Faith in the Ruins: An Examination of Emergent Christianity
For the last five hundred years or so, Western civilization has been constantly reinventing itself. All of its philosophies, sciences, and religions have been attacked, destroyed, ignored, and reinterpreted. In recent decades, a new philosophy has emerged in American and European culture, one that permeates both the intellectual and the common person. "Postmodernism," it is called, and rightly so. For it is not truly a philosophy of its own, but the remains of a previous one. Before I examine the effect this new way of thinking has had on Christianity, I will attempt to give a broad overview of Western history.
A Brief History of Western Civilization
It was in the ruins of European paganism that the new religion of Christ arose. The very best of paganism and philosophy had accumulated in the great Republic of Rome, after millennia of darkness and fear. The blazing light of Christ shone over all of Europe as the Republic itself adopted this religion, and slowly worked to transform the continent. For centuries, the Catholic faith was the only widely accepted truth, yielding great fruits of civilization and spirituality. Philosophers such as St. Thomas Aquinas encouraged the intellectual growth of Christendom.
By the time of the Reformation, a combination of growing skepticism and of moral decay in the clergy grew to a climax, and soon all of Europe was fragmented in various modes of thought and religion. Protestantism slowly became more pressurized and self-contained, and this pressure caused it to rupture all the more. Skepticism flourished, and materialist philosophies were widely accepted by the great mass of men.
Modernism grew from this skeptical philosophy, proclaiming a new kind of humanism that saw man as autonomous and self-sufficient. The study of the natural world was seen as one of the greatest goods, especially as it led to improving the standard of living for men. The advent of Darwinism provided what many term a "meta-narrative," an overarching story describing mankind's place in the universe without reference to spiritual or supernatural truths. Man could now build a utopia, a paradise on earth. The progress of evolution pointed unhesitatingly in this direction.
However, after two world wars, frequent genocides, and many smaller wars, this particular story of humanity fell into disfavor. We are no longer seen as progressing to utopia. Apparently we are not progressing to anything at all. The philosophy which did so well to remove men from the Faith has now crumbled and left them shipwrecked on a shore of desolation. Postmodernism is not a philosophy but an attempt to survive amidst the wreckage of dead philosophies. Thus, every man seeks for the truth in one of a thousand directions, some finding more than others. Modernism has been largely rejected, but neither is Christendom seen as a viable option. The question of Pontius Pilate-"What is truth?"-reverberates in the ears of all contemporary peoples.
The postmodern skeptic is not a skeptic in the same way that the modern was. The modernist was critical of the Christian faith and supernaturalism, while being affirmative of materialist dogma. There was something to deny with skepticism, and also something to work towards. The postmodern is skeptical of faith, of modernism, of dogmatism, and of truth itself. The only affirmative dogma is the half-hearted belief that all beliefs are true.
Forms of Christianity Emerging in Postmodernism
Protestant Christianity has always
found ways of changing with the culture, in ways that are both good and
bad. Evangelicalism in particular is a recent form of Protestantism that
appeals to many Americans. Emphasizing spiritual experience and personal
conversion over liturgical forms and intellectual aspirations, the evangelical
movement is by far the most common form of Christianity in the
They call themselves "Emergent"-perhaps to emphasize what they believe to be their newness and uniqueness-and "Postmodern"-apparently to identify with the unchristian culture around them. The main characteristics of these evangelical communities are two: an emphasis on personal experiences and the "journeys" of its members and of prospective members, and a corresponding de-emphasis on the dogmatic and doctrinal claims of the faith.
In rejecting the meta-narrative of modernism, non-Christian postmodernists are driven to reject the very idea of a meta-narrative, including the story of Christianity. They believe that to reject the story they were once taught is to reject all stories. Thus, humanity is now adrift in a sea of doubt and confusion. Such questions as "What is the meaning of life?" are seen as unsolvable and are thus avoided.
