As previously mentioned, I’ve hesitated in posting anything on this topic. I care deeply about the Church’s need to divest itself of its “modern” entrenchments, yet despite my own commitment and involvement within the Emerging Church (EC), in no way do I see myself as an expert in this endeavor. Rather, I see myself as someone on an expedition – a journey of exploration and discovery. I’m learning at least as much from others who are also on this expedition and are pointing things out to the rest of us, as I am from discovering things myself. My only purpose in pointing out what the emerging church needs, is in hope that others might benefit somehow from what I’m seeing, whether or not they end up agreeing. That said, I continue now with what, IMHO, the Emerging Church needs.

The Practice of Honest Deconstruction.
One of the traits of postmodernity is deconstruction. The endeavor to deconstruct philosophies, belief-systems, and institutions in order to reconstruct them seems to me a noble one.

The title of this post needs a bit of an explanation…

I don’t consider myself an expert on the Emerging Church (EC), and I hesitate in even putting my observations and thoughts together for the purpose of posing questions or raising objections -- much less to be offering suggestions to EC leaders for improvement. And yet I feel compelled to do so – not as some typical modern, evangelical pastor, who stands on the sidelines of this movement (as so many do) in order to criticize it – but as someone who sees within the EC unparalleled potential for reform and renewal. I speak as one who has embraced the EC, invested much time and resources into the EC, and is personally involved in a local EC community.

That said, I see the Emerging Church at a critical crossroads. The desire to “do church differently”, or better yet to “be church” in a different way has led to far too much emphasis on ecclesiology (i.e. how we “are” the church) instead of theology. In fact, I was tempted to say we EC’ers have generally focused on orthopraxy to the exclusion of orthodoxy, but it’s impossible to practice one’s theology when that theology hasn’t even been clearly outlined or articulated yet. A recent post by Anna Aven has done an excellent job of drawing attention to this sort of thing. You’ll want to read it.

And so, I offer the following (general) observations concerning the Emerging Church, along with what I hope will be some helpful suggestions:

The Church's current pursuit of authentic Christian community is being signficantly hindered by the fact that, for the most part, we don't actually know what it is. Oh, we can quote scriptures and elucidate a theology of community (which I see as valuable, by the way), but when it comes right down to it -- we're handicapped in this area; so few of us have ever actually "experienced" community.

It was a recent post of Karl's that got me thinking again about all this. He has spawned another fascinating discussion -- this one dealing with unity (or the lack of it) as well as our pursuit (and avoidance) of biblical community. It's a worthy read.

"I am like a moth to Ephraim, like rot to the people of Judah." -- God (Hos. 5:12)

Moths are nasty creatures.

They distract us, aggrevate us, and sometimes even startle or frighten us. Moths seek out and devour our clothing, our tapestries -- the work of our hands -- the things that we have made.

Yet there are times when the work of our hands, our own human efforts, need to be ruined and undone. There are times when our brilliant ideas and accomplishments need the humiliation that a moth can bring.

Sometimes... God himself is that moth -- that moth in our lives.

As I continue to ponder the effect that consumerism and materialism and individualism have reeked within the church (IC and EC alike), it "feels" like our God-who-is-like-a-Moth is needed more than ever.

The above photo is what dominated a direct-mailer I received at my office yesterday from this organization.

Is it just me? Or does this image blatantly epitomize how comfortable the Church has become in it's adulterous affair with consumerism?

Forgive me, but even this quote -- taken directly from their home page -- is just plain 'ol irritating to me:

"The Entrepreneurial Church is a unique "one-stop-shop" opportunity to learn about every aspect of launching a new ministry from the ground up, adding a mission-motivated enterprise, or expanding facilities. And you'l hear from people who have done it, along with experts in areas like strategic planning, finance and fundraising, and technology."

Recognizing the effects of consumerism both within and upon the Church is nothing new -- but I've got to wonder... will consumerism in the church EVER die?

This may be one of the most difficult posts I've ever written. Suicide remains one of those cultural taboos that is commonly avoided in conversation -- even when it strikes close to home.

Last weekend I received one of those dreaded phonecalls -- informing me that someone had unexpectedly died. Even with 25 years of pastoral experience, these calls are never easy. This one, however, was especially painful, for this time it was the son of one of my closest friends, telling me that his father had just taken his own life. The shock and sorrow was both immediate and overwhelming. For a pastor who was supposed to know what to say, I was virtually speachless.

My friend had long-before been diagnosed with a mental disorder -- a disease with which he constantly struggled. I had met him some 15 years ago, and he was just then beginning to get his chemical imbalances under control (with the help of medical doctors) enough to carry on his life with some sense of normalcy.

In anticipation of today's observance of "Independence Day" in the U.S., a pastor-friend in our community composed and then printed a Declaration of Dependence, which he read to his congregation this morning before inviting them forward to personally sign it (after communion) -- a sign of solidarity and recommitment within his community of faith. Here's the text of his declaration:

A Declaration of Dependence

When in the course of spiritual events, God’s people find that the faith that shaped their nation is attacked and rejected; and when the churches that gave hope and stability to a struggling young country are cast out of meaningful participation in the culture; and when Christians have been lulled into a materialistic stupor to the point that there is no evidence of the power of God in their lives, it is time for us to admit that we have trusted in our own cleverness, organization, and wealth and have abandoned real dependence on God.

Desperately in need of the presence and power of God in our lives, our homes, our churches, our City, and our Nation, we now confess our prayerlessness, our indifference, and our self-centeredness. Further, we purpose to return to God, seeking Him in the fear of the Lord, and trusting that He will forgive, that He will cleanse, that He will guide, and that He will protect those who obey Christ. With renewed, sincere dependence on our Redeemer, we pledge to Him, and to one another as brothers and sisters in Christ, our blood-bought lives, our God-given treasure, and our sacred honor as the children of the living God.

Regular readers of Paradoxology are likely aware of how often I denounce the evils of individualism. And although many of us are quick to laud our nation's independence -- as well as our own -- we often forget how for many of our founders, our independence was reliant upon our dependence -- our dependence on God.

That being as it is, I'm curious what you think of my pastor-friend's Declaration of Dependence, and how he wove it into this morning's worship service. Was it a needed corrective? An offensive rebuke? Or was it an inappropriate mixing of faith and politics?

Yep...

Our vacation is now over. But looking back over the past 10 days, Ingrid and I agreed that it was one of our all-time favorites! We had SO MANY unique experiences -- like taking Benjy and Angie down into one of California's infamous earthquake faults (pictured below), and really felt like we relaxed in a qualitative way (people in our congregation even commented on how "relaxed" we looked).

After 7 days in Mammoth Lakes, CA -- we drove up over Tioga Pass (Elevation 10,000 ft.) and through the northern part of Yosemite National Park. After a very L_O_N_G day of driving, we arrived in our state's Capitol (Sacramento), were I played "tour-guide" for my wife and daughter. :D (explanation: over an 8-year period, I helped lead tours through the State Capitol and surrounding locations for students in our Christian school)

Although Governor Arnold didn't clear his schedule to see me, we still had a great time in and around Sacramento, which included some serious wild-blackberry picking (with whipped cream...yum!).

If you'd like to see more of our vacation photos, go here. Since I've come back with a serious "itch" for the trail, I'll probably find a way to carve out a few more days away before summer's out. I guess I'll keep you posted. ;)