Some Initial Thoughts

Below are some initial thoughts that I hope will eventually become a full blog post. They come in response to this article on the emergent church. Jeanine, her sister, and I have all posted there. Here are some of my initial thoughts and responses:

1) The emergent church (Emergent Village, various authors who I will for now leave unnamed, etc) seems to be a response to the institutional church in many regards; however, the main proponents, authors, and leaders are Western, middle to upper middle class men and women. For me, this is a bit frustrating. Where are the other voices and how are these other voices influencing the conversation regarding change in the Church?

2) Phyllis Tickle has remarked that Emergence Christianity of the 20th and 21st centuries is similar to the Protestant Reformation in that there are various manifestations. In her own words, " Emergent Christianity is one-but only one- portion or presentation of Emergence Christianity. Emerging is another, so is Missional Church, so is new-monasticism, so is Fresh Expressions etc., etc. Protestantism was never limited to a Baptist pov or a Lutheran one or a Presbyterian one etc., etc. Nor did all those component parts within Protestantism follow the same precise maturation patterns. Neither will the components of Emergence Christianity." I am concerned that, just as those within the Protestant Reformation, in most if not all ways, failed to speak out against the atrocities of colonialism in all its respects, so Emergence Christianity will fail to speak out, in any significant way, in regard to the atrocities that continue in regard to neo-colonialism, imperialism, and the Western approach for domination in all areas of the world. The reason for this? It would appear that those in emergent simply navel gaze and fail to see beyond the own purview of their own worldview or their own conversations regarding what they and their fellow emergent(ers) are doing and are involved in. Again, if we are seeking change in the church, why do the majority of the conversations seem to happen between those who share the same worldview? Where are the voices of those who do not share that worldview?

3) How can one hope to remodel the structure of the church if they are simply moving the proverbial furniture from one room to another? To quote Audre Lorde, "The master's tools will never dismantle the master's house." If the emergent folk (along with missional, new monastic, etc.) hope to bring lasting transformation, then they must look beyond their own Western, philosophical worldview. The best way to do so is to both offer room at the table for those with a differing worldview as well as offer concrete recognition to the worth of what they have to offer.