No, that's not a typo.
I was lying awake last night (our furnace suddenly began making all kinds of racket in the middle of the night. So as a mom I couldn't help but lie awake thinking of the worst case scenario) thinking about my faith.
Isn't it funny how we can intellectualize the spiritual? In a perfect world, we would be able to 'feel' or 'sense' our spiritual health without having to 'think' or 'know' anything about it. But because we are human, and I guess God gave us brains for a reason, we tend to 'think' about our 'faith'. I know that's probably a modern mindset, too, because matters of faith for so long have been about 'knowing' truth, about theology and interpretation and other 'brainy' applications of faith.
I wonder if, way-back-when, if faith ever was more of a spiritual endeavor than a mental one? With the enlightenment, reformation, and all that history of faith stuff that I know virtually nothing about, did the pendulum swung away from a spiritual faith and more towards a mental faith? I know the charismatics tried to remedy this by 'swinging' towards spirituality and away from knowledge ... and they managed to swing right out of the neighborhood. Will we ever manage a healthy balance? Is the emerging church the key to achieving equilibrium?
Anyhow, I am wandering.
So what I was thinking, late last night while the furnace was making horrific noises, was this question:
So I see in the 'emerging' church the tendency to draw on ancient faith practices, mixing them with modern thought and postmodern-somewhat-relativism, and, in some cases with a side of liberalism. This is an amalgamated faith -- a combination of diverse elements; a mixture.
What else is merging in the emerging church, besides spiritual practices?
Are we merging knowledge with spirituality? In other words, are these two things no longer mutually exclusive?
Are we merging our sin nature with the unlimited grace of God? In other words, as we learn to accept humanity as incredibly diverse, do we begin to be willing to admit that all people are loved equally regardless of the sin in their lives? That God's grace is powerful enough to overcome anything? That people do not need to be "pre-purified" before they can set foot in church?
Are we merging community with church? Have we begun to realize that a weekly service in a building is not the sole aspect of faith, but that our faith must be evident in the ways we relate in all kinds of community?
Are we merging tangible relationships and virtual ones? Have we begun to realize that we can supplement healthy real-life relationships by sharing experience, knowledge, and wisdom with people we have never met?
Are we merging evangelism with mission? Do we see that simply telling people they need Jesus is not alone going expand the Kingdom? Are we beginning to understand that Jesus did as much serving as He did preaching?
Are we merging legalism with liberalism? Have we decided that while there are *some* non-negotiables to which we will hold fast, things which are valuable and necessary to faith, but that there are far fewer of them than we have previously believed?
Are all these aspects of the merging church good things? Are there any ways in which we have gone too far in blurring the lines between seemingly opposing aspects of faith and spirituality?
I think the merging church is about balance. It's about losing our either/ors and substituting both/ands. I see it as a good thing.
After all, we all will always remain accountable to each other. When someone crosses the line, whatever someone else might believe that line to be, we will be called on it. We then have the responsibility to weigh each view objectively and see where we might have erred. I constantly see the emerging church experiencing this, which is a good thing. I don't think we need to worry too much about going renegade ... as long as we are willing to be honest with ourselves.
So in the big picture, I see the merging that is going on as not only a good thing, but as a priceless and necessary reworking of Christianity.
I know every major change in the "system" of Christianity has seen itself as the one that finally got it right. I don't think the 'emerging' church has got it right. But I think they are on the right road.
May we never think we have ever 'got it right', but only continue to faithfully merge the diverse and beautifully varied aspects of Christian faith. May we value each individual as bringing something to the table and be willing to engage and consider all experiences of Christianity as something that can be 'merged' with something else, to ever be creating a more balanced, rounded faith.
What do you think?
I was lying awake last night (our furnace suddenly began making all kinds of racket in the middle of the night. So as a mom I couldn't help but lie awake thinking of the worst case scenario) thinking about my faith.
Isn't it funny how we can intellectualize the spiritual? In a perfect world, we would be able to 'feel' or 'sense' our spiritual health without having to 'think' or 'know' anything about it. But because we are human, and I guess God gave us brains for a reason, we tend to 'think' about our 'faith'. I know that's probably a modern mindset, too, because matters of faith for so long have been about 'knowing' truth, about theology and interpretation and other 'brainy' applications of faith.
