The emergent church and the end of the "sage on the stage."

Brian McLaren recently lamented Sunday morning experiences that can be evaluated like a consumer experience. “How was worship yesterday?” McLaren opines that the question usually means “how was the sermon” and/or “how was the music?” In an era when technology can transfer knowledge 24/7 in multiple languages, is an hour listening to a lecture from the sage on the stage really our best use of time? OR Would we be better served if we spent that time in a “lab.” Getting out of the church building and into the neighborhoods to practice what we already know? Come join the conversation and voice your opinion. We'll experiment with a new venue this week. We'll meet at the Wendy's on Custer in front of Starbucks - and some of us may show up as early as 6:30 to share supper...hope you can join us.

August 22, 2013 Was Jesus political?

The cohort group will meet on Thursday, August 22, 2103 to begin a discussion of Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, by Reza Aslan. If you don't get a chance to get a copy of the book by Thursday,just Google the book title and you'll see plenty of articles, blogs and videos to whet your appetite. Here is one blog that suggests that Jesus was apolitical. Aslan takes the opposite view, suggesting that Jesus was radically political. It should be an interesting discussion. Larry will lead the first session and then Woody will take over. Hope to see you on Thursday.

Next Meeting will be August 22, 2013

As is our tradition, we'll take the summer off and plan to meet again on August 22, 2013. Feel free to reply to this post to keep the cohort up-to-date on your schedule and your summer reading.

June 27, 2013 Cohort Recap

We had a very special treat on the 27th when the cohort and a few guests met with pastor, author, wife and mom Danielle Shroyer. The cohort had started a discussion of her book, The Boundary-Breaking God a month or two ago, and we were delighted that she was able to join our conversation. Topics ranged from the influences of the Permian Basin and Juger Moltmann on her theology to insights on Journey church in Dallas to glimpses into her next projects. We pondered the tensions that seem to always arise between spiritual "pioneers" and "settlers" and "what do you do with the children in a small church?" As noted in the next post, we'll take the month of July off and meet again on August 22, 2013. Hope to see you then.

Effective June 2013 - we'll meet on the fourth Thursday

Last month we decided to change our meeting date from the second Thursday to the fourth Thursday to accommodate some schedule conflicts. Make plans to join us on Thursday, June 27th!

April meeting update

We'll meet on the 18th instead of the 11th. So you still have time to pick up a copy of Danielle Shroyer's book The Boundary-Breaking God and read the first two chapters. Hope to see you Thursday.

April Meeting moved to the 18th

Due to a schedule issue, we are moving our April meeting from the 11th to the 18th. I hope you will be able to join us on the 18th.

March 2013 Meeting Recap

Are you (still) emergent? This question was sparked by Bruce Reyes-Chow's blog post and the conversation seemed (to me anyway) to follow 3 tracks: A. Answering the question "am I emergent?" b. discussion about the controversy stemming from Phyllis Tickle's closing remarks at the emergent gathering in Memphis. c. questions about privilege, including can we get beyond our own blinders about how our privilege impacts our view of the world. Track one: We discussed that being "emergent" certainly means different things to different people. Clay summarized his position as being still emergent because he sees Jesus as being emergent. More than anything, Clay wants to be like Jesus. Woody said that he's still interested in learning more about emergent and that he thinks emergent describes where he is at the moment. I (Larry) said that I see my life in terms of a journey, and that at this point in time emergent folk and I seem to be on the same path. Terry opined that the three or four emergent groups he's in meet most of the needs filled by traditional church, so he's still emergent. (If you think I misquoted you or misstated your position, please feel free to clarify via a comment.) Track two: At the end of the recent emergent gathering in Memphis, Phyllis Tickle made some comments that some found to be offensive. None of us were present at the meeting, so we had to rely on some who were. Phyllis was speaking of the period following World War II and she stated something to the effect that the use of the pill changed the way that the faith was transmitted through families. Some heard her say that believers should go back to that day when more women worked at home. I say "some heard her say" because if you read the blogs of those in attendance, not everyone heard or interpreted her statements the same way. To my knowledge, Phyllis has not yet offered an elaboration on her comments, but if you have seen one, please comment on this post with the link. Emerging Christianity has been controversial since its beginning, and as a new generation of leadership steps forward I am not surprised that it continues to spark heated discussion. The group discussion Thursday night seemed to be surprised that Phyllis would head in that direction. However, she is a historian, not a theologian. As a student of history, I think that the history of the last 50 years is still being researched and analyzed. Personally, I find the discussion interesting but not offensive. Which as a white man, may be easy for me to say, and which leads to... Track three: Can any of us effectively set aside the filter of our privilege and see the world as others see it? What would it take to be able to do that, and what would we look like after we set aside our privilege? The group agreed that this is a problem to discuss and we decided to take this up in a future meeting. For April: Pick up a copy of Danielle Shroyer's book The Boundary-Breaking God and read the first two chapters. Hope to see you in April.

March meeting on the 14th

We are back on our regular schedule of meeting on the second Thursday of the month, after making some accommodations in February for St. Valentine's day. This Thursday we will follow Clay's suggestion to consider the question "Why are you (still) emergent? Of course positive and negative answers are acceptable. Clay's suggestion was inspired by this blog So read the blog and bring your thoughts. Woody suggests that we read The Boundary-Breaking God: An Unfolding Story of Hope and Promise by Danielle Shroyer in April or May. Danielle is the pastor of Journey Church in Dallas and she blogs at danielleshroyer.com Our meetings are always open to guests and the curious, so come check us out.

February meeting on the 21st

This February we'll meet on the 21st and discuss Frank Schaeffer's blog post saying that emergent christianity is broken. Here's a link to the blog: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/frankschaeffer/2013/02/progressive-christianity-is-as-broken-as-evangelicalism-heres-how-to-fix-it/ Come prepared to discuss whether or not you agree with Frank and why... Enjoy your Valentine's Day...