Yesterday I attended an evening discussion on the emerging church, put on by a little Baptist Bible college in my neighborhood. It was really helpful to me. The two presenters were a professor from the college (Dave Lambertson) and a local pastor (Angel Silva) who considers himself a part of the emerging church movement (his church is part of the Acts 29 network).
Anyway, one of the memorable lines from Angel: "The beautiful train-wreck that is the church." Sometimes its easy to focus on the train-wreck, but only God can make a train-wreck beautiful. Really it defies the imagination of men, how this thing we call church can work at all, considering how messed up we all are. But beautiful He will make it, and is doing so even now.
Angel also said that the early leaders in the movement recognized the need to overcome "the hyperactivity of late 20th century worship practices." Man, that one hits home for me.
One more: "The Bible is not a databook from which to mine propositions about God, but a narrative in which we the readers are meant to find ourselves."
This brief evening was one of the most informative and interesting I've had in a church in a long time.
4 comments:
Those are big words, "This brief evening was one of the most informative and interesting I've had in a church in a long time."
Wow! Thanks for sharing some highlights.
Did you come away with any new thoughts, concerns or questions about the emerging church (the good, the bad, or the ugly? About missional?
I must confess when I see the term 'emerging' I turn in the other direction.
You are much more open than I in embracing or at least discovering what it is all about.
Gee, how closeminded am I?
I do not doubt there is some truth in the 'dialog' however.
BTW are you familiar with the author of The Shack and his denial of the essential Christian doctrine of the atonement? FRightening that so many christians love his book and can not see past the emotion into the deeper truths of the deception of the doctrine inherent in it.
AGain, how narrow I have become!!!!
I know what you mean, Lois. But there's some value to their critique of the modern church and some among them are doing very good work. They come in every doctrinal stripe. I'll be writing more on the subject in the future I think.
Oh yes, The Shack. Haven't read it, and it doesn't seem all that interesting to me. I
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