Prompted by a post by Jamie over (E)mergent Voyageurs entitled ”Am I Really An Emerging Christian? – A Pre-Mature Conclusion” Jonathon Brink over at Missio Dei asks a great question. What are we emerging to? I think this is a great question, and one that I have been asking myself. But this brings up another question.
Will the Emerging Movement be an agent for positive change within the Church as a whole, or will we end up with a church that is even more divided than before?
Jonathan Says
“I would suggest that the emerging church is truly a revolution in that it is creating a full circle and coming back to the beginning. What will emerge is a more holistic discipleship process that looked much more like Jesus created. The reformation will be complete.”
And
“Will it be messy? Yes. Will some people get it wrong? Yes. But that’s already happening in the institutional model too. But it will be real. And the Chrysalis will reveal the beautiful butterfly that is His church made in His image, not our church made in ours.”
I certainly hope that is a case, but I am not as optimistic. I already see signs of division- Mark Driscoll’s recent comments on the EC, John MacArthur’s all out attack, and the list could go on. I think that so far most people on the EC side have done a great job of responding in a Christ-like manner.
But that’s the problem it seems that many have already chosen “sides”. I can already see the trenches being dug and the hand grenades being lobbed. I worry that if things continue as they have been the words Emergent & Evangelical/Protestant/ or Emergent & Catholic will be as polarizing as Protestant & Catholic, or Shiite & Sunni can be. The last thing we need is another denomination or even a whole other branch of Christianity.
Maybe the “fall to the ground and die” option is the best? I don’t pretend to know. I do think that would be better than the EC evolving into a distinct and separate entity that is just as arrogant about our not having it all figured out as the modern church is about having it all right
Thoughts??
Filed under: Christianity, Church, Emerging Church, God, Institutional Church, Missional Christianity, Questions, Theology, Thoughts, Unity in the Body of Christ, postmodernism | Tagged: , culture, emergent, Emergent Church, religion, Uncategorized
Move,
Can you share your name?
I wouldn’t place too much emphasis on the Mark Driscoll thing. Grace and I were agreeing that he began his trumpet speech with five minutes recounting his own arrogance. I think in five years he will have wished he hadn’t done that.
Also, I’m optimistic because the present church is exhausting its capacity to find the next big thing. Once it cycles through it will realize that it must return to the model of Jesus.
Jonathan,
Sure My name is Aaron Goulet.
The Mark Driscoll thing in itself may not be a big thing but he is just one in a growing number of Christians that basicaly label the Emerging Church as heretical.
I hope you are right. I think that the Ideas coming out of the Emerging Chuch can have a positive impact from within the present church. But what I worry about is “Emerging” Christians leaving the current church en mass because they are unsatisfied with their current church, instead of working from within their churches to promote change. then we would end up with a Church even more divided than before.
The emerging church is working to deal with how to live the life of an authentic Christian in our current world. The scriptures did not give the last word on each thing we encounter everyday. Yes it does have the principles to jump off that cover how to live your life but not specific scenarios. I am excited at the prospect of people in the church starting to really own their faith and live it in the world instead of being holed up in the church preaching at the world.
I am full of anger frustration and hopelessness on who call themselves “the main stream churches” because of three things
1) If the current dissatisfaction of whole world is true, then there was no satisfied church in the whole world
2) All your nice life spiritual or physical (in terms of economy medical or technology) is promoted by church and your economy is built by the expense of the undeveloped countries blood and sweat. Christ is not your sponsor you! previous churches and “church fathers “
3) No Christian world answer the suffering of your brother who prays ten times a day “Our father in Haven” or for the image of God. All are failed totally.
(If I am asked to write in my mother tong I know how I present sorry for your language English)