emerging mosaic

It finally had to happen I guess. I’ve just felt to often that the values I embraced for living the faith and I thought I saw in the emergent conversation have not materialized in reality. So I finally have to admit (not that anyone cares) I’m post emergent. Why? Here are five reasons.

1. The conversation still looks to much like the old conversation, white, male and academic. The dominant culture still dominates.
2. The values behind the conversation aren’t readily expressed in actions. No generous orthopraxis to go with the generous orthodoxy. (see my previous post)
3. The lexicon of the white European theological framework which still dominates. There is very little inclusion of black theologians and the theological framework of people of color. People of color seem to be included in the conversation only if they are willing to use this language and framework. It seems we all need to read NT Wright in order to have any credibility.
4. Talk, talk and more talk. My experience is we love to talk about this stuff but other than retro worship stuff we don’t get around to acting on it. Even so talk about diversity has never come to the fore. I want to be the church and act like the church not just talk like the church.
5. Ultimately its about relationships and I have made some good ones which go beyond the whole emergent (non movement) thing. So I’ll go about the spiritual practice of reconciliation through relationships with my brothers and sisters and leave emergent tag to others.

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North United church, the church  I grew up in on the island of Jamaica burned to the ground on Tues. It seems the fire was started by a bad electrical transformer owned by the utility company.

  It makes our planned mission trip to Jamaica this summer even more important.

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Recently the Emergent West Michigan cohort asked me to talk about racial reconciliation I’ve been encouraging folks to read the writings of Howard Thurman as a way to broaden their theological framework, a couple have followed through. Thurman was a man before his time. In 1944 Thurman left his position as dean at Howard University to co-found the first fully integrated, multi-cultural church in the U.S. in San Francisco, CA. Thurman is the only writer theologian I am aware of who writes about reconciliation as a spiritual discipline. If there are others out there please let me know. Here’s a quote from his book Disciplines of the Spirit.

"The concern for reconciliation finds expression in the simple human desire to understand others and be understood by others." This is the miracle. One person standing in his own place, penetrates deeply in to the life of another in a manner that makes possible an ingathering within that other life…

So  in March I’ll be sharing my thoughts on Towards a Generous Orthopraxis here’s a brief summary of my intent. A few years ago pastor, theologian and author, Brian McLaren challenged us to broaden our thinking about what it means to be a follower of Jesus in his book Generous Orthodoxy. Using the writings of theologian and author Howard Thurman (Jesus and the disinherited, Disciplines of the Spirit) I will challenge us to broaden our way, acting on patterns of life that Jesus lived and taught as we move Towards a Generous Orthopraxis. Specifically what does it mean to "rehearse" Pentecost through the spiritual practice of reconciliation?

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This always seems to happen despite my best  efforts. I seem to have a season of blogging intensely then life & ministry take precedence over blog chatter. But there is a time a season for everything under heaven.

So its blogging time!

Be forewarned I’ve been thinking (that’s dangerous) so stuff been building up so it you easily offended then maybe now is a good time to move on I’ve got stuff to get off my chest…

nuff respect

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