The Enemy of a Movement Part 1

The enemies of the future movements were the ones who usually started the last movement.

Movements are by nature hard to understand. There was a book by Malcom Gladwell that tried to explain movements. This book "The Tipping Point" was a great study on the history of movements. Even though we have head knowledge about this, we cringe when ground breaking ideas come to the surface. Movements do not have kinks worked out, they are hard to explain and "doctorinize," and usually challenge our emotional ties to the way we do things. That is why you usually have two types of enemies against movements: Those who feel, think and believe why they are wrong, and then you have those who cannot logically or theologically turn it into a doctrine.

When I see new ideas or models being used that are "out of the box," I usually stop and ask questions. I will say that I am a very pragmatic person, meaning that I wonder, "Is this the BEST way to accomplish the goal?" I try to put aside what I have been taught, what I feel and any personal offenses.

The last 100 years has been a year of movements, especially in the Christian Church.
Example:
1906- Azusa Street Revival: Mainline, Evangelical Denominations called it "demonic," "non-biblical" and ex-communicated these people. Pentecostal/Charismatic churches are the fasted growing world wide, especially in missions.

1920's- Educational Institutions: Some major Christian and Ministerial Institutions were founded. Preachers who were not educated actually taught that it was unbiblical to go to these institutions. We now have Oral Roberts Univ., Southeastern, Liberty Univ., Emmanuel College, Southwestern Christian University., Fuller Theological, and the list goes on.
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