The People formerly known as The Congregation

An interesting rant found here on the role of church leadership in the new millenium. Please go read it. I wonder if most of the discontent comes from smaller church pastors who have been deeply undervalued because the perception is that to be successful is to be big. How often have I heard that unspoken question (Why so small?) after the spoken question of "How big is your congregation now?" Why is size the measure of success? I also feel that there is a lot of blaming and generalizing going on within Christendom and not enough of just walking the talk.

The reference to the media "audience" is also interesting and reveals some of the deep discontent with the corporate style of media. Although there is still a great deal of consumerism - especially in the media for new media content (music, movies, video games, etc.) it is very refreshing to see the wealth of blogging, youtubing and informal entertaainment going on.

The Healing Rooms 4

Session 3: The Anointing
What is the Anointing?
Presented by Mary Borland on Saturday morning.

The Anointing is:
• The charisma of the Holy Spirit or an endowment of the inherent characteristics, qualities and virtues of His Presence.
• The power of God in us to bring victory in a situation.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8

Do we need the Anointing?
• Yes, we need the Word and the Anointing.
• The Anointing breaks yokes of bondage. Isaiah 10:27
We are to guard against “having a form of godliness but denying it’s power.” II Timothy 3:5

How do we receive the anointing?
• Humility “ God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” II Peter 5:6
• Thirst “ Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.” Isaiah 55:1
• It Costs You have to “buy” it with your life. Exchange your life for His Life.

How?
• Time with the Lord
• Prayer
• Prayer and Fasting
• Stillness “Be still and know that I am God” Psalm 46:10
• Surrender your agenda, and be directed by the Holy Spirit
• Be Faithful with the measure the Lord has given you: Follow His prompting in the small things; Then He will be able to trust you with more.
• Value and Honour the Holy Spirit “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with Whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4: 30
“Do not put out the Spirit’s fire.” I Thessalonians 5:19

Some quenching influences:
• Unbelief Hebrews 3:7-8
• Neglect I Timothy 4:14
• Unforgiveness Ephesians 4:30
• Lust of the Flesh Galatians 5:16
• Worldliness James 4:4
• Pride James 4:6
• Religious Spirit Matthew 16:6
• Spirit of Fear II Timothy 1:7
• Covetousness Greed, the love of Money
• Rebellion being un-submitted to authority

How much of Him do we need? All of Him and none of me. The Lord is seeking that there be no mixture in us.

How does the Fruit of the Spirit relate to the Anointing?
Cal Pierce:
• “The fruit of the Spirit is the Image of Christ in the believer to empower the gifts of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit empowers the gifts of the Holy Spirit…. The ultimate purpose of the Word of God, the Anointing of the Holy Spirit, the Name of Christ, and the entire new covenant is to transform us into His character because we are His Body.”“ For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son..” Romans 8:29
• “The Fruit of the Spirit is the very Image of Christ.”
• “All the Gifts of the Spirit can flow in the Believer in this ministry in order to minister to the needs of the person. The fruit of the Spirit empowers the gifts of the Spirit because the Fruit is the Image of Christ.”
• “God wants the Church to move in love – to be driven by this fruit, to have the gifts empowered by it to have the believer filled with the very image and character of Jesus so that the power of the Holy Spirit will work through the Church.” One example is that Faith works by love. Love empowers faith. Galatians 5:6

The Kingdom of God is not a Democracy…

The Dunamis Power of God empowers the message of the Gospel and confirms it by bringing the Kingdom of God in Signs and Wonders, and Healing. God is raising up an
end-time army of “ordinary” Believers who will move in His Presence, Power, and Authority.

The Healing Rooms 3

Session 2: Roadblocks to Healing
Presented by Michael Krause on Saturday morning.

