Why I'm Not Emergent (by a guy who should be)

I have a big passion for being involved in anything new or revolutionary. My lifelong goal is be some one who starts ministries, spread ideas and makes people think in a constructive way. With this composure, I was naturally drawn to one such new and revolutionary movement in the Christian body.



This was a movement which like the puritans, of times past, seemed to desire to strip Christianity to the bare bones; to ask the question, "is the way we do church really the only or even the best way?". It engaged with culture actively and produced books and video resource which didn't smack of the typical Christian cheesiness.



I entered this world through the eyes of hip, bespectabled pastor, Rob Bell and his book, Velvet Elvis. Rob, the cool geek, used interesting metaphors and introduced new information from rabbinic teachings which made him sound smart (and me sound smart when I quoted him). He offered a simple reading of the scriptures with an air of enthusiasm and hope: we can make this world better.



Next came the videos, a library of not just one, not just a few, but an ever growing library of short teachings which could serve as discussion starters or just get one thinking. They looked brilliant. (I for one love the cute voice that says "noo-ma" at the beginning.)They were shorter then the usual 50min sermon at only 9-15 minutes (although they didn't hold my attention for the whole time, I remembered tidbits). Each one handled a topic and while not quite answering the questions, they inspired you to think and consider a possibility. They were a wonderful half-way house between Jesus, Dr. Phil and the social-networking generation.



I got more and more engrossed in the revolution through podcasts of Mr.Bell and Mr. McManus (Erwin Raphael). I loved the little gems of inspiration and scriptural self-help. I loved the rabbinic trivia and the "you thought it meant this, but it really means this" moments. I did for a while anyway.



All this time, I'd had to quiet the voice that noticed the illogicalness and borderline heresies and just tell myself that "that's OK, remember it's only a spring, not a wall; I'm sure the rest of his stuff is still good". Ironically, it was around the time that I saw Rob Bell live and even shook his hands that the mental house of cards fell for me. I did some research, read some stuff, reread some stuff, thought about stuff and finally saw that I just didn't need this revolution, which is generally know as the emerging or emergent church. I wish it could define more but it's after midnight and it's hard enough to explain even when I'm fully awake.



This week I've been reading this book.

It's one of the best books available on the movement and unlike similar books (such as the one by D.A. Carson) it's by a couple of guys who fit the typical demographic of a emergent pastor). It's very good and much more balanced then the title may suggest.

My next post will be related to this one and be about what I feel is negotiable in Christianity and what isn't. I'm much too tired to write that now.