Theological Mash-up, Part 2

Last week, I shared some of my analysis of the Emergent Church voices, noting themes that I detect in the literature and bloggesphere.  This week, I’ve had a few further thoughts and would add the following themes to the previous list:

• Spiritual formation is as  important as catechesis (if not more so) — in other words, knowing God and living in/with God are perhaps more desirable than knowing about God.
• A desire for faith that is experiential as well as cerebral; and where each informs the other.

INTERESTING IDEAS

Some ideas were mentioned at the Hocus Pocus event that caught my attention and imagination:

• Pop up church:  Peter Rollins spoke about doing “pop up” churches… gathering a group together for 1 year and then at the end of the year, be ready to disburse or continue as the spirit leads.  I wonder how this would feel?  Would it free us to be focused on the moment and the task of discipleship/fellowship/service/spiritual formation and not to be concerned with things like budgets, growth plans, membership, etc?  Sounds pretty intriguing.
• Safe Spaces and other non-church-y gatherings for conversation and personal/spiritual encounters:  The School of Life (see Note 1, below) is one example that many are considering.  My colleagues and I came up with a possible group name:  “The League of Like-able Sinners”

GOOD NEWS FOR THE  PC(USA) —

So what is the PC(USA) to make of all of this?  Is there a role for us to play in the new era?  While there are many things about our present life that might be cumbersome, I do think that there is hope for us, especially if we can reclaim some of our theological heritage.  At our best, Presbyterians have the following things to offer:

• We acknowledge that God alone is the Lord of conscience.  At our best, we can model how to wrestle with scripture and with one another, living in the tension of differing opinions and still getting along and encouraging one another.  There is a deep hunger for this.  Can we set aside our need to be right and reclaim this way of living together?
• We know about depravity.  We acknowledge that everything is broken.  Perhaps we might give more room exploring and naming that in our liturgy, our pastoral care and our discipling of one another.
• We have a strong commitment to the civic life and to social justice.  Can we be bold about that?
• Idolatry is a big bug-a-boo for us… we KNOW that humans are ever prone to create idols (even of our own understandings and traditions).  Can’t we then embrace and celebrate the doubt and humility that inoculate us against idolatry?

So, there you have it. These are my reflections on what I read and my ponderings toward the future.  As I’ve said before, God is definitely birthing something new in the church.     I don’t know if we’re at morning sickness or at labor pains, but we can definitely feel the stress, strain and discomfort of this new life that is coming.  The question for all of us is this:  will we, like Mary, say ‘yes’ to God’s work in us, even if it seems beyond our understanding of all that is possible or desirable?   We can only hope and pray so.   Have no fear, for if we are silent/reluctant, “the stones would shout out” (Luke 19:40b).   God’s new thing will come to fruition.  Don’t you want to be part of it?  I think I do!

Notes

1.  The School of Life  http://www.theschooloflife.com/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_School_of_Life