The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier - REVIEW (part 2)

Lately, I've been struggling with how Christians relate to their community. More importantly, how I relate to my community as a Christian. In fact, I was talking to my wife about how many Christians turn "it" into a sales pitch...and that's not "good news" to most people.

Tony Jones in "The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier" tells the story of Trucker Frank. Frank, a middle aged divorcee, drives a truck between Minneapolis and Kansas City, and spends a lot of time at a Christian book store, becoming one of their best customers. He would often buy multiple copies of books and give them out. However, the new manager of the store basically banned the employees from spending time with Frank at the store...because of his "unconventional views".

In all fairness, as a business owner, I'd likely be concerned about a loiterer. But that's not the point.

Frank is looking for community. When a discussion arose at church about "exclusivity", Frank had a glorious insight that he shared. Specifically, the scripture being discussed was the section in Matthew 18 where Jesus talked about confronting a brother. I had always been taught that this was a key passage for not hanging out with non-Christians, or taking an unrepentant believer and kicking him out of the church community. Frank, also a retired pastor I should add, had a diferent take. Jesus said that these people should be treated like a tax collector or pagan. The way of Jesus is not one of excommunication, but one of forgiveness and reconciliation. He welcomed tax collectors (Matthew was a TC) and pagans.

Perhaps, instead of ostracizing, love really is the answer for getting someone back on track.

So, a step away from Tony for a second. The ministry of reconciliation that we are called to by Paul in his letter to the Corinthians is harder than it would seem. We (my wife and I) have a friend who was raised as a devout Buddhist. Her parents are still devout, even though she has put her faith in Christ. Her parents have been to "Interfaith" prayer meetings and think "We pray to the divine, they pray to the divine...it's al good." When people think that, what is there to reconcile? How, as follower's of Christ, can we..or should we...point that relativism can go too far? How do we promote belief in an all powerful, all knowing, all present, singular God, without turning it into a sales pitch? Now, the next question....Is it up to us to "sell" it? What is the role of God, or the Holy Spirit?

Back to the book....

Theology, discourse about God, is a central pillar of emergent thinking. Tony states that "theology is talk about the nexus of divine and human action." But, it isn't just talk. Any human endeavor about God..poetry, art, songs..is theology. Because it is experiential, theology is fluid. "As a result, emergent Christians often get labeled as "slippery". It is an attitude of reverence and desire to learn, not to argue. However, many Christians argue that the Bible has very plain and simple meanings. It doesn't. The more I read the Bible, the more I am drawn to its unfathomable complexity...the handiwork of God is evident. Jones says as much.

Jones does not spend a lot of time discussing theories of atonement, or even what is true or what isn't. He simply says that emergents are humble about claiming true understanding. This is not a denial of absolute truth, nor an embrace of full relativism, but landing somewhere in between the two poles.

He does deny Legalism....but, so did Jesus.

Tony spends several chapters describing the thrill of interpretation. I resonate with this!!! If the Spirit leads us into all truth, we must accept alternate interpretation at any particular time. Theology is fluid. There are times that I read a Bible verse and it means something totally different than it did last time. That does not decrease the value of my earlier interpretation; it enhances and increases the depth and complexity. I love it.

"Dispatch 13: Emergents believe that truth, like God, cannot be definitively articulated by finite human beings."

A rigid theology puts God in a box.

He closes the book with several chapters of case studies of emergent congregations, including Karen Ward's "Church of the Apostles" here in Seattle.

I really enjoy this book. Obviously, since it took up two full blog posts, it had an impact. Read it! Discuss it!! Let me know what you think.

Questions:

• How important is the "sales pitch"?
• What excites you about the Bible? Anything?
• Any topics here you'd like me to cover more in depth? I've got blogging ammunition for years with some of this.