1. Theological Roadblocks
a. Some doubt that Healing in the Atonement
- Isaiah 53:4-5; Matt 8:16-17

b. Some have a lack of Knowledge
- Isaiah 5:13-14
- Hosea 4:6-7
- Truth will set you free John 8:32
c. Some hold to Dispensationalism (healing has passed away)
If healing was in the OT how can it have passed away?
- Exodus 15:26; Exodus 23:25-26
- Psalm 91:15-16; Psalm 103:1-5
d. God’s Will
- Isaiah 61:1-2; Luke 4:18-21
- If it be thy will? That is the prayer of ignorance (lack of knowing God)
- If God really intends for you to be sick, Why take medicine or go to doctors?
- OT Ex 15:26; 23:25-26; Ps 91:16; 103:1-5
e. Healing for all? Healing for me?
- Mt 9:35; 12:15; 14:14; 15:30-31; Lk 4:40; 6:17-19; Acts 10:38
f. Not Rightly Discerning the Body of Christ
- 1 Cor 11:27-31
- Don’t discern Body when
- A. Don’t recognize the blood (for sin) and body (for sickness and infirmity)
- B. Don’t recognize our need for the rest of the Body (other believers)
- C. Have something against someone in the body (church/fellowship)
- D. Don’t see the whole Church as one (i.e. dismiss certain denominations as not a part of the whole body in the city – i.e. there is one church, meeting in many locations)
g. Sick for God’s Glory
- God is glorified when lame walked and blind saw Mt 15:30-31
h. Thorn in the Flesh
- 2 Cor 12:1-12 – not sickness but a messenger of Satan
i. God allowed me to be sick to teach me something – the Word and the Spirit are our teachers

2. Roadblocks Caused by Sin
a. Unforgiveness
- Mark 11:22-26; Matt 5:23-25; 6:14-15; 18:34-35
b. Generational Sin
- Deut 5:9
c. Unconfessed Sin
- Isaiah 59:1-2
- Psalm 66:18
- 1 Corinthians 5:1-5

3. Spiritual Roadblocks
a. Lack of Faith
- little faith Matthew 8:26; 14:13; 16:8
- unbelief Mt 17:19-20; Mark 6:1-6
b. Not Bridling the Tongue
- power of life and death are in the tongue
- Prov 4:20-23
- Murmuring and complaining Ps 78:18-20 18, ”And they tested God in their heart by asking for the food of their fancy. 19,”Yes, they spoke against God: They said, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness? 20,”Behold, He struck the rock, So that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed. Can He give bread also? Can He provide meat for His people?” And, v 32-33 32, “In spite of this they still sinned, and did not believe in His wondrous works.” 33,”Therefore their days He consumed in futility, and their years in fear.
c. Satanic Resistance (demonic sickness and spiritual warfare)
- Lk 13:10-16 woman w spirit of infirmity; Matt 17:14-15 Epileptic; Isa 61:3 The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; Mark 9:25 Deaf and dumb demon; Matt 9:32-33 Mute Demon; Matt 12:22 Blind demon; Acts 10:38 and healing all who were oppressed by the devil
d. Curses – part of the curse of sin is sickness and disease
- Malachi 3:8-10; curse for robbing God
- Deuteronomy 17:15-25; many activities bring a curse upon those who do it
e. Lack of Spiritual Preparation (fasting and prayer)
- Matthew 17:19-21; Mark 9:17-29

4. Practical Roadblocks
a. Intellectualism – secular worldview, doesn’t make sense to natural mind, goes against science
b. Prosperity – we have it too easy, can buy everything we need, like the Laodiceans
c. Looking to Man rather than God – Doctors, medicine (one does not have a headache because of a Tylenol deficiency)
d. Other people’s example – Job, Joni Erickson
e. Lack of desperation, desire and perseverance – hanging on over the long haul, praying till the answer comes
f. Looking for the Spectacular – expecting feelings, sensations, trying to control other’s behaviour, looking for signs (John 4:48), example of Naaman (2 Kings 5:11)
g. Pride – healing on my terms, don’t look foolish
h. Poor Life Habits – even though God often heals you should change what you need to (example of removing amalgam fillings)
i. Focus on Self instead of God – relying on my experience instead of the Word of God, relying on world’s system
j. Fear – Job 3:25 – that which I greatly feared has come upon me.

