Emergent Church - Fair Shake

Recently I read two separate articles in the Treasure Valley Christian Newspaper about the Emergent Church. In each of these two articles, the subject of the Emergent Church was discussed. But in both of these articles - the Emergent Church was not given a fair shake at all.

The authors of these two articles both decried the Emergent Church Movement. Yet their reasons were completely generalized, off-base, and non-understanding. The articles listed off certain beliefs of the Emergent Church and why they were spiritually and Scripturally wrong. It explained the roles of Brian McLaren and other top leaders in the Emergent Movement and how their teachings and thoughts were completely wrong. Both articles listed out all of the reasons why the Emergent Church was incorrect and dangerous.

Yet the entire tone of these two articles was marinated in ignorance and judgment. Am I being too harsh? Probably not harsh enough. It was plain to see that the authors had pre-supposed dispositions to the Emergent Church movement gathered from prooftexting books, sermons, and blogs most likely. Their information was scarce and unrefined. They used specific small information to cast conclusions on general substances. I am sure that the articles resonated well with traditional Christians who want to hear the simple and the clean-cut. But for those of us living in reality, these articles were another example of the Church missing an opportunity to connect with those outside of its walls and demographics.

To clarify, I am not proposing that the Emergent Church is perfect. By no means. But I am propounding that the media and everyone else can at least give the Emergent Church Movement a fair shake. Here is what I am talking about.

The Emergent Church is so young that it has not been fully defined or developed. It is still changing and adapting; therefore, it is premature and unwise to state definitively something about it. Also, the Emergent Church Movement is much bigger than the leaders that supposedly started it. McLaren and others are simply a small part of the larger whole. In fact, the Emergent Church Movement is not so much a set of specific beliefs as it is a concept and a mindset. It is the concept and mindset that we need to use different means of sharing the same Message of Jesus Christ in order to reach a new generation living in a new society. There are thousands of good things coming about because of Emergent Churches and Emergent movements around the country and around the world.

Yet the articles mentioned nothing about these things. It simply took the bad theology from specific individuals that are associated with a small part of the Emergent Church. It did not give the Emergent Church a fair shake at all. The authors' attitudes, demeanor, and stance were arrogant, ignorant, and narrow.

Maybe that is why we have a Church that is trying to emerge from this...

Child's Play and Christianity

I was talking with a friend recently, and she told me an interesting story about a little boy that she nannies. The little boy's name is Michael. He is a fun, rambunctuous little boy. He loves to explore and discover. Just a classic little boy.

My friend has watched Michael for a little while now, and she has seen how he has grown up. Now that he can walk and crawl and get around a little bit, my friend has watched him travel all over the house. He explored everything and just loved discovering all that he could. But then he reached a point when he had seen everything. He had been everywhere in the house. He had played with all the toys. He had crawled in all the rooms. He had been there, done that. And now he needed something else.

I guess Michae proceeded to get into trouble by touching the things that he was not supposed to get and getting into the places that he was not supposed to get into. My friend told me that since Michael had been everywhere and done everything - now he was exploring into the places where he wasn't allowed to go and touching the things he wasn't allowed to touch.


Isn't this how we are, too?


We all have a desire to explore and discover. None of us want to be bored and predictable. We want to have fun and have adventures and stuff like that. Yet - just like Michael - we can find ourselves in a situation where we have been there and done all that already. We are bored with our surroundings, our situation, and our life, basically.

So what do we do? Just like Michael, we start to touch the things we shouldn't touch and go to the places where we shouldn't go and do the things we shouldn't do. It's the only excitement we can find. It's the only new thing that we have in our life. It's the only thing that is yet unexplored. And so out of a psuedo-desperation and need - we just get ourselves into trouble.

So what should we do then? I think a simple answer might be best. Go find something else that you haven't explored - something that is good and right - and explore it. There are so many things to do in this world and so many areas that need help and so many people who are ripe for relationship that we should never be bored enough to resort to cheap and harmful amusements. You cannot tell me that you have done every adventure available on earth and explored every type of world situation and interesting facet of God's creation. No way.

So get on out there. Explore. Discover. Enjoy. Something new.

Maybe Michael will be there, too.