TNC - Chapter 4

Chapter 4(a) - The Theology, Stupid

This chapter is thick… so I will be reviewing the first portion, in which Tony discusses his emergence into emergent thinking, and how for Emergents (contrary to popular belief) it is all about the theology, stupid!

So to begin with, Tony outlines his Dartmouth Days, where he was involved in Campus Crusade and their doctrine of salvation. He equates their eschatology as the major influence in their type of “efficiency evangelism.”¹ Their eschatology being that they believe that once the whole world has “heard” the gospel, Christ will come. Taken mainly from Matthew 24, where Jesus talks of the end of the age (24:1-34):

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come… Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place…”

These are just excerpts from Matthew 24… you can read them in context here.

Tony uses many logical, translational and theological arguments to show why this, eschatological inference, is taken out of context. And why this bad theology, led many ministries (not just Campus Crusade) to embark on efficient, multi-response, visual presentations of the gospel (Jesus Video, tracks, Bait-and-switch techniques). Some of the headliners in this movement include: Billy Graham, Joe White, FCA, International Missions Board and many other leaders and organizations.

It is not my contention, nor I think it is Tony’s to say these organizations, people, and the underlying theology is inherently evil or wrong… just broken… lacking the substance of the true Gospel message, mainly that repentance is not a one time act but rather a way of life, an continuous action.

Good theology begets beautiful Christianity.
and so follows that
Bad theology begets ugly Christianity.²

It is to say, that this theology makes God contingent on human behavior, which seems contrary to the Biblical narrative in which God acts rather independently, an action that makes him… well, makes him God. God’s independence is backed up by the next few verses in Matthew where Jesus says (24:35-42):

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.”

The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity. - Albert Einstein

This line of questioning, brings many to accuse Tony of being divisive and arrogant, especially in the way he talks of the some of the actions by some patriarchs of the faith, namely Billy Graham. But in his defense it is not a personal attack, but a questioning of the methods of our faith and the foundations behind them.

Which leads to the next discussion of What, Exactly, is Theology? A subject I will broach later… you have enough to chew on here…. Bringing up Matthew 24, without going in-depth, is rather hard to do… so I will leave it to you to discover some of the differing opinions on this chapter, have fun…

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1. Efficiency Evangelism - style of proselytizing/evangelizing that leads a person to convey the salvation message, to as many people as they can without any regard to life change.  In this theology, God doesn’t say “all have to accept salvation”, rather all people groups just have to hear it be proclaimed or be given the opportunity to say a prayer.
2. The New Christians by Tony Jones, p. 103.