The odds and ends that didn’t quite make it into the letter (but are not necessarily of less value):
First, my apologies for not clearing this up from the beginning, but I do want to comment (from strictly a personal opinion) about the ways I use “emerging” and “emergent” differently than the current trend. I know that typically people are considered “emerging” if they use contemporary and postmodern styles and methods, while “emergent” typically refers to the theological ideas that I’ve talked about in my posts. I have some issues with the way these words are used and some concerns about it.
If you call yourself “emerging,” (just thinking about the word itself here) the question becomes this: from what and to what are you emerging? It’s kind of a progressive adjective, and it implies that you are emerging from something and to something. The most logical thing for a typical person to think is that the progression goes from “emerging” to “emergent”. And that’s where I have the biggest issue. What most of you probably consider “emerging” is, in my mind, a great idea. I’m all for new methodologies and being creative in reaching a postmodern generation. I just don’t want to call it “emerging.” To a non-believer, “emerging” and “emergent” will go together, and I don’t know that I really want evangelicals with good style (what few there actually are out there) to get lumped into the same category.
So, when I refer to “emerging,” I typically use it more in the progressive sense. In my mind, Emerging refers to those who may have some excellent things to teach us now, but who also have shown at least a few questionable things in my mind that could progress to Emergent. I referred to it a couple of times as “emergent-ish.” When I chose to title and tag my blog as “emerging” instead of “emergent,” I did so on purpose. Real Emergents are pretty far out there in their theology, and they have made a decision about their faith. They know what they believe already. In the back of my mind, I thought that if anyone stumbled upon my blog on accident (which some of you have clearly done), I am more interested in voicing my concerns about those who are teetering on the edge between evangelical faith and Emergent faith. These people are Emerging by my definition, and they are the ones I wanted to address.
Does that make sense? I’m with you on the new methods and creative thinking. I’m not sure anyone would disagree that it’s about time for that to happen in the church.
The second thing I didn’t get to really address in my posts is something that I just want to state in briefest terms here. I haven’t formulated a very detailed opinion worth talking about or arguing with on this, but it bears mentioning. Emergents are doing a great job at talking about social activism – taking care of the poor, working to stop injustice, loving the unlovable and destitute, etc. But, I just want to point out that that the conversation they seem to have about social activism points to social action as the definition of the Gospel message. In Emergent conversation, the Gospel = taking care of orphans, feeding the hungry, freeing slaves, etc. Those things are all well and good, and they are certainly a part of the Gospel message, but the Gospel is not equal to social action. The Gospel is (simply stated) that Jesus saves. Our salvation and relationship with Christ should certainly spur us on to be socially active and take care of the least of these, and I think we’re on track when we re-prioritize that in the church, but those things are not the Gospel. Social action not rooted in our salvation is just social action. That makes Jesus the great prophet who taught us to be socially responsible, but if social action is the definition of the gospel, it takes away the need for Jesus to be Savior. I don’t think I need to expand on that point. You get the picture. Just be careful. Social action not rooted in salvation = just another member of the Peace Corp.
Finally, some of you have asked why I decided to write these posts, and though I’ve shared somewhat briefly about that in dialogue and through emails, I thought it might be a good place to end.
I am a twenty-something evangelical. Most people I interact with on a daily basis have never even heard of the Emergent movement. They have no clue what is going on in church culture. I live in the Bible belt, and I have sometimes even questioned if the Emergent movement even stands a chance at penetrating the traditional culture here. But more and more, I see my peers and my friends ask hard questions and look for better answers. They are honestly searching. The problem, though, is that while there are a TON of young Emergent-ish people and Emergents talking about their new way of doing things, there are very few people my own age talking about the other side of the issue. Obviously, leaders in the evangelical church and in seminaries are talking about the “evils” of the Emergent church, but I haven’t found a lot of people my own age who are speaking up. I don’t think old men in suits and seminary presidents are going to be the ones jumping on board with the Emergent movement, and I don’t think that they will be the voice that really makes a difference in speaking out about it. I think it’s our responsibility – my responsibility – to speak out to my peers and friends. I want to hear their questions and offer them a better solution than a theologically jumbled Emergent movement. I want to be an opposing voice for my friends who are searching, because I have searched for myself and have found a completely different answer.
At the end of day, it’s just my blog. Very few people will ever read it. I knew that, and I know that. So really, I wrote to help articulate my own views and to use this like a scrimmage for real life. Thanks for tuning in and thanks for helping me. It’s be fun.
Jenn,
I am a friend of Carrie Hayes…that is how I found your blog. I sit with tears in my eyes, and I thank God for your courage and well expressed thoughts. I work with women age 18 to 28 in our church and on campus. I feel like I have this conversation in one form or another everyday. I have not read all the comments which I am sure have burned a bit, but I am praying for you today. I am praying that God use this post to glorify Himself and sharpen others to His Truth. I also pray that He continue to draw you to Himself…and that you rest in His grace to continue speaking and writing with courage.
Thanks for wrapping that all up Jenn. I do see what you are saying about the word emerging. It is obviously emerging from something, but I don’t know that it is fair to say it will emerge into Emergent. I see Emergent as a sect of emerging (wow this gets confusing quickly), and that emerging will emerge into something we don’t know about yet.
that said..loved the series.
