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Thoughts on the Emergence Austin Event

Posted Oct 22, 08:20 AM | 1 comments | by Editor | Link

The Emergence 2007 event in Austin this weekend is now over, and the blogs have begun to weigh in.

Bob Carlton writes about “The Open Secret of emergent Theology”: “These 5 folks were not singing from the same hymnal — heck, I’m not sure that you could characterize them as sitting in the same pew. They carried their differences in a way that reeked of humility & respect — differences in understanding what the Gospel is, how faith communities live in that tension between knowing & being, how people in this time understand the mystery that is behind the Christian code word atonement …

“Danielle Shroyer captured so much of what I hope and pray exemplifies the next stage of this unfolding phenomenon that is the emerging church. In response to a question around what is the Gospel, she leaned on a term that Leslie Newbigin coined — ‘open secret’ — to refer to our mission as followers of Christ. Danielle then used the metaphor of a playground to animate what communities of faith & practice might stretch for as they are re-membering themselves to the broader tribe of Jesus-followers and the creation we inhabit.”

Others did not respond as positively as Bob. Michael Corley writes, “I truly come to this conference with an open mind and a compassionate heart. In times past I have been harshly critical of the ECM (Emerging Church Movement) and while I stand by the point of my comments, I may have said some things without the compassion and mercy that I should have. ...

“But I will say now that there has been little to change my mind about the beliefs and practices of the Emerging Church. The statements made by the panel last evening, all of which would probably admit they are leaders of the ECM, were sad, shocking and even outrageous. Many basic tenets of the faith were called into question or even outright rejected, usually under the caveat that no one has a hold on the truth and that truth was not absolute and was subjective to each individual’s personal perspective, the culture they live in and their personal experiences. ...

“Some who read this will say that I am wrong or have misinterpreted what was and will be said. All I know is I am here have listened to the discussion and even spoken personally with some of the speakers. Not since attending a meeting of The Jesus Seminar have I been so saddened, and yes even shocked by what I have heard.”

Corley is planning to do a full recap of the conference during his radio program on Monday 10/22 (streaming live online at 1 p.m. EST/12 p.m. CST).

UPDATE 10/22/2007: Scot McKnight, who moderated the Austin Emergence event, has now weighed in on the weekend: “One of the most outstanding features of this event was the spirit of conversation with respect to other churches. There have been some times when the emerging movement has been critical — too critical — of the evangelical movement or traditional churches. No more. I saw nothing but appreciation and respect. I saw this not only in the more traditional emerging leaders, Danielle [Shroyer, Journey Dallas] and Doug [Pagitt, Solomon’s Porch], but also in a young emerging pastor, Josh [Carney, University Baptist]. There was even a respect (of course with healthy disagreements) for what megachurches are doing. Kris [Scot’s wife] observed that finally there seemed to be a spirit that we are all in this together for the good of the Kingdom.”

Paul Soupiset was there also and took this picture:

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