'Emerging church' spreading in PCUSA By John H. Adams The Layman Friday, August 1, 2008 A new theological movement is coming to the fore in the Presbyterian Church (USA). It's the "emerging" church, whose offshoots are sprouting across the denomination. Exactly what constitutes the emerging church varies according to wide-ranging definitions and preferences. But it clearly is not confessional, doctrinal, hierarchical, Reformed or Calvinistic. It is emerging without roots in the Reformation, just as the PCUSA is shrinking as it breaks away from those roots. Some emerging congregations are Christ-centered, some aren't. Many take Scripture seriously, but demonstrate a tolerance for lifestyles that are contrary to the clear teachings of the Bible. Emerging churches tend to distinguish themselves from denominations – particularly mainline Protestants – even when they are within those declining bodies. Moderator is an emergent Bruce Reyes-Chow, the two-year moderator of the 218th General Assembly, describes himself as the pastor of an emerging congregation. A Web site devoted to "Presbymergents" lists the moderator as one of 59 "Presbymergent bloggers." Emergents are Gen-Xers at heart, if not age. The PCUSA's Office of Theology and Worship has weighed in with a material titled "The Emerging Worship Initiative" that's posted on a Web site separate from www.pcusa.org. The article was written by Chip Andrus, associate for worship in the Office of Theology and Worship. Andrus says, "The name 'Emerging Worship' itself suggests a cutting edge of growth and change, for its broad scope and organic nature set it apart from earlier, more defined movements. People from different denominations, liturgical traditions, theological perspectives, musical backgrounds, social and geographical contexts, are included in Emerging Worship. Thus, Emerging Worship is not a label for a specific form, liturgy or style of music. Emerging Worship is intentionally ecumenical and multi-cultural in purview, celebrating the broad expressions of worship that are continually growing and developing." But growth isn't always spectacular or rapid. Reyes-Chow has been pastor of Mission Bay Community Church in San Francisco for eight years and it still remains a church development with a lifeline provided by the Presbytery of San Francisco. A presbytery staff member says Reyes-Chow reports average attendance of about 120 people at the emerging Sunday worship. At the General Assembly in June, he said he usually preached at Mission Bay for about five minutes – with much more time devoted to questions and "theologizing" in his emerging parish. Emerging churches are typically group discussions – and therapy. Reyes-Chow's definition There are no uniform definitions. Reyes-Chow has his own. Writing in the winter 2007 issue of Advocate, a publication of the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators, Reyes-Chow offered this explanation: What is emergent? The emergent or emerging church is simply the manifestation/s of postmodernity in the church. See . . . simple isn't it? What is my context? I will be the first to admit that the context in which I serve, Mission Bay Community Church, is unique and not like many other PCUSA congregations. With a full embracing of online social networking as essential to community, ambiguity as a reality to be navigated and an approach to church that reeks of cynicism if not outright irreverence, I fully understand that I am in a unique situation. Our folks do not need to have the existence of a postmodern worldview proven to them, they expect it to be manifested at all times in the church. Again, while there are many ways to talk about postmodernity in the church, one element that I believe is essential when thinking about worship is this: the emergent church is not about methodology and the how-tos of DOing church, but is more about the posture of worship and the approach to BEing church. An emergent worship experience is not just about the tactics of burning candles, sitting on couches and wearing jeans, but about the foundational worldview that may create a natural inclination towards and an appreciation for those elements. Truly appreciate the other. It is one thing to have an outward image of diversity and tolerance of others, but without true cultural competency, this inauthentic diversity amounts to not much more than tokenism and window dressing. An emergent worship experience does not have diversity for diversity's sake, nor does it simply tolerate differences in culture, class, theology, politics, lifestyle, etc. An emergent service will be able to show true appreciation for the diversity in its midst, an appreciation that does not always mean approval, but an affirmation that the journeys of others and context are just as valid to be part of the grander walk of faith. Got it? If not, try the definition of Brian D. McLaren, considered by many to be the most emergent pastor of all. Untrained in theology, McLaren is the founding pastor of Cedar Ridge Community Church, a nondenominational congregation near Baltimore. And he is the author of A Generous Orthodoxy, perhaps the closest thing to a how-to manual for emerging churches. On the cover of that book, McLaren defines himself as:

A missional + evangelical + post/protestant + liberal/conservative + mystical/poetical + biblical + charismatic/contemplative + fundamentalist/calvinist + anabaptist/anglican + methodist + catholic + green + incarnational + depressed-yet-hopeful + emergent + unfinished CHRISTIAN