The Healing Rooms 2

As I mentioned, I was going to post some of the notes from the training sessions at the Healing Rooms gathering on the weekend. This session is on The Healing Word, presented by Thomas Chong.

Session 1: The Healing Word
1. Introduction

14This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. (1 John 5:14-15 - NIV)
• The CERTAINTY of answered prayer follows from the CERTAINTY of being HEARD. And the CERTAINTY of being heard when approaching God with petitions follows from the CERTAINTY of praying ACCORDING TO THE WILL OF GOD.
• It is critical in the ministry of healing to have a rock-solid foundation as to the Father’s will to heal. In this way, no matter what we faced with, we can move forward with FULL CONFIDENCE that the Father desires to RELEASE HEALING through the NAME of JESUS, and in the POWER and ANOINTING of THE HOLY SPIRIT.

2. Jesus knew the Father’s will and expressed it perfectly

19Jesus … "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. (John 5:19-20)
10 …The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. 12I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father… 14You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. (John 14:10-14)
• In context of these verses, Jesus has been teaching the importance of believing that He has been revealing the Father. In other words, the Father was in Jesus expressing His perfect will in teaching, attitudes, actions and miraculous works.
• Studying the life of Jesus (His actions, attitudes, teaching and commands) reveals the Father’s will in matters of healing just as in all matters.

3. An Overview of the Healing Ministry of Jesus (refer to Appendix A & B)

• Jesus already knows what the will of the Father is for the thousands of people He healed.
• In fact, Jesus healed all that came to Him in a multitude.
• There is no suggestion in any of these accounts that the will of the Father might be different for different people in the matter of healing.
• Jesus never hesitates to heal anyone that comes to Him.
• Healing and casting out demons are quite often found together.
• Jesus uses different “techniques” such as touch (Matthew 8:3; 15; 9:29; Luke 4:40), word of command (Matthew 8:13, 15:28; Luke 9:42), spittle and mud (John 9:6). It is likely that this had the effect of stimulating faith in those He healed.
• Jesus taught His disciples to lay hands on sick people and anoint them with oil (Mark 6:13; James 5:14-16).

4. Why should we pray for the sick?

38How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how He went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with Him. (Acts 10:38)
• Jesus is our model – His works include healing the sick (John 14:12), which in effect liberate people from the oppression of Satan (see also Luke 13:11-16).
• Satan, the evil one, is the author disease (Job 2:7) but not all sicknesses is caused by Satan – some are sin-caused (inherited or by self); others, environmental, etc.
• God needs a body to get His will done on earth. Through Jesus He got the body and through the indwelling of Christ in us (“the Body of Christ” – 1 Cor 13) He can continue that work.
• Ministry to the sick is a demonstration of God’s love – of God’s heart to heal (Luke 4:18-21, 40 cf. Isaiah 61:1-4).
• Healing the sick is a demonstration of God’s power (Mat 10:1; 28:18; Acts 4:9-10).
• Healing the sick is an aid to evangelism (John 6:1-2; 10:37-38; Acts 9:35, 42; 1Cor 2:1-5).
• Praying for the sick is a commission from the Lord (Luke 9:1-6; 10:8-9; Mark 16:15-18).

5. What provision has God made for effective healing through prayer?

• Healing, like salvation, has been provided for in the Atonement
4Surely he took up our infirmities [in the Hebrew literally, “sicknesses”] and carried our sorrows [literally, “pains”] … 5But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:4-5)
• Peter and Matthew, who walked daily with Jesus during His ministry, clearly connect healing with the atonement. Both quote from the messianic prophesy of Isaiah that connects healing with the atonement:
16When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. 17This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: "He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.” (Matthew 8:16-17)
24He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. (1 Peter 2:24)