The Emergent evangelical communities have taken this common mode of thought as an opportunity to reach out to the confused mass of humanity for Christ. Rather than asserting a list of doctrines that "define" Christianity, they emphasize the personal experiences of the prospective convert. In traditional evangelicalism, the experiences of the convert prior to conversion are usually looked upon with distaste as an example of mankind's inherent wickedness. The personal stories of converts are told to others to show the contrast between their sinful past and their joyful Christian present. In the Emergent Movement, this sharp distinction is blurred, and the story or journey of one's pre-conversion life is continued into the Christian life.
Another aspect of this movement is its acceptance and prolific use of contemporary media in both evangelization and worship contexts. Video, music, design, and stylishness are utilized by these communities as a means of making the Faith "relevant" to the world. Many of these communities have been criticized for their acceptance of what are seen as contemporary fads. Oddly enough, this same movement has in some ways regressed to a more ancient form of Christian worship. The uses of incense, liturgy, and meditation have all been revived in many Emergent communities, harkening back to early Christianity-though all of these are still widely used outside Protestant Christianity. Thus, the Emergent Movement has accumulated both the old and the new in an effort to reach the lost of this generation.
Possible Pitfalls of Emergent Christianity
The judgment on the usefulness and validity of the Emergent Christians is one for scholars and history to make. However, there are many trends within the movement that cast into question the faithfulness of its philosophies.
Anti-Institutionalism: Many within this movement have a deep-seated antipathy to what they call a rigid and overly structured ecclesiology. The "top-down" model of church leadership and authority is rejected for a community-centered approach. Thus, the community of the church-rather than higher church leaders-lays hands on pastors. This feeling may mirror the non-Christian postmodern distaste for truth in preference for relativism. Both movements are decentralized, one away from authority, and the other away from truth. John O'Keefe, the author of the article "95 Postmodern Theses," states that a "community of faith rejects rhetoric and denominational politics and seeks understanding on all ends" (thesis 12), and that institutional churches "are based on a rigid 'top-down' relationship and need to develop a 'bottom-up' system. People are the church, not the Pastoral Staff" (thesis 56) (http://www.churchguides.com/articles.asp? articleid=726).
Anti-Dogmatism: While generally affirming what Protestantism sees as the essential truths of the Faith, the Emergents are likely to de-emphasize the centrality of dogma in exchange for the centrality of spiritual and emotional experience. The what of belief is set aside in favor of the who and how. Christ is indeed emphasized, but often in a personable and non-dogmatic way. In some circles, this has led to a denial of dogma altogether. Dave Tomlinson, author of the book The Post-Evangelical, says that the new breed of Christians "feel uneasy with such a cut-and-dry approach and find themselves instinctively drawn towards a more relative understanding of truth," and that "post-evangelicals are less inclined to look for truth and propositional statements in old moral certainties and more likely to seek it in symbols, ambiguities, and situational judgment" (quoted in "Here Come the Post-Evangelicals" at http://www.crosswalk.com/ news/weblogs/mohler/1247311.html?view=print).
Emotionalism: The emphasis on the individual's "faith journey" appeals greatly to potential converts, especially those who have experienced difficult lives. Acceptance and affirmation are very attractive to the fragile victims of the collapse of modernism. While not denying the truth claims of Christianity, there may be a tendency to ignore these claims in favor of producing positive emotions. Thus, the Emergent community may be seen more as an emotional support than as a bearer of truth.
Jack Heppner, director of Conference Ministries of the Evangelical Mennonite Mission Conference, writes, "There is in the postmodern world a tremendous loneliness-the end result of the modern love affair with individualism-and a hunger for a place to belong-to be part of community.... we will help him/her to find fulfillment in the community of Christ" ("The Faithful Church in a Changing World" at http://www.emmc.ca/church_resources/ the_faithful_church_in_a_changing_world.html).
Envoi
Whatever its faults may be, the Emergent
Movement has already begun gaining influence in
Jonathan McDonald <mcdonje@mobap.edu>
Missouri Baptist University Alumnus
B.S. in Computer Information Systems, 2001
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