Overcoming the Enemy with a Wildcard

"This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!"

Psalm 34:6-8

This passage has become one of my favorite over the years because it is a personal testimony of how God has given me increased victory in spiritual battles that I have faced. A few weeks ago I came upon it in my Bible reading plan, and I just felt the need to journal about how God has been encouraging my heart and teaching me victory over the enemy.

The heading of Psalm 34 tells us that David wrote this Psalm right after he escaped the clutches of Achish (also called Abimelech), the king of Gath (See 1 Samuel 21). David was so afraid of being destroyed by this king that he pretended to be insane, and he sat there spitting and slobbering into his beard. This is a worse case scenario, an act of desperation; a wild card so to speak. Perhaps David had rehearsed this in his mind, or maybe he was thinking on the fly. Either way, his plan worked, and King Achish wants nothing to do with him. David is free from his enemy, and so he pens the words of Psalm 34.
Given what David had just experienced, here are 3 quick thoughts about overcoming the enemy.

1. It is our inadequacy that drives us to rely on the Lord.
   We will never "have what it takes" to conquer sin. It isn't until we come to the end of ourselves (and our tactics and methods) that we will be truly desperate for the Lord and the power of His gospel. Often we find ourselves like David - embarrassed, inadequate and in shame - with metaphorical saliva running down our beard. But it is in this place of humility that we find Jesus Christ is everything we cannot be.
2. It is God's power alone that delivers us.
   We are sinners, unable to secure our righteousness. But Jesus was our substitute. He lived a perfect life, died a cruel death, and came to life again securing victory over sin! This gospel is a sweet sound (truly good news) to those beat up by the struggle against sin. Only when this marvelous gospel overtakes us and we stand in awe and fear of God can we begin to experience deliverance over sin. We must see God for who He really is - the God who created the universe with the breath of His mouth; the one who can take life just as easily; the one who raised Jesus Christ from the dead. He is the only one who can destroy the powers of darkness. Our battle with sin is a cosmic struggle, and we need the angel of the Lord who encamps around those who fear God.
3. God's victory is satisfying.
   This is the truth. No doubt about it. The only satisfaction we will find is in a pure relationship with our Maker. When we begin to experience increasing victory over a life-dominating sin, we find ourselves singing David's song of "Taste and see that the Lord is good!" However, too often believers settle for anemic portions of the Word of God and prayer, all the while filling themselves with the sinful fare of the world. This does not satisfy, and always leaves us empty. After the initial burst of sin's sweetness is gone, we are left with a rancid, rotting taste that brings shame, frustration and disillusion.  

There are times in life where we find ourselves like David did in 1 Samuel 21 - helpless and hopeless. But take heart! We have a wildcard that trumps Satan every time - the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Victory does not come through the numeric value of our "hand". We cannot play the "card" of our accomplishments.

Let's lay our hand down and play the wild card.

With all that is in me

Psalm 103.1.ESV
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy.

This is the Bible verse I am memorizing this week, and after Sunday's sermon about loving the Lord with all our heart, soul, and strength I began thinking about what it looks like to bless the LORD with all that is within me.
How can we bless the LORD anyway? Seems He is the one who is keeper of all blessing; and what could we possibly give to Him to increase His worth? Surely our God is infinitely worthy, and we cannot improve His nature or character in any way, and yet we are told to bless Him repeatedly.
In this passage we are to bless Him with all that is within us!
Here is the main takeaway for me - when I take everything I am (my body, my mind, my heart, my energies, my passions, my dreams) and I exert them all to declare God as the beautifully supreme God that He is - I am blessing Him.
This must bring Him joy, and while it doesn't "improve" His character, it does shine glory on Him, which is why I'm here.
And why shouldn't I give all that is within me for His honor and blessing? Let us remember "all His benefits", how He "forgives all our iniquity", how He heals the disease of selfish sin in us, how He "redeemed our life from the pit", and how He "crowns us with steadfast love and mercy".

