emerging mosaic

Recently person whose  church hired an African American pastor to ”help” them reach out to diverse community was distressed to learn that the pastor was frustrated by the lack of awareness in the mostly white church about what was happening in Jena. There was a a real question as to how to get the members of this church to become more racially sensitive. It was as if the church had done it duty by hiring a black pastor now it was the pastor job to get those folks to church.

This situation is another example of why I think that racism and racial reconciliation needs to be a front burner conversation for every church and every Christian, Though few churches are talking about the problem of race in America there are a few Christians who are beginning to take the risk.

9 marks ejournal the starts by asking some BIG questions

Let me ask my fellow white readers a question: do you think of yourself as “white”? If not, may I suggest that you are racially insensitive?

Now a question for any African American readers: to what extent does “blackness” define the way you think of yourself? To whatever extent it does, may I suggest that your thinking is impeding reconciliation?

And a question for any Asian or Hispanic readers: to what extent does race shape your identity? If it doesn’t, is that because of acculturation, assimilation, or alienation?

To some degree the questions miss the point that racism is about power and privilege and race is just a construct for pursuing those things. But at least the are asking the questions.

 Here are responses form some  pastors and theologians

Ed Stetzer author of Planting New Churches in a Post modern age chimes in his blog.

We found that race matters in scripture. Even though few Anglo churches seem to notice, Scripture frequently demonstrates God’s concern for race and ethnicity.

Luke illustrates the coming of the Spirit with diverse expressions of tongues (Acts 2), even identifying the languages being spoken. And a glimpse of eternity in Revelation shows that men and women from every tongue, tribe, and nation make up the choir of eternal praise (Rev. 7:9). If the writers of Scripture take notice of ethnicity, so should we.

Here are some responses to  his  post from people who I assume are Christ followers

Could someone please define “racism” and “diversity” for me?

Maybe I live in a bubble, but I do not see the race problem. I am 27, and attend a predominantly white church

Maybe we do decide to change our worship style, dress, etc. Maybe we allow our minority church members to help plan so we have a style that reflects the diversity in our community. Maybe we intentionally plant gospel preaching churches in unreached areas in our community with ethnic and racial segments that are not being reached.

I have formed a long range partnership with a small African American church in a community that needs help. We are constantly partnering with that church and a nearby community center to minister to the people in that community.

It ranges from the ridiculous to the same ole same ole white hero on riding in to save those “black” folks. This is why race matters in this conversation about what the church is to be do and become.

 

 

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While browsing over the Christianity/emerging church category over at wordpress.com I came across this "gem".  Thanks to Fajita blog for the lead

No suits, no ties, no Sunday shoes. I told one of the ushers that he needed to show more respect in the Lord’s house. That this was a church, not the mall. Then he sassed me. Talked about how he wasn’t ‘at church, he is the church’. I was like, ‘Oh, okay. I must have mistaken that steeple on your head for a plastic mesh trucker cap, Cooter.’ Lord forgive me."

Despite their disclaimer I there is a real disconnect in terms of what some black and white folks consider to be church. I’ve seen it in our own church. So is this connecting with anyone in the African American community. Is there another path or should we all just chug the koolaid from one camp or the other?

go read the whole article The Holy Observer: Frightened Black Family Flees Pomo Church

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I’ve been asking myself this question for  a while now. Steve argue posted his impressions of Randall Jelks talk at Calvin College’s January series prompted these thoughts.

He quotes Jelks

I am not free if my sister is not free.
I am not free if my brother is not free.
I am not free if my neighbor is not free

I’ll borrow a page from that Jelks’ book African Americans in the Furniture City: The Struggle for Civil Rights in Grand Rapids and say this;

• the emerging church cannot emerge if it doesn’t see confronting the issue of racism and racial reconciliation as an central to its mission.
• the emerging church cannot emerge until it engages God’s mandate to "practice Pentecost" (see Anthony Smith)
• the emerging church cannot emerge until it is actively pursuing the spiritual practice racial reconciliation.
  

racial reconciliation as missional value

One of the values of the emerging church ( as posited by emergent) is to practice the way of Jesus. Jesus started his ministry with a declaration of his mission to bring justice and relief from oppression.(Luke 4:18-19Luke 4:18-19
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
18 . “The Lord's Spirit has come to me, because he has chosen me to tell the good news to the poor. The Lord has sent me to announce freedom for prisoners, to give sight to the blind, to free everyone who suffers, ¹⁹ and to say, ‘This is the year the Lord has chosen.’ ”

racial reconciliation as biblical imperative

This makes me think that the emerging church will really begin to emerge when we act on the patterns of Jesus and we "do life together" in a ways that gives social justice, inclusion and praxis as much play as theology & epistemology.

racial reconciliation as spiritual practice

I’m not judging the emerging church, emergent or anyone connected with it. But I do yearn for something more from the emerging church. I think as a community we need to pursue racial reconciliation as spiritual practice. To quote Thurman

Community cannot for long feed on itself; it can only flourish with the coming of others from beyond, their unknown and undiscovered brothers. The Search for Common Ground

We can start by broadening the theological framework to include non European theological contributions. We can pursue intentional trans racial relationships in the conversation. We can organize emerging church events which focus and providing opportunities for these kinds of relationship to develop. We can listen not defensively but humbly to each other stories paying close attention to the post-colonial story. We need to act not talk just about inclusion.Then we might emerge into the image painted in this poem.

