Emergent… it’s time to start looking for a saddle (a death of post)
There’s a couple things I want to mention before I start.
First, since my posts now go to facebook as notes, I’ve gotten some more personal responses from people that didn’t read my blog previously but have been following me since I started moving into the facebook area as well. To these people, and to a lot of my other facebook friends that come across this post, the subject matter may be a bit outside of your normal conversational topics. I’m talking here about a movement that isn’t well known amongst the laity at your everyday American church, but it’s influence, or I should say effect, is likely felt within your own individual church experiences. If you’ve ever seen artists on stage painting during a sermon, or been to a coffee house church, or perhaps your church sits in a circle with the presenter in the middle, these are a few examples of things that the emergent movement has brought to the forefront. (an aside, I’m not saying emergent created these things, did them first, or does them best, simply that the influence of the movement brought them out) If you want to know more about the whole deal, feel free to email me matt at themattscott dot com.
Second, I want to preface my comments to my emergent friends. I was hesitant about posting on the latest “death of emergent” for several reasons; one the topic is becoming redundant. Two, there are other more important things to be talking about (speaking of which, please help helping Haiti in any way you can).
Third, I hesitated mostly because I don’t know if I consider myself part of the movement any longer. I stepped away from things for a few months while I was dealing with some life issues (and by dealing with I mean going through various and increasing levels of hell until things got better), and during this time went through some large belief changes. I’m not sure if I still consider emergent my movement (not as in I controlled things, but as in I had a part to play in the [continuing] formation, at least on a local level) I now split my self between feeling that I am still a part of emergent and simply being a friend that wants to see things go well for them. With these things in mind, let chat.
In response to the recent “death of” conversation, I point to the following quote from the movie “Lucky Number Slevin”
My father use to say: “The first time someone calls you a horse you punch him on the nose, the second time someone calls you a horse you call him a jerk, but the third time someone calls you a horse, well then perhaps it’s time to go shopping for a saddle.”
I’m no emerging church historian, but I can think of three times this “death of” conversation has sparked up, while I wouldn’t say it’s time to go looking for a burial plot yet, I would say it’s time to start dealing with the fact that you’re being called a horse.
I think the reason these past couple critiques have stirred up so much more emotion is because they have come from within, instead of the normal attacks and critiques from the existing structures that “feel threatened.” While Emergent, as a movement, has been under constant critique from the outside for what seems like the entirety of its existence, and I think has benefited from such constant critiques, and they’ll likely continue for some time. Some have been valid, some have changed things that needed to be changed, some have been rightfully refuted, and some have been ignored, all without causing too much emotional repercussions and long term levels of hurt feelings. These latest critiques, however, the ones that have come from within, are starting to show strains and cracks.
These latest critiques (really the last two “death of” critiques) have elicited what can only be seen as a “circling the wagons” response, an immediate defensive position. The former coordinator of EV immediately bangs out a response to them, the satirical articles come, and then the critique is seen as “refuted” and life moves on, nothing really changes and no real benefit is seen from the event. I have a friend who has no problems calling me an ass when I act like one and I have another friend who tells me straight to my face when I’m about to do something stupid. I value these two guys, because I know they want the best for me, and if I ignore their advice it’s usually to my detriment. I hope emergent starts to see these inside critiques in the same light.
But hey, I’m just the little guy on the outside looking in, what do I know?
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