next-wave > church & culture: The Emerging Storm by Stephen Shields

There’s been a lot of rumbling in emerging church blogdom about a coming storm.

An anticipation of this was Jason Clark’s September 2004 Summary of Outcomes of the Emergent Coordinating Group’s meeting the previous month. Clark writes:

We have been told that a few high-powered conservative evangelical voices have targeted us for critique. We have expected this for some time, and have so far been impressed by how generous and restrained critique has been. That restraint may end soon.

One of the reasons emergers have become concerned is the forthcoming book by DA Carson, who is a Professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. It will be called Becoming Conversant with Emergent (an unfortunate title, I think, as the good folks at Emergent would likely to be mortified to imagine anyone considers them the authoritative voice of the emerging church which this title might imply). Carson’s book is based on the Staley Lecture Series he gave in February of this year at Cedarville University. (Tapes or downloads of the series are available). (In 1996, Carson released the massive The Gagging of God, which focused more on postmodernism per se and its implications for faith.)

Andrew Jones (a New Zealander in the Emergent Coordinating Group and an A List emerging church blogger) listened to these tapes and they disturbed him so that he couldn’t sleep and blogged on them a couple of times. (If you follow these links, be sure also to read the extensive comments).

Another feature on this horizon is the recently released Reclaiming the Center, edited by Millard J. Erickson, Paul Kjoss Helseth and Justin Taylor. (You can read chapter one of this book here) DA Carson puts in an appearance here as well, with a review of Stanley Grenz’s 2000 tome Renewing the Center. Douglas Groothuis of Truth Decay fame also contributes a chapter, as does the philosopher JP Moreland.

Finally, with Christianity Today, which claims a readership of 341,000, publishing a lead article on the emerging church conversation, the profile of the emerging church community has never been higher. Such a high profile inevitably leads to comment.

It’s possible that the coming storm will be by the numbers. A smaller group discerns imbalances in a larger group of sufficient magnitude to break out in some way, either entirely or – as is the case with many in emerging church circles – to form conversations alongside the larger group (online and f2f) without breaking way. The smaller group attracts significant attention to represent some sort of perceived threat to the larger group and they feel forced to respond. The smaller group becomes defensive and entrenched; relational and organization breakdown ensues.

But in the case of the emerging church and the larger evangelicalism that by and large birthed her, I do not believe this to be a fait accompli. Rather, I believe the coming intensified conversation can instead work to leaven evangelicalism and balance the emerging church.

There are several fruitful avenues the course of this conversation could take; I’ll just mention three:

1 - In its tending to focus on the spiritual health of the individual, evangelicalism is served well by the emerging church’s concern with social justice. At the same time, the emerging church over-reacts when it might not give sufficient weight to the spirituality of the individual.

2 - Some in evangelicalism have seemed to subscribe to the omnicompetence of information as the key to spiritual transformation and would do well to pay more attention to more transpropositional approaches by some in churches emergent. At the same time, the emerging church must take care not to depreciate inordinately the importance of biblical and theological information.

3 - Similarly, as some in evangelicalism have perhaps been too triumphant in touting theological formulations of the past, it’s an emerging church excess if they ignore the theological spade work of those who have gone before.

By focusing on these and other areas, the coming dialogue between evangelicalism and the emerging church can be one that strengthens the church of Jesus Christ. But for this to happen best, the conversationalist will need to remember the following:

Lean Toward the Other
Just as a bicyclist leans toward the ground when making a turn in order to avoid falling to the ground, participants in this coming conversation will, counterintuitively, need to lean toward the other rather than away. When we are confronted with someone who strongly disagrees with us, and perhaps even expresses that disagreement in a way that we find distasteful, it can be our tendency to defend ourselves. The wise and mature individual, however, will remain calm and move toward the other person both relationally and in terms of their content.
Ask Questions.
Ask non-rhetorical questions that unearth the other’s presuppositions. This has two effects. 1) Interpersonally, not responding in kind to harsh or angry criticism can have the effect of diffusing the emotion of the situation. 2) It also has the effect of leading to mutual understanding and a genuine interchange of ideas.
Value Criticism as Pure Gold
A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding

than a hundred blows into a fool.

