So... I've had this thought brewing around in my mind the last few weeks. I've been reading Jesus for President, just finished it actually. I enjoyed it immensely and may include a later post on it, but that is not the point here. As many may know, I am fairly versed on the pomo/emerging/missional church stuff. I wrote my sr. thesis for seminary on comparing/contrasting emerging (i'm including missional, emerging and emergent in that... I know, I'll get stoned for it, sorry to this guy) and classical pentecostal theologies and worldviews. So, here's whats been stirring around:
When I read something like Jesus for President, or a book on some new style or dev't in church, I often think that the thought processes for developing that looks very Pentecostal to me. Maybe I read alot into the discussions, but it always just occurs to me that this (whatever this happens to be) could have very easily originated in a Pentecostal community. However, all to often, it seems we in the classical Pentecostal tradition are being left behind in the creative church culture. Yet, it seems obvious to me that the two are not unrelated. In fact, we should be the ones pioneering new, creative efforts; promoting racial and gender equality; pushing for a more environmentally sound technology; open to various methods of preaching/teaching; culturally relevant, etc. It is in our DNA!
Without going into it too much, the early Pentecostal mov't saw tremendous growth in racial unity. It has been said that "the color line was washed away in the blood." I think this was to be only the beginning. Have we, as Pentecostals, sold our heritage? The way the questioned formulated in my mind went more like this: Have we spent so much time defending the experience that we have neglected the responsibilities that came with the experience? While we were trying to defend the experience of speaking in tongues, did we miss much of the civil rights movement? (Granted, Pentecostals were involved, but I'm speaking more as an organized movement.) While we were buying our plane tickets for the latest REVIVAL, did we miss the technology explosion? While we were (are) shouting in the aisles of our churches, did (is) our planet slowly (or quickly) die (dying)? Did the ones who challenged the status quo simply adopt a new status quo? Did the change agents of the past become the static sitters of the present and future?
What can we do?
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5 comments:
Challenging!
I think you are right, of course, because you are a smarty-pants. But, I would change the rhetorical questions somewhat: have we been so enamored with moving from the wrong side of the tracks and becoming more or less acceptable in Mainstream Evangelicalism that we have missed opportunities to do works of justice and to follow the leading of the Spirit in this era???
it is ironic that a typically loud group has been so silent in certain arenas.
Yes! It is amazing to me that those baptized, saturated, dripping with the Holy Spirit are not on the pioneering edge of creativity and art, more in touch with our responsibilities as stewards, etc. I think we have been busy in other areas. Nice!
Not that I don't have a wonderful comment, but I was wondering if I would get the priviledge to join your blog roll someday?
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