Christians 101

Emerging Church

Wikipedia defines the emerging church (aka the emergent church) as

a diverse movement within Protestant Christianity that arose in the late 20th century as a reaction to the influence of modernism in Western Christianity. The movement is usually called a "conversation" by its proponents to emphasize its diffuse nature with contributions from many people and no explicitly defined leadership or direction... Emerging Church groups are typically observed to emphasize the following elements:

1. Highly creative approaches to worship and spiritual reflection...
2. A minimalist and decentralized organizational structure.
3. A flexible approach to theology wherein individual differences in belief and morality are accepted within reason.
4. A holistic view of the role of the church in society. This can mean anything from greater emphasis on fellowship in the structure of the group to a higher degree of emphasis on social action, community building or Christian outreach.
5. A desire to reanalyze the Bible within varying contexts with the goal of revealing a multiplicity of valid perspectives rather than a single valid interpretation.
6. A continual re-examination of theology.
7. A high value placed on creating communities built out of the creativity of those who are a part of each local body.
8. A belief in the journey of faith, both as individual and community.

This movement, although speading quickly, isn't accepted by all Christians. PBS did a story on the emerging church last year. Don Carson, from the Trinity Evangelical Divinity School believes that the movement could be a "threat to historic Christianity." But Brian McLaren, a Pastor at Cedar Ridge Community Church, disagrees.

McLaren insists a more open view enriches faith and better equips Christians for ministry. He's become a strong voice urging more attention to issues from poverty to the environment to social justice. He's been active in the effort to raise more attention to the atrocities in Sudan's Darfur province.

The following words from Pastor McLaren provide a summary of some of the key beliefs of the church:

The way we treat our neighbors; the way we treat people of other races, religions, social classes, educational backgrounds, political parties; the way we treat other people and interact with the environment, and all the rest is part of our spirituality.

posted by Elizabeth @ 9:37 AM