Another letter about the CN's

Greetings, Friends.

I am writing because I noticed that some parishioners and friends of mine have recently joined a group on Facebook called “Concerned Nazarenes” (“CNs” for short). I have been following this group – noting their message and their methods – for over a year now as they wage a misguided war on “emergent church theologies and teachings that are coming into the Nazarene church and our universities,” a claim that is overblown and based largely on ignorance, misunderstanding, and fear. I wonder if perhaps over 200 folks have joined the CNs Facebook group without a true understanding of its history, leadership, message and tactics. If so, I would like to help by filling in some facts and additional context, in light of which they might reconsider their affiliation with this group, and so those of you who haven't joined the group might avoid any affiliation altogether.

* The CNs are being driven primarily by a man who has only been a member of a Nazarene church for about 2 years; he has no biblical or theological training; he has demonstrated a pattern of chronic trouble-making and antagonism in his previous churches; yet he is a self-appointed watchdog and heresy-hunter for our entire denomination. Sadly, there are also a few faithful, well-intentioned Nazarenes who have been sucked into this effort only to find their own reputations compromised or even ruined.

* The CNs have published materials (in print and online) attacking godly, well-respected leaders in our church. They have slandered: our General Superintendents (GSs); our seminary president Ron Benefiel, who was considered for GS at our General Assembly this summer; our Nazarene Theological Seminary, where we send pastors to be trained for ministry, and most of our other Nazarene institutions of higher education; our Nazarene university presidents like Dan Boone, who has served our denomination faithfully as a pastor, teacher and now president of Trevecca; and many other noteworthy pastors and religion professors in the denomination. Their accusations are ridiculous, and have been repeatedly discredited, yet the CNs persist in these evil smear tactics.

* The Fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) are completely absent from the literature and rhetoric of the CNs, which leads one to conclude that another spirit, not the Holy Spirit of God, is at work in their efforts. Again, I have been watching this unfold for over a year, but if you don’t want to take my word for it, browse their materials, where they speak of the “spiritual demise” of our denomination, and invite others to “join the fight to throw the bums out before the Lord pours His wrath upon our denomination” – “bums” like Dan Boone and Jon Middendorf, pastor of Oklahoma City First Nazarene (and son of one of our GSs). Their message is angry, bitter, judgmental, divisive, arrogant, ugly, paranoid and based on fear. They have even stated that they don’t care about church unity – so they are acting against Jesus’ prayer that His followers might be ONE (John 17:21).

* The CNs showed up at General Assembly (GA) with no other purpose than to create problems at a gathering that should be all about unity. They hired non-Nazarenes (and even some non-Christians!) to participate in their mud-slinging, carrying signs and passing out pamphlets and DVDs on the sidewalks outside the convention center, without approval from the denomination or even alerting them. Having failed to gain any support from well-respected Nazarene leaders, they turned to para-church figures outside the Church of the Nazarene to speak on behalf of their cause. (Thankfully, from the reports of everyone I’ve spoken to who was there, their efforts at GA were largely ignored.)

* Not only are these para-church speakers not Nazarenes - which doesn't discredit them, but they are not particularly "invested" in our denomination - it seems they don’t care about the Church of the Nazarene at all. They are taking advantage of our church for their own profit. Their ministries, which are independent and not accountable to any church, are suffering right now because of the economy, so they are rushing to wherever they see sparks flying with a can of gasoline to try and turn it into a blaze. I find this incredibly offensive.

Sadly, I could go on and on, but I don’t want to waste any more time on this than I already have, and I don’t want you to either. I am confident that this very small but very vocal group will eventually just fizzle out and go away as they continue to be ignored. But in the meantime, as they continue their assault on our Church and seek to undermine our unity and our mission, I will do everything I can to ensure that their divisive message and their satanic methods do not infect our church any further, and our Xenia Naz family in particular. My intention is not to disparage the individuals involved in this group, who may have the best of intentions, but to shed light on the darkness and nastiness of the CNs and discourage my Nazarenes brothers and sisters from buying into this cancerous effort.

Not simply as a Pastor, but as a brother in Christ, I encourage you to avoid and/or sever any connection to this group. Please do not be a “Concerned Nazarene” – what they have come to represent within our denomination is something you do not want to be part of, I promise you. Instead, be a hopeful, optimistic, joy-filled Nazarene, who believes that Christ is the Head of His Body the Church, and that He will continue to lead us in the fulfillment of the work the Father has called us to do! If you have real concerns, I assure you that the doors (and inboxes and phone lines) of your pastoral staff are always open; we want to foster a culture of openness within Xenia Naz, where real concerns are expressed and discussed and taken seriously. But let’s commit to addressing our concerns and conflicts according to the Bible’s clear instructions: by approaching one another in person, with love and grace and unity, and seeking reconciliation.

In closing, let me extend an invitation. This whole “emergent/emerging” church issue is one of the most controversial but least understood subjects being discussed in our churches right now, along with some accompanying themes like “postmodernism,” “contemplative spirituality” and “mysticism,” and so on. While I have never had any association with any church or ministry that would be described as “emergent,” I have been following the discussion surrounding “emergent” for several years, on both sides of the debate. I am by no means an expert on or a spokesperson for the “emergent movement” (if it can even rightly be called a movement), but I think I can discuss this issue with a reasonable degree of competence and fairness. So if anyone is troubled by what they have heard about this whole emergent thing, I do invite your questions and am happy to discuss any of this further with anyone who might be interested.

In the peace of Christ,

Pastor Brannon Hancock
brannonhancock at xenianaz.org

mobile: 937-510-7807