Dear Friends,
This coming December, Lou Engle, myself, and the rest of the leadership team at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City are giving a clarion call to young adults. We would like you to join us.
Last year, at onething08, over 16,000 came to Kansas City and 20,000 joined us on the live webstream. As you remember, the conference was a time of focused teaching on the urgency of the hour that we are living in and the necessity of living a consistent lifestyle of abandonment to Jesus.
You are no doubt aware of the crisis in our land: our nation is in serious moral decay, and our national future is in the balance at this crucial hour. Encroaching ideologies are causing great damage to our culture. However, I believe that 2010 can be a year to gain significant ground in the Spirit. We must have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying in this hour.
Many once-sincere, young adult believers have been drawn into compromise—they are being taught false doctrines about the deity of Jesus, salvation, justice, and the very nature of the grace of God. They are falling into increasing compromise and darkness. This is tragic and must be turned around.
Many voices in our nation are muddying the waters: the Emerging Church has something to say; the pro-choice movement has something to say; the Muslims have something to say; the homosexual community has something to say. Above all these, Jesus Christ has something to say.
This year, at onething’09, our theme is: "What is the Spirit Saying to the Church?" As those who love Jesus, we are all desperate to hear what He is saying, and then to obey it. At this four-day conference Lou Engle, Misty Edwards, Allen Hood, Dwayne Roberts, Mark Anderson, myself, and others will be teaching on what we believe the Spirit is saying.
There is an answer to the confusion and deception that is coming from some of those associated with the Emerging Church. We believe the Spirit is raising up what we refer to as the "Praying Church"—a church that loves the truth and has unwavering allegiance to Jesus. The Holy Spirit is raising up such congregations that will do outreach and works of justice that flow from a foundation of prayer and deep relationship with Jesus. This “Praying Church" movement is resisting the false church, which is emerging in our nation today, especially among young adults.
On September 19, 2009, during our ten-year anniversary, the IHOP–KC staff made a sacred commitment to Jesus to combine our 24/7 prayers for justice with 24/7 works of justice. We are calling campus ministries, churches, and others to also cry out for justice and engage in works of justice. By the grace of God, at the onething’09 conference, we will be speaking boldly and clearly on a number of issues, including the Lord’s heart to combine prayer for justice with doing practical works of justice.
I invite you to join us this December in Kansas City for the onething’09 conference. Registration is free, and you can sign up online at IHOP.org/onething09.
Until He comes,
Mike Bickle
3 Comments
I have read Generous Orthodoxy by McLaren and it makes me feel that Bickle and Engle is right about what they are saying.
“Many once-sincere, young adult believers have been drawn into compromise—they are being taught false doctrines about the deity of Jesus, salvation, justice, and the very nature of the grace of God. They are falling into increasing compromise and darkness. This is tragic and must be turned around.”
This statement about the Emerging Church is simply false. When you make claims such as these, the burden of proof is on the person making claims to SUPPORT those claims with reasonable evidence. The fact that Mike and Lou are even able to make these claims at all demonstrates that either 1. they have done little to no objective research into the phenomenon known as the “emerging church”, or, 2. they have an agenda that the conversational, non-propositional nature of the emerging church dialogue appears to be threatening, and as a reaction, they are resorting to libelous rhetoric. I have at least six books sitting on my shelf from a variety of perspectives on the emerging church movement, and I have yet to come across a single claim from any “emerging” leader that is anything close to how it has been characterized in this letter.
I have always held a high opinion of IHOP. It is doing a great work for the Kingdom, and it is a valuable member of the body of Christ. Its emphasis on intimacy with Christ as the bridegroom and on the role of the Holy Spirit in our everyday lives has greatly impacted my walk with God. But right now, I would ask that IHOP take greater care in its interactions with the rest of the body, and not make slanderous accusations (bordering on outright bigotry) that only do harm to those who are genuinely, sincerely asking legitimate questions about how to engage the emerging culture with the gospel of Jesus.
I am only a few months away from my degree in English literature. I am highly conversant in contemporary philosophy and critical theory. The word “postmodernism” actually makes sense to me–it’s not a big scary monster under the bed, but a term that can mean a number of different things. And most of all, I want to be able to live my life in the way of Jesus, empowered by His Spirit to reach out to a world that is changing at an incredibly rapid pace. Can we please end this unhelpful war rhetoric, quit screaming about the “culture wars,” and get on with our mission? The world will not listen to a church that is too busy quibbling over (and exaggerating) minor issues. A house divided against itself cannot stand.
God is doing a great work in today’s emerging culture, and He is using all sorts of people and all sorts of methods to do it. IHOP should know this, because the same heresy hunters who are badmouthing Emerging are also badmouthing ministries like IHOP. Can we put fundamentalism behind us and love God, love each other, and learn to let the Holy Spirit work in each of us–each person AND each ministry–at His own pace? Because if these comments about the Emerging Church are what “the Spirit is saying to the churches,” then the Spirit obviously hasn’t done much research on the Emerging Church. My point? Using “the Spirit” to make erroneous claims is a dangerous zero-sum game–one which I never expected to see IHOP start playing.
If anyone is actually interested in learning about the Emerging Church movement (the real thing, not the demonized “secret society” that the current witch hunt bandwagon is out to derail), I recommend reading “A Generous Orthodoxy” and “Adventures in Missing the Point” by Brian McLaren.
I am glad they are calling for a new level of commitment to Christ but am confused as to what mike thinks is the emerging church. Does he know how many ec leaders are connected with ihop?