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The Emerging Church

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The Emerging Church

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  1. Rom 12:1-21 I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God--what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness. Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honour. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." No, "if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

  2. The Emerging Church What, Why, How?

  3. The Emerging Church… • Christian communities which have emergedfrom mainstream ideologies and church structures • Disillusioned with, or disenfranchised by, conventional churches, emergent groups are generally located outside recognized and accepted traditions • Its primary mission is the reaching of today's postmodern culture with the gospel of Jesus Christ

  4. Modernity Postmodernity • Metanarrative • Objective • Constants • Absolute truth • Certainty • Exclusion • Science, reason • Reality • Hierarchy • Mass culture • Personal narrative • Subjective • Variables • Relative truth • Doubt • Tolerance • Testimony, faith • Hyper-reality (fantasy) • Network • Niche culture

  5. The (5th) Great Garage Sale… • The Great Transformation (Axial Age) -500’s • The Great Commission 0’s • The Great Consolidation +500’s • The Great Schism +1000’s • The Great Reformation +1500’s • The Great Emergence +2000’s The Great Emergence: How Christianity Is Changing and Why, Phyllis Tickle, 2008

  6. Emerging churches characterised by… • de-institutionalized nature • rejection of hierarchy and favoured status • narrative theology rather than propositional or doctrinal theology • belief that the Kingdom of God is here and now • concern for the communal over the individual • understanding of social justice as Godly work • and a host of other defining traits and principles. http://faithinmemphis.com/2011/03/phyllis-tickle-navigate-the-emerging-church/

  7. Conversation… Network • The movement is called a ‘conversation’ to depict its diverse and interactive nature. • Hierarchies are flattened in order to empower all participants to offer their gifts • ‘Truth’ is crowd-sourced, egalitarian, flexible • ‘Meaning’ is personal, mystical, experiential • "Narrative is the song of the vibrating network".

  8. How did we get to this? • evolutionary theory • cognitive science • quantum mechanics • literary criticism • mass communication • Pentecostalism • automobiles • Alcoholics Anonymous • eastern mysticism • world wars • drugs • race/divorce/gender/ sexual issues • medical progress • contraception • the information revolution • instant communication.

  9. Pushback…

  10. Christ moves into the world • “In the gospels we always find Christ in the midst of life and death, and his disciples are to follow him wherever he leads.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer • “Christians are not the end users of the gospel.” Phyllis Tickle

  11. Organic relationships • Church ‘inside out’ • Incarnational rather than attractional • Authentic, mutual, equal relationships • Diverse social ‘footprints’ • Non-Christian mission projects • Be socially available

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