I've been on the blah... tout for this past week, it's been superb. Really good to connect with people and be able to share the story of Sanctus1 and to offer some theological reflections on it. At the end of each day we've been taking questions and the question that we've had each day is 'Is this just a movement for white, middle class people?' There is deep validity within this question, my response is to say that we need to ask the question to the wider church as well as the emerging one and then to comment that Sanctus1 reflects the place in which it is situated...However, I'm becoming more and more uncomfortable with my answer.
One of the nine practices that Ryan mentions in the book emerging churches is being welcoming. I think that this is where the challenge lies for emerging churches - yes, we are welcoming on the individual level, when a new person comes along we give them coffee, muffins, chat with them etc. However, I am wondering whether as an institution there are patterns and practices that make it harder for people who are 'not-like-me' to access the emerging church. In short has the emerging church unintentionally become institutionally racist? For example Is the music and film that we use sourced from a diversity of ethic and cultural backgrounds? If not then it will favour one ethnicity above another and these practices can exclude.
I'm pondering this one as I'm not sure - institutional racism maybe putting it too strongly, but i think that we need to reflect on our patterns and practices and ask the question corporately and individually.
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