BellaOnline Forums Religion and Spirituality Baptist Emerging Church / Women / eh?

I have been doing a lot of research on the Emerging Church. For a little background, I am an ultra conservative baptist, and will probably make you all upset in saying that I believe women should not be pastors, or significant church leaders...

What are your thoughts about this?

Does anyone know what the Emerging Church teaches? To me, it appears as if it is encouraged to have women in pastoral positions at these small doctrine-changing churches...

and lastly, does anyone feel like the emerging church is corrupting truth?

It is absolutely corrupting truth. It is a modern day cult made to look like a church. And women as pastors is the least of their errors. Women should not be pastors or deacons. Those positions are defined in the Bible quite clearly. I'm not sure what you mean by significant church leader. Obviously, God chose to use women in the Bible in leadership positions. Look at Mary...She was the first Missionary. I'd say that's a leader. But then I'm also a women, but when God looks at me...He see's the blood of Jesus which covers my sins.
Back to the emergent church, they encourage a lot of free thinking and misinterpet scripture. The only reason I know is I have a friend wrapped up in this movement. Pray for God's people to have a decerning heart.

"The emerging, or emergent, church movement takes its name from the idea that as culture changes, a new church should emerge in response. In this case, it is a response by various church leaders to the current era of post-modernism. Although post-modernism began in the 1950s, the church didn't really seek to conform to its tenets until the 1990s. Post-modernism can be thought of as a dissolution of 'cold, hard fact" in favor of "warm, fuzzy subjectivity'" (gotquestions.org see full article at link below -- it is worth it).

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). He does not change. So as the "culture changes" why should the church? IT SHOULDN'T. The emergent/emerging church? The church has already been established through Christ. So, when we try to better our experiences, injecting our feelings, and changing church to match the culture, it is NO LONGER CHRISTIAN. Experiences, feelings, and culture changes, Christ does not.

Another thing I am hearing is that people are "spiritual" and not religious or Christian (or "spiritual" Christians). What kind of spirit? If it is the Holy Spirit kind of spiritual, then I am with you. But, this cafeteria-style Christianity is not Biblical. You cannot mix a little of this religion and that religion with Christianity. We respect that others believe differently, but not to the denial of Biblical Christianity.
Either we believe and obey the Bible or we do not (we cannot add and take away things). If we do not, it is no longer Christian it is something else.

Women were used by God to lead, to be missionaries, and to teach -- through example or directly (Deborah, Esther, Anna, Eunice, etc.) but never as pastors. It is not our calling. The Bible is clear about who should be church leadership, their, duties, roles, qualifications, etc.

When I was younger, I always wondered what "and thy desire shall be to thy husband" (Genesis 3:16) meant. The older I get the more the Holy Spirit reveals to me. Just because a woman can do something does not mean she should. It seems to me, that we women are always trying to prove how much like men we are (and our culture is on a mission to determine that there are no differences between the sexes). We are equal to men, but we have very different roles. One role a woman should not play is pastor.

Link to a really good article:
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Thank you for your comment. I completely agree. God's word does not change. Christ does not change. But we should let God change into the person He desires us to be.
Do you have any information on the ARC? I am trying to research this Association of churches? I appreciate your help.

According to Wikipedia, "The Alliance of Renewal Churches (ARC) is a group of Charismatic/Pentecostal Christians with a Lutheran family of origin. This movement came out of the Mainline Charismatic Renewal and is focused in the Midwest (especially Minnesota) and California; although there are members from all around the country. The Alliance of Renewal Churches is closely connected with:

North Heights Lutheran Church of St. Paul, Minnesota
Lutheran Renewal of St. Paul, Minnesota
The Master's Institute (Seminary) in St. Paul Minnesota
The group assumes a conservative theological base but is not issues-oriented. Congregations and/or individual church leaders can join. Congregations can retain membership in other groups while belonging to the ARC or they can belong exclusively to the ARC.

Worship in ARC churches tends to be very expressive and uninhibited and the messages tend to be followed by "ministry time" where those attending the service can come forward for personal prayer."

Also, some links about the ARC are found below:
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