<Theofragen>

Last night I went to the Central Jersey Emergent Cohort meeting. It was nice to meet with friends and engage in meaningful discussion but it was also frustrating. It seems that no one can really say what Emergent is. Even our unofficial leader, Tony Jones, seemed not altogether sure about the boundaries of Emergent. Many of us have ideas of what Emergent could look like, but we are somewhat divergent as to what that vision is.

There was some good dialogue about Emergent in light of church history's many movements. Everyone appeared unanimous in maintaining solidarity with many reformers of the church over the millennia. Some good thoughts on the radical reformation were shared by our resident scholars, Matt and Andrew. They helped to keep the discussion grounded in light of the myriad reformation attempts made in the past. Last night I felt a bit like the villain from Spiderman 2: Dr. Octopus. In the picture I have included above, we see him attempting to control his fusion reaction with the four bio-mechanical arms he has welded onto his own body. For those of you who have seen the film, you know that the larger the reaction grows the harder he has to work to keep the reaction stable. "Sunbusts" begin to jolt out from the reaction and he has to use his four arms to keep the reaction from exploding. To the detriment of his observers, the reaction soon becomes unmanageable and Spiderman has to save the day by pulling the plug.

I have to confess that I only have two hands. I was telling my friend Matt last night that I don't know near enough to keep everything in balance at the same time. As my knowledge of philosophy or theology becomes stronger I forget some crucial facet of Church History that subverts what I am trying to do. Likewise, when I attempt to situate this 'conversation' in its socio-historical context, I am pressed about practical theology and ecumenism from another friend. I am trying to understand what Emergent might look like and it is exhausting. I cannot integrate what everyone is saying at the same time. So, I quit.

Rather than keep everything balanced, I will just share with ya'll what I hope Emergent will become. I hope that Emergent will find a way to work within denominational structures rather than against them. I desire to see this 'conversation' morph into an actual movement (like Steve insists, but I'm not sure that we are there yet) that transcends our differences. I have a vision in which an Emergent Baptist can bump into an Emergent Roman Catholic at some coffee shop and experience a sense of solidarity and mutual appreciation for each other's differences. I have a vision that one day Emergent minded pastors and lay persons will come together to address evangelism and social justice and not view them as an either/or. I have a vision that Emergent will continue to evolve in such a manner that people other then Gen-X white guys who have a penchant for cigars will express interest in the conversation. I have a vision in which Emergent will transcend socio-economic status and geographical boundaries. And I have a vision that is hopeful of a time when all Christians can come together to have table fellowship and not divide over theological/racial/ecclesiological/political/missional or liturgical differences.

I know this sounds kind of warm and fuzzy (maybe in my next post I will ask us all to hold hands and sing Kumbaya). I am ready to hear the discussion take a turn towards logistics and praxis. I'm wondering if my vision jives with any of ya'll?

I have a vision

4 Comments: