Conversations with An Emerging Church, part 2

part 1

Short Notes from Conversing with an Emerging Church, Biola University/Talbot School of Theology, May 13, 2005, in the order in which they were received

[disclaimer: some of the note are VERY short... sorry]

Webber

Christianity
belief
belonging
behavior

Culture
postmodern
postChristian
neo-pagan

Deweese

can embrace many themes of the emerging church:
social concern
worship
live authentically

but, nothing is new under the sun
postmodernism has not changed the nature of ministry, nor should it
postmodernism is dead and is not reconcilable with the bible

implications:
postmodernism’s rejection of truth eviscerates the gospel
it is a rejection of objective moral truth
it is a cultural fad

Bolger
church as missional incarnation

Burke
postmodernism is psychographic
ec is becoming shrink-wrapped
the web acknowledges the conversation is worldwide
modernism and postmodernism miss the point. modernism says that man is the answer and postmodernism says that there is no absolute truth.

Webber
talked about The Fourth Turning by Strauss and Howe
key idea: history follows a cycle: crisis to stability to revolution to unraveling and back to crisis
Webber says we are now in crisis

Kimball (I think)
singing and speaking are the palette of culture
the brushes are prayer and Scripture
we use video, film, visuals, photography, …make worship space expect the spiritual

Hellerman
ancient church had two foci:
robust boundaries: behavior and belief
relational solidarity: the good of the community and reliable support

he assesses ec as doing “relational solidarity” well, but doing “robust boundaries” poorly.

Burke
What’s changing?
power and control are shifting
40s literature changed
60s culture/politics changed
80s business changed
00s spirituality changed

his fear is spiritual McCarthyism

from gas lamps to electric bulbs (learning from Thomas Edison)
we’re figuring out the ?
- which absolutes keep the fire burning
- what we know about candlelight destroys light bulbs

recommendations
agree on the bottom line: light
power is shifting from heroes to humans
go skin to skin with God

Horner

ec distinctives affirmed
ecclesiological movement: community
from systemic to organic spiritual formation
missional (Acts 17)
communal, participatory worship: silence, physical, connection to history, aesthetic sensitivity

questions:
are the labels of the issues good or bad, accurate or faulty?

Webber
worship and spirituality are situated in the story of God
worship is doing, telling, and acting God’s Story with God and the subject

Edwards
to the ec: be radically, biblically creative in preaching
allow the genre of the text to influence the way it is preached

Kimball
church is a worshiping community of missional theologians

saturating a worship gathering with Scripture:
theocentric (hunger for depth and theology)
moving the preacher from the centerpiece to the cross as the centerpiece
preacher as one who encourages self-feeders
move away from the bible answer man to one who admits Christian life is messy and can say, “I don’t know’
culture of questioning and dialogue
enhance with art and visuals