Responses to the Gospel

Last night we talked about different responses to the Gospel, and this morning I read Matthew 26 for my devotions.
I am always amazed by the stark contrast between the woman who lavishly and literally poured out everything for Christ, and Judas - who greedily gives up Jesus for some shiny silver.

Those who embrace the gospel and love Jesus will give up whatever it takes to have him. However, those who reject the gospel will ignore Jesus and embrace other things as their savior - and some of these individuals appear to have walked with Jesus for years.

How do we view possessions - to be used up for Christ's glory and fame, or to be sought after at any cost?

When God brings poverty

http://bible.us/Luke15.14.ESV
14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need.

When we are confident in our abilities and resources, we wrongly assess that we don't need God. And so we live our life selfishly and extravagantly - not extravagance for the glory of God but for our own desires.
This of course saddens God's heart and is a major attack against His glory - which is why we have all been created in the first place. In fact, that is the  very reason that we are given abilities and resources -to make much of Him.
An inheritance like the one the prodigal son received was intended to be invested, and yet it was squandered on self-gratification. How many times do we do the same?

It is in these times that God awakens us to our real need for Him. Without his provision, we find ourself bankrupt and impoverished. In our independence we are reduced to the position of a farm animal.
I don't believe it brings God joy to bring this poverty into our life, but He brings it all the same so that our focus shifts from us to Him and the richness of His salvation.
At the end of the day it matters very little how much is in our bank account or how much spending money we have. Instead, the real question is - are we in communion with our Father, feasting on the bounty of Jesus Christ? That is true extravagance.

Something Old and Something New

Our hope for this new year can be found in:

Lamentations 3:22-24 ESV
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
"The Lord is my portion," says my soul,
"therefore I will hope in him."

I love the last 6 words in this passage - "Therefore I will hope in him."
Why do we hope? I find two key reasons in this passage.

First, hope in something old -The steadfast love of the Lord.

I am so thankful that year to year, God's character never changes. He remains faithful to His promise, and this is something we can take refuge in.

But there is also hope in something new: The fresh mercies of God.

While God never changes, we do all the time, and sometimes our life seems upside down. Whether we are going through the valley or we are on the mountaintop, we have access to the grace of God, which is supplied each new morning.
Great is His faithfulness!!

Better than Gideon

This passage was in my reading this morning -

"As soon as Gideon died, the people of Israel turned again and whored after the Baals and made Baal-berith their god. And the people of Israel did not remember the Lord their God, who had delivered them from the hand of all their enemies on every side." http://bible.us/Judg8.33.ESV

As you read through the book of Judges, one is struck with the crucial influence of each judge. Just when the nation of Israel gets into deep trouble, God graciously provides a deliverer who leads the people out of oppression and towards more authentic worship of Yahweh.
Yet as soon as that leader dies (if not before), the people plunge themselves straight into idolatry once again.
It causes me to wonder why so much hangs on individual men (and a few women like Deborah) who are made of flesh and blood like every other human ever created.
Where are all the good men? Where are all the leaders who are able to carry Israel through the difficult times without a judge? Perhaps if there were more men with integrity God's people would not have experienced such yo-yo conditions.

Of course, when we examine even Gideon's character, we come to grips with the fact that even he was not above reproach during his life. Particularly towards the end it seems that his many wives and concubines led him astray and he himself flirted with idolatry.

All of this drives me to focus my attention more on Christ, who was far better than Gideon ever could be. He is the True Judge, the Great Deliverer, who lived a life of uncompromisable integrity. Even in His death (especially in His death) our Savior was righteous, and because of His perfection we can also be righteous.

What would our churches look like if they were filled with mighty men like Gideon?

Better yet, what would our churches look like if they were filled with men  better than Gideon; men who are living with the integrity that only Christ can provide? Imagine that.

