Emerging (UU) conversation
In this post, I’m going out onto a limb which may crack. I know zilch about the Emerging Church (it emerged after I left Christianity) and I’m not a Unitarian Universalist scholar. Yet I spotted some comments on Lo-Fi Tribe and Sunflower Chalice that made me want to read this article.
So I did. And honestly, I still don’t get it. I think I understand, in some ways, what the EC movement in Christianity is about. They’re emphasizing orthodpraxy (right doing) along with orthodoxy (right belief). They want to be in conversation with the issues of the day, not for the sake of being "hip" but because Augustine, Luther and Jesus were doing the same thing. They think theology is about being on a journey because human living is not a static thing. And they are still holding on to what they perceive as biblical views, but in a way that is between the "cocksure certainties of conservatism and the perceived tepidness of liberalism."
Thus, I ask (and this isn’t rhetorical–smarter people, jump in and help me!) "What does this have to do with Unitarian Universalism?" Yes, Tony Jones references Servetus in his paper, bu the doesn’t do so to climb onto the UU wagon, as far as I can tell. He’s pointing out the fact that orthodoxy came from messy discussion, debate and political factions.
And sure, the members of the EC movement, like the UU movement are white and highly educated–but I’m not sure if that’s something to be proud of, or want to emulate. They cite phrases such as "inviting" "accepting" "non-judgmental" "inclusive" "wherever you are on the journey" on surveys about their churches, but they believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that there is a Trinity, and that Christ died for the sins of the world. At least one of those beliefs doesn’t fit into the UU movement, and the others with difficulty (i.e. different interpretations than the EC would have of those phrases).
Is the attraction to the Emergent Church the promise of becoming relevant and successful? Is it the shift from modernism to postmodernism? If it’s the former, I think we’ll need to wait and see. If it’s the latter, I sense fault lines in UUism about that topic, just as there are within Christianity (for the record, I’m on the modernist side of the camp, although when I was in a Christian seminary, I was on the postmodernist!).
The overarching theme I’ve seen in EC websites (the few I’ve checked out) is dialog and conversation. That is something I’d like to see happen more with UUs, but not, as Shawn puts it–whether in response to me, RevThom or the UUA as a whole, I don’t know–because I "need a big tent into which all of these things [Christianity, UU, etc] can be forced."
I’m perfectly happy leaving the Emergent Church, Brethren in Christ, Reformed Presbyterians, etc. in the tents that they’ve constructed. The only motivation I have for conversation with them–which is, I think, a big one–is that we share the same world. Like it or not, we’re concerned about some overlapping things, though from radically different perspectives. That goes within the UUA, too.
Ultimately, though I don’t have an "eschatology" proper any longer, the UUA’s community is the closest approximation. In my idea world, the asymptote I’d hope we can approach, multiple perspectives would thrive together, disagree vehemently together, live together, and do so with respect and a commitment for shared good. This would happen without pejorative attacks, without cheap shots or slinging mud, and with an attitude of being quick to admit fault and examine one’s shortcomings.
That’s my streak of liberal idealism, and where I see resonance in the Emergent Church, I’m happy for it. But I don’t–yet–see a reason why the UUA needs to go looking at their model without first recognizing the exclusive, Christian context within which it is placed. (Just as we are continually examining appropriation of Buddhism, Native spiritualities, paganism, etc. already.)
As I said, thoughts and links to more info are welcome.
Image: from Emergent Village.
Addendum: In Googling around, I found this post by Dan Harper which talks more about the EC movement and gives links in comments to other UUs doing the same. Interestingly, Shawn also commented there and pinged the site about a year ago for a Daily Scribe Jamboree (but that page is no longer online).