a blog by howard jameson @ gatheringgrace.org

Being rational

Joel has left an interesting comment on an old post about Anti-Emergent Feelings over a year ago. He says

In the attempt to argue for post-modern emergent churches, you are using modern rationalism to do so.

Hmmmm, intersting.

having said that I have also spoken with people who claim that post-Modernity is hogwash precisely because it does NOT use modern rationalism to work through arguments. I am not sure how to move forward on this one and argue (as I did in the original post) for some conservatives to accept the enculturation of their own theology and ecclesiology without using "modern rationalism", perhaps there is an degree of sarcasm in Joel's comment which is fair enough. Speaking for myself I think I was using modern rationalistic tools (quoting proof texts for example) in an ironic way to try to point out the slippery slope upon which modernity has placed conservative theological views. It is not the rock that Jesus spoke about.

There's good news and bad news...

The good news is very good news indeed. After years of jealously reading of others and their Clergy residentials, doing something with relevance for post-Modernity and its interface with the Established Church it appears that Salisbury Diocese is going to include a worskshop on post-Modern culutre as it effects spirituality this summer. This is GOOD NEWS indeed. Big HURRAHs all round.

The bad news, though, is as bad as the good news is good. Guess who they have got to do a workshop!

Me

Doh!

Mission Shaped Church

At the recent Clergy Day I opted for the seminar on the subject of Mission Shaped Church.

The fifth Sunday after Trinity

I am thinking about tomorrow's services, and was struck by the BCP Collect...

Holiday reading (pt ii)

Caught in two minds...

I did a bit more book surfing on holiday. I had taken the collected Peter Cook with me, Tragically I was an only twin, which I had bought and then not read, and then taken on holiday with me. I'm glad I did as I really enjoyed some of the material. Some of it is coarse and didn't do anything for me at all, but some of it is wonderfully inventive, and I especially enjoyed the column he wrote for the Daily Mail.

Losing the plot...(pt ii)

John commented on my earlier post about Truth and Narrative in Scripture. I must admit I was trying not to sound too sarcastic. Scripture is not a set of propositional truth statements. Sorry, but it just ain't. I didn't write it or inspire it, so don't blame me.

There are propositional statements within it. "God is love" is such a statement (1 John 4:16). Its either true or it isn't. (I happen to believe it is)...

Losing the plot...

I can fully sympathise with Evangelical alarm bells ringing at the prospect of Scripture being somehow less than propositional truth. For people to then come along and talk about Narrative is all too much. Narrative is things like fairy stories or fables, Robin Hood and Cinderella.

Sin and judgement

Something I read repeatedly in the rather uninformed criticisms of Emerging Church is the lack of emphasis on SIN. We are, according to our accusers, relativists and therefore SOFT ON SIN.

I had a moment of semi-panic earlier. I was talking to somebody who made a comment about a sermon I did some months ago. The reading was Genesis 6:9-22, Noah being told by God to build a boat because of the wickedness of the world. The person I was speaking graciously expressed surprise that I had not mentioned judgement during the sermon...

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised...

...I tried, honestly I did, but it seems that my efforts fell on deaf ears.

I had been following the Emergent No blog for a while, and posted about it earlier. I was very upset at such a narrow and distorted view of Emerging Church. I stalled for a while because I didn't want to snipe back (when it is easy to say things that are not very Christian). I thought and prayed and went for a long walk to clear my head...

...but still it really bugged me. I suppose I have never reacted well when I have felt I have been misrepresented, and since I include myself in the group of people taking part in Emerging Church (even though I don't like that title especially) I felt angry. I spent quite a bit of time following links to other sites, oh boy...you know that feeling you get when you bang your head on a wall repeatedly.

Saddened...

...annoyed, angered, enraged, irritated, fuming, hurt, wanting to bite back, knowing that's not right, feeling misrepresented, want to respond, don't think it will make a jot of difference, want to walk away...

...by this.