Tasting Death for all Mankind

As I was reading this morning in Leviticus, it struck me that one of the differences between the animal sacrifices of the Levitical system and the sacrifice of Christ on the cross (who was the perfect and final sacrifice) was suffering.
As far as I can gather from reading through the Old Testament Law all animals were killed for the sacrifices in a quick and exact way. The point was not to make the animal suffer-  rather the point was that the price needed to be paid; and it seems that God was merciful in the way that He instructed the priests to slay the animals.
But, when we think of Christ and how He suffered for hours it causes me to pause and consider this difference. Why did Christ suffer? Wouldn't it have been more humane for God to arrange a quick death for His Son? Wouldn't the price have still been paid and sins atoned for? Wasn't it most agonizing for the Father to see His Son suffer as He did?
We certainly can not plummet the depths of why God arranged redemption as He did, but we do know a couple things from Scripture-

• Old Testament prophecy demanded that Christ suffer.

Acts 3:18
"18 But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled."

Hebrews 2 gives the following reasons:

• That Christ might be crowned with glory and honor


• That Christ might taste death for everyone


• Christ's obedience was perfected through suffering


• So that Christ might be a merciful and faithful High Priest


• So that Christ might help us when we suffer temptation

Hebrews 2:9-18
"But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.10 For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. 11 For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers,12 saying,

“I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.”

13 And again,“I will put my trust in him.” And again,“Behold, I and the children God has given me.”

14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

• Christ suffered as an example so that we might know how to endure suffering in this life

1 Peter 2:20-23

20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly."

I believe that the wretched nature of our sin required that Christ suffer, and I am filled with joy this morning that my Savior took that upon Himself so that I will never have to taste the death that should result from my sin.

Praise God for the glorious gospel!

4 Lessons from Luther on Married Life

http://feeds.theresurgence.com/~r/TheResurgence/~3/hl64ntq2ttU/4-lessons-from-luther-on-married-life

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White Noise

While listening to a sermon by Josh Harris this morning I heard him say:
"The gospel does not create a desperation that leaves us hopeless, but a desperation that drives us to salvation in Jesus."
This caused me to think about the desperation that most people live in who have not yet embraced the gospel. Henry David Thoreau said it well with this statement-

"Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them."

How sad; but how true this is. Most people that you and I rub shoulders with, go to school with, work side-by-side with will never realize the true song of their life-  for all mankind is created for the purpose of bringing glory to His Maker. That is the joyful song of our life. But so many spend their days stripped of that music and instead quietly pre-occupied with the white noise of life. This is desperation-  the sort that leaves us hopeless.
But what if we shared with others that the desperation they feel is a result of their alienation from God? What if our unbelieving friends could recognize this desperation, but then be driven to the remedy which is Jesus? That is the purpose of the gospel.
Yes, we are desperate. But we don't have to remain in quiet desperation. Instead, let us sing the song of the redeemed! And may we share that song with those who are without music.

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The gospel is for life

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OfFirstImportance/~3/Y6UpiApBvhw/

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Terms of the gospel bargain

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OfFirstImportance/~3/AsqaphSMDhM/

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Moving Past Recovery

They say the first step to recovery is admitting that there is a problem.

Well, I feel that happened for me quite a few years ago (in college actually), and over the next decade God began to grow me to the point where I could make an honest assessment of fundamentalism. I have since come to appreciate the rich heritage that I received - things like a hearty passion for the innerancy of Scripture, a desire to remain holy in this wicked world, and a love for the local church.

And yet, God also allowed me to recognize some of the unhelpful trappings that can distract - things such as an emphasis on outward holiness over an internal one, an unhealthy focus on politics instead of the gospel, and a separatism which often neglects social justice and community care.

I praise God that He brought people into my life who helped me question the structure of fundamentalism and embrace the gospel tighter than ever before. Some of those mentors include Tom Winkels, David Auckland, Paul Auckland, Don Cade, John Buckley, Jack Tomkinson, Mark Farnham, Bill Brown, Ben Peterson, the faculty at Baptist Bible College, my parents, and the teachers I had at Biblical Theological Seminary. Through it all I had great friends who made that journey with me, and while some reacted vehemently to fundamentalism and rocketed to the other end of the spectrum, most have become some of the most charitable, Bible saturated people I know - Dan Harney, Tim Klabe, and Justin Phipps are a few of these dear friends.

