We are called to submit to the cry of the culture around us...
- Dwight Friesen
The Edgewater Community Religious Association offered a seminar to share what they are doing. Edgewater is a neighborhood in Chicago that wrestles with and enjoys incredible diversity. And the local religious association reflects that. Various religions attempt to serve the neighborhood and maintain their distinct voices in a spirit of mutual respect and care. Only a few people attended, but conversation was lively. Pastors and lay people alike are struggling to navigate an increasingly complicated American religious landscape and ministries in places like Edgewater can serve as a guide. Edgewater has been religiously diverse for decades. Communities in, say, more rural areas where immigration is a less dramatic occurrence, are now beginning to ask questions and seek mutual ministries. So, Edgewater can serve as a guide and inspiration. It was a good seminar.
The second seminar was about the Emergent movement and how it fits within the ecumenical conversation. Dwight Friesen was the presenter and he did a fine job presenting a (very) abridged history of the movement and how he understands it. There were several people in attendance and they all had questions. Some of the questions were along the line of the how-is-this-different-from-1967 variety. Others wanted to know a little about post-whateverism. But most were interested in finding ways to participate with the Emergent of inviting the Emergent into their own contexts.
Dwight said that "Emergent" is an impossible moniker to live with. It's unfortunate because the whole of the church should be emerging...with the help of the Holy Spirit, of course. This statement opened up an entire line of conversation where pastors and others expressed frustration in navigating denominational structures that now seem outdated.
According to Friesen, the Emergent movement is about an "ecology of spirituality." He claims that ideally the movement is not culturally driven. The whole of the movement is hoping to answer the questions: Where is mutual transformation occurring? Where is the church changing to meet the real needs of people? Where is the culture changing in response to the movement of God? This is the part of the conversation where the above quotation comes from. We are not to duplicate the culture around us. We are to critique it in the light of the Gospel (thus some of the anti-capitalism stances of Emergent folk) and with a spirit of Mission, offer alternatives.
Again, it was a great day. I'll post about the panel later on.
News!: Krister Stendahl has died.
Posted by tripp at April 18, 2008 08:27 AM