A late night reflection on emerging church, power, and conversation …

Evan has a put up a reflection that starts with Phyllis Tickle, and continues by sharing his impressions of the emerging church movement, it’s effect on Christendom, power, and the Church itself.  I always enjoy talking to Evan so you might enjoy reading his post.

That said, I’m not sure I can commit to the reduction of “us versus them”.  One of the pleas of the postmodern mindset, is the idea of both or more and being careful of the idea of exclusivity.  As one who connects with the emergent church, I see it “many against us” while emergent-thinking types ask, “Why not us too?”.

Thus, I don’t see this as a fight for power.  Feel free to call me naïve.  Further, I think most who consider themselves to be emergent don’t want “power” in the traditional sense.  Influential, maybe, but only by those who want to be influenced.  Speaking for myself, I want to engage in conversation with whoever is interested in hearing my voice.  Either as a fellow child in the Lord or if one does not recognize themselves as a child of the Lord, then as whoever you’d identify me as.  Just like I am willing to listen and converse with the voices of others.  This is not universalism, and it’s only conversation and if we have such a great gospel, then let us refrain from only sharing it on our turf and terms. You can have the “power”, I just want conversation.  For the record, I have not interpreted Evan’s post to extend this far, he just got me thinking so do not read this as a rebuttal.

Back to the church context, Paul seems clear to me that we cannot all share the same convictions.  We don’t have to agree on even majority of our points.  (Certainly the essentials and I realize that we may differ on what we may identify as essential).  You don’t have to read my books either.  Frankly, I cannot see certain people reading writers like Jones, Pagitt, McLaren, (or even Bell!).  Emergent/emerging/whatever is not a new brand of evangelism but it is dialoguing with new people and some of them are people would have never stepped foot in my church.  Now, my brother Evan does not imply that he thinks this but I firmly suspect that others do.  Among the evidence is instead of brotherly discussion, many of us have been attacked, punished, and rejected as apostates.  That said, don’t try to burn my books either, just as I have never damaged a single copy of any of the Left Behind, Prayer of Jabez, or WWJD  books, bracelets, or refrigerator magnets.  For that, I think you owe me one.