Tony, who was Mr. Emergent Village is speaking at the Society for Pentecostal Studies annual meeting tonight. I have personally been asking the question about how Pentecostals and Emergent fit together for about 4 years, because I am caught between the worlds, and I know a number of people who are. Yet the merging of the two worlds has not been comfortable for many of the Pentecostals who have been involved.
The reason for those difficulties go both ways:
On one hand, many Pentecostals are uncomfortable with the more theologically, and morally liberal elements of the emergent conversation. One the other hand, Evangelicals of the Pentecostal variety (and this is another whole topic in itself sometime) are often more seriously berated by non-Pentecostal evangelicals - most notably those from a more Reformed tradition.
I do not expect the issue to be addressed, nor any of the underlining dynamics of this issue, but dialogue on finding elements from which both tribes can learn from one another is a good start. That appears to be direction Tony is looking at presenting tonight. With the focus that both groups have a robust pneumatology.
I am sure that most Pentecostals will not see Emergent as having a "robust pneumatology." So, I think this is just the beginning of that dialogue. This more academic group at the Society's conference will probably understand what Tony means by declaring that Emergent has a robust pneumatology - but that does that mean he is also saying there is a growing theological agreement in Emergent? Hmmmmmm...
Slightly off topic from the initial posts about "What is Emergent?", but post your thoughts if you've got some.
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6 comments:
Here there seems to be some debate about the similarities and differences between postmodern and postcolonial, and what is actually emerging and what people would like to see emerging. I blogged about it here: Postcolonial Christianity is a Neopentecostal megachurch: Khanya
Steve,
You are always such an innovative, scholarly, and African voice. I sure appreciate it.
Phil
lol,
And I heard that the Emergent Movement was dead?
http://www.reclaimingthemind.org/blog/2009/05/obituary-the-emerging-church-1994-2009/
Hey Hylander Will,
That was a funny bit of debate traveling around the blogosphere. The video clips I took about people defining it seem to suggest that the rumors if its death were highly exaggerated. :-)
Thanks Phil!
I thought it was a bit funny, although I think that blog I referenced is a few months old. Nonetheless, I thought it ironic in light of what is still going on. Granted, I am still very conservative minded regarding much of what is discussed and/or is happening within and without the movement [e.g. hence my involvement with the Acts 29 Network under Mark Driscoll]; but I am still open to read and observe how this is all playing out historically within the context of both church history and post-modern thought philosophically. I love you guys and am excited to see what God has in store for us next!
Hey Hy-Will,
You would be surprised how many of the emergent gang are quite conservative as well. Me for instance. Of course, I am emergent in as far as I am in the conversation, which as you can tell is what most of the people think it is about.
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