If I knew you  and you knew me,
And of each of us could clearly see
By the inner light divine,
The meaning of your life and mine,
I am sure that we would differ less,
And clasp our hands in  friendliness
If I knew you and you knew me

At Church Next Sunday (author unknown)

Its like this "no praxis no peace." If we don’t have a generous orthopraxis then we can really have peace in the church, emerging or not.

What do you think? take the poll

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My previous post on faith like jazz sparked some interest and comments so I thought I’d keep fleshing this out. As the wise one Q says in Ecclesiastes. There is nothing new under the sun so it was exciting to see others working out this concept. Here’s what some other people are doing with the concept.

from blue like jazz

And jazz is this very real - free flowing music that is created as you go . . . Jazz is passionate, raw and honest - and as a musician playing jazz . . . you see the music as something to be explored - never knowing exactly what may be coming next - but confident that the music itself is a passageway to a treasure chest of even richer melodies, rhythms and harmonies . . .

A true jazz musician doesn’t think so much about what he’s playing . . . but he feels it first . . . in the very center of his being . . . and the music (the expression) flows out of that center - and true jazz is improvisational (often made up as you go) - each musician taking his cue from the musician before . . . and so creating the music together with one another . . . . . so jazz is this . . . amazing melody, that with each moment the song is played, - step by step - line by line . . . the music becomes more complete . . .

Here a quote from Juan Williams’ book  This Far by faith

It comes from an old gospel song and suggests the idea that faith has been essential to the African American religious experience in a unique way. For a variety of reasons, black Americans had to rely first and foremost on the notion of faith in God, that they had a personal relationship with God outside of any church. To me, the miracle of the African American Christian experience is the idea that the slave master introduces Christianity to the slave, but the slave reinterprets this faith and recasts it as a vehicle for liberation and social protest. You speak of black Christianity as being almost jazz-like in its expression. Jazz is an authentic American art form that includes elements of both African and white American musical traditions, but it was formed and given birth by black musicians. It’s a response to having been denied training in other classical forms of music, and having limited opportunities and places where black musicians could practice their craft. They created this new art form that gives them full expression, and it ended up being a gift to the world. I think of African American religion in the same way. You have people being denied opportunities, denied education in terms of being able to read and study the Bible, denied the ability to practice leadership in the white church, and so they create this authentic American entity called the black church. Despite the dehumanizing force of slavery and segregation, these men and women were fully

Over a the image journal forum was this quote from a post about faith and music

True faith is genuine freedom because you trust in Someone outside of yourself. Improvising is freedom within order where you trust that the rules of the music will take you somewhere as you use them creatively and wisely as a jazz artist.

Also, one must trust those engaged in the same musical adventure as musicians. There is the fragile interplay that comes from listening to each other in the moment, responding, pushing the envelope, and challenging each other to go beyond what is safe and comfortable, but together in unity.

Faith in Christ is like that. If we let him, he calls us to the new, the challenging and the freeing, but in unity with him.

Faith and jazz can learn from each other.

Chris Morris who is a pianist and Christian has a great example of improvisation on a theme based the hymn Holy Holy  It is released under the creative commons license so you can download for free and share as long as you attribute to the author.

Here’s quote from a sermon by Dean Angell at Lakewood Church

In fact the more you know about jazz and what it’s about - I believe the more you’ll be able to understand faith . . . because faith to . . . . . . is meant to be . . .

Free - Flowing - Passionate - Raw and Honest . . . something that is felt deeply to the center of who you are . . . and like jazz, God designed faith one step at a time - improvisational if you will

You can download the audio mp3 here or read the text here.

The jazz theologian has this to say about jazz and faith

Jazz and the African-American experience are not just about emergence but also convergence.

What would a jazz approach to theology look like? What about the current emergent church conversation…is emerging enough?

So maybe faith like jazz can redeem this conversation about faith and life we are in. Can faith like jazz help us shape a more dynamic, creative, expressive and inclusive expression of our historic faith?

If so here are some questions to ponder. What role does a pastor play? Band leader band member? Which standards do we all need to know? How do we use our “fake book” the Bible? What new songs will be composed?  What form will the group take?

what say you?

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