Proverbs 17:10 (English Standard Version, see also 10:17, 12:1; 13:18; and 15:5,10,31,32)

Even if one is absolutely certain one does not agree with the main thesis another is advocating, that does not mean that there is nothing to be learned from the other. Many times, one may find that the issue is more complicated than it appears prima facie. When one takes the time to drill down into the reasons why another is advancing a certain position, one may find that one actually agrees with the reasons while disagreeing with the conclusion. This realization then leads to a more comprehensive and creative conversation rather than the sometimes prematurely binary right/wrong argument.

View criticism as opportunities to increase in character, wisdom and learning. The one who speaks critically is not an enemy to be battled but rather a friend to be embraced. He or she may bring undiscovered treasures to the table.
“Balance Advocacy with Inquiry”

This is a phrase from Peter Senge’s wonderful book, The Fifth Discipline. Balancing advocacy with inquiry is an art. It implies neither an inflexible adherence to one’s own beliefs nor an immediate casper milquetoast capitulation to any position someone else suggests. Rather, balancing advocacy with inquiry means that when in the middle of disagreement, one retains one’s own beliefs while hypothetically entertaining the possibility that the other is either entirely correct or has something of value to offer to one’s own understanding. It, in fact, is the practically _expression of humility when in the midst of disagreement.
Differentiate Emotional and Logical Statements:

Respond to every emotional statement with empathy and to every logical statement with inquiry.

Many a conversation has gone astray when one or both of the partners fails to draw this key distinction. Sometimes people make illogical statements in the heat of emotion. When this occurs, the best way out of the logjam is to temporarily (or entirely, depending on the issue) ignore the illogic and focus on the emotion. For example, when my wife passionately asks me why I don’t ever take out the trash, I err when I dispassionately detail the fact that I did in fact empty the trash one cold night three years ago. Respond to emotion with empathy. When emotion subsides, make the attempt to segue to a rational-logical conversation. But if the attempt is pushed back, go back to empathy and wait for a later opportunity either in this conversation or on another day. I’ve detailed more about this phenomenon and process elsewhere.

Gordon Conwell’s Center for the Study of Global Christianity’s World Christian Database lists over 635 denominations in the United States and 9000 in the world. It should be obvious to almost everyone that the church has not done a good job at the art and practice of Christian disagreement. A further breakdown and atomization of the church as a result of this coming conversation is not an inevitability; the status quo of ecclesial disagreement does not have to be maintained. We can do this differently. We can do this in a way that makes God smile and brings us closer to Christ’s mind.

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Thanks for your comments!
--stephen shields ( sshields at faithmaps dot org ) on 5/4/2005; 3:21:04 PM

Arriving late to the conversation....I am a fan of Carson, leary of some emergent stuff (which should probably be big E "Emergent" now - when you have your own category in the Christian book extravaganza, you've moved in a new category) and I cheer loudy for other parts of it.

I am glad that Carson is entering the conversation. I, unfortunately, have not read the book, but have heard the lectures - I'm mixed. Some good, some overgeneralized straw man arguements which always disappoint.

I must add that I have never seen anything written as part of this "E"mergent/ Evangelical conversation and well done and as well thought out as this blog!

I will take the time to follow your links.

Thanks for the effort, you have added something great to me today.

Robert Campbell
the postmodern pop pastor
www.neoathanasius.blogspot.com
--Robert Campbell ( neo_athanasius at hotmail dot com ) on 4/28/2005; 12:30:26 PM

thanks, as always, for the time you put into culling, editing, packaging and publishing.

this is a great post.

paul soupiset
--paul soupiset ( paul at toolbox dot net ) on 4/25/2005; 7:13:28 PM

I'm as intrigued by the Emergent folk and churches as any, in part because my colleagues at North Park chat about Brian McLaren so much. And in part because it is exciting to see what is happening in the Church. You may not be old enough to remember, but the Emergent crowd reminds me at times of the body life movement of the 60s and 70s.

