Bible Study/Heresy

I just finished a Bishop Spong book which questions pretty much everything that could be considered a pillar of Christian faith. It was titled Why Christianity Must Change Or Die. You know, subtle. For those who don't know, Bishop John Shelby Spong is well known in Christian circles and particularly in the Episcopal Church where he served as bishop of the Diocese of Newark for many years. What makes him special is his ability to deconstruct traditional Christian understandings of oh, say, the Nicene Creed (problematic), the Trinity (doesn't exist?) or the Divinity of Christ (oh, yeah--he was a guy). Since this blog is not a book review, I'll leave it to the reader to go dig up Why Christianity Must Change for themselves. However, I will say that Spong doesn't embrace any kind of literal understanding of these things, rather he roughly reinterprets these doctrines in a manner so as to allow them to have meaning in his life. As one might guess, this approach usually doesn't fly so well with many people (think modern day heretic burning which usually involves denouncement, pouting, and dramatic exits on the part of those offended). At the same time, he argues that he is speaking to and for a large section of the population who feel and believe in the same manner as he.

So let me add myself to the pyre. I had never read a Spong book (and there are several); however, I was surprised to find that the questions he poses are very similar to the questions and assumptions I run into in my daily conversations with people (I know, bear with me, I've been in Seminary for three years...). Not only that, but I found that often I was on the same page as he was with his questioning of such doctrines as well as in his concern for those with similar perspectives. This is not to say that I hold his ideas exactly, but there is a commonality; furthermore, and more importantly, he is concerned about the faith of individuals who cannot hold the same "literal" beliefs of the traditional church but still possess a spiritual life (which is indeed an aspect of being human). His concern is that the church is not speaking to these individuals and by doing so, only works to futher marginalize itself from the world when it should be in the world, calling it into a new kind of being. I worry about this too. And certainly theology in the church has not always remained static, right? So, yeah, I like what he had to say.

Isn't this precisely what the emerging church is doing as well? Working to seek to speak to a new understanding of reality, in a new generation, that is meaningful to that community, generation, etc? In an effort to begin doing this, I'm going to be meeting with others for bible study, and meet head-on one of the most loved and contested works in the world: Holy Scripture. How does this ancient narrative speak to us today in a way that is neither dismissive nor paralyzing? I'm gonna find out...

What is the Emerging Church?????

Hi everyone! Now that I have returned from the wonderful New York City, I can refocus on those looming questions that I had set aside. Much of what I have been reading over the last three months has fallen under the label (yes, it kinda is a label) of Emerging Church (I have to use something, so let me shamelessly employ this current buzzword--though I am trying not to taint it). One thing I haven't really tackled is offering all you lovely people an overview of what Emerging Church is. To remedy this, I found a nice and concise overview of what might make up an emerging church. Nanette Sawyer, who pastors Wicker Park Grace, an Emerging community in Wicker Park Chicago, posted on her blog a summary of Marcus Borg's understanding of "emerging."
This is by no means an exhaustive overview--there are many manifestations of what it means to be emergent. And this is ok, because each community, each church, has its own context--its own culture. For some people, this aspect of emerging may be threatening; I do not find it so. God is much bigger that one faith tradition, one approach. What I feel emerging does is remind us of the larger truth that is out there, but which we alone cannot fully grasp. We need each other and each other's little holds on truth in order to start approach the whole of what is actually true (of what is God). This is both humbling and empowering and for many of these communities, is uncharted territory.
Is this a different approach from the kind of church you grew up in?