They assert that when America was a young nation, the [[clergy]] were often the most highly educated members of the community. The congregation looked up to them and respected their intellectual expertise. They argue that it is imperative for seminaries today to broaden the education of pastors to include courses on intellectual history, training future pastors to critique the currently dominant anti-Christian ideologies, and that [[pastor]]s must once again provide intellectual leadership for their congregations, teaching apologetics from the pulpit, instructing the congregation in ways to defend scripture against the major objections they are likely to encounter, and not to avoid this intellectual task ([http://www.biblehub.com/commentaries/2_corinthians/10-5.htm 2 Corinthians 10:5]). They warn that a religion that retreats to the [[Counseling|therapeutic]] realm of personal relationships and feelings will not survive in today's spiritual battlefield.
Among the groups emphasizing the primary spiritual value of relationships and feelings is the ''emerging church movement'' or Emergent Church which began in the late 20th century, which emphasizes experience, dialogue, feelings, and conversations. These are equated with the reliable inspiration of Scripture, while certitude, authority, and historical doctrine are to be avoided as divisive and spiritually harmful. The emerging church movement claims to be a Conversation instead of a Church. Seekers and all believers alike are invited to participate in the unifying, relaxed and informal setting of "the conversation", instead of worshiping in a structured institutional church which emphasizes doctrinal and dogmatic truths. In place of educationally structured Sunday School classes, they sit in large rooms for the purpose of small group gatherings for "enlightening conversations", often lit by candlelight, with the smell of incense and the ringing of bells, surrounded by statues and icons. The Bible itself is variously interpreted according to its perceived relevance or lack of relevance for each individual reader, who is encouraged to express feelings about its value without fear of censure. Leaders of the movement claim to be implementing the [[Vatican]] call for authentic [[Ecumenical movement|ecumenism]] by promoting the unity of a common spirituality.
The emerging church movement is viewed with alarm by many conservatives as a rejection of historical Christianity through exalting ''personal [[Relativism|subjectivism]]'', and combining [[perversion]]s of devotional Roman Catholicism, Orthodox mysticism and Protestant [[pietism]], with an expression of "feel-good" [[New Age]] teachings about the [[Cosmic Christ]] in place of the historical Jesus.
In the 21st century there has been a renewed resurgence of the debate over Small Groups versus Sunday Schools, a debate having roots in the 17th century (1600's) controversy over ''[[Pietism|Pietist]]'' "home churches" versus establishment churches such as the Lutheran and [[Church of England|Anglican]] Churches, and [[John Wesley]]'s technique of "''[[methodism]]''", questioning which of the two ministries is more effective in producing authentically effective Christian disciples, and assessing whether Sunday Schools are needed or even necessary or if both can exist together. Foremost among the denominations chiefly opposed to Sunday School is the independent association of the [[Autonomy|autonomous]] [[Churches of Christ]].
[http://multimedia.opusdei.org/pdf/en/work-cont_i.pdf Work and Contemplation (multimedia.opusdei.org)] ''communion with Christ without ceasing while working and teaching.''
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[http://www.theopedia.com/Emerging_Church Emerging Church (theopedia.com)]
[http://www1.cbn.com/spirituallife/the-emerging-church-explained The Emerging Church Explained (cbn.com)]
[http://forgottenword.org/marshawest.html Emergent Church Spreading Spiritual Cancer, by Marsha West (forgottenword.org)]
[http://www.cstnews.com/bm/issues-facing-christians-today-common-sense-for-today/the-emergent-church-runs-away-from-the-bible.shtml The Emergent Church Runs Away from the Bible!, by Don Boys, PhD. (cstnews.com)]
[http://forgottenword.org/marshawest.html Emergent Church Spreading Spiritual Cancer, by Marsha West (forgottenword.org)]
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