how the evangelicals lost me, and why I might go back (pt5)
To recap: Pt 1: Worship Pt. 2: Apologetics Pt 3: Wave Making pt 4: (down with) Sola Scriptura!
Today is the final day, Part Five: Remerging (into) Church.
Towards the end of each post, I’ve given a reason (or two) in which the evangelical church can improve, I have not, however, really given any reason as to why I would go back (ok, I touched a bit on one point in “wave making”). Today, I want to spend a bit of time fleshing out that very thought, returning to the Evangelical church.
Reason 1: Community.
Yup, if there’s one thing that most of the evangelical churches I have been to/around do well, it’s trying to get people into smaller communities with each other. While the seeming penchant is towards gathering as many people for a “worship experience” as possible, the undergirding push is towards smaller communities gathering in homes or various places, and delving into scripture together. This principle I cannot fault, and support wholeheartedly (in fact I have an upcoming blogpost on community theology). While I am sure mainstream churches do encourage smaller communities, I have never seen it pushed so vibrantly as I have by various evangelical non-denom churches.
Reason 2: Heritage
I grew up an evangelical, and they are my people. While I may disagree with them (a lot), evangelicals are a representation of my background and bring back some fond (and of course, not so great) memories. While at times I seem to paint evangelicals in a very harsh brush, I cannot write them off, or out of my life. It reminds me of the book “The Dark Side of Christian History” (except not as bad), there are things I must acknowledge and fight to prevent now, but they are part of my heritage none-the-less.
While sometimes it is good to get away from the things of your past, other times it’s better to return to them, and bring a different light on them. That doesn’t mean change to conform to the “ways of old” but simply, do what you can to help “the things of old”. Like a cleaned up junkie returning to help those that were like him, you have to come back for those that it’s easier to write off. On that note, believe me, it is easy to write of evangelicals as backwards people, but it’s far better for all to see if they can be “brought along”.
I’m walking a thin line around pissing a lot of people off with this one, so I’ll stop right here and move on to reason three.
I grew up an evangelical, and they are my people. While I may disagree with them (a lot), evangelicals are a representation of my background and bring back some fond (and of course, not so great) memories. While at times I seem to paint evangelicals in a very harsh brush, I cannot write them off, or out of my life. It reminds me of the book “The Dark Side of Christian History” (except not as bad), there are things I must acknowledge and fight to prevent now, but they are part of my heritage none-the-less.
While sometimes it is good to get away from the things of your past, other times it’s better to return to them, and bring a different light on them. That doesn’t mean change to conform to the “ways of old” but simply, do what you can to help “the things of old”. Like a cleaned up junkie returning to help those that were like him, you have to come back for those that it’s easier to write off. On that note, believe me, it is easy to write of evangelicals as backwards people, but it’s far better for all to see if they can be “brought along”.
I’m walking a thin line around pissing a lot of people off with this one, so I’ll stop right here and move on to reason three.
Reason 3: The Remerging Church
I’ve always thought highly of hyphenated-emergents, and I feel like the future of emergence christianity is between missional and the hyphenateds. While I value those communities that are in and of themselves, emergent and don’t necessarily affiliate with any institutional denomination, I don’t foresee that as “the future” (but please note: I am not denying the beneficial nature of such gatherings, and if thats what you want to be part of, by all means find/join one!). While withdrawing from those denominations that fostered us while we were younger may be beneficial (at least for a time), like I mentioned in “Wave Making”, there are voices within those denominations still being stifled, and still looking for an outlet. Emergence offers the safety to question, to grapple, and to doubt, and remerging into our former communities allows us to bring that safety net a bit closer to those that still need it.
I’ve always thought highly of hyphenated-emergents, and I feel like the future of emergence christianity is between missional and the hyphenateds. While I value those communities that are in and of themselves, emergent and don’t necessarily affiliate with any institutional denomination, I don’t foresee that as “the future” (but please note: I am not denying the beneficial nature of such gatherings, and if thats what you want to be part of, by all means find/join one!). While withdrawing from those denominations that fostered us while we were younger may be beneficial (at least for a time), like I mentioned in “Wave Making”, there are voices within those denominations still being stifled, and still looking for an outlet. Emergence offers the safety to question, to grapple, and to doubt, and remerging into our former communities allows us to bring that safety net a bit closer to those that still need it.
Reason 4: Removing choice from Church selection
We (Americans) have a particularly nasty ability called “Church shopping.” We are able to find a church practically custom fit to our wants. We can basically create a checklist and find a church that fits perfectly into that list. Don’t want loud music? Ok, go here. Don’t want a large gathering, but you want loud music? Yeah, we can do that. Want the ability to decide whether you want loud or more conventional music on a weekly basis? Ok! Go here! (Hmm… all of those had to do with music, sorry). See, with all the various churches we have within, oh say, twenty miles of us, we can fit comfortably into a gathering that never pushes us to new experiences.
We (Americans) have a particularly nasty ability called “Church shopping.” We are able to find a church practically custom fit to our wants. We can basically create a checklist and find a church that fits perfectly into that list. Don’t want loud music? Ok, go here. Don’t want a large gathering, but you want loud music? Yeah, we can do that. Want the ability to decide whether you want loud or more conventional music on a weekly basis? Ok! Go here! (Hmm… all of those had to do with music, sorry). See, with all the various churches we have within, oh say, twenty miles of us, we can fit comfortably into a gathering that never pushes us to new experiences.
About two years ago, in a teaching at Mars Hill Bible Church, Ed Dobson (yes, a former Moral Majority leader!) questioned what it would look like if local christians had only one choice in which “church” to attend. How much harder would we work at working on community if we couldn’t leave and find another “good fitting” church. How much more forgiving would we be of style? How much better for all of us? While I am unequivocally guilty of fighting a churches “style” remerging into a community in which I don’t agree with “style” (ok, and doctrine and theology, but that’s another point) would do me a fair bit of good.
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So… I guess I am officially a “remerging evangemergent”
Anyone else out there in the same boat? Want to form a network to encourage and work with each other? shoot me an email at matt@themattscott.com.
So… I guess I am officially a “remerging evangemergent”
Anyone else out there in the same boat? Want to form a network to encourage and work with each other? shoot me an email at matt@themattscott.com.
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