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Basic Definitions :: Emerging Church Conversation
B.A.:
John and Scot,
Today I was discussing the recent posts on my blogs with a friend. He asked an obvious question that I stumbled to give a simple, succinct answer to. He asked, "What is the emerging church?"
How would you answer this question to someone who has no prior experience with the emerging church and in general is pretty far removed from these types of conversations? In general, think of this person are your typical man on the street that is interested in what you are involved in and the discussions you are having. How would you explain this "conversation" and the emerging church?
Or, am I approaching this in the wrong way? Am I bringing my modernist approach to the table again in the way I am trying to answer the question in some sort of definition kind of form?
David and Jeff,
How would you have answered this question for a co-worker? How about someone who is mildly exposed to various groups within the church? Any other audience you may encounter?
Scot:
Emerging Churches are communities who practice the way of Jesus within postmodern cultures.
The nine (9) core practices are:
1. Identifying with Jesus (and his way of life)2. Transforming secular space (overcoming the secular/sacred split)
3. Living as community (not strangers in proximity at a church service)
4. Welcoming the stranger (radical and gentle hospitality that is inclusive)
5. Serving with generosity (not serving the institution called "church," but people)
6. Participating as producers (not widgets in the church program)
7. Creating as created beings (this is a great chapter!)
8. Leading as a body (beyond control and the CEO model of leadership)
9. Merging ancient and contemporary spiritualities.
From Gibbs/Bolger.
Scot's outline is a wonderful summary of EC values. I wouldn't use exactly those words to describe what I percieve EC to be about to my evangelical friends, who would need some of the lingo unpacked. I'd probably say this: at its best, the EC is about authenticity. The EC asks, can I strip away the extraneous cultural practices and assumptions that have grown around western Christianity, particularly American evangelical Christianity, and live as follower of Jesus, creatively, openly and passionately. To my more theologically minded evangelical friends, I'd say this: the theologians of the EC are asking "how do we construct authentically Christian theology without placing inordinate faith in the epistemological foundationalism of the rationalist west?"
I'd also acknowledge some concerns my evengelical friends undoubtedly would have: yes, it does seem that some within the EC conversation sometimes want to throw babies out with bathwater. When you strip layers of old paint off of a house, every now and then you chip the wood. There are some serious efforts to address these concerns by theologians like Grenz, Franke and Newbiggin, with varying degrees of success. To take in the whole movement, you need to understand that there are threads of philosophy/vision, praxis, and theology coming from different sources that need to be woven together.
Jeff:
You zinged me with this question. I literally had just clicked send on an email which included my brief description to a friend of what I perceive to be the EC.
I am sure to get in hot water with my simplistic answer after seeing Scot's expansive nine-point answer and David's response :-) But here is what I said to my friend who knows nothing about the EC. He is an erstwhile Catholic who has seemingly checked out of Christianity altogether.
Here is the cut and paste:
"The emergent church is a relatively new development in evangelical circles. It is a reactionary movement to traditional (modernist) evangelical Christianity. I actually think you would be very warm toward the emergent church. They are very nice people and are less interested in propositional truth and more interested in imitating Christ through caring for one another."
