I have always been independent from others. As far as I am concerned, doing what “everyone else” is doing has never interested me. Furthermore, I have never accepted what the supposed “authorities” on a particular subject have said unless I have worked through it in my own mind.
Recently, in American evangelicalism (for lack of a better word), some have become enamored with postmodernism. In so doing, some have been described by the term “emerging.” Even more recently, some have called themselves “emergent” and begun a dialog or conversation that can be loosely compared to a movement. For a while I became enamored with the appeal of the emerging church. While Postmodernism helps those who are consciously or subconsciously steeped in modern thought, Postmodernism has gone to an extreme. Some mischaracterize the Emerging theologians and the Emergents by suggesting that Emerging Theologians whole heartedly espouse Postmodernism. The emerging conversation (a generalization including both emerging and emergent) has offered its own critique of postmodernism that, in my own opinion, does not suffice.
Roger Caldwell, a noted poet, philosopher, and literary critic, published this article in the magazine Philosophy Now in 2003. In this article, Mr. Caldwell reveals that postmodernism may very well be in decline, if not dead. I cannot attempt to summarize article. Within Christian circles, of late, the term “postmodernism” has been utilized positively and negatively. Its effect has largely been polarizing. Some use the term for criticism while some gladly embrace the term.
I feel as if the Emerging church and the Emergent church is attempting to somehow sync Jesus with popular postmodernism. The philosophy of postmodernism has self-destructed. In philosophical circles, critical realism is being explored. Philosophy is always in flux. However, in popular culture, postmodernism has taken somewhat of a hold. As I see it, popular postmodernism is a different animal than philosophic postmodernism.
When I read emergent literature, I feel as though they are telling me that being postmodern is being intelligent, up to date, philosophically elite, and cutting edge. Syncing Jesus with current trends did not work for the radical fundamentalists of the Jack Hyles type; it did not work for the “Neo-Evangelicals”; it did not work for the mega-churches; how do I know it will work for the emerging church and the emergent church.
In a wonderful paragraph in his book Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ, John Piper states:
The glory of Jesus Christ is that he is always out of sync with the world and therefore always relevant for the world. The effort to remake the Jesus of the Bible so that he fits the spirit of one generation makes him feeble in another. Better to let him be what he is, because it is often the offensive side of Jesus that we need most. (chapter 11)
I quote John Piper only because he words my thoughts more concisely than I could ever word my own. Fundamentalists emphasize the Jesus who overturned the money changers temples. Emerging people emphasize the Jesus who ate with the prostitutes and spoke out against the religious institutions of the day. Seeker sensitive people focus the Jesus who loves the world. While each “movement” emphasizes a very valid and necessary aspect of Jesus’ life, I feel that sometimes the bigger picture is lost.
Confessional Christianity without missional emphasis is dead. Missional christianity without confessional Christianity is also dead. Rather than syncing Jesus with popular philosophy, why not simply try to reflect Christ to the world.
Like I began with, I do not like following or being told what to do or what is cool. While I echo some of the criticisms of the emerging and emergent church, I do not agree with them. I see the modernism that has crippled churches today, but why embrace postmodernsim. We must recognize it and address those issues. We must recognize that the culture in which we live has changed towards more of a postmodern mindset. Recognizing the postmodern shift and adjusting our methods is highly advisable, but embracing the postmodern shift will not be beneficial for the future of the church. How is a postmodern church in a postmodern world going to be better than the modern church in a modern world?
Filed under: Thoughts | Tagged: Christianity, church, Emergent, Emerging, Postmodernism
You highlighted on how we can’t keep doing the same old way we’ve done things within Fundamentalism. Again, I go back to the idea that I left in your facebook note. There is this Old School Fundamentalist mentality that feels it must cram it’s standards down people’s throats. There is also this sense that theology is what you get after writing a 20+ page paper. I believe this may have something to do with that in all the training that pastors are receiving- and I believe that trainings is good, but….-somehow they are forgetting that theology is simply an expression of what we believe about God, regardless of its complexity or length. Something so simple as saying, “God is in control” is theology! We’ve forgotten that.
We’ve also forgotten that how many of us came to the places where we are at spiritually is because of those who taught good theology. As they taught theology, they showed us God. As we saw ourselves for who we were in light of this new view of God, we changed. No matter what standards you teach, the only standards that will truly stick and be truly lived for God’s glory will be those that are created by a believer who sees God for who He truly is. To balance, let’s be honest in our applications of Scripture, but let’s make sure that our applications come from right theology and not simply tradition.