devotion - a rebuttal

It's just getting easier and clearer. Here's the poster and here's the article.



Well - I don't get what the poster is trying to say about Emergents. Whatever i was, the Pyro guys and their fans thought it was funny.

I read the article by Jamie Arpinricci (I think that's his name) and it seems to be his reaction to the Emerging Churches book I've already discussed a number of times. Arpinricci explains the difference between patriotism and nationalism and how nationalism often leverages religious ideology to achieve its end. He cites the American revolution as an example of such. Ok.

Now here's the meat (I think).

Because of this heritage, there is a dangerous tendency in much of current American Christian culture that seems to embrace their socio-political and economic systems as natural and essential expressions of "Biblical" faith. The fact is, the founding of America was the establishment of one of the first truly modern states (built on seriously modernist, Enlightenment ideologies and documents, such as Declaration of Independence), therefore, with this being intrinsic in its religious development, there is often an uncritical embrace of modernity within the church.

Understanding this shed a lot of light on the emerging conversation. For example, Southern Baptist scholar, John Hammett, recently cautioned the emerging church movement not to be too deeply shaped by a culture that has rejected the Gospel. Hammett critiqued the movement for placing more emphasis on postmodern cultural concerns than being driven by Scripture. He also stated that many churches are reaching people by simply teaching the Scripture and sharing the Gospel. Absolutely fair concerns.

However, what this reveals is a oft failure to see how the so called "traditional" Evangelical church has also uncritically (even unwittingly) embraced culture (modernity & nationalism), being deeply shaped by values that, while not necessarily rejecting the Gospel, too often rewrote it in its own image. In claiming that they simply teach Scripture and share the Gospel unhindered by very real socio-historical and cultural roots (of which the above is but one example) it becomes clear why they see the emerging church as so flawed and dangerous, while failing to see this reality in their own situation.

Seems like Arpinricci is thinking correctly here. I think he is saying, "hey, we all have roots, let's not be blind to how they shape our thinking. Just because they are our roots don't make them right."

He even notes, "I have heard speakers at our US centres explicitly teach that American democracy and free market economy are THE Biblical models given to us by God- something I find deeply troubling." He is correct.

Anyway, all I see is a regular guy trying to sort out why it seems that in the US traditional evangelicals are so upset with Emergents while that doesn't seem to be the case in Canada.

Again, I miss the horror and I miss the jab at Emergents. But I clearly get the overall distain from TeamPyro and the shaping of uninformed minds through deception that they are proud to be leading.

Technorati Tags: Emerging Church