Hard Questions: John Drane - Looking for Maturity in the Emerging Church

Here are my notes on John's talk:

Three usage of the term emerging church:

• For some it’s just a repackaging i.e. Alpha!
• Grows out of dissatisfaction with Church life i.e. post-evangelical
• Creative individuals that are deeply embedded within the tradition.

Emerging from what?
World of difference between those who are emerging for Evangelical sub-culture, and those who are having an open conversation between gospel, culture and tradition.

Maturity – stage of intellectual development that we move through – linear –change is measured, gradual and dependable.

Historically maturity was defined by relationship to the past. Maturity – is past its sell by date. The organisations that look to as mature are in the past, they are struggling. We need to look to the future...

What is the new maturity? Maturity is something that is found by those who look to the future rather than the past. Creative class as a driving force – cultural creatives.

Emerging church has an abundance of people who are looking to the future – people who match the profile of the creative class. Groups who look forward rather than backwards.

Four things that seem to be central that might point us to spiritual maturity:

Concern for organic way of being: Firmly rooted in the realities of a globalised culture. Distrust of institutions, just because they are institutions – many people in the emerging church question whether we need ‘denominations’ and ‘labels’. People have no interest in the denominational structures, they are simply Christians.

Look back on our own story to find answers to the future. – when the emerging church looks to ancient models and remodels them it’s an ancient practice. Being Christian places you within a long term story.

Spirituality in everyday life – breaking down of the secular/sacred divide. 1932 Barth Missio Dei, foundational platform of thinking. No place can be a no go area for God. Have we grasped the radical reality of this.

Inclusive - Not about sexuality. Quote from Sanctus1 website 'who we are' - Inclusivity with vengeance. Not syncretism – welcoming the stranger

Living in the story – Stories are events of life, if you start with our inherited ecclesiology then you inherit the structures.

Perpetuate the patterns of Christendom, the vast majority of emerging churches are bastians of male ways of leadership.

Thinks that we find maturity in the emerging church!

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Comments

[Malcolm]

all looking good Ben, until that last line which strikes you in the gut...

"Perpetuate the patterns of Christendom, the vast majority of emerging churches are bastians of male ways of leadership."

surely, the 'patterns of Christendom' is what we're trying not to perpetuate. The future of the emerging church depends, to a large degree, on our 'success' in this!

[Ben Edson]

i think that this comment was made in reference to lack of female leadership within the emerging church...and unfortunately with regard to women we are still following the patterns of christendom.

[John]

Hi, Im from Melbourne.
Why hard questions?
Why not ask REAL questions instead?
Or even soft questions.
Please check out these related references on the inherent softness of the Divine Reality---Real God being unbounded feeling.

1. www.beezone.com/AdiDa/touch.html
2. www.dabase.org/broken.htm
3. www.dabase.org/dht7.htm
4. www.dabase.org/2armP1.htm#ch1b
5. www.dabase.org/tfrbkgil.htm
6. www.dabase.org/dualsens.htm
7. www.dabase.org/restsacr.htm

Ref #7 is about the politics & culture of True Intimacy, or softness, or unbounded feeling.

[John W. Morehead]

While these might be "hard questions," it is difficult to find a more qualified and credible person to raise them than Drane. I have been impressed with his scholarship and his being in touch with current issues of church ahd culture.

Perhaps this summary and critique of EC means that there is still a great deal of theological, cultural, and missional reflection to do, and that this can best be done by bringing in the voices of individuals like Drane.