What does it mean to be young and reformed?

[Fusion!]

With the rise of books like "Young, Restless, Reformed" and "Why We're Not Emergent" as well as the rise of reformed theology in general, we see a growing young reformed awakening. So what does that really mean? And what do we do about it? That's one of the reason New Reformation was created.

[Becky]

I think Christless Christianity would fall into this category. I haven't decided if i'm getting the book yet, but the title describes the current church perfectly, imho.

[Fusion!]

I think you're right. But more spoecifically what do younger reformed people see as important in the church? I know some who see Social Justice or cultural engagement as pretty important. For me definitely seeing a lack of biblical training as pretty sad. I want to see that change.

Becky said:

I think Christless Christianity would fall into this category. I haven't decided if i'm getting the book yet, but the title describes the current church perfectly, imho.

[Becky]

A lack of missions, discipleship, and real evangelism.

[Max]

We need people who pray and constantly live in the word and the presence of God. This together with the truth of regeneration is what is important now. I love the doctrines of grace and the reformed guys, but this alone will not help without the holy spirit's power. In addition to all these reformed people, listen to Leonard Ravenhill, Tozer and Reidhead!!

[Fusion!]

Thanks Becky, you know I have been helping with Founders in Brea for a while, people don't know it but the Southern Baptist Convention was founded (hence the name) by Reformed leaders. It was their Reformed convictions that caused them to make missions a focal point of the convention. To this day SBC churches give to missions. I think a reformed resurgence will definitely see a rise in missions.I might add, it has been my Reformed bretheren who are themost articulate and able to evangelize in the real world.

[Samuel Garcia]

Lack of doctrine is a big one, but I think there's way too much a lack of living in the power of the kingdom. Like believing that God is really "here" in prayer and in healing. The Reformed tradition has a great emphasis on doctrine, but if that's not balanced by focusing on how we trust in God and our relationship with Him, then we will just flip to the other side of the pendulum. That's my take anyway.

[Becky]

Is it telling that no one showed up to our prayer meeting tonight? Granted, it was short-notice. Nathaniel sent out the email sometime in the middle of the day. The only people that responded, though, are those that i noticed he missed and sent myself later in the evening, so those people had even less notice.

Yeah, i think you were missed too. An emergency prayer meeting for tomorrow.

Samuel Garcia said:

Like believing that God is really "here" in prayer and in healing.

[Fusion!]

Glad to be missed. Again, I thought it would be today. Don't discount that God hears prayer today.

Becky said:

Is it telling that no one showed up to our prayer meeting tonight? Granted, it was short-notice. Nathaniel sent out the email sometime in the middle of the day. The only people that responded, though, are those that i noticed he missed and sent myself later in the evening, so those people had even less notice.

Yeah, i think you were missed too. An emergency prayer meeting for tomorrow.

Samuel Garcia said:

Like believing that God is really "here" in prayer and in healing.

[Becky]

Uh...awkward...i meant Sam was missed on the email ie left out by mistake. You were too but i sent it to you and a few others Nathaniel missed. But um...sure you were missed too.

I'm not saying He won't hear prayers today but it makes more sense to pray for something before it happens. Like if you are driving and pray that you are safe for the distance you have already travelled. What's done is done. Although, that can be said of praying for anything but then it gets complicated so let's not go there.

Because i'm all for people praying today, YUPPERS!

[Fusion!]

Yes!

Becky said:

Uh...awkward...i meant Sam was missed on the email ie left out by mistake. You were too but i sent it to you and a few others Nathaniel missed. But um...sure you were missed too.

I'm not saying He won't hear prayers today but it makes more sense to pray for something before it happens. Like if you are driving and pray that you are safe for the distance you have already travelled. What's done is done. Although, that can be said of praying for anything but then it gets complicated so let's not go there.

Because i'm all for people praying today, YUPPERS!

[James Cohen]

In response to the OP, "So what does that really mean?" I'm not sure it's particularly significant. Is it? It seems like those books are just reactions to a movement that's generally young (though MacLaren or Bell gets the older crowd as well). So is that all "young and reformed" is about? A rejection of emergent theology in favor of reformed? The older reformed crowd should be facing the same issue...

So...is it just that the younger crowd deals with others in the same age range and so...well, I dunno any issues that are specific to youngins that can't apply to anybody else, so... what's special about being "young and reformed"?

[Fusion!]

Ah Jimmy, I'm glad you finally got on here (remember I'm the admin, I'll be monitering you....closely). I think we should consider it in the context of the church as a whole There are many things going on. Churches going liberal (Emergents come to mind) word of faith (Joel Osteen) or semi-pelagian (Most evangelical churches to be honest). So what happens? Out of this, young people are turning onto what our parents (or youth leaders) told us to be afraid of: Reformed theology. It's a growing movement. It's significant because it's not Calvinism as usual. Almost like Calvinism 2.0 Reason being that the o.g. reformers didn't deal with everything. So we're seeing charismatic/non-charismatic, covenant/dispensational/new covenant/prog. dispensational, and many other kinds of calvinists. It would seem there are the 4/5 pointers like Mark Driscoll, Charismatic like Sovereign Grace, Christian Hedonist like John Piper (overlap with the charismatic crowd), traditional like the Presbytarian/URC crowd, Baptist Reformed and so so. So, how will that affect the evangelical landscape? More so, what will we do about it? I hope that this page will serve as a place to deal with those issues. Not just with how we will react to the world right now, but how we will carry on the reformed tradition into the 21st century.

James Cohen said:

In response to the OP, "So what does that really mean?" I'm not sure it's particularly significant. Is it? It seems like those books are just reactions to a movement that's generally young (though MacLaren or Bell gets the older crowd as well). So is that all "young and reformed" is about? A rejection of emergent theology in favor of reformed? The older reformed crowd should be facing the same issue...

So...is it just that the younger crowd deals with others in the same age range and so...well, I dunno any issues that are specific to youngins that can't apply to anybody else, so... what's special about being "young and reformed"?