emerging mosaic

Jason Clark has posed an interesting question about the range of engagement in what is called the emerging church. I have to say that using his diagram mosaic life church and i am somewhere between c & d. i am intentional about decontructing some of western modernist garbly gook that we mistakenly call Christianity and encouraging people to take a serious look at the teaching of Jesus is scripture and not just by into modern interpretations of Paul writing as the basis of faith and life.

However I don’t feel that we need to leave everything behind. to me being a part of the emergent church is about renewing, reforming, and refreshing. we need to be constantly renewing our relationship with god not and not see god only through the existing doctrinal statements. We need to be constantly reformed by the spirit of God so we can see what god is doing in our world and how God is calling us to join in. we need to refresh our methods and separate from function realizing the forms themselves have not inherit power apart from God and the way they are used by God to fulfill God’s purpose. As one theologian Thelieke says the gospel most constantly be readdressed in each generation and time or it will not reach its intended address.

One of my beefs with some who are a part of the emergent conversation is they seems stuck in the A quadrant of Jason’s scheme. Lots of de-construction but no new media or forms. Or in many cases a return to forms of old forms (using hymns and liturgies) not ancient forms that tend to else the forms used in non-western Christian settings.

at any rate I think Jason has raised an important topic of conversation.

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Thanks to DJ chuang for highlighting an exceptional article on the subject by Tim Keller of Redeemer Pres in NYC

Keller shares the importance of understanding the gospel as a third way in contrast to the religiousn and irreligious messages that surrounds us. Good stuff from a guy who is practicing what he preaches.

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About six years ago I started preaching every February about the spiritual and emotional issues raised in songs nominated for song of the year a the Grammy awards. this year is the first year to do it with mosaic life and there is just so much to explore. Jesus walks by kanye west if I ain’t got you Alcia keys, the reason hoobastank, and heaven Los lonely boys.

kanye west’s is up first. he straight up calls the church out for not speaking Jesus to the world and being the presence of god to the lest of these

I ain’t here to argue about his facial features
Or here to convert atheists into believers
I’m just trying to say the way school need teachers
The way Kathy Lee needed Regis that’s the way I need Jesus

and and hip-hop world for being hypocrites for rapping about any and everything but God.

So here go my single dawg radio needs this
They say you can rap-about-anything except for Jesus
That means guns, sex, lies, video tapes
But if I talk about God my record won’t get played, Huh?
Well let this take away from my spins
Which will probably take away from my ends
Then I hope it take away from my sins
And bring the day that I’m dreamin bout
Next time I’m in the club everybody screamin out
(Jesus Walks)
it begs the questions who did Jesus walk with? and who does he walk with today?

stay tuned

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last fall when i read Brian maclaren’s book generous orthodoxy i was particularly taken by his chapter the seven Jesus’ I’ve known. it really got me thinking about Jesus and the way that we, i interpret him. is Jesus our understanding of Jesus completely culturally conditioned?

then i found a book simply titled Jesus catchy isn’t it. anyway it featured reflections (mostly excerpts from their books) by max lucado, Sheila Walsh, billy graham and Charles Swindoll (yea not exactly the emergent crowd) on the many ways we experience Jesus. that got me thinking about the various images of Jesus in the scripture and culture. right after that i discovered a series on beliefnet.com called in search of Jesus essays by Jesus scholars on the various ways we interpret Jesus. i knew i had to share this stuff.

so for the last four week I’ve been exploring (investigating) with the folks of mosaic life images of Jesus in scripture. we’ve explored Jesus as lord, peacemaker, fighter and healer. pretty interesting to me that Jesus could be all of those things. but in each case he turned the conventional wisdom on its head. he was a servant lord, claimed peace in the middle of trial, fight for things that are not of this world and offers healing for the “unhealable”. as Len sweet says in this book following Jesus could drive you crazy. he is just so different and unconventional and not caught up in the stuff we human being get caught up in.

following him calls me to a unconventional lifestyle of serving others and living beyond myself, being courageous enough to seek peace in the middle of turmoil, being willing to fight for kingdom values, and surrendering my whole life to his healing power.

what a ride! the journey continues this week as i shift to looking at the images of Jesus in pop culture particularly music. I’ll be exploring Jesus images in four Grammy nominated songs by Kanye West, Alicia Keys, Hoobastank and Los Lonely Boys.

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just when i thought i would have more time for blogging life did it again. life caught me in the tyranny of the urgent. sick friends, unexpected responsibilities and poof there goes the time. oh well

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