Emerging Conservative

I reference from time to time my beginnings of studying Emergent but I don’t think I have ever detailed out many of the events. I think I shall change that now….

I will write about my week of Emergent Baptism over a series of posts to explain my concerns and observations. However, before I start into all the fun, I think I want to spend the first blog setting up the scene as well as give positive credit where due.

It was a few years back and I had been on a quest (that still continues to a certain level today) of finding other churches to be in fellowship with. While I am not missing many of the elements of denominationalism as a whole,  I do miss the support and being connected to the larger body as a whole. The goal would be to find other churches similar in vision to be connected to.

This search took a small turn when emailing with a pastor in Minneapolis named Doug Pagitt who started Solomon’s Porch. Our plant team had seen a small piece on their church on a TV special and felt a real connection with their view of community. I wanted to take a closer look and Pastor Pagitt was kind enough to offer to let me come visit thier church for a week.

As I continue to plan my trip, I also found that Pastor Pagitt was part of a group who had started a network of churches called “Emergent”. As I read their basic summaries, I found the same appeal that I did when I learned about Solomon’s Porch; love, community, and conversation. To my surprise, they were having their Emergent Summer Institute at Solomon’s Porch about a week away from when I was planning my trip so I change a couple dates and PRESTO! I got the benefit of Solomon’s Porch and Emergent all in one!

Let’s just say, it didn’t take too long into my visit for my view to change quite a bit! The first night was the first “session” which consisted of a bunch of us sitting around and talking about whatever topic was at hand. This was how many of the sessions were. Not as much instructional as it was conversational (which is an Emergent trademark). I won’t talk a lot about the first session now, I’ll save it for another blog but let’s just say, it caught me a little off guard. At the end, a guy came up to me and said “Interesting night, huh? It’s no wonder there is so much controversy around them.” I guess he had picked up from some comments I made that it was not my crowd. It must not have been his either, I never saw him again.

I went back to the hotel that night and spent about 4 hours (until 2am) reading blog after blog (one of the main communication tools for the group). Interesting tales of several who started this group, trying to formalize a segment of emerging churches I guess (sadly, they have done a decent enough job that most use emerging church and Emergent as the same term). Things took a bump when one of the leaders, Mark Driscoll pulled out of Emergent in a public way since he could no longer support some of the main beliefs of the other leaders (ie. no hell, no need for salvation, homosexuality ok, and the like). There were many blogs back and forth on this.

As an “Emerging Conservative”, I find sometimes I am seen a little liberal in my little town in Ohio. However, at Emergent Summer Institute, I was conservative as they come. I was not thrilled to be in my new surroundings for another 6 days. However, after a little solo prayer time, some gracious praying from my wife from Ohio, and a good night’s rest, I found a renewed excitement that I was there for whatever reason God had for me and dove into the week.

The following blogs will talk about several of the situations, conversations, and, in my words, tactics that I experienced and continue to see in Emergent today. However, before I get to those, let me lay a foundation by admitting I love many aspects of Emergent that traditional church can learn from. I love the focus on community still. It was great to see so much focus on conversation and respecting one another, especially in difficult discussions without shutting each other down. I was inspired by the relational aspects to the sessions and the care for each fellow man, even those of us who were not an easy fit. There are many things the traditional churches of my past can learn from this heart.

The main downside is the assumption that you have to let go of “Truth” to do so. The traditional church has beat people with the truth without for so long, I get that Emergent is the natural backlash to it all. However, that does not mean that the other extreme is a good thing. There is a strong balance that are modeled in the Scriptures of Love and Truth. As much as the extreme traditional church can be credited for beating people over the Bible into Hell……Emergent can be credited for loving them in a watered down version that leads them to Hell as well (well, many in that camp don’t believe in hell so oh, well).  OK that past comment was harsh on both ends but that doesn’t mean it’s not true.

Again, I’ll wrap up for now and share more stories that express my concerns within the Emergent church later but let me wrap up with a couple thoughts…

I know I talk alot about the “Traditional” church and the “Emergent” church and overall, I do so in generalities. In another blog, I did a book review for “Why We’re Not Emergent by Two Guys Who Should Be” (this should be mandatory first reading for anyone interested in the Emerging church). In this book, one of the authors shares about going home to his little church of his youth. He was thankful to be in place that had no concept of emerging churches, traditional churches, and the like. They just loved the Lord and each other, cherished the Truth of the Bible, and lived their lives in integrity. He was thankful that those places exist. I am too. I am a small town boy and see so many churches just trying to please the Lord, live life together in Christian community, and give all they can to the Kingdom of God. They are servants of the Lord and I love them. Please never get the idea that I am a church hater. From from it! Community is so needed and I thank God for every church I pass by and the community within. We have our problems but that doesn’t mean it all needs thrown out. It just needs the Physician’s touch of love.

Also, there was a golden nugget in my trip to Solomon’s Porch that deserves a lot of credit. His name is Luke. He is their maintenance/ art director. Luke was a gentlemen, a great host, and an incredible artist. He and his wife had a lovely group of friends who adopted me that week and it made all the difference. As we ran from art museum to coffee house to Mexican eatery…..I found them delightful and accommodating. They were the highlight of my week.

Well, I’m going to run for now. I will share my tales later…..Blessings!