6. The Provision of the Cross Is BOTH Salvation and Healing

• The Greek words that are translated “salvation” and “saved” in most English versions of the Bible are a verb form of the common Greek word “sozo” (pronounce as sod’zo). Forms of this word are used 111 times in the New Testament.
Today’s usage of the word emphasizes the initiation of relationship with God through receiving Christ as Saviour for the forgiveness of sin and regeneration. Unfortunately, there is an under-emphasis on the present experiential aspects of salvation.
In fact, the word “sozo” is most often used in the NT to mean the present earthly experience of salvation that includes healing and deliverance (Mat 9:22; Mark 6:56; 10:52; Luke 8:36; 2 Tim 4:18)
• If forgiveness of sin and regeneration are already settled as the Father’s will, then healing and deliverance are already settled as well. If the Father always wants people to be saved from sin, then He always wants people delivered from demons. If the Father always wants to forgive the sins of the repentant, then He always wants to heal those who meet His conditions for healing. The Father’s will is settled and never changes in matters of salvation in all its forms. (see also Psalm 103:3)

7. Faith and Healing

• Salvation in the form of forgiveness of sins, regeneration, and eternal life comes on the basis of faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour. In like manner, salvation in the form of healing comes because of faith in Jesus Christ as Healer. If faith in Christ is a condition for receiving salvation in the form of forgiveness of sins, then it is also a condition for healing and deliverance.
• It is WHO you put the faith in, not how much you think you have. Be open to the Lord and let Him work through you; God will meet you right where you are.
o Jesus encouraged faith (Matthew 9:28; Mark 5:36)
o Faith has to be present; but a small amount will do (Mark 9:24; Matthew 17:20)
o Jesus healed sick people because their friends had faith (Mathew 9:2)
o Jesus rebuked His disciples for the lack of it (Matthew 8:26)
o Lack of faith limited healing through Jesus (Matthew 13:58)
o Jesus commended those who had great faith (Matthew 15:28; Luke 7:9)

8. Faith comes from hearing … hearing by the Word

He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave. (Psalm 107:20)
• Faith is required in what you cannot see (Heb 11:1) but we move by faith when we receive the “seed of the Word” in our heart on healing and we begin to water it with our confession.
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it,
and it will be yours. (Mark 11:24)
• The provision for healing has already taken place on the Cross, but the manifestation of it is what needs to be brought forth.
35So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. 36You need to
persevere [endure] so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive
what He has promised. (Hebrews 10:35-36)
• We need “prevailing” faith – taking what God brings, acting upon it, releasing it and prevailing against what the enemy brings.

Healing Rooms Training

I participated in a very good training event on the weekend - training people to work and pray in the various Healing Rooms in North Toronto (including Thornhill).

It was held at the beautiful Castlefield Church building pastored by Phil Woolridge and his wife Rebecca.


It wasn't great because I helped organize and spoke at it. It was great because of the focus on the Scriptural foundation for healing. We covered five topics:
i. The Healing Word by Thomas Chong


ii. Roadblocks to Healing by yours truly
iii. The Anointing by Mary Borland (and some DVD material from Cal Pierce)


iv. The Authority of the Believer by Herman Overdijk


v. Pratical Aspects by Rebecca Woolridge


I'll be posting the notes so that you can have some material to look at and participate in some of the good stuff of the event.

A Few Conference Pictures

I went to a great one day conference on Saturday and have posted a few pictures.


Ron Sider was the first keynote speaker at the Evolving Church Conference last Saturday. If the name sounds familiar, it should be. He wrote " Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger." He made a number of disturbing comments. In particular a couple jumped out at me. The first one was that 35,000 children under the age of 12 will die today because of starvation or of preventable diseases. The cost of one fighter jet would be enough to provide the food and medicine for one year to help these children. The second comment that he made was that Michael Jordan made more money in one year promoting Nike shoes than all of the 18,000 Indonesian factory workers combined who actually made the shoes.

Shane Claiborne was a hoot. He lives in Christian community in North Philadelphia among the poor there. He made a number of memorable comments. Refering to the Live 8 concerts to help bring awareness to poverty, Jesus said "If the Christians remain silent the rocks will cry out ... or maybe the rock stars!"

