Emerging church may bring end to holy-war culture

If The United Methodist Church continues in its conservative-liberal holy-war culture, the church will continue to decline, not because of its right or wrong theology, but because the younger generations will not tolerate a right-wrong at-odds view of Christianity. What is central to Wesleyan theology goes beyond creedal orthodoxy, beyond liberal relativism in the heartfelt proclamation that "God is love."

The times are changing and the church of the 21st century must learn to change, to be transformed, not just reformed, or continue to die in a post-denominational world. In the words and works of Brian McLaren, soon to be in our midst, we must be an emerging church with a generous orthodoxy.

Preparing for McLaren's visit to Hoosier United Methodists, I have read his Generous Orthodoxy: et al. and commend it to your reading before he discusses his theology and theories on September 17 in Indianapolis. (See Focus on the Emerging Church, p. 13.) Like others who have reviewed it on and off the Internet, I give a mixed review of this book.

He creates clever copy and his book is an enjoyable and fast read. More than anything, the book is autobiographic and reflective of his 40-something life as an evangelical Christian. He identifies with every Christian movement from the Greek church fathers, to Roman Catholicism, monasticism, mysticism, the Reformation, Anglicanism, Methodism, right up to his own independent Christian church - now the dominant expression of Christianity in America. For a shorter read, catch the last two chapters - "Why I am emergent" and "Why I am unfinished."

McLaren is not a theologian and doesn't pretend to be one. He is a pastor. Early in his book, he even confesses his lack of formal theology. He also skips and condenses Christian history for his own purposes.

He writes what he feels he needs to write chapter after chapter. Near the end, he finally comes to a pivotal statement that brings the book and his thinking to the forefront. He writes, "To be a Christian in the generous, orthodox way is not to claim to have the truth captured, stuffed, and mounted on a wall.

"It is, rather, to live and grow in a loving (ethical) community of people who are seeking the truth (doctrine) on the road of mission (witness as McClendon said), and who have been launched on the quest by Jesus, who, with us, guides us still. Do we have it? Have we taken hold of it? Not fully, not yet, of course not. But we keep seeking. We're finding enough to keep us going. But we're not finished. That, to me, is orthodoxy - a way of seeing and seeking, a way of living, a way of thinking and loving and learning that helps what we believe become more true over time, more resonant with the infinite glory of God (p. 293)."

He writes like a process theologian. All is becoming and emerging. He believes the church is emerging as a new post-Protestant, post-modern, post-conservative, post-liberal church in this new century.

For the past quarter century, The United Methodist Church, like other mainline Protestant denominations, has become entrenched in a liberal-conservative cultural war to which in Indiana has added, but not the sole cause of, a 50 percent decline in membership since 1968. Another cause for that decline has been a rigid institutionalism that has resisted change in structure and procedures. Change is overdue and coming.

Since the turn of this century, many have sensed either change or the need for change in all levels of The United Methodist Church - congregational, district, conference, jurisdiction and general. Up-and-down vote decision making has been replaced by discerning God's will. It's a process which takes longer, but also a process which brings more people into the process through discussion and prayer. New administrative structures incorporate the mission and being of the church replacing a hierarchical administrative format that served prior generations well.

On the congregational level, change has been evident in worship with alternative forms that include praise songs, bands, projected images and pastoral talks or Bible lessons, rather than hymns, liturgies and sermons. Growing churches offer forms of worship and Christian education in tune with the millennial generation's need for visual rather than verbal communication. As a church, as United Methodism in Indiana, we are an emerging church. The signs are here.

When it comes to truths such as the exclusivity of the Gospel as a means to salvation, the person and work of Christ, the authority of Scripture, the traditional roles of men and women and the issue of homosexuality, the emergent movement has no answers. McLaren attributes this position to humility.

In his closing words, he confesses that he is "unfinished." A generous orthodoxy means not just reaching correct conclusions about issues but requires "right processes to keep on reaching new and better conclusions" (p. 294), a process that never ends. He even ends the book with an unfinished fragment.

With McLaren and Bishop Mike Coyner as leaders of the day, there will be plenty for both laity and clergy to discuss on Sept. 17. Hopefully, Focus on the Emerging Church (page 13) will begin that process during the summer. Pack A Generous Orthodoxy in your beach bag for lakeside reading. It's even good reading for a backyard patio. McLaren may not have the answers we need, but I think he is a step in a promising direction. I have my questions for him and they begin with

Welcome,
Daniel R. Gangler

Last updated on 25 Apr 2008

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