(McClaren's format is replicated so that no nuances would be lost.) 'They are Democrats' In a lengthy article published by Christianity Today in January 2007, Scott McKnight, professor of religious studies at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago, bluntly offered another assessment of emergees. "Put directly, they are Democrats," he said. "And that spells 'post' for conservative-evangelical-politics-as-usual … I tell my friends that I have voted Democrat for years for all the wrong reasons. I don't think the Democratic Party is worth a hoot, but its historic commitment to the poor and to centralizing government for social justice is what I think government should do. I don't support abortion-in fact, I think it is immoral. I believe in civil rights, but I don't believe homosexuality is God's design." However defined – politically, postmodernly or ambiguously – the emerging church is non-traditional and theologically diverse beyond the orthodox heritage of the Presbyterian Church (USA). It is anything but confessional. Its tenets are non-tenets: No catechisms allowed; yes, Jesus is Savior and Lord, but people of other religions may be saved in a different way; homosexual practice may be wrong for some people, but not others. Once asked about same-gender marriage, McLaren declined: He didn't want to upset anyone on either side of that issue. Theological or Nontheological But since the PCUSA's heritage has become blurred to the point that it's almost unrecognizable, the denomination is fertile ground for this new theological, or nontheological, wave. Not surprisingly, Presbyterian seminaries are giving a stage to this new teaching. McLaren lectured about his book titled The Great Awakening: Reviving Faith and Politics in a Post-Religious Right America at Princeton Theological Seminary in April 2007. McLaren will be joined by Diana Butler Bass and Marcus Born in a program at Louisville Theological Seminary March 15-18, 2009. Bass is the author Christianity for the Rest of Us. "I don't write about narrow, right-wing religion," she explains on her Web site. "I write about mainstream and progressive Christianity – churches that base their message on God's love for all people and God's vision of peace and justice for the world." Borg calls Bass' work "the most important book of the decade about emerging Christianity and the renewal of mainline congregations. Exciting and encouraging, hopeful and helpful, and filled with examples of vital Christian practices from which all interested in the future of the church can learn." Borg earned his fame – or notoriety – as a member of the Jesus Seminar, a group of self-described religious scholars who doubted many of the sayings of Jesus as recorded in the gospels. They systematically excised suspect passages by casting colored beads to vote yes, no or don't know. Borg considers the gospel of John virtually useless as a source for "Jesus." Defender of Jeremiah Wright Bass is a defender of Jeremiah Wright, Barack's Obama's former pastor, whose "prophetic" preaching – including blaming the U.S. government for spreading the AIDS virgus among blacks – caused the presidential candidate to break his ties the minister. The public criticism of Wright "reveals something beyond ignorance of basic dynamics of Christian community," Bass says. "It demonstrates the level of misunderstanding that still divides white and black Christians in the United States. Many white people find the traditions of African-American preaching offensive, especially when it comes to politics." If Borg and Bass seem to be on the hard edge of the emerging church's left flank, McLaren is its warm and friendly face. He's a grandfatherly figure and a former college professor. He is not, for instance, as callous about Scripture as Borg. In his lecture at Princeton, McLaren described an eclectic Christian background, beginning with the Jesus Movement. "I got my card punched with all the required charismatic experiences," he said, but "I never really wanted to be in the club." He settled into an Episcopal church for a period before becoming part of the congregation he now pastors. Calvinism McLaren T Total depravity Triune Love U Unconditional election Unselfish election L Limited atonement Limitless reconciliation I Irresistible grace Inspiring grace P Perseverance of the saints Passionate, persistent saints Since escaping the clutches of denominationalism, McLaren has rephrased some of the doctrines, including Dutch Calvinism's acronym for Calvinism. The accompanying chart shows how he revises TULIP. "We sort of shrink wrap church kits. I'm not interested in anything that tries to sell an easy church model," he said in his Princeton lecture. "I don't like the term emerging church … it's the 'church emerging.'" Like others in the emerging movement, McLaren can be pointedly critical of denominations. He said he has met twice with the leaders of denominations that he did not name. They told him, he said, "'We're shutting down thousands of churches and when we shut these churches down we have all these extra buildings. We just can't keep them open anymore.'" He said denominational leaders told him most of the buildings were in inner-city areas. So he made a suggestion. "What a great opportunity to turn these buildings over to African Americans for inner city congregations," he told them. He said their response was that they tear down the buildings, sell the property and put them money in their endowments – for job security. That's a topic that will go well at a emerging church sermonette, group discussion and therapeutic session.

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