, and the Revivalist era in the 18th and 19th centuries.

In this book, chapters 2 – 10 will each trace a currently and widely accepted church practice. Not only will each chapter reveal where the practice originated, but more importantly, how it hampers the healthy functioning of Christ’s body (the church) today.

“Warning: If you are unwilling to have your Christianity seriously examined, do not read beyond this page. Give this book to Goodwill immediately! Spare yourself the trouble of having your Christian life turned upside down.”

The authors rephrase this warning in a couple more ways. If you are in the institutional church, this book may lead to a crisis of conscience. If you tend to resonate with Christian experience outside the institutional church, you may be encouraged as you discover that history and Scripture may stand with you more than you knew.

PERSONAL REFLECTION

As you know by now, if you are reading this blog… I took the challenge and plunged ahead with the rest of the book. I would have to say that I am at heart more of a rebel, and tend toward a questioning and analytical mind. This is why I ended up outside the institutional church in a “house church” during the 1970′s and into the 80′s. This is where I first experienced and came to appreciate “body life,” “small groups” and “contemporary worship.” I have often reflected on the events that lead to this development in my life, and can see how God used it to draw me to Himself. Otherwise, I fear that I was headed toward a rejection of Christianity and the church due to some very negative experiences I had witnessed within it.

After marriage we ended up at a small urban church (without a building) for a number of years, and then we migrated back into the more institutional church as our kids got older. We have been fairly happy in it for over 10 years. However, in the last couple of years I have sensed a new restlessness and dissatisfaction with some of the negative sides of it. Change is so very hard, long and difficult. The typical hierarchies of leadership I have seen to be unhealthy and damaging to people. It is very difficult to foster a new vision for being the church in a community that needs the church to be all that God intended. I am worn out with all the programs and activities required for involvement.

And so, given these inner urgings, this book is tapping into my roots and the experiences I once had in a more organic and non-institutional church setting. It is igniting a hunger and a fire to regain what has been lost, and to reshape it within the urban culture I find myself in at the beginning of the 21st century.

It was Francis Schaeffer who said that,

“Each generation of the church in each setting has the responsibility of communicating the gospel in understandable terms, considering the language and thought-forms of that setting.”

I believe this why the book Pagan Christianity? is so important. It raises the foundational questions and issues that the church must face if it is to communicate the gospel in the language and thought forms of current post-modern and post-Christian America. All we need do is look at Europe, the birthplace of the Reformation, to see what will happen if we don’t.

Helping to lead “contemporary worship” in a 1973 house church

Zactrust Summer School – Oxford, England – Day 6

Posted on July 7, 2006 by rbirkey

10:41 PM

Am getting packed and and ready for the morning check out after breakfast. Had a great “Hog Roast” dinner out in the quad. Said good-bye to friends I met this week. Had a great conversation with Maynard Colondam, my new friend from Indonesia, and a few others (Maynard took the photo at right, and many others on this blog).

Of course, I joked around a bit with Simon & Simon, my Zactrust Intern friends. I told them about the American TV series about two private-eye brothers, and we had a good laugh.

I was also able to get a few minutes with Ravi, and bring him greetings from the Wolgemuth family, and chat about my week. He was very encouraging, and told me that Robert had emailed him that I would be there. He asked if the week was what I had hoped. It was a great conversation and way to end a great week in Oxford. Thank you to my family! Most of all, thank you Deb for thinking of and organizing this fantastic gift! — I love you!

8 PM

I have just returned from Ravi’s lecture. We first watched a DVD of the Wellspring Ministry that his daughter Naomi runs.

