Feb 05 2005
jason clark: How are you engaging with Emerging Church?
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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Do you think we are, instead of moving forward…just coming full circle?
Be Blessed,
Mike
Mike,
Actually I’m not sure we are doing either. Sometimes I think we are just retreading the same old stuff with new language for a new set of dusgrunteld people.
Andre