Jeff Ling

I’m in Nashville this week for the Messenger Summit. Messenger Fellowship is my ordaining body and filled with friends that are long time and close to my heart. The purpose of this summit is addressing the issues that divide the church in our day. There’s a particular focus here as it relates to the streams that seem to be polarized – particularly the missional vs revivalist (charismatic) elements within the Body of Christ. Think Andy Stanley vs. Mike Bickle.  (Their example) To me, this is a very narrow way of identifying the issue. It seems to me the issues dividing the church involve polarization and division but it’s hardly a simple issue to define.  It exists on different levels, almost like those multiple level chess boards you’d see on Star Trek. It’s not “evangelicals vs charismatics.”  What do those labels mean? Most of the people at this summit would agree that Andy Stanley and Bill Hybles are evangelical but I’m aware of a large swath of the Body that would question that. Is Brian McClaren and other emergent leaders in his stream evangelical? Would Mark Dever, John Piper and Sinclair Ferguson agree to share that label with them? On the other end, Mike Bickle is probably not a good starting point for the charismatic stream. There are more conservative starting points! But IHOP and Bickle are hardly the extreme. On the fringe are the Patricia Kings and John Crowders. So the issues as I see it revolve around at least three critical components

Gospel/Authority – the church faces a strong surge of renewed liberalism riding the white horse of justice and inclusiveness. The authority of scripture is being undermined while the gospel of God’s wrath propitiated by the atoning work of Jesus is being dismantled. As Brian McClaren himself as said – “that’s not a God worth believing in.” Where do we draw the lines that allow us to fellowship or require us to separate?

Revivalism – At what point does the church risk becoming either a gnostic community formed around ever increasing mystical experience or like the New York of post -Finney revivalism, a burned over district? How do we pursue the empowering grace of the Spirit and His gifting without creating a culture defined by the experiences we have instead of the gospel we proclaim in word and power. It seems to me that in the extremes, you can pick your entertainment: the skits and comedians of the seeker variety or the “toking the Holy Ghost” variety of John Crowder. Both means lead to ends that are self-serving for those wanting the entertainment whether they prefer the darkened auditorium of  anonymous observation or the spotlight of narcissistic outdoing of the other in goofiness.

Worship/Government – I’ll save comment on these for later. The governmental issues are less urgent for me as I do think there is latitude for understanding how church leadership functions but we do have to note an increased anti-authoritarian spirit on the loose. I’m anti-authoritarian as well when it comes to shepherds who would rather be served than serve. But leaders who are godly, responsible and loving in their leadership will always be needed. Worship requires a long hard look. Something seems askew to me. I fear we’ve laid upon music and “worship leaders” a burden that is going to be unsustainable in the years to come. I’ll save that for another time.