The Emerging Church Rising from fallen foundations

The Emerging Church Presented at: Presbytery of East Iowa RTA Leadership Summit October 20 th, 2007 Jim Bonewald

Emerging from What? Evangelicalism Liberalism Protestant Exclusivism

Emerging from What? Foundationalism & Rationalism Hierarchalism Pride of place in society

Emerging Voices Rob Bell Brian McClaren Tony Jones Diana Butler- Bass Donald Miller Doug Pagitt Phyllis Tickle Marcus Borg

The Emerging Church One definition: Emerging churches are communities that practice the way of Jesus within postmodern cultures. (Bolger/Gibbs)

Postmodern Questions The certainty of knowledge The objectivity of knowledge The inherent goodness of knowledge

How (not) to Speak of God Postmodern Christians don’t deny the existence of truth, they just seek to hold that truth differently. “Truth is God and having knowledge of the Truth is evidenced not in a doctrinal system, but in allowing the truth to be incarnated in one’s life.” –Pete Rollins

Emergent Churches: 1.) have a significant interest in "community," communal living, and renewed monastic practices* * This list is by Mark Scandrette from a chapter in Emergent Manifesto of Hope.

Emergent Church Model OLD MODEL:NEW MODEL: BELIEVEBELONG BEHAVE BELONGBELIEVE

The Jesus Dojo In Japanese, a dojo is literally, "a place where you learn the way.” The setting where you learn to follow Jesus should be more like a karate studio than a college lecture hall.

Emergent Churches: 2.) have an open-source approach to community, theology, and leadership that encourages flatter structures, networks, and more personal and collective participation.

Solomon’s Porch

Emergent Churches: 3.) have a revitalized interest in the social dimensions of the gospel of Jesus, including community development, earth-keeping, global justice, and advocacy–with a particular emphasis on a relationally engaged approach to these issues

Hope for the World

Emergent Churches: 4.) have a renewed interest in contemplative and bodily spiritual formation disciplines that have, historically, been important Christian practices

Emergent Churches: 5.) have a renewed emphasis on creation theology that celebrates earth, humanity, cultures, and the sensuous and aesthetic as good gifts of the Creator to be enjoyed in their proper contexts

Emergent Churches: 6.) cultivate and have an appreciation of the arts, creativity, artful living, and provocative storytelling

Wicker Park Grace

Emergent Churches: 7.) re-examine and rethink vocation, livelihood, and sustainable economics

What about us? What are the implications of all this for Presbyterians? – –Christianity for the Rest of Us –Tribal Church