All this to say that I have felt in recent months that it is time for the conversation about fundamentalism to come to a close - at least on this blog. That is not to say that there won't be further ramblings at some point if God so leads, but for the topic of fundamentalism to be the thrust of this blog is disproportionate to what God is doing in my heart and life. He is growing me in so many ways, and teaching me so much about the gospel and His church, that I have lost interest in writing about fundamentalism. Instead I would like to have a place to jot down thoughts on the gospel, the church, our culture, etc...

God is so good!! I want to focus a little more on Him and a little less on the particular segment of Christianity that I grew up in.

So, you will notice some changes to the blog in the upcoming weeks - starting with the name. But I plan on continuing to write about what God puts on my heart, and I pray that the conversation might be re-stoked and we all might grow together.

History of the Pharisees

http://theresurgence.com/from_righteous_to_religious

Good article about how we might have prejudice without even realizing it

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FullerYouthInstitute_blog/~3/SZcMF4tCOfk/

Gospel Elements

We as pastors had a very thought-provoking and edifying conversation the other day about the elements of the gospel - what it includes and what it does not include.

All evangelicals would agree that the gospel is paramount in the life of the church - after all it is central to the name evangelical. Yet I believe a fruitful discussion involves what exactly this gospel constitutes. After all, if it is central to everything we do, and we are supposed to fiercely guard against any tampering of the gospel, we must study and seek a Biblical definition of the gospel.

This post is not designed to define the gospel comprehensively, but instead to initiate discussion about the nature of the gospel, particularly in relation to whether the gospel includes physical redemption or merely spiritual redemption. In other words, does our presentation of the gospel need to be accompanied by a physical display of love and good works, or is the gospel in and of itself a bundle of truths or concepts that address the mind, heart and soul?

We pastors all agreed that the gospel (good news) is in its essence truths that must be communicated to an unbeliever, and unless those truths are communicated (via spoken word or written word) the genuine gospel has not been relayed. We cannot give a cup of cold water to someone and legitimately claim to have shared the complete gospel with them - yes, we served them in the name of Christ, and God's Word even says that act of service was done unto Christ, but there was no truth communication about sin or redemption. We redeemed their pallet, but that was about the extent of it. Yet, can we say that in some valid way (even if seminal in form) the genuine gospel was shared? If Christ brings redemption to every part of creation, was our act of service a gospel work in essence?

Let's tweak the scenario - what if we share the cup of cold water and then preach the good news of Christ with our lips. When did the gospel begin to be presented? The moment we opened our mouth, or even before that when we gave them a compassionate look and handed them some water?

What about Jesus' call to ministry found in Luke 4:18? Jesus says:

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

Jesus is of course quoting Isaiah here and I believe that He is speaking fundamentally of the spiritual healing and redemption that He imparted. Yet it is surely no accident that Jesus also physically healed multiple blind men and spent most of His time with poor people. Jesus is the gospel, and He embodies for us a holistic presentation of the gospel - redemption of all creation - both spiritually and physically.

All of this discussion led me to consider that perhaps the relationship between physical redemption (gospel acts) and spiritual redemption (gospel words) is similar to the relationship between faith and works in a believer's life. Faith without works is dead (i.e non-viable), and yet Scripture teaches very clearly that it is faith and not works which is the stimulus for salvation. I have also heard it explained with the analogy of a horse and cart. The cart (works) will always accompany the horse (true saving faith), and yet it is only the horse that drives the operation. There is nothing that is energizing in the cart, and yet it completes the process and serves a distinct purpose.
Could it be the same way with the relationship between the works and words of the gospel? Is it possible that it is only the message of the gospel that initiates a heart change in somebody, yet the accompanying gospel action completes it?
We certainly want to present a holistic gospel, and we want to guard from erring to either extreme of the spectrum.
So what do others think? Is the gospel only the message of the good news? Or is it both the message of good news and the redemptive acts that accompany? Or should we keep our definition of the gospel separate from acts of mercy?

