The Deformed Theology of Seeker Sensitivity

Operation Rock Steady ^ | Don Matzat

[lightman]

My brother who is a pastor calls these churches "the feel good ministries" or "the name it and claim it crew".

The "the name it and claim it crew" are simply the religious variant of the mentality of "entitlement".

[ItsOurTimeNow]

Thanks for posting this, Brother - much appreciated!

[xzins]

http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/team?categoryId=86107

[blue-duncan]

"We now have thousands of Little Soren Kierkegaard"

You throw Kierkegaard's name around like you knew what you were talking about. Kierkegaard wrote against the sterile rationalistic Enlightenment thinking that permeated the Danish state church with its Deist theology. His writings put transcendence back into the state theology. His concept of "leap of faith" was meant to move people from thinking you could be born into Christianity. Just because you were baptized as a child did not make you a Christian, there had to be a crises; a distance between one's present state and the "saved" state. That's why he proposed that it was easier for a pagan to be saved than for a "christian". Here is a quote from a review of a biography of Kierkegaard that might peak your curiosity to learn more about his thinking before you use him in a negative sense.

"The larger problem with Kierkegaard’s work was its severity: he offered a stern rebuke and an even sterner challenge to an entire religious establishment. In Denmark, baptism in the state church had become a matter-of-course rite of citizenship. Indeed, for Kierkegaard, “Christendom” had become a mistaken baptizing of nearly everything: Where real Christianity called for a transformation of one’s whole life, Christendom simply “christened” everything—giving it a new name and leaving it otherwise unchanged. “What Christianity wanted was chastity—to do away with the whorehouse. The change is this, that the whorehouse remains exactly what it was in paganism, lewdness in the same proportion, but it has become a ‘Christian’ whorehouse

[Gamecock]

Well I dare say that if a lot of those who are critical of "seeker sensitive" churches were to think back, they'd realize that they came to Christ when they did because someone had been sensitive to their condition and went out of their way to be sensitive to their spiritual quest and to point them in the right direction and to bring them to the place where they had to confront the risen Lord.

I don't think that is the way tht seeker sensitive is being used in this context.

[pro610]

Dont take this as an insult but your knowledge of Kierkegaard seems to be limited.
If you are going to research Kierkegaard from a Christian viewpoint you must come to the conclusion that Kierkegaard,s existentialist philosophy is unChristian and negative.

Here is a better example of what Kierkegaard says.
He says "After all the world is absurd,and everything we do is absurd anyway,why not do the most absurd thing imaginable? and what can be more absurd than believe in God?So why not? The atheist don,t have any reason to believe in anything else,or really disbelieve in that.
So we may as well Go for It!

According to Kierkegaard since there is no objective reality upon which we can rely we must make a "leap of faith" and in this leap of faith there is a personal experience which is valid because the truth is the truth as it relates to me.

It,s obvious that Kierkegaard did not believe in being Born Again as in John 3:3 and John 3:7 because he replaced it with his "leap of faith" philosophy.
John3:3
Jesus answered him,
Truly,truly,I say to you
unless one is born anew,
he cannot see the kingdom of Heaven

John 3:7
Do not marvel that I said to you,
You musy be born anew.

So when I see certain Church Growth Movement leaders using the words Leap of faith it concerns me as it should anyone.

Peter Drucker,s influence on the CGM is easily exposed and Peter Drucker is on record calling Soren Kierkegaard his mentor.
Robert Schuller Bill Hybels and Rick Warren all praise Drucker and call him their mentor or very influential person in their life.

I,m not necessarily claiming guilt by association but
there are certain pattern,s here and it,s foolish not be on guard.

[P-Marlowe]

So when I see certain Church Growth Movement leaders using the words Leap of faith it concerns me as it should anyone.

Everybody uses the term "leap of faith".

Surrendering to Christ is a leap of faith. Heck, driving in the snow is a leap of faith.

Of all the silly turns of phrases to latch onto as evidence new age thinking, that has to be the silliest.

Give it up, pro610.

Find a new cause.

Join a protestant church.

[blue-duncan]

"and what can be more absurd than believe in God?"

And if you were arguing with a rationalist what would be more absurd to him than a belief in a transcendant God? You are critiquing a man from a 21st century mindset, not the context in which he wrote and thought. His existentialism is a 20th century construct. He was a devout Christian who was almost singlehandedly fighting the smug Deist complacency of his state church.

Have you read any of his devotional or theological writings or are you just quoting excerpts and opinions from his critics?

[waltprobush]

I am in the same situation, LibertyGirl, as you. I am a member of a Seeker church that does not preach prosperity doctrine but believes that the Bible is to be taken as the word of God. We do not believe that beating people up will get them to listen to the Gospel and we try to have fun in our church. Why is it that the Good News of the Gospel should be nothing but doom and gloom?
Our church is close to 12,000 and people enjoy going there to hear the word of God presented as it should be at the foot of the cross. That we are all sinners and without the saving grace of Christ there is no hope.
Maybe you go to the same church as me. Did you ever have a pastor named Gene Appel who is now at Willow Creek?
When I lived in Los Angeles I was approached by street-preaching Christians who would threaten people with the statement, "Get right with God or burn in hell!!!"
What better way to alienate people from the Gospel or turn them off from wanting to hear more?

[pro610]

BD,I have read many of Kierkegaard,s theological writings and The fact is the man made many absurd statements.
Here is one for example
Kierkegaard says "The Christianity of the New Testament does not exist"
He was an advocate of "leap of faith" way of life" which is full or risks.It was the only commitment he believed could save someone from despair.

Although different from someone like Swedenborg (who did not believe Satan existed) He is much the same since He really did not believe everything written in the Bible to be true, so he felt the need to add his own Psychology to analyze Gods true word.
This is a mistake too many Philosophers often make,so I would be careful to elevate people like Kierkegaard and Swedenborg as devout Christian examples.
One can only hope that they found the truth before they died.

Peter Drucker thinks of Kierkegaard as a prophet
http://www.peterdrucker.at/en/texts/kierke_02.html

[sheltonmac]

So we shouldn't look to this man as we would our early church leaders?

[Gamecock]

Now that's funny