I wonder if, way-back-when, if faith ever was more of a spiritual endeavor than a mental one? With the enlightenment, reformation, and all that history of faith stuff that I know virtually nothing about, did the pendulum swung away from a spiritual faith and more towards a mental faith? I know the charismatics tried to remedy this by 'swinging' towards spirituality and away from knowledge ... and they managed to swing right out of the neighborhood. Will we ever manage a healthy balance? Is the emerging church the key to achieving equilibrium?
Anyhow, I am wandering.
So what I was thinking, late last night while the furnace was making horrific noises, was this question:
Is the emerging church more about merging things together than about something emerging from something else?I consider myself a Christian amalgam. I am LutherBaptiCathoChurchofChristoCharismatic. With a dash of of AoG for good measure. I have participated in bodies from each end of the spectrum in several areas. I was always able to find the Living God in there somewhere, but sometimes it was easier than others.
So I see in the 'emerging' church the tendency to draw on ancient faith practices, mixing them with modern thought and postmodern-somewhat-relativism, and, in some cases with a side of liberalism. This is an amalgamated faith -- a combination of diverse elements; a mixture.
What else is merging in the emerging church, besides spiritual practices?
Are we merging knowledge with spirituality? In other words, are these two things no longer mutually exclusive?
Are we merging our sin nature with the unlimited grace of God? In other words, as we learn to accept humanity as incredibly diverse, do we begin to be willing to admit that all people are loved equally regardless of the sin in their lives? That God's grace is powerful enough to overcome anything? That people do not need to be "pre-purified" before they can set foot in church?
Are we merging community with church? Have we begun to realize that a weekly service in a building is not the sole aspect of faith, but that our faith must be evident in the ways we relate in all kinds of community?
Are we merging tangible relationships and virtual ones? Have we begun to realize that we can supplement healthy real-life relationships by sharing experience, knowledge, and wisdom with people we have never met?
Are we merging evangelism with mission? Do we see that simply telling people they need Jesus is not alone going expand the Kingdom? Are we beginning to understand that Jesus did as much serving as He did preaching?
Are we merging legalism with liberalism? Have we decided that while there are *some* non-negotiables to which we will hold fast, things which are valuable and necessary to faith, but that there are far fewer of them than we have previously believed?
Are all these aspects of the merging church good things? Are there any ways in which we have gone too far in blurring the lines between seemingly opposing aspects of faith and spirituality?
I think the merging church is about balance. It's about losing our either/ors and substituting both/ands. I see it as a good thing.
After all, we all will always remain accountable to each other. When someone crosses the line, whatever someone else might believe that line to be, we will be called on it. We then have the responsibility to weigh each view objectively and see where we might have erred. I constantly see the emerging church experiencing this, which is a good thing. I don't think we need to worry too much about going renegade ... as long as we are willing to be honest with ourselves.
So in the big picture, I see the merging that is going on as not only a good thing, but as a priceless and necessary reworking of Christianity.
I know every major change in the "system" of Christianity has seen itself as the one that finally got it right. I don't think the 'emerging' church has got it right. But I think they are on the right road.
May we never think we have ever 'got it right', but only continue to faithfully merge the diverse and beautifully varied aspects of Christian faith. May we value each individual as bringing something to the table and be willing to engage and consider all experiences of Christianity as something that can be 'merged' with something else, to ever be creating a more balanced, rounded faith.
What do you think?
What do I think?
ReplyDeleteI am thinking of this in the context of what I posted today about connecting and linking.
What if instead of thinking of merging as blending, losing the distinctness of the parts, we think of merging as connecting or bridging.
Instead of dividing according to our differences, we merge according to our similarities.
As always, great thoughts Lily. I hope your furnace is okay.
grace
"Instead of "merging as blending" think of "merging as connecting or bridging"..."
ReplyDeleteCare to elaborate a little on that? I am trying to envision it, but my brain is failing me. It's an interesting differentiation.
Oh and my furnace is fine. Just needed a tune up and cleaning.
ReplyDeleteLily,
ReplyDeleteI think that when we consider merging or unity, we have a tendency to think of it as conformity, that somehow two different entities must come into agreement to form a merger.
What you have described in your post is a merging that connects, where each entity is allowed their individuality, where the differences are allowed and maybe even appreciated.
I see emerging as something that never will be clearly defined because we aren't going to sit at the table and try to develop an all-inclusive statement of beliefs that can be conformed to.
Instead, we will connect and bridge with others who aren't exactly like us. I think that the merging is a good thing because an increase in the links is a strengthening of the body of Christ.
Blessings to you,
grace