A Response to Denise's "Week 3 Wed"

"I just find myself turned off of this movement by a common sentiment of rejection toward all things “traditional.” I find it difficult to entirely reject the older faith traditions in which I’ve seen and experienced Christ at work. "

Certainly there are churches which are emerging that are rejecting Christian traditions for the sake of doing so. However, the emerging church is not to be feared or seen as an alien force at work among us. The Protestant Reformation was the emerging church. The main-line denoms that took shape in Europe hundreds of years ago (Presby, Methodists, Lutheran etc.) were the emerging church of their time. The non-denom evangelical churches (think Willow Creek) of the last quarter of the 20th century were the emerging church. And now we are faced with something new. The emerging church is the same church that has been morphing and developing since the Reformation. While there are expressions of the emerging church which should be criticized; the emerging church on a whole is the Body of Christ of the 21st century.