For Dr. David Scaer’s “Word of God” course, I wrote a paper evaluating the position on the Word of God and its effect on the practice of the emerging church. It was an interesting study and worthy of the attention. There is some interest in revising this paper as an article so I may have to yank it off the blog. In the meantime, read, mark, and consider.
The Word of God and the Emerging Church (PDF format)
photo credit: Jonathan Assink
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Thanks for posting your paper. You get to the root of the problem in a catechetical Lutheran way. In my post yesterday on the Green Bible I touched on some of the same issues related to the Emerging Church and their social gospel.
Expect an email from Dan Kimball.
I found this post ironic as Ive just being blogging about forgiveness verses tolerance and I’m probably what you’d classify as an emerging type blogger. Your brush strokes are just a tad too broad mate. And by the way, could you quote me where Dan Kimball rejects original sin?
Scott, Thanks for your “Green” Bible post. Reading it reminded me to offer up this paper as a similar type contribution.
Matt, oddly enough the nature of the paper was written exactly to paint with a fine brush but within the Lutheran understanding. Some in our tradition have written on the subject but have used the broad brush, i.e. using McLaren as endemic of the whole of the emerging church. Rather I chose people who are intentionally promoted within the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod and used their own writings to describe their position.
If you read the concluding paragraph I speak favorably of Mars Hill as an example of less radical emerging. But we have had little interaction with them. Perhaps those emerging folks who hold to the prophetic and apostolic Word and consequently have a sound ecclesiology should speak up.
Good paper! One of my best students has started going to an emergent church whose pastor gave the keynote at last year’s CS symposia. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the situation… At least he knows there’s something not quite right even if he cant put his finger on it.
It is definitely a tough nut to crack and in many ways similar to the broader evangelical “deeds not creeds” movement. Without dogmatic formulations, nailing them down is difficult. But therein lies the rub. No creeds does not mean no doctrine. They have doctrines but finding them (consistently) is challenging.
Chris Rosebrough is doing a great job on the Reveal conference, a similar movement to emerging in this respect.