Ravi used the text of the Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10, to make observation on the following 4 points:

The Heart and Soul of the Giver: According to Ravi’s favorite author, F.W. Boreham, there are three options where every heart will end eventually up. Hardened, Broken or Tender. He told us an unbelievable story of coming face to face with the sex trade in Bombay, India and the impact it had on him. It was the beginning of what eventually became Wellspring.
Binding the Wounds/Opening the Heart of the Receiver: Ravi quoted from Eleanor Stump, that people actually become more and more hardened by exposure to evil. The antidote is to do acts of kindness, mercy and gentleness to those who need it. We need our hearts to be tenderized in this way, or the constant exposure to all the evil in the world will eventually harden us.
The Will & Courage of the Practitioner: Again citing Boreham, he told the story of the death of a baby, and the mother who brought the child to him asking for a burial. As the result of his simple actions with this woman on that day, she showed up for the next 35 years at his church, without fail. All because he was available and willing to meet this poor lady in her need.
The Result & Impact of the Observer: Jesus asked the expert in the law, so who was this man’s neighbor? “The one who had mercy” was the answer. “Go and do likewise,” Jesus told him. The context of this exchange is immediately after Jesus asked him what the law said about inheriting eternal life. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” These are inextricably intertwined.

Ravi encouraged us to learn to give from our hearts (not just our money) but from all the resources gifts and talents that we have been blessed with. He reminded us that we have so much by the world’s standards… way more than we actually need. To respond to whatever the Lord calls us to – and to just do it.

That gets the ideas and dreams flowing! I have a lot to process personally on that topic!

6:11 PM

I am getting ready for tonight at 6:30, we will gather at the Oxford Museum for a last lecture by Ravi Zacharias on “With All Your Heart,” the theme of this conference. Following that will be a Hog Roast and Dinner at Keble College in the Hayward Quad (my room overlooks this quad).

5:30 PM

I just took a stroll over to the Eagle & Child for a pint of beer and a look around. It was my last chance. The place has a number of photos and plaques on the walls explaining the history of the pub. I took a photo of the “Rabbit Room” where the “Inklin’s” met. It’s a nice and very old place.

When Deb and I were in Oxford in 1980, they had not fixed it up quite as nice back then. All we saw at that time was a small brass plaque on the wall… that was all! It’s been upgraded since then!

I heard or read somewhere while I was here, that St. John’s College had recently bought the Eagle & Child and plan to continue preserving it. They also own the “Lamb & Flag” across the street, where the Inking’s were also known to meet from time to time.

4:30 PM – Michael Green – Searching Issues

I just returned from an afternoon lecture from Michael Green on the Searching Issues of approaching Atheism & Agnosticism.

He noted that we have moved from a rationalistic and reason-based “modern” world, to a predominantly “post-modern” world based upon feelings. Postmoderns are skeptical that we can know truth, and of traditional moral values. Postmodernism spells virtual defeat for Atheism. Note: Alister McGrath wrote a book on this topic called: “The Twilight of Atheism.”

After all, who among us after 9/11 and Iraq and Pol Pot, really believes that mankind really has a heart of gold at its core? Who really belives that science will solve all the worlds problems? Most people today have realized that it was in fact atheistic regimes that are responsible for the greatest atrocities of the 20th century.

So how do we approach the atheist today?

First, we must recognize that there are real reasons for Atheism. There is the problem of pain and evil in the world that must be answered. Often there are real personal issues the atheist needs answered such as a personal tragedy or loss, or a terrible childhood experience at the hands of a “theist” person.

As Christians, we must be person-centric in our approach. We must point out that God cannot be proved or disproved any more than we can prove anyone else’s personal existence. You simply “meet” a person, and thereby know they exist. We need to encourage our atheistic friends to take the time to think deeply about their position. It is often a position they have not really thought through.

Many have drunk deeply from the well of “intellectualism” and never explored those who have abandoned it, and why. We must lead them to the realization that their belief is based on just as much “faith” as the theist, and that the real question ought to be, what position has the best reasons and evidence to base belief upon?

How do we approach the agnostic?

Agnostics are often just as dogmatic in their belief as atheists. However, there are also real reasons agnostics have that need to be addressed. Michael asks, “How did we make it to the mid 20th-century without agnosticism?”