First, there are three signs of a healthy church (or movement): people in those churches grow in their love for God and for others, people grown in holiness and the fear of the Lord, and (and this grows out of the combination of the first two) people reach their community both in compassion and in conversions. Churches that spend time looking at themselves are distorting the missional nature of the gospel. No example of this is any better than that most maligned but rarely read Puritan, Jonathan Edwards. No one was more theologically committed and at the same time emotionally alive.

Second, having read McLaren, I like what I see but find myself less than completely satisfied. McLaren has seen through the thinness of some of evangelicalism, and when he sees this sort of thing he does not strangle it but he lovingly disarms it. But, I'm not sure McLaren's solutions to the problems (say of world religions, where he can fall too close into universalism while he appreciates similarities) are as biblically sound as they could nor as deeply rooted in the great orthodox traditions of the Church. But, he knows that in our world we can be confident in Jesus Christ without being arrogant, and he knows that the finest way to reach our generation is to listen and learn and love.

Scot McKnight, www.jesuscreed.blogspot.com
www.jesuscreed.com or smcknight@northpark.edu
--Scot McKnight ( smcknight at northpark dot edu ) on 4/9/2005; 10:30:26 AM

thanks for your comments.
--stephen shields ( sshields at faithmaps dot org ) on 2/1/2005; 8:55:31 AM

This is more of a manually-entered TrackBack but I did want to make the comments... which are online here in their full form. Your post got me thinking about what's ahead for Emergent — that coupled with the talk about being a movement. Untintentionally perhaps, I think your post provides an argument that Emergent has become a movement.

In reality, Emergent may be facing a difficult year of grappling with becoming a movement, what that means, and how to respond to critics - all at once and under a microscope.

Excerpts from my post:

In responding (or not) to criticism, Emergent can continue calling itself a Conversation, but it'll be hard to make that stick for very long if the critics keep calling it a movement. As soon as they feel they can identify a cohesive group moving in a common direction, they'll call it a movement and start reacting. Now, since one can already pre-order, I think we may be there already.

The truth about Emergent as a movement is that it may already be one, in grassroots form — but if this is true, don't tell anyone, since it's best to hold off on the label as long as possible. In reality, that time will probably come later this year, when the phrase, "Rubber, meet Road" will ring out and Emergent will be forced to corporately pilot a destructured movement. In a fishbowl.

Emergent won't have a real choice about being dubbed a movement, one way or the other. When it comes though, it'll feel like Saul's armour, and we'll wish we could take it off again.

(more here)

Gratia Vobis et Pax.
--Brother Maynard ( brothermaynard at subversiveinfluence dot com ) on 1/5/2005; 1:50:07 PM

randy, thanks. it's my hope that carson's work will extend the conversation, strengthen ec thru critical comments (if nothing else their character!), and give wider exposure to genuine ec contributions.
--stephen shields ( sshields at faithmaps dot org ) on 12/19/2004; 8:37:59 PM

chaille, thanks for your comments. i think that there are a lot of emergers who've remained in their contexts! i'm one of them. and thanks for your warning against hubris.
--stephen shields ( sshields at faithmaps dot org ) on 12/19/2004; 8:34:08 PM

Stephen,

In regard to DA Carson, I've listened to his series of lectures that he gave at Cedarville, and I've read the first chapter of the colaborative book... I've also patrolled blogland.

Here's my question: Are any of his thoughts really helpful? I think they are the same things that most of us from "inside" the emerging church scene have also noted.

It doesn't seem that he put all this energy into the lectures and book in order to be "helpful." I wonder if it is more a matter of our protestant belief that if people don't line up entirely 'with' us then they must be 'against' us.

By nature, protestants divide. By nature the emerging church movement is hoping to restore divisions, but I believe this terribly frightens those who want the conservative protestant wing to remain 'pure.'

blessings all the same!
randy
--randy buist ( rbuist at watersedge dot tv ) on 12/18/2004; 9:25:45 PM

Why does it have to be an "us" vs. "them" situation? As soon as we start from this standpoint, we are already on dangerous ground. I am one of those who share many of the emergent views and have chosen to stay as part of a "mainline", megachurch. I believe that God has called me to live a difference in a world filled with the latest and greatest tricks for doing church, life, etc.

I agree with the author of this piece that that both the emergent church and the mainline, institutional churches have things that they can learn from each other. If any of us get to the point that we think we have all of the answers, we are in trouble.

