After dialogging with dozens of twenty-something leaders in my denomination this week, I've decided to take another look at the question: are we truly "emerging" -- as leaders, as alternative expressions of being the church, and perhaps even as a movement?  Or would "re-emerging" perhaps best describe what God is inspiring and doing within us?

Young adults in particular (and others of us in general) seem to have grown tired of how evangelical churches seem to relentlessly pursue the next fresh, new, innovative, catchy, and slick thing. The problem, is that we're not looking for the latest fad or craze; we're looking for something entirely different -- something bigger than us, older than us, stronger than us, holier than us.

Starting this morning and for the next two days, I'm attending a regional denominational event that we Free Methodists loosing refer to as our annual "Learning Community."  These are pretty much what the name suggests: our larger family-of-faith coming together for the purpose of teaching, encouraging, challenging, inspiring, and resourcing one another on a variety of helpful or interesting topics.  The theme of this year's event will be:

Our Vision and Mission through the Eyes of Emergent Leaders.

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Ahhh. This should be interesting.

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Free Methodists in Southern California have encouraged emerging/emergent expressions of being the church for the better part of six years or more now.  Some of us definitely "get it," while others of us think we get it.  I suppose that there are those who aren't even interested in getting it, but I honestly think that most of us at least want to get it.

Here are a few of the topics being presented:

• The Cause is the Kingdom
• Holy Habits: Why the Emerging Generation Embraces Ritual
• Discipleship & Evangelism in the Emerging Generation

I'll try to post some notes and/or reactions to the various presentations over the next two days -- and hopefully -- generate some interesting dialog.

Blessings,

Chris

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Photo credit: © Amanda Rohde, iStockphoto.com

In conjunction with Thomas Nelson Publishers, the folks at outreach.com have launched a media/outreach initiative that utilizes Max Lucado's "3:16 -- The Numbers of Hope."

The advertising piece (pictured on right) that recently showed up with all my other junk mail, asks the question: "If we could share only verse with the world...wouldn't it be John 3:16?"

You know, I'm not so sure it would be!  I suppose that evangelicals have long recognized John 3:16 as "THE" salvation verse in the Bible. But does that make it "THE" most important verse to share with the world?  Is it, as Max Lucado claims, "the Hope Diamond of Scripture?"  How about:

John 3:17?
1 John 4:16?
Jeremiah 29:11?
Micah 6:8?

...or a host of other possible verses?

SO, if we could only share one verse with the world, which verse would you consider the most important, and why?

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Here's a question for all of you pastors and teachers out there:

When you come across sections of scripture that have either been significantly altered or omitted from contemporary translations due to the most reliable manuscript evidence available, what do you tell people?

I'm currently teaching through the gospel of John. The earliest manuscripts and many other ancient witnesses do not include John 7:53-8:11. Despite the fact that the story of the woman caught in adultery is well-known, it probably wasn't part of John's original writings.

So, how would you deal with this?  Just ignore it, and teach through the passage anyway? Explain the textual situation?  And if so, how?  And then what?

I'd love to hear your pragmatic as well as theological perspectives on this one.

Kindness. 

Why isn't kindness practiced more among Christians, and why aren't we talking and writing about it more?

As a kid, my grandfather used to tell me, "you'll catch more flies with honey than you will with vinegar."  And you know, that's a relational metaphor that really makes sense. I mean, come on! This is a concept as old as the hills, yet more often than not, Christians are known for how judgmental and moralizing they are -- not for the extraordinary kindness they extend to others. Bad us.

Friendship evangelism was certainly a step in the right direction, but often suffers from a sort of disingenuousness. People become suspicious of the sudden friendliness of "Christians" who otherwise are not likely known for their kindness to others. Many become "nice" to people just so they can eventually preach to them. Rare are the believers who are nice to others simply for the sake of being nice. If such were the rule and not the exception, Christians wouldn't suffer from such negative stereotyping.  Even Christians themselves are often heard admitting how "Christians" are some of the most difficult-to-get-along-with people they know!

Today's Christian-bashing culture needs to consistently experience something radically different from those who claim to follow Jesus Christ. They need to witness a revolution of kindness.

I've always been inspired by the stories of Aidan, 7th century missionary to the Celtic people. Here is one  of those which stand out: