The Post-Modern Pretext
Whether you're discussing Derrida's literary deconstruction, or the effeminate "emergent church movement," the world is awash in postmodern reactionism. Thousands of Christians are beside themselves in giddy rejoicing over the new found awareness that rationalism ain't what it used to be and fundamentalism is in need of an enema. A new world has opened up, and Christians are pressing violently into the "culture" when they should be pressing into the Kingdom:
His model was Elijah -- the prophet that defied a rebellious nation. John did not see the Kingdom of God as a "narrative of love" that embraced the homosexual or the stubbornly sinful. John did not speak of the "extended hand of God." He offered instead the holy axe of God to cut down any pretense that rebellious Israelites were children of Abraham (Matt. 3:7-11). John did not call for the religious leaders join an emergent church or empathize with the cultural illness. John warned instead of the wrath to come (v. 7).
Some will say, "yea, but, Jesus was coming after John the Baptist, and He was bringing in the age of love and compassion!" "Jesus was going to put away the age of condemnation and proclaim the message of multicultural love." Was Jesus going to do that before or after He burned the chaff with unquenchable fire?
Whom Does Jesus Love? His Cousin!
The eternal Son of God granted no greater endorsement to any man than the one He granted to His beloved cousin:
How Shall I Liken This Generation?
To what shall I compare the postmodern generation and it's emergent enablers? They are remotely similar to the compromised generation of Christ's frustration:
The postmodern culture hates God. Singing and dancing for them only makes court jesters out of emergent church leaders. They are playing the fool to a culture that will exhaust itself in evading repentance. If you come as a strict prophet they will say "you have a demon." If you eat and drink with them they will say, "Look, a glutton and a wine-bibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!" (Matt. 11:18-19)
Worse Than Sodom
After this glowing endorsement of John by our Lord, He moves to further rebuke the cities in which His mighty works had been done. He did so because they refused to repent:
If a culture refuses to repent after God has made Himself known through Christ it can only anticipate a judgment far worse than Sodom. What's worse than being gay? Being a Christian that enables them. What's worse than being postmodern? Being a postmodern Christian.
Postmodernism is a pretext for a sin-enabling church. Emergent church leaders incessantly repeat the refrain "we are living in a post-modern world." This creates the pretext for their theological adjustments and revised cultural stance. It's the same ridiculous pretext as living in a "post 9-11 world" that justifies perpetual war and an oppressive police state.
Necessity is the mother of invention and the pressure to cater to culture is inspiring a myriad of religious leaders to remake God in their own image -- that of fallen man. It apparently helps the homosexual to know that Jesus was tempted with the same thing. Blasphemy! These ideas are wicked and anathema. We are just another stage in the extensive line of rebellious generations that refuse to hear the word of the Lord and demand of our spiritual leaders to only speak to us the comforting words of religious deceit:
And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. Matthew 11:12I don't think you can list a more non-emergent church leader than John the Baptist. He saw no value in "engaging dialogue" with the adulterous King Herod. He did not placate the rebellious, God-defying nation of Israel -- a people that he continually commanded to repent (Matt. 3:1-2). John was a fundamentalist of the most extreme sort. He was separate from culture. He did not eat their delicacies; he did not wear their clothes; and he did not live in their communities. He chose rather the "comfort" of the wilderness, the taste of locusts -- he wore 100% wool and irritated everybody!
His model was Elijah -- the prophet that defied a rebellious nation. John did not see the Kingdom of God as a "narrative of love" that embraced the homosexual or the stubbornly sinful. John did not speak of the "extended hand of God." He offered instead the holy axe of God to cut down any pretense that rebellious Israelites were children of Abraham (Matt. 3:7-11). John did not call for the religious leaders join an emergent church or empathize with the cultural illness. John warned instead of the wrath to come (v. 7).
Some will say, "yea, but, Jesus was coming after John the Baptist, and He was bringing in the age of love and compassion!" "Jesus was going to put away the age of condemnation and proclaim the message of multicultural love." Was Jesus going to do that before or after He burned the chaff with unquenchable fire?
I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. Matthew 3:11-12At first glance a historical Jesus scholar would highlight the gross contradiction between the wrathful prophet of John and the loving, effeminate shepherd of Christ. This would demonstrate the procrustean recklessness of the NT writers that confirms an undermining of true religion by these vagrant apostles. John and Jesus simply don't harmonize. Jesus and Paul don't harmonize. The Scriptures are cloudy and likely manufactured to create a false movement.
