Tuesday, July 3, 2007

The Mystical Convergence of the Purpose Driven, Seeker Sensitive & Emergent


The tip of the mystical iceberg that is Youth Specialties has flags planted on it by Saddleback Church, Willow Creek and the Emergent movement...

A review of some of the guest speakers for this year's National Youth Workers Convention reveals the Who's Who of the mystical & contemplative...

Representing the Purpose Driven-Saddleback Church:
Doug Fields
Doug's book, Purpose Driven Youth Ministry, has established a foundation for youth ministries worldwide. This veteran youth worker is pastor to students at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, the author of more than 40 books, and the founder of Simply Youth.

Cathy Fields
Cathy has been a volunteer youth worker for 20 years and has served in every role known to youth ministry, from camp speaker to bus driver. She currently leads a senior high small group at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California

Kurt Johnston
Kurt is the junior high pastor at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. He's served in junior high ministry since 1988, and is the founder of Simply Junior High.com.

Katie Edwards has served in middle school student ministry for 15 years. She currently oversees the high school volunteer teams at Saddleback Church, in Lake Forest, California.

Megan Hutchinson
Megan has served students and their families for 16 years. She is a CORE trainer for Youth Specialties and a student minister at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California

Representing the Seeker Sensitive-Willow Creek Church:
Scott Rubin
Scott has been on staff at Willow Creek for 15 years and is currently the director of Elevate, the junior high ministry at Willow Creek Community Church.

Representing Youth Specialties, sponsor of the Convention:
Mark Yaconelli
Contemplative Youth Ministry: Practicing the Presence of Jesus
Mark is the founder and director of the Youth Ministry and Spirituality Project at San Francisco Theological Seminary. He's the author of Contemplative Youth Ministry and the newly released Growing Souls.

Representing the Emergent Movement:
Andy Stanley
Andy Stanley is a pastor, communicator, author, and the founder of North Point Ministries. He is the author of several books, including Communicating for a Change and Next Generation Leader.

Dan Kimball
Dan is the author of They Like Jesus, but Not the Church, The Emerging Church, and Emerging Worship. He is one of the pastors at Vintage Faith Church in Santa Cruz, California, a new missional church designed for the post-Christian culture.

Other presenters include:
Chris Hill
Chris has served as an urban youth pastor, evangelist, and most recently, as an associate pastor with Bishop T.D. Jakes at The Potter's House, in Dallas, Texas. This youth ministry veteran is a specialist in motivating youth, and the author of Grace Based Youth Ministry.

Larry Warner
The executive director of "B", Larry's a spiritual director, adjunct professor and the co-author of Imaginative Prayer for Youth Ministry. He is the author of "Introduction to Creative and Contemplative Prayer Practices."

Last but not least, Fuller Seminary is represented by...
Chap Clark
Chap is professor of youth, family, and culture at Fuller Theological Seminary, in Pasadena, California. Chap is also president of ParenTeen, a new ministry and seminar for parents and youth workers.

Is it any wonder why it appears we are sacrificing the spiritual lives of our children to the pagan god Molech?

Ezekiel 8
5Then said he unto me, Son of man, lift up thine eyes now the way toward the north. So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and behold northward at the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry.
6He said furthermore unto me, Son of man, seest thou what they do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary? but turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations.
7And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold a hole in the wall.
8Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged in the wall, behold a door.
9And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here.
10So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, pourtrayed upon the wall round about.
11And there stood before them seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of incense went up.
12Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, the LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth.
13He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do.
14Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD's house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.
15Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these.
16And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD's house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.

3 comments:

  1. AnonymousJuly 03, 2007

    Here is an article that is semi-connected to the theme:

    http://www.pastors.com/RWMT/article.asp?ArtID=8400
    "...application seminar designed to help participants make the Purpose Driven paradigm work in an emerging [emergent] church context."

    The church that is refered to in the article is actually Bay Area Fellowship. Last month their youth meeting showed a video promoting yoga meditation saying "...empty your mind...find the inner child within you..."

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJuly 03, 2007

    "They LIKE Jesus but NOT the church? First place Christians are to LOVE Jesus and second place His earthly arm, the church. They are mutually INCLUSIVE, not exclusive.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dear Susan
    Thanks for the link...seems that 2 years later the emergent market has expanded without Purpose Driven. Keep contending.

    Dear Anonymous
    Thank you for your thoughts, couldn't agree with you more...The Bride without Christ is no bride at all.

    ReplyDelete

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