Jim Wallis heads up Sojourners in Washington DC and has written a book with a very interesting title: God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It. After discussing the book with Jon Stewart (The Daily Show) Wallis got thousands of emails. Many wrote him saying "I didn't know you could be a Christian and care for the poor." The other comment he made that struck me was that "We will not see a restoration of Justice in our land without a revival of faith."

Uncomfortable

I’m more of a thinker than a writer – hence the paucity of posts recently. But I have been thinking about prayer and direction and the words of Jesus. That always makes me uncomfortable.

Sunday ... I spoke about the two tax collectors prominently highlighted in Scripture – Matthew (Levi) and Zacchaeus. One left everything and followed Jesus. The other gave away half of what he had and then promised to repay those he had defrauded - quadruple! One left everything to become a full time missionary and the other stayed where he was but simplified his lifestyle and reformed his business practices. Both were radical followers of Jesus. The message made me uncomfortable.

In the midst of my emerging church thinking, reading and occasional posts, I’ve come to a realization. My first exposure to what has become the emerging church was actually through ministry to the poor at Church on the Street and Yonge Street Mission. We were an emerging church (in the best sense of the word) in 1982, before anyone had coined the term. We had recognized some of the shortcomings of the traditional church model and were experimenting with what might work with the broken, non-literate culture of street-involved youth. We used art, images, candles, community meals, high levels of participation and ownership of the services to try to make Jesus make sense to street kids. And it really worked.

They loved Jesus. They struggled to hold on to Him in the midst of addictions and bad relationships and babies on the street. But they loved Him. Even when they were unable to stay sober or clean or married, they displayed a deep hunger for Jesus. However we failed in making them into our own image – good middle class Christians. It’s hard to make sense of middle class Christianity when you have nothing. That always made me feel uncomfortable.

To me the value of the emerging church phenomenon is all about being dissatisfied with the status quo and then doing something to change it. I heard Shane Claiborne speak on the weekend at the Evolving Church Conference. There is a good "live" commentary of the conference at Daryl Dash's blog. Jim Wallis (who also spoke at the conference) writes in the forward to a book by Shane Claiborne: “We were also young evangelicals who found that neither our churches nor our society were measuring up to the way of Jesus – not even close. Our battle then was against a private piety that limited religion to only personal matters, then compromised faith in a tragic capitulation to the economic, political and military powers that be. We desperately wanted to see our faith “go public” and offer a prophetic vision with the power to change both our personal lives and political directions … The Christianity of private piety, affluent conformity and only “God Bless America” has compromised the witness of the church while putting a new generation of Christians to sleep. Defining faith by the things you won’t do or question does not create a compelling style of life. And a new generation of young people is hungry for an agenda worthy of its commitment, its energy and its gifts.”

That certainly makes me uncomfortable. Who was it that said Jesus came to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable?

What is Evangelical?

Scot McKnight (of the Jesus Creed blog - see the link on the right side) suggests a great description of the shifting definition of "evangelical" and of the slightly different focus the term has in the USA. Here's the quote ...

Here’s how I understand the term, but I think something must be done quickly or the word will simply fall out of favor for evangelical moderates. I speak in the past tense because I don’t think it means this anymore, or at least it will not if something is not done.

First, it referred to Christians who are post-Fundamentalist and who broke out of Fundamentalism in the 1950s and 60s at the leadership of Harold Ockenga, Carl Henry, Billy Graham, and the like — represented by Christianity Today. Evangelicals in those days were called neo-evangelicals (and that often was a slur by Fundamentalists).

Second, it referred to those who believed in the essential gospel doctrines: the majesty of Jesus Christ and his saving death, the Holy Spirit at work, personal faith, the authority of Scripture, the need for evangelistic work, and commitment to the local fellowship of Christians. These essential gospel doctrines led to a big umbrella for all those who joined in the same beliefs; in other words, neo-evangelicalism was “evangelical ecumenism.”

Third, in the 70s and 80s — Francis Schaeffer’s Evangelical Manifesto, the rise of the Moral Majority under the likes of Jerry Falwell, and the Presidency of Ronald Reagan — the evangelical movement took on board a conservative political orientation, and for many it was as self-defining as the previous gospel doctrines.