And we must all guard against the Pharisee attitude, which can be just as present in a house church as a megachurch. How we get along with those we disagree with is a primary indicator of genuine faith. I think that many wrongly view postmodern thought as an intellectual virus that will dilute the truth of Christianity. But I believe that it can be a bridge to personal discovery. It can help Christian truths become more real to those who live by weekly sermons and not directly from the hand of God. I believe that postmodern questions can lead people to take ownership of their faith and actually lead to greater transformation.

Good article Stephen. - CMB, www.organicfaith.com
--Chaille Brindley ( chaille at organicfaith dot com ) on 12/16/2004; 1:06:25 PM

Be sure to catch Andrew Jones very comprehensive post on this topic @

http://tallskinnykiwi.typepad.com/tallskinnykiwi/2004/12/the_skinny_on_e.html
--stephen shields ( sshields at faithmaps dot org ) on 12/13/2004; 11:21:28 AM

Hi Rick,

Thanks for your comments. I just finished the cp that DA Carson wrote in Erickson's et al edited volume I mention. I noticed that while he definitely critiques elements of the movement, he also finds certain thoughtthreads in it helpful. My suggestion is that each group has something to learn from the other and I hope they see this before simply writing off their opposites.
--stephen shields ( sshields at faithmaps dot org ) on 12/12/2004; 7:03:39 PM

I'm as open minded as the next guy, but I find it alarming when a movement such as Emergent finds itself at odds with "Conservatives." Especially when you're talking about someone like DA Carson. I'm not really versed in all that you represent, but if sound biblical scholars like Carson are writing apologetic books about your movement, then it's a red flag for seekers like myself. Emergent? There's nothing new under the son. www.gate2surrey.com
--Pastor Rick ( rick at gate2surrey dot com ) on 12/12/2004; 5:55:53 PM

Thanks for setting the record straight, Charlie! I always thought it was David! Good show; I've always gotten a laugh out of that one!
--Stephen Shields ( sshields at faithmaps dot org ) on 12/8/2004; 6:25:29 PM

Just to set the record straight, Stephen, I am the cybersleuth who dug up that picture. I thought it was an especially cool picture.
Blessings,
Charlie
--Charlie Wear ( charleswear at yahoo dot com ) on 12/8/2004; 4:59:29 PM

Thanks David! I loved "But critique is never EASY to hear, or else we would call it encouragement :-)."

Randy, yes that's my 6 year old Skye Teresa. Her older sister is 8 - Michaela Siobhan - and her younger sister is 4 - Alia Noelle. I had that pic on shieldsplace.org and some time ago when David Hopkins (who used to be NW editor) published one of my articles, he grabbed up that particular picture and added it to my bioblurb for the article - which I thought was a hilarious thing to do - and NW has been using it ever since! :)
--Stephen Shields ( sshields at faithmaps dot org ) on 12/8/2004; 6:29:36 AM

Thanks for the good thoughts! I adore the picture; I suspect that is a daughter. :)

I've listened to Carson's tapes. I actually found them quite disappointing in content and critique. I simply didn't think they had much to offer that could be helpful.

In regard to possilbe responses that you mention: leaning toward them, asking questions, taking criticism as 'gold.' Good thoughts. It sounds like you are suggesting that we "Love one another deeply from the heart" (I Peter) rather than throw stones.

Thanks for continuing to point us toward the ways of Jesus.
--randy buist ( rbuist at watersedge dot tv ) on 12/7/2004; 12:45:37 PM

Wow, Stephen, what a well-researched update here. Thank you so much for keeping us posted with this reporter-quality stuff. Way to go!

Thanks for your final hints at implications for the future conversation. As A. Jones has pointed out -- we need thoughtful critique...

We may not consider the critique to be just or right along the way... and perhaps wonder about some of the intentions behind them. But critique is never EASY to hear, or else we would call it encouragement :-).

Some of the hard things we need to hear. Perhaps it will be the first big test of we who are emerging on how we respond.

Thanks for the work, Stephen.

Dave Drury
--David Drury ( daviddrury at pastors dot com ) on 12/6/2004; 9:30:52 PM

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