By AM correspondent Daniel Neades of Better Than Sacrifice

Ed Stetzer has co-written a new book, Transformational Church.

Now, among many other things, Ed holds two masters degrees and two doctorates, and he is Visiting Professor of Research and Missiology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He’s also President of LifeWay Research, and LifeWay’s Missiologist in Residence.

Ed thus knows his stuff, and is the general go-to guy for all things missiological.

Back to the book. Ed tweets:

Follow the link, and we find an article on the Eagles in Leadership website. The very first sentence is this:

Churches committed to following Christ’s example want this world changed for the sake of eternity.

Uh, yeah, ok.

I guess this must be right, because Drs. Ed has two masters degrees and two doctorates.

Quick question though. Where exactly in Scripture does Christ instruct the church to ‘want this world changed for the sake of eternity’?

Rather than listen to the sound of silence while we wait for an answer, let’s have some music:

Hmm.

Perhaps the Sound of Silence itself does help us to discern the source of Ed’s Big Idea, for the song’s opening words seem strangely apt:

Hello darkness, my old friend.
I’ve come to talk with you again.
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping.
And the vision
That was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence.

Ah, so that’s it! The Big Idea must come from that Vision Thing these guys are all over.

Hang on, though. Just when did the church decide to substitute the question ‘What does Scripture teach?’ with ‘What vision has God given me?’ And upon what authority did she do that?

But wait! There’s more!

The article goes on:

While the supernatural piece of making that happen goes without saying, how does a body of believers do its part to be in that “sweet spot” where true spiritual transformation occurs?

By ‘the supernatural piece of making that happen’ (which goes without saying, don’t cha know?), I guess the author must be thinking of these words from St. Peter:

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. (2 Peter 3:10, NKJV)

Surely that’s the world transformation he means, right? After all, the Holy Spirit inspired Peter to write a warning immediately following. One that couldn’t be more apt for today’s church, subordinating as she does what is right to what is expedient:

Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation – as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.

You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen!
(2 Peter 3:11–18, NKJV)

See also:

CURIOUS ASSOCIATIONS ED STETZER, DAN KIMBALL, AND TIM KELLER MISSIONSHIFT

MISSIONAL?

SBC’S LIFEWAY HIGHLIGHTS ‘TRANSFORMATIONAL CHURCH’

A GOOD REASON FOR A MASS EXODUS FROM EVANGELICALISM…OR TO RECAPTURE ITS ORIGINAL MEANING

WHY EVANGELICALISM IS FAILING A NEW GENERATION, AS IS THE EMERGING CHURCH

DR. JOHN PIPER AND UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

MARK DRISCOLL AND NEO-REFORMED NEW CALVINIST CONTEMPLATIVE SPIRITUALITY