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The Next Chapter In The Reformation

Posted Mar 27, 09:22 PM | 1 comments | by Editor | Link

by Jonathan Brink

Emergence is shifting.

For those who missed it, I truly believe this was one of the more important moments in the history of the church. Big words, I know but you had to be there to understand. This conference brought out, at least for me, what the Emergence conversation is really getting at, which is the next chapter in the reformation.

The one really great thing I love about emergence Christianity is this idea that it is changing before us. Just when we thought we had it all figured out, languaged, critiqued, so we could move on, it morphs into something else. The Spirit of God is refusing to be controlled, and I love that. For anyone trying to understand what the emergence Christianity really is, this was the conference to go to. To me, this conference completed the picture of where the emergence movement is going.

The first and second days were amazing. Phyllis, Brian and Richard really helped shape the conversation in a brilliant way. Phyllis provided the history and direction. Brian provided the perspective of kingdom. And Richard provided the language for operating effectively in that kingdom. It was Richard’s non-dualistic thinking idea, which is essentially the idea of living in the tension of conflicting ideas (or love), that gave us a way to talk about how to move in the conversation. These three conversations together were like pieces of the puzzle that fit beautifully together.

Alexie and Shane provided a crystal clear understanding of what that looks like in every day living. It’s being love in the darkest of places in real and practical ways. It’s moving from fan to follower.

But the speakers of the conference were not the highlight for me. Walking into the conference, I was hit with the reality that the conversation had expanded in a very meaningful way. The average age was 50, which meant it wasn’t just about being cool and hip. It was about restoration. Where past conversations had been predominantly evangelical, this event was NOT evangelical. It was Catholic and Methodist, Orthodox and Lutheran, Episcopalian and Mennonite, Anabaptist and Evangelical. I loved that. These conversation provided a radically different perspective that was so refreshing.

In trying to really understand why this was such a profound event for me can only be understood in the post-conference dialog. The post-event itself was nothing more than a reflective dialog. But what made it profound was that every tradition was represented. And as we began exploring what it looked like to cross the aisle, embracing the permission that was already commissioned in Jesus, we discovered that we were not looking at a Catholic, or Protestant. We were looking at a brother and sister.

This moment of realization made me aware that the movement is working towards a reconciliation. Kingdom is all about living in the space of tension and we were dong it. We are writing the next chapter in the reformation process. No longer are we going to be defined by something that has happened over the last 400 years. We were going to reveal what it looked like to create the next 400 years, one built on listening, dialog, and reconciliation.

On Monday, the second day of the after-conference dialog, two events seared in me the reality of this reconciliation; that it is not just a logical next step but a probable one. As we explored seven different dialogs together as a group of Protestants and Catholics, a moment arose when a friend of mine, Marie, sought out the forgiveness of a Franciscan monk. This gave way to others seeking out forgiveness on issues of justice, gender and kingdom. Tears flowed as we were witnessing the pathway to the next chapter. We the people were just doing it. We didn’t need anyone’s permission to reconcile. We already had it and we were embracing it because it was good.

The second event was a simple, spontaneous lunch dialog that followed the conversation. 15 of us gathered together to listen to each others stories. There was no leader. No permission needed. We just did it. And as we talked about each others traditions, realizing that we were more alike than different, someone took a tortilla, broke off a bite size piece and began to pass it around. And then we passed a glass of wine. We were suddenly taking communion together. It was a spontaneous moment of the Spirit revealing we were at a KINGDOM TABLE. It was not a Catholic table or a Protestant table but a Kingdom table. What connected us was a passion for Jesus and His Kingdom, not a belief set.

I walked away from that event completely stunned at what had happened. It’s still resonating. Reconciliation was not only possible, it is happening. And we were part of it. We were writing the next chapter of the reformation.

Jonathan Brink is Managing Director of Thrive Ministries. He’s loving the conversation from where he sits.

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