Marital Purity in the Old and New Testament

After reading Ezra 10 this morning, I have to admit my mind was swirling and I didn't like what I read. How could it be God's will for all of the religious leaders to divorce their wives and send them out of their house along with their children? This is one of those passages where God does not do what I expect, and I am reminded that I am always growing in my knowledge of Him.

I Corinthians 7 says:

"If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy."

This is the Scripture that has framed my theology of marriage, and so I think that is why Ezra 10 comes as such a shock to me.

So what is it that is different between the Old and New Covenants? As much as I like to highlight the continuity between the Old and New Testaments, I cannot deny there are some distinctions, and this is certainly one of them. It seems that under the law God is more concerned with the purity of His people than with them being a sanctifying influence on their unbelieving spouses. These foreign wives had polluted God's people and lead the men (even the Levites) into idolatry. God needed to purge His people, and that purging involved tearing apart families that were unequally yoked.

I suspect that is why I Corinthians 7:12-16 was penned. We deal with the same issues that the Israelites did, and there are many who are unequally yoked in our day. Yet God wants us to take a different approach from that of Ezra 10. Despite the sin of marrying an unbeliever, God wants that unbeliever to experience the gospel through the words and actions of a redeemed spouse in hopes that God will bring redemption in their own heart. After all, part of the mystery of the new covenant is the fact that God is bringing all people groups to Himself, and His church is a multi-faceted body that collectively brings glory to Him through their diversity. This was not the case under the Old Covenant, where Israel's ethnicity and culture set them apart from the rest of the world, and God wanted that sanctification to be displayed starkly so all other nations would see it. I guess one could argue that sanctification looks different between the two covenants - Under the Old Covenant sanctification was more tangible - what you eat, how you dress, who you are married to... However, under the New Covenant sanctification is measured primarily by the fruit of the Spirit that you evidence. Still observable to be sure, but not quite as measurable. Perhaps this explains some of the seeming contradiction between Ezra 10 and I Cor. 7. Not sure though.

I am still trying to wrap my mind around Ezra 10, but I am reminded this morning that I need to be reading through all of God's Word, so that I may know His character and personality in a deeper way.

The Beautiful Wilderness of Pastoral Unemployment

3 ways that I have been enriched through the last months of (unemployed) job search:

1. Precious time with my family - Since I have not been working at a church since the end of August, every day since has been filled with the opportunity to relish the extra time with my four girls.
   I have been able to form a special bond with Preslie during the first months of her life, and that is something you can't put a price tag on.
   Quinn often grabs my hand and says "Daddy, dance with me!" And guess what - I do.
   In addition, I have had several opportunities to be a part of Avery's first experience in school - from driving her there and participating in field trips, to speaking to her class. This also is a precious thing that I thank God for.
   For crying out loud - my wife and I were playing rock band yesterday afternoon and enjoying every minute of it! How often do you get to do that on a weekday?


2. Opportunity to refine my ministry philosophy - The pastoral job search process forces you to answer tough questions like "what are the most important aspects of youth ministry?", and "what would our church's youth ministry look like under you?". All of this has refreshed my perspective on what ministry is about, how God wants it to be carried out, and what part I can play in that.


3. Deeper understanding and appreciation for various denominations - Each time I considered a position at a church, I would research the church's particular denomination thoroughly. I discovered many things I did not know before, and this helped me weed out certain denominations and consider others I never would have before.
   This is one thing I never really experienced in my fundamentalist upbringing - a charitable exploration of various denominations. Yes, there are reasons we have these various denominations, and No, we should not just all join hands, sing "Kumbaya" and form one ecumenical church. But we would do well to learn the heritage of our brothers and sisters in Christ, and consider the good that has come through each particular community of evangelicalism.

