emerging church - not radical enough?

an outstandingly good post from DF at the Great Giveaway explores the idea that Emerging Church conversations are doing little more than bolting a protestant liberal viewpoint on to a basically Evangelical theology. He draws in the critique of Hans Frei and, following Frei, Nancy Murphy, b oth of whom argue that Evangelical Fundamentalism and Protestant Liberalism are two sides fo the same coin. An amalgamation of the two is not a sufficient response to the cultural shift that postmodernism represents, and the position of the Church in her present moment in history. Yet despite the dim recognition in many quarters of the Church that something needs to change, the shape and extent of the change is barely grasped, and often what we end up with is a modification of something that is failing more completely than we understand.  Hurrah for yet one more person who recognises this. Go read. 

Comments

[John]

Thanks for that, Maggi. It's good to see more talk about the need to break out of the boxes that have constrained Christian thought for so long. We cannot answer criticisms of Modernity itself using the same old arguments used against different strands of Modernity.

pax et bonum

[Darren]

Maggie,

Thanks for the referral to this article. I have been following / blogging within the emerging church conversation since 2003. In the last 8 months I’ve had some questions about the limitations of the emerging project and have stepped away from the conversation to a large extent. I found this article to be refreshing. Thanks again.

[Hugh A]

Not sure I understood it all but I was particularly taken by the need to move away from the over emphasis on the individual. I suspect in this respect we, as Christians of all shades and opinions, reflect our society more than we would like to admit. The New Testament, as I read it, is as concerned with the body corporate (the church as the body of Christ) as it is with individual salvation. We need to find a way to bring the collective back into our Christain lives.
Regarding the churches involvement in politics I'm of the view that the church should be the eternal opposition; acting a conscience and check to the power of government.

[Lorna]

any suggestions as to where I could find info (pref on line) on new and creative ways of doing the Eucharist? emergent or otherwise :)

thanks !

[Steve]

Thanks for the post maggi. Like darren I've had some questions about the headway that emergent church thought is making. Are we understanding the need for and structure of christianity/church in a postmodern world, or is this a lot of talk about the emperor's new clothes?

Anyway, that referral and this space keep me hopeful. Diolch

[Steve]

Thanks for the post maggi. Like darren I've had some questions about the headway that emergent church thought is making. Are we understanding the need for and structure of christianity/church in a postmodern world, or is this a lot of talk about the emperor's new clothes?

Anyway, that referral and this space keep me hopeful. Diolch

[sally]

I really wonder if our main problem is that we just keep talking about emerging church and not doing or being emerging church... I am all conferenced and dialogued out... I know there are a lot of practitioners out there but there are just as many still talking!!!
Also what is radical in one context is not radical in another, we have cafe church in a small Norfolk village that would not be radical in many contexts but in this one it is mind blowingly radical NFN aside! (normal for Norfolk).

[Matt Stone]

Good post. I am glad someone has noticed finding a third position between Evangelical Fundamentalism and Protestant Liberalism does not automatically make one missional.