Fourth, in the Clinton era the now re-shaped evangelical movement became increasingly combative in a “take back America” posture and began to add to the list of gospel doctrines — and they continue to add to it (including your view of women). Put differently, evangelical now means “Fundamentalist” (what I have called neo-fundamentalist).

Today the word “evangelical” no longer means what it meant in the 50s and 60s. The question is whether or not the E-word is worth saving for many of us.

Should you care to know, one thing the word “emerging” seeks to capture is the older sense of evangelical for a new day. I’m a follower of Jesus — orthodox, catholic, protestant and therefore sometimes (but clearly not always) “evangelical.”

Evangelicals and Israel

Just connected with a site reporting on the most recent AIPAC confereence (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) where Rev. John Hagee was speaking on why Christians support Israel. He didn't really say a lot of new things but the reaction of the mostly secular Jewish crowd is quite amazing.

The video is youtube and not great quality but the sound is good. It's in three parts.

Read some of the comments below the video link. They are also quite interesting.

Check it out here.

The Dangers of Marketing the Church

As I continue to graze on the various books that come my way, I've stopped for a while on a book by Eddie Gibbs and Ryan Bolger called "Emerging Churches." It's not often that I stop and say “wow!” but I did in chapter seven and I thought I would quote a few lines for you. They are talking about serving God and people with an attitude of generosity instead of out of the culture of exchange (ie return on investment). They make some broad generalizations of a style of church that tries to attract people with programs or entertainment and label them “consumer churches.” Here are various quotes from pages 136-139. Let me know what you think.

At the core of the gospel is God's generosity embodied in the concept of grace. Jesus served in this way and those communities who decide to follow Him must do likewise.

Advertising and marketing, which are so seductive and pervasive in culture, have a profound impact on spirituality and the pursuit of God. Today, typically, individuals come to spirituality as shoppers. They consume spiritual experiences. They pursue the next experience that promises to take them to a higher spiritual plane and yield greater growth.

Churches that adopt a marketing approach treat their visitors as customers, numbers and potential converts instead of simply as people. A culture of self-interested exchange permeates the life of consumer-oriented churches, where the "customer's" financial support is solicited in exchange for spiritual services rendered.

The underlying assumption is that customers are never satisfied and are liable to take their business elsewhere. Satisfaction is an elusive target, constantly moving and taking on new forms.

Much of marketing practice borders on manipulation by creating needs. Until one sees or experiences a product one often does not "need" it. The creation and the presentation of a product create the need. Marketing is not neutral; it fosters human desire as much as it satiates it.

Churchgoers associate the consumer church's products with "need satisfaction." There are areas of an individual's life that are ambiguous and insecure, to which the church seeks to respond by creating and offering products that will address those gaps. Consumer churches present a relationship with Jesus as the answer to widespread feelings of angst. Thus Jesus is turned into a product that satisfies needs. The problem is that Jesus won't satisfy individual needs, for the gospel is primarily about God's agenda, not ours. For true satisfaction to take place, needs must be reformed and transformed to correspond with the gospel.

When Jesus is presented as a product and ceases to satisfy, as all products cease to satisfy at some point, one must then move on to another spiritual expression. By marketing Jesus, therefore, the consumer church actually makes the pain worse, for now even God (from a visitor's perception) cannot help. Instead of challenging the logic of the economic system, which the kingdom does wonderfully, the consumer church blesses the economic rules and creates transitory, surface-level Christians in the process.

This critique of a consumerist society reveals the extent to which the church itself has become subverted by the wider culture. The church as a sign of the kingdom of God, must demonstrate an alternative society. Consumerism both pacifies and disempowers people and robs them of their individuality and creative potential. Consumerism destroys community by discouraging active participation.

Unbridled consumerism also leads to greed, acquisitiveness, and wastefulness as people become dissatisfied and bored with their possessions and strive for the latest and the biggest (or the smallest, in the case of gadgets). Emerging churches believe that people need to be delivered from the covetousness and selfishness so that they can be liberated for a life of service and generosity.