<Theofragen>

Last weekend I sojourned in rainy Minneapolis for a conference called Christianity in a Consumer Culture. Check out the speakers here. My overalimpressionon of the conference was positive and some of my interactions with participants were very telling. Here are some observations that unfolded: 1) I was encouraged to see so many evangelicals asking good questions about how we can obviate corporate comodification of the gospel; 2) I was impressed with the contributions of the speakers who offered an unmitigated challenge to the church to resist such comodification germane to our consumer culture; 3) I was surprised how many people with whom I spoke knew about the emergent conversation through the work of D.A. Carson; 4) I was surprised by the nearly univocal proclamation that "Emergent" is about challenging facets of liturgy and not theology; and 5) I was blown away by the number of church planters/missional community folks who seemed to position themselves in between A) consumer, evangelical culture, B) high church liturgical traditions and C) Doug Pagitt; and 6) everyone was white.

It was very interesting to me to be an alternative voice--in a group of evangelicals I was a post-evangelical, in a group of conservatives I was a moderate, in a group of suburban and rural pastors I was an inner-city pastor, in a group that likened the emergent conversation to gathering of subversive liturgists I was a voice for those of us who are questioning both the mediums and the message in our postmodern, post-Christendom world.

Over the next few posts, Ill be putting up some notes I took during the conference. Enjoy.

Christianity in a Consumer Culture

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