Emerging Church group discussion

Hi, everyone!  I am hoping that this will be a convenient forum for having our discussion around Bruce Sanguin's book, The Emerging Church.  I would like to break it down into the following sections:

Chapter 1, intro
Chapters 2-4 which is shifting the way we think
Chapters 5-7 on spiral dynamics and communication strategy
Chapters 8-10 on leadership
Chapter 11-12 on hospitality and trust.

We can post comments here.

So I will start the questions with my thoughts on Chapter 1.
I like Bruce Sanguin's distinctions between tradition and traditionalism, the sense that the novelty can still be rooted in our foundations, and that healthy congregations can handle a little innovation and evolution.  I wonder though if the evolutionary theology is enough to fuel and energize a community of faith for today's society.  Often people seem trapped between Gretta Vosper and Bible Bill Aberhart and we look to find a theology that can be meaningful without falling into either of those extremes, yet will provide the impetus to keep up our own faith and inspire others.  Comments?  Also the three questions at the end of the chapter are open for discussion here too of course.

1 comment:

Jim said...

1) Monica, can you say a little more about what you mean when you say that "often people seem trapped between Greta Vosper and Bible Bill Aberhart"? I suspect I know what you are suggesting - that Greta Vosper represents the extreme of a liberal theology, and Bible Bill Aberhart the extreme of a conservative theology...is that correct.

2) I struggle with the foundations of his discussion - on page 21 he sets his groundwork; "Our primary model for this inside-out dynamic of coming to life is the universe itself. It's been in the process of increasing its capacity for abundant life for 14 billion years; hydrogen and helium atoms organize themselves into stars; stars organize themselves into solar systems. And in one of those solar systems our planetary home came to life. When it did there was no stopping the evolutionary march from bacteria right through to the animal kingdom and the emergence of the human being. With the arrival of the human being, the universe gained the capacity to observe itself - a stunning achievement."

Certainly any theology needs to address the question of humanity; but I cannot accept the starting point which suggests humanities reason for being is the universes capacity to observe itself. Is he saying God created us to keep an eye on things?

Sanguin's next step is into the discussion of "creative emergence." He identifies the core elements as "novelty", "self-organization", and "transcendence and inclusion." His thesis, on page 25, "What I am proposing in this book is that we apply these evolutionary principles to congregational renewal.", sets the stage for what is to come. We'll get into it more as we read further. Still, I don't really accept the scientific tone to the book which seems to suggest that the congregation is a closed system which can determine it's future simply by following (or allowing to happen, as the case may be) the process of creative emergence - if only it were so simple. Sanguin ends the chapter with the bold statement; "the task of the church in the 21st century is a creative one - we must play our role in the reinvention of the human being." What about the rest of creation? Is it truly the church's task; what then is God's task?

Jim

February 27, 2012 12:28 pm

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