I pray that my time in the wilderness of pastoral unemployment is nearing an end.
Yet, I am very grateful for how God has been growing me and refining me. I am so glad that His ways are not my ways, and He has everything figured out.

Neither candidate holds the cure

I have been following this presidential election closer than any other, and for the first time I have dug deeper into the political earth and discovered how complex and intriguing the relationship is between the Christ-follower and government.

After watching last night's debate, I was left with a nagging sense that neither candidate will be the answer we really need.

As I ponder these things this morning, I believe that we as believers desperately need to recognize a few things during this political contest (and they are listed in progressive levels of importance):

1. We have the God-given privilege to vote for the candidate that we believe will manage government in a way that most glorifies God and builds His kingdom. We should cherish this privilege and act upon it.

2. We must respect our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who sit on the other side of the political aisle. In the realm of eternity, I believe it matters more how the church exemplifies Christ' love and unity than how they vote.

3. Most of all, it is imperative that we remember that neither candidate in any election holds the cure for the dilemma of sin. I read this quote from Spurgeon this morning:
“Gethsemane provides the medicine for the ills which followed upon the forbidden fruit of Eden.”
What our country and world really needs is a leader who can cure our sin sickness, which poses an even greater threat than the financial crisis that is looming over us.

Let me be clear about this - The relationship between a Christian and government is an important one that should be soberly considered. And, we as Christ-followers must do all we can to make  a difference in the political landscape. However, at the end of the day - We can be thankful that we serve a King who not only holds all things together by His mighty hand, but who died upon a cross so that all our infirmities might be laid on Him.

No matter who wins the election next month, we as the church must remember our primary duty - Living  and breathing the gospel to every creature. This is the cure that the world really needs.

Ahhh... A Breath of Fresh Air

Two extremes have concerned me for a while:

Fundamentalists who criticize that all forms of evangelicalism are in a state of compromise, and are destined to fail because their foundation is faulty.

And...

Evangelicals who are questioning and denouncing elemental theological issues (even things in the Apostles/Nicene Creeds), and are opening themselves up to a pluralism of sorts where any theological stance is acceptable.

Which is why my lungs filled with a sweet sense of peace and hope when I found out about a movement within Evangelicalism the other day.
It is called "The Gospel Coalition", and their website is: http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/

I am hoping and praying that this movement (perhaps there are others like this as well) will serve as a red flag to the two groups living in polar spheres of Christianity.
To the unmovable fundamentalists, I pray that this coalition shows that not all evangelicalism is "going to hell in a hand basket". No, there are many who are faithful to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
To the compromising evangelicals, I pray that this shows the error and shiftiness of removing all theological support structures. We must have something that is non-negotiable, and that is the gospel.

The Emergent Model: Baby, Bathwater, or a little of Both?

I read a very interesting article today which portrayed the various streams of thought within the emerging church.
The article is written by Mark Driscoll, and is entitled "A Pastoral Perspective on the Emergent Church".
Check it out, and let me know what you think. He uses a model developed by Dr. Ed Stetzer, and it includes three distinct type of emergent Christians:

1. RELEVANTS: theologically conservative evangelicals who are not as interested in reshaping theology as much as updating such things as worship styles, preaching styles, and church leadership structures.

2. RECONSTRUCTIONISTS: generally theologically evangelical and dissatisfied with the current forms of church (e.g. seeker, purpose, contemporary)

3. REVISIONISTS: theologically liberal and question key evangelical doctrines, critiquing their appropriateness for the emerging postmodern world.

Which of these do you see yourself aligning most closely with?
Or, do you reject any and all elements of the emerging church?

It seems to me that most "evangelicals" find some merit in the emergent model, though they disagree considerably on how far to identify with it.
"Fundamentalists" on the other hand by and large have denounced the emergent movement all-together and condemn anything affiliated with emergent theology/practice or postmodernism.

Like it or not, the emergent movement is picking up steam, and we as believers (evengelicals and fundamentalists alike) must become versed in it, and decide what we believe about it.

So, share away.