We need to point out to our agnostic friends that there is a compatibility of reason and revelation. They are complimentary. For instance, if we see a big hole in the ground near our house, with dirt and rocks around it, we may say to ourselves… something is going happen there! If we see additional materials showing up such as lumber, bricks and shingles, we may say, I think a building is going to be built.

There are two ways we can know for sure. First, wait until the end of the process and see if we were right. The other, is to go and find the architect/builder and ask what he is doing. If we love our agnostic friends, we will encourage them to use the latter method, and ask the creator about the plan. They may not have time to wait until the end.

Michael gave us 7 “Signposts” that help the atheist or agnostic believe.

The World: What accounts for conscious life to have developed only here so far as we know? Was it really all just chance happenstance?
Design: How can we account for such things as the complexity of the human ear, or the focusing mechanisms of the human eye? How does a world develop by chance that is custom made for human life? There is a designer at work.
Personality: Love emotion, mind… can anyone explain it? Science can’t. Where does it come from?
Values: take life itself – why do we value it? If it is all random chance, why would we have a problem with someone taking it? Why do we value creativity, fidelity, and yet reject the idea of a Creator?
Conscience: This internal law-maker is more than just the result of societal pressures. There has always existed a general condemnation of murder, infidelity, pedophilia, etc. Why? Where does that come from?
Religion: We are a religious animal. Many powers have tried to abolish religious faith in history and none have succeeded. USSR, China, Pol Pot… and others. Sociologists predicted the demise of religion, yet is has mushroomed. It appears that we WILL worship something, no matter what. Why?
Jesus: Why is Jesus still the central figure of history? Why did he claim to be God? To know him is to know the God we cannot see. Who raised him to life, to never die again?

Michael Green Notes

2:00 PM

This morning we finished our series in Revelation, lead by John Lennox at the Rhodes House, followed by a lecture by Michael Ramsden on “The Uniqueness of the Cross.” Michael is the director of The Zacharias Trust in the UK, and a gifted speaker.

At noon, we paused for a minute of silence in memory and honor of those who lost their lives or loved ones a year ago today in the bombings that took place in London.

Afternoon Session – Michael Ramsden

Michael prefaced his presentation by saying he would approach the subject from the vantage point of a non-believer who would ask:

“How can a loving God, judge people and send them to Hell?
“How can it be fair for one person to die to save someone else?”

On this topic, Michael highly recommended a book by John Stott, as the best book in the 20th century on the subject of the cross: “The Cross of Christ.”

He also cited a song by the Black Eyed Peas called “Where is the Love?” A line of which is: “If you’ve never known truth, then you’ve never known love.”

“Love cannot exist with the absence of correct judgment. It is not unloving to pass judgment”

The very meaning of “compassion” is that you see something that deeply disturbs you, you make a judgment as to what needs to be done to correct it, and it moves you do take action.

Michael then wrapped up his comments on the the idea that one difference that the cross proclaims to our world, is that when we are attacked and assaulted, we want revenge on the perpetrators. We retaliate personally, or we go to war against the enemy as a natural reaction. God is not like that. Even before the foundation of the world, God foreknew we would rebel against him, and in his joy, he was happy to provide a way of salvation, paying the price himself. How different we are from that.

“The idea of substitution is at the heart of the cross.”

There was a time of Q&A that followed . One young American asked about the whole issue of what do you say to a non-believer who asks: “If you are a Christian, why is your President who claims to be a Christian, so eager to go to war?”

Michael answered that you have to approach this on 2 levels. One level is more theoretical. There is a place for war when a government is making a decision based upon the best knowledge they have at the time, on behalf of its people for the greatest good. He suggested one of Amy’s books that covers the “just War” theory.

But there is also a personal level. Can we as an individual support that government’s decision? It will depend on whether or not you believe your leaders have acted with integrity making the best decision they could make under the circumstances. Do you believe and trust the leaders? For himself, Michael said he believes Tony Blair made his decisions about Iraq with integrity. Only time will tell if those decisions were good or bad, right or wrong.

The Uniqueness of the Cross – Notes