Today I posted the section of the emerging church paper detailing what I think are good things within the movement.
I have already asked (and received) from David Wayne at Jollyblogger his list of benefits - although I am hoping for more from him.
Now I am trying to provoke my friend Darryl Dash to do the same - even though it is Easter week and we are all busy! (If it is too much for this week - I will let you have to the 21st Darryl! After that I am going to send over a couple of guys from the church...)
What I am really trying to find out from those who know better than me, is what specific things emergent alone has to offer the church at large. I think this is a very worthy question. If there are none, then we might as well just move on. If there are some, then we all need to know them. If there are only a few, then let's own them and press on. If there are hundreds, then let's stop and re-think everything we are doing.
And there is no point in vagueries. We need to know specifically, what are we missing that emergent has to offer?
(Are you allowed to publicly call on your friends to answer your questions like this?)
Maybe if I misquote Darryl he'll respond. I once said to him that I wanted the people in my church to get it into their heads that evangelism isn't a matter of inviting people to church, but of taking the Gospel to them wherever God, in His providence put them. "The church", I said, "is not where evangelism takes place, it is where the evangelists are prepared." Darryl replied "Ken, you are emergent". So he was telling me that emergents want to get out of the building and into the world - stop with the fortress mentality. Shoot, I just thought that was basic biblical christianity - but if they want to claim it let them - it is one the good things, no?
ReplyDeleteI accept the challenge! I am starting to think.
ReplyDeleteLeave it to Ken to try misquote me. Good thing I'm preaching at Thistletown in a few weeks. Maybe I can return the favor. ;)
Hey Ken: I'm all for getting the gospel out of our buildings. But evangelism does take place in the context of the church building. Who today in his right mind would assume that everyone who turns up to a so-called "evangelical" church service is right with God and regenerate? So we need to do evangelism in church and out of church. Seems I've heard something like that before...!
ReplyDeleteDr. Haykin:
ReplyDeleteI agree that evangelism can take place in a church building.
Maybe the issue is this: evangelism isn't about attracting unbelievers to church services. Many North American believers think that getting unbelievers to church is their primary evangelistic responsibiity.
But more on this as I think about it.
I'm afraid that the Emergent is much ado about little or nothing. Good church history and theology keep us reforming. I'm looking forward to Darryl's list just in case I'm wrong and Emergent offers something unique.
ReplyDeleteTrish:
ReplyDeleteI actually largely agree.
Thanks Michael. Even though I said what I said, last week I preached a simple Gospel message for the lost ones we know are in our church every Sunday. Today I do the same and Sunday our church will be filled with people who haven't come out since Christmas and I will preach from I Cor. 15:1-3 and pray that God will use it to save those in the building hearing it.
ReplyDeleteI guess I misquoted myself!