from page 16 of Confessions of a reformission rev. : hard lessons from an emerging missional
church by Mark Driscoll
"One well known expert promoting this new undefined, undisciplined, and unbiblical ecclesiology was once asked how we can possibly define what a church is if his advice of not having elders, deacons, members, discipline, or doctrine was heeded. His response was simply, 'If it smells like a church, it is a church.' My response was that sometimes a whore wears the same perfume as a wife, and it's no different with the bride of Christ."
Mark is not a landmarker, but this quote certainly jives with it. You know I may be the first person to ever use the termlandmarkerr and jive inthee same sentence. Some probably cringe at the thought. Anyway I think Mark gives us a great illustrationn of bastard churches or should I say Gospel societiess
3 comments:
Just curious ... but would you consider yourself a "landmarker" or do you find that perspective to be wrongheaded somehow?
matt,
i would consider myself a landmarker, but i think that i hold a more moderate view that what "we" are accussed of. in truth the "Great Triumvirate” did no agree aon everything. I also think a lot of the landmark bashing woudl not happen if there was a little more dialog and less hatred. just my opinion though. so i guess i muset ask you the same question,would you consider yourself a "landmarker" or do you find that perspective to be wrongheaded somehow? "
I don't know ... I'm thinking this view through somewhat (slowly and lazily, I should point out). I am convinced that Jesus Christ founded the church (not the Holy Ghost), that only a church has the authority to found a church (that is as opposed to a lot of the freelancing I see going on) and that God is only working through the church (not individuals ... or only individuals inasmuch as they are part of a visible, local assembly) and that the church is God's plan for reconcilling the world to Himself.
On the surface, the landmarkism that I think of (and frankly, it is probably caricatured to some extent) seems wrongheaded. I mean, how in the world can you claim that only a Baptist church is the true church and that only by being a member of one of them are you in true obedience to the Bible? But I conflict myself by saying that the Gospel is equally "exclusive" ... there's only one way to heaven, one way to be redeemed.
Long winded way of saying, I don't know, but definitely looking to be convinced either way.
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