Jen – Thanks. So encouraging.
Hey Tyler – Glad you enjoyed. I don’t think “Emerging” necessarily transitions into “Emergent,” but I think it could be confusing to typical church-goers and anyone who is not deeply involved in church culture. Most of the people I work with wouldn’t know the difference, and I work at a church. I’m just proposing that we should be careful with the terms because of how similar they are and so that we can create a distinct line between something methodologically contemporary and something theologically different.
jenn! i just love you and miss seeing you on Tuesday nights! and i really missed out on a lot of your blogging while i was taking my hiatus(sp.?) … really great thoughts here! thanks for seeking the Lord and being a godly young leader!
Jenn, I just want to say, I think it is great that you are speaking up and offering a different way, because it’s true, that is one of the main reasons this movement continues to have so much appeal to so many people. They are asking real questions, and almost always, it’s old men in suits that bother responding for the evangelical camp, and their response is almost always “THOSE QUESTIONS ARE DANGEROUS! YOU AREN’T ALLOWED TO ASK THEM!” And to be honest, less and less people are persuaded by these fear tactics, and more and more people just want some substance. I am always happy to adjust my thinking in light of new evidence and perspectives when they show me that I’m in the wrong. But the longer you go without being challenged or without having your questions addressed, the more you start to think maybe these people don’t know what they’re talking about, and maybe your questions reveal something that they’re missing. Anyway, I know you can be an instrument of change if you just keep speaking up, and honestly engage people. Keep it up, buddy.
Stumbled across your blog. Thanks for writing this series. It’s well done. I have been back and forth on a lot of the Emerging and Emergent issues, myself. Several years ago I heard Brian McLaren give a talk at a seminary in Portland and I was blown away. I had, at that point, never heard of him. But the things he was saying about the changing culture and the way the church hasn’t been responding and needs to respond really grabbed me. I then went on to read a New Kind of Christian and was amazed. He was speaking to me. I was certainly becoming a McLaren apologist, if not disciple. And I am so thankful to him that he wrote the two follow-up books. Because as I continued to read, it felt like he kept pushing things further and further. It reminded me of a kid who was testing his boundaries, and who kept finding that he had crossed the boundary yet, so he kept going further. By the time I was finished with the third of the trilogy, I was realizing that perhaps he was heading down a theological path that I didn’t want to follow, after all. And not just him, but a lot of his Emergent cohorts. (Still, he has had some good things to say, and it is a little bit unfortunate that he has been so vilified by too many people who don’t seem willing it admit that he’s ever said anything of any value to the church.)
While I don’t want to follow Emergent down the path they’re heading, I still do find myself often wanting something different. Not a different faith or a different understanding of God or anything like that. But I was talking last night with my wife, after our church’s Good Friday service, and I was sharing with her how much I often feel like I don’t have a place in the Church. The whole service was a giant struggle for me (which I recognize as something that is a “me problem”, not a “church problem”), as I wanted to engage with my community, but the forms used in the service were far from anything that would naturally connect with me.
I am reasonably conservative, theologically speaking. But it seems (yeah, this is about to be a major generalization) like the more theologically conservative churches end up completely “back-burner-ing” most social issues. Beyond that, the forms most often used in conservative worship gatherings don’t speak my “worship language”, if that makes any sense. At the same time, more liberal churches have developed a theology that is outside the bounds of Scripture. And that matters way too much. But then it seem to be true that many of the more liberal churches are using forms of worship that do connect with my generation. It also seems like the more theologically conservative churches tend to be too concerned about outward appearances, while it also seems that the more theologically liberal churches tend to be not concerned enough with inward regeneration.
Anyway, I really just wanted to say I appreciated your posts. I have lots and lots more things I’d like to say in interacting with the things you’ve written, but I’ll let that all be enough for now. Thanks for being balanced and charitable to your brothers and sisters, as it seems wayyyyy too many people who critique anything in the Emergent or Emerging category see those people as wolves in sheeps clothing, when the reality is that they do love Jesus, and they are just trying to figure out what it looks like to lead people in knowing Him better in an ever-changing culture. Yep, many have gone too far and compromised the gospel (to some degree or another) in their efforts. But that doesn’t make them wolves. That just makes them wrong and in need of loving correction by people who have taken the time to listen, to understand, and to affirm where affirmation is necessary and correct where correction is necessary. Thanks for being that kind of person.
[...] week I had a link to a great blog on the emerging church. Here are parts 2 and 3 of her letter to the emerging church. Great [...]
Thanks, Ryan. Good response. I’m with you.
It’s so hard to reconcile the necessity of a Biblical foundation with the relevance necessary to reach a culture. Almost everything in me wants to say that the answer must be somewhere in the middle of the two extremes – in finding the balance between those two things, in settling in somewhere halfway. And then I go back to Scripture where I see repeated pictures of God’s calling people to live in abandon, in extremes, in contrast to everything they’ve ever known. When I see those things, something inside just screams at me like we just haven’t gotten it yet…not on either side of the argument. So, I just keep on living the questions…with the Word as my guide and culture as my companion.