Just been reading an article out of Sydney. Regarding some worries concerns they have about the emerging Church. Amongst the criticisms was one layed at a worship service that Graceway. ran. The issue drawn out was in regards to a coffee cup prayer and the relationship of these 'type' of worship expereinces and the challenge to orthodoxy that the Da Vinci code is.
Anyway here is my response to Steve's post on the subject;
As an ex Graceway'er I would like to make some really rude comments about the Sydney Anglican Diocese Article, but as I work for a diocese that has very close connections with that diocese and I get in enough trouble for 'speaking my mind' so I will not say anything other than what a load of bunkem. I had a conversation with someone yesterday about my fears for anything that gets tagged 'emerging church', and my fears were that it will get dismissed as fadish, quirky or whatever else. And in doing so the 'observers' will fail to see what is really happening.
It is not about being trendy but in my opinion a genuine attempt to rediscover some lost aspects of Biblical theology - missio dei for instance which i do not think standard evangelical theology gives enough voice to.
It is also an attempt to develop a philosophy of ministry for a changing world - and in doing that remaining true to the good news of Jesus.
The Sydney Diocese carries a lot of clout, and I do hope they would go on from this article to at least attempt to converse rather than judge what is labeled 'emerging church.'
While the artcile was not only critical or Graceway i thought that fact that what they quoted from the worship service was actualy a Richard Foster suggestion. I always thought he was quite orthodox - maybe he isn't....
Needless to say I will follow the threads around this article
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As you have said to me on occasion, "Good on ya", Michael. I truly think the emerging church will be esteemed from a history standpoint only to the extent that they/we are willing to re-think and re-imagine criticaly deep issues of evangelical theology that, for years, have been taken as "given". So I say "bring it on". Taking into consideration the context of our times, we must be adventurous in our theologizing!
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