Whom Does Jesus Love? His Cousin!
What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. For this is he of whom it is written: Behold I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You. Matthew 11:7-10God despises those ministers who are shaken by the wind. Seeker-sensitive or emergent church -- it's all the latest wind that blows weak-minded men who desire more the approval of men than being a servant of God. These are they that wear "soft clothing" for they long to be welcomed into the king's house. They have refused God's most prestigious offer to be a prophet of the Lord, and instead, they choose to be whores for the sake of culture. Their prayer is, "Oh God, make me relevant." It is a dangerous thing to blog so close to hell.
The eternal Son of God granted no greater endorsement to any man than the one He granted to His beloved cousin:
Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist... Matt. 11:11Our Lord goes on to say that "he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." That is by no means an endorsement of multi-cultural pluralism. It's an encouragement to gratefulness. It's not a statement of universal acceptance of fallen man, or a demeaning of John's uncompromising message. It's a call to flee the fires of hell and take the kingdom by violent force -- press your way into it lest you be consumed by the wrath to come. He who is least in the kingdom is greater than John in that the redeemed experience the fullness of salvation that John only saw in a pale vision.
How Shall I Liken This Generation?
To what shall I compare the postmodern generation and it's emergent enablers? They are remotely similar to the compromised generation of Christ's frustration:
But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions, and saying: "We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; We mourned for you, and you did not lament." Matthew 11:16-17A postmodern church is flute-playing for a postmodern culture in hopes the rebellious will dance. If that doesn't work, the postmodern church will adjust itself and sing a dirge of mourning; but still the culture will not lament. What's the lesson here? Don't play to the culture. They will not heed a compromised community that seeks to pluck the fruit instead of sever the root. Lay the axe to the tree and let God sort them out.
The postmodern culture hates God. Singing and dancing for them only makes court jesters out of emergent church leaders. They are playing the fool to a culture that will exhaust itself in evading repentance. If you come as a strict prophet they will say "you have a demon." If you eat and drink with them they will say, "Look, a glutton and a wine-bibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!" (Matt. 11:18-19)
Worse Than Sodom
After this glowing endorsement of John by our Lord, He moves to further rebuke the cities in which His mighty works had been done. He did so because they refused to repent:
Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent: “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.” Matthew 11:20-24Imagine living in a city in which God would be more lenient towards Sodom than yours. This should cause shivers in the godly. This should spark a great fear in God's people NOT to cater to society's whims. If you want to know whether your "movement" is of God, you should look to the aftermath. Are your churches filled with postmoderns lying on the floor "repenting in sackcloth and ashes?" I doubt it. They might spill their Starbucks coffee in such a religious display; and God knows a Grande Latte ain't cheap.
If a culture refuses to repent after God has made Himself known through Christ it can only anticipate a judgment far worse than Sodom. What's worse than being gay? Being a Christian that enables them. What's worse than being postmodern? Being a postmodern Christian.
Postmodernism is a pretext for a sin-enabling church. Emergent church leaders incessantly repeat the refrain "we are living in a post-modern world." This creates the pretext for their theological adjustments and revised cultural stance. It's the same ridiculous pretext as living in a "post 9-11 world" that justifies perpetual war and an oppressive police state.
Necessity is the mother of invention and the pressure to cater to culture is inspiring a myriad of religious leaders to remake God in their own image -- that of fallen man. It apparently helps the homosexual to know that Jesus was tempted with the same thing. Blasphemy! These ideas are wicked and anathema. We are just another stage in the extensive line of rebellious generations that refuse to hear the word of the Lord and demand of our spiritual leaders to only speak to us the comforting words of religious deceit:
Go now, write it on a tablet for them,
inscribe it on a scroll,
that for the days to come
it may be an everlasting witness.
These are rebellious people, deceitful children
children unwilling to listen to the LORD's instruction.
They say to the seers,
"See no more visions!"
and to the prophets,
"Give us no more visions of what is right!
Tell us pleasant things,
prophesy illusions.
Leave this way,
get off this path,
and stop confronting us
with the Holy One of Israel!"
Isaiah 30:8-11
