And lest we forget emergent…

I’ve been doing a good amount of ranting about false dichotomies and wanting a third choice, and so on, lately. I want to draw attention to this post by Mark Van Steenwyk that reminds us Emergent types that we have our own tendencies that it is wise to keep in our minds.

We should be careful not to draw lines in the sand – even if “they” drew it first. We should always be VERY careful when we use us versus them language – especially within the Body of Christ.

I’m guilty of this.

The emerging church as a whole can be guilty of this and the other points, just like the underground church was guilty before it, and continues to be guilty. I’m sure every other significant change in theology has struggled with this, and humanity is not any better at it than it has been in the past.

The other points in this post all fit various people at various times. I don’t think any of them fit all of us at all times, and don’t think they were intended be seen as such. But in looking for a third way, or a higher way, or a both/and way, or even a neither way, it’s essential to do it with the best possible heart.

We as the church humanity are not good at being told that whatever we were doing or thinking or believing isn’t what we should be doing or thinking or believing anymore. We who want to do the telling have to remember that when someone else tells us, we may not be good at it either. I believe that God is always changing the ways he interacts with humanity. His character is always consistent, but the ways he does things is always changing. There are people who grasp that, and have a passion for being wherever he is. I want to be one of those people.

• 15 Oct 2007
• Comments 0
• Posted In emergent, emerging church, spirituality, theology