As I’ve been reading Phyllis Tickle’s new book Emergence Christianity: What It Is, Where It Is Going, and Why It Matters in preparation for the conference of the same name in Memphis which begins tomorrow, I’ve been reflecting on the past 10+ years of involvement on the periphery of the emerging church movement (if that … Continue reading Emergent 10 Years After: A United Methodist Perspective
Category: Emergent
Emergent 10 Years After
In February of 2003 I and a couple of friends jumped on a plane headed west and ended up in San Diego for the first ever Emergent Convention. Back in the day (so to speak) the Emergent Village folks – Brian, Tony, Doug, Chris, Holly, Mark, Rudy, Tim, and others – were in a relationship … Continue reading Emergent 10 Years After
An Open Letter to Tony Jones
Dear Tony, We’ve been friends for a while, and I have learned over time to pretty much ignore your rants on denominationalism, recognizing a disconnect with those expressions of faith. But given the latest ramping up of attack with your new Ecclesialeak feature, especially given that you’ve attacked my tribe first, I feel I have … Continue reading An Open Letter to Tony Jones
Left or Right of Orthodoxy
One of the dangers of having an I-Pod Touch on my nightstