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Input Needed: Help Describe the ‘Emergent Village’

Posted Jun 17, 09:10 PM | 1 comments | by Editor | Link

By Tripp Fuller, re-posted from Homebrewed Christianity:

While those of us who identify with the emerging conversation are generally taken back when people ask us if we are a denomination, The Handbook of Denominations is going to include the Emergent Village in its upcoming edition. Its editor is a former professor, blogger, author, friend, and really sweet podcast guest and would appreciate your feedback to the current draft. Without further ado Deacon Atwood will take over …

The Handbook of Denominations is a reference guide to the Abrahamic religious bodies in America today. In the 2010 edition I want to include an entry for the emergent church. Unfortunately, space is limited, and the tone has to be relatively neutral. Here’s a draft of what I have composed for the Emergent Village entry, which will have to cover the entire Emergent movement. If anyone has a reasonable estimate for number of emergent churches and number of participants, it would be helpful.
EMERGENT VILLAGE
Founded: 2001
Membership: statistics not available

The emergent church movement is one of the most creative responses to the challenges that all religious communities face in contemporary America. By the end of the twentieth century there was ample evidence that American society had entered a “post-Christian” period, meaning that traditional Christian institutions were losing relevance outside their own structures. Instead of reacting negatively to this development, emergent (or emerging) churches embrace a future that is open-ended. They believe that the Christian communities must be open to a radical transformation of individuals and society. Drawing on “post-modern” philosophy and literary theory, Brian McLaren and others in the late twentieth century started calling for the dismantling of imperialistic Christianity (Christendom), particularly those church structures that impede faithful living.

Emergent churches reject modern bureaucracies and prefer to build cohorts and virtual communities, of which McLaren’s Emergent Village is a prominent example. It relies heavily on internet networking (podcasts, blogs, etc.) and conversation to build relationships across theological and social divides. Rather than defending the crumbling ramparts of denominational identity, emergent churches encourage congregations to create their own eclectic collage from the rich resources of the Christian past. Sometimes called the Ancient-Future church, emergent churches blend various Christian traditions with modern music and visual presentations.

The emergent movement has many similarities to the Pietist* movement of the early Enlightenment in that the participants generally avoid the type of doctrinal polemics that have caused so many schisms in the history of Christianity. Emergent churches avoid drafting doctrinal statements or creeds, often noting that “Jesus did not have a statement of faith. They advocate for a “generous Orthodox” that encourages conversation among different types of Christians. According to one emergent theologian: “The writers of the New Testament were not obsessed with finding a final set of propositions the assent to which marks off true believers.” Instead of fearing or attacking post-modernity’s rejection of objectivity and absolutism, emergent churches seek to rediscover the transformative power of Biblical and liturgical narrative.

Unlike liberalism, which simply rejects those elements of Christian doctrine that are inconsistent with a modern scientific worldview, post-modern (or post-liberal) emergent thinkers draw heavily on the Christian tradition, especially the mystical dimensions of faith. Unlike conservatism, they draw on the wisdom of the past without feeling the need to defend obsolete views of nature. In general, emergent churches do not reject the discoveries of modern science, but they do use post-modern theory to critique scientism or any other rationalistic ideology that undermines humane values and spirituality.

Emergent churches also encourage the deconstruction of dogma and ecclesiastical structures to uncover ways in which Christian symbols have been coopted by the powerful to oppress the weak. Unlike many evangelical churches, emergent churches often draw upon feminist and liberation theology without rejecting the basic evangelical call for personal conversion. Emergent churches see the contemporary marginalization of Christianity as a way for Christians to reclaim Jesus’ vision of a servant people living by faith.

Several emergent communities have adopted “missional living,” which means that the focus of life together is active engagement in service rather than merely meeting for worship and prayer. Shaine Clairborne’s Potter Street Community in Philaldelphia is a famous example of the “new monasticism” of the emergent church that was inspired by the writings and preaching of sociologist Tony Campolo. Emergent church leaders claim that Protestants and Catholics tend to miss the point of Christianity, which is found in Jesus’ teaching and example. As such, they tend to be critics of market capitalism and actively promote peacemaking as a central mark of faithfulness to the Good News of Jesus.

Note: Be sure to leave your comments over on Tripp’s blog!

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Tripp Fuller is a Baptimergent, tag-team minister with his wife Alecia, proud father of Elgin, PhD student at Claremont, and co-host of Homebrewed Christianity.

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