I am beginning to do some thinking building on McLaren's concept of seven Jesuses (i.e. Jesus in the context of a generous orthodox) about how the emerging church conversation views/interacts/encounters/and is shaped with/by Jesus...
So I'd really really like to hear your thoughts on:
- what emphasis do you think the emerging church conversation places on Jesus - how does he shape/influence/impact the conversation?
- what events/teachings/charateristics of Jesus are key thought shaping passages in the emerging church conversation?
- how do you think it has affected action/character/theology of the conversation?
- what strengths do you think the emerging church brings/draws out in their view of Jesus - what problems/blindspots do you think are being addressed?
- conversely what weaknesses/limitations/blindspots do you see in the emerging church conversation?
- any good books/resources/links that you have encountered on Jesus?
- any questions you'd like to ask about the emerging church conversation/Jesus?
- anything else that occurs to you?
Thank you very much - I look forward to hearing from you...
As you can see, I have little to offer (otherwise I'd have posted a few pages worth of material in your comment box)... :)
Posted by: molly | 10 October 2006 at 06:13 PM
lol, Molls... well get your thinking cap on... I saw your brilliant comment over at Rick's place (blind beggar) - was awesomely missional, calling and context combined :)
Posted by: Paul | 10 October 2006 at 07:33 PM
Shucks... I confess to being glad you posted shortly thereafter, and made yours as long as mine was. I'm just getting to know Rick...I feel bad writing a novel on his blog, you know? :lol:
On Christology... I'm just not at a place to answer these questions, Paul. I am at that point of rediscovering the whole point of it all again (HIM!), of just rejoicing in my First Love... The emerging church has done that for me in a huge way, just FREEING me to be able to remember Jesus, and yet I wouldn't give them the credit, at the same time...because it was Him.
Gimme 10 years, and then I'll have some wise reflections. :lol:
Posted by: molly | 11 October 2006 at 04:37 PM
Lol well since you aren't writing novels on your blog any more i guess you need to release all that pent up creativity somewhere... least i could do was try and cover for ya with a long post of my own (elbows into your limelight ;)
Liberation is a beautiful thing, you revel with him gal!
You know what though Molls, it will be worth the wait to hear your thoughts... so meet back in 2016 then :)
Posted by: Paul | 11 October 2006 at 04:42 PM
Paul, these are all great questions...
I am currently reading "Generous Orthodoxy" by BM and "Exiles" by Mike Frost, as well as listening to him (MF) over at RESONATE.
This is what I am learning:
The humility is so stunning! I am ashamed of the pride in myself. A friend commented how the EC seemed to be watering things down. I couldn't agree less!! Everything I have read, other than critics opinions and stuff over at Slice and Lighthouse Trails, has been uber-orthodox! Jesus is always the point, the sub-point and the bottom line! Now, I have read some bloggers who are a little more liberal than I am, but I know some 'christians' who are more liberal than I am also!
I am continually learning how Jesus did not do things in the old way. MF re-told of the Cana Wedding where Jesus turned water into wine... what a trip!! The historic information is so fascinating... much more fascinating than the sterile Jesus than I have known.
I do see the language of many in the emerging conversation to be a little coarse... but then I am reminded of Paul and his colorful language and of course even Isaiah was prone to being crude! (Phil. 3:8 AND Is. 64:6). Language has changed as has our society... Our language is Post-Victorian although many of us (I include myself in that us... ) are falsely prudish.
I think the weakness in the EC is also their strength. I applaud those folks who seem to be spokespersons when they refuse to be drawn into shouting matches. I loved Tony Jones' lunch with John Piper (http://theoblogy.blogspot.com/2006/10/my-lunch-with-john-piper.html) They had heated discussion but they remained gentlemen. But the discussion wasn't contrived by Tony manufacturing a confrontation. It was a discussion that naturally happened and I think it will have a huge impact on Piper(who I LOVE)and DG Ministries.
I get so tired of hearing folks talk about EC as if it is some heretical branch!! If these folks would actually read a book or listen to some of these folks speak, I think they would be surprisingly amazed!
As I said before, I am enjoying "Exiles" by Mike Frost and his podcasts over at RESONATE (http://www.resonate.ca/audio/)
The first podcasts I heard from EC, I think was from the Nashville Cohort (http://grts.cornerstone.edu/resources/tpoints/fa05) But they had me with this!
http://nashvillecohort.blogspot.com/2005/12/top-10-signs-you-might-be-emergent.html
I love, love, love the conversation/
movement. It has freed me like I haven't been freed since, well, I would say conversion, but I think I feel even freer than then!!
I am a year past a really bad church situation that totally rocked my world. Emerging/emergent came along like a life support.
Posted by: Joy | 12 October 2006 at 03:30 PM