Emergent Convention Final Reflections: High(low)lights
May 25, 2004
Just thought I’d sum up the Emergent Convention in my last post about it with the proverbial “highs” & “lows” (since this is what Brian made us do in our last cohort). Thanks to all who have read these Emergent Convention posts - this will be the last.
Highs:
- Bloggers: It really was a beautiful thing. People still make fun of the blog and my obsession with it and accuse me of living in an(my) “imaginary world” - hiding from the real world in front of my computer screen. However, that’s not the way I feel about it. These are real friendships, real relationships - as was made evident when we all spent time together in Nashville. We knew what was happening in each other’s lives (as soon as we sat down at the blogger dinner, I think it was Michael Toy who asked, “Now, I want to hear what happened with this whole backwards Youth Sunday Adam…”) and it felt like, yes, we had known each other for quite awhile. New technologies do in fact bring new forms of communication, community and intimacy. Communication via our blogs was nothing like actually sitting there with the person, looking into their eyes, poking them for fun (just to see if they were real) - but it is still something…and something good.
- Progressive Theology: I think Doug Pagitt said it best in he and Tony Jones’ “A New (Expanding) Theology for a New (Expanding) World” seminar: (paraphrasing) “I don’t think that in a time of great innovation, innovation of travel, technology, healing the body, transhumanism/nanotechnology, etc - that we can be applying 15th century theology to our lives today.” We need to be realizing that yes, we do live in a time like any other time. So why do we say that the theologies of the 15th and 16th centuries are “IT” and the end of all theologies. This is a call to be people of theology - to be “theological communities.” Let us be open enough to the Spirit of God to listen to the Spirit and expect that God still speaks to us today, and will reveal new things about Godself.
- Pluralism: Realizing that I am a pluralist in some senses.
- Risk: Jen gave me a blessing after the Emerging Women Leadership Breakfast. On the rock she gave me was written the word RISK. I don’t know all the implications of that word in my life right now - but it feels right. It feels like that is the next step - to take risks…(socially…? theologically…? spiritually?)
Lows:
- Homosexuality: Why does this have to be *the* issue everywhere? It seemed that people kept bringing up the question to every presenter just so they could use it as a theological thermometer to see where this person stood. Someone mentioned that if the Christian community makes the issue of gay marriage THE issue in this upcoming election - then we are severely screwed up. I agree.
- Figuring it Out: It’s difficult to put on conferences/conventions. The friendship of emergent/YS is probably a bit of a love/hate relationship - and just figuring out how to make what Emergent (the organization) loves and stands for presented to people on a larger scale…that’s hard. Hopefully, as the years go on, they will keep figuring it out…
- Lack of the Kiwi: The Tall Skinny Kiwi was not present, and that was sad. I’ve wanted to meet him - but, I guess that was good for Jonny Baker’s seminar attendance.
Posted in Emergent
Adam Walker Cleaveland: 
May 25th, 2004 at 6:00 pm
props to your blog, and congrats on the kudos on your blogs.. it was a thrill to see all the bloggers together, not just at dinner, but WiFi’d up at the cafe! Wish I coulda been there.. I think bloggers had the distinct advantange, having had virtual relationships before EC, getting face-time in person at EC, and able to continue the virtual relationships and conversations after EC.. bloggers’ on-going friendships are far more valuable than the annual pilgrimage of non-blogger counterparts :)
May 26th, 2004 at 10:18 am
“Let us be open enough to the Spirit of God to listen to the Spirit and expect that God still speaks to us today, and will reveal new things about Godself.”
Of course GOD still speaks to us. However when you discard Scripture, or anything taught through the last two millenia, as non-relevant to the present day, you are on shifting sand indeed. (You are more like the materialist charismatics than you would like to admit.) I wonder how Mr. Pagitt feels about 1st century theologies. There is knowable, objective, timeless, and transcendant truth, and to say otherwise is to deny the LORD Himself.
We are living in a time like the book of Judges, when all men did what was right in their own eyes.
The ec is nothing new at all. It simply carries on the traditions that go back to Babel and Nimrod and even all the way to the garden. “Has GOD indeed said?”
May 26th, 2004 at 11:01 am
I agree with what Chris is saying, and it is the point I raised in a previous post. As Chris said, God certainly continues to speak with us - but is this perhaps where the distinction between inspiration and revelation needs to be more thoroughly explored? God still inspires us to pursue new ministries, explore new insights, develop new relationships & ideas - but this is not on par with revelation. And while it may be true to say that the theologies of the 15th & 16th centuries need to be re-stated or somehow re-formulated for today, it is self defeating to even be open to the possibility of throwing them out completely.
May 26th, 2004 at 4:21 pm
i agree with dj…the blogger friendships put us at a great advantage at ec…we were family already and just carried it one step further face to face!
i’ll post some more photos of the blogger gig…just to remind us of the laughter and to keep in touch!
lilly
May 26th, 2004 at 10:18 pm
really good thoughts here adam..especially about the love/hate relationship with YS. I wanted to ask McLaren what he thought about that. It seemed that YS certainly tamed Emergent a little bit and certainly did a little commercializing of it. On the other hand, many people who would have never come or ever heard of “Emergent” came b/c of the YS connection and were at least forced to engage some new things…
it will be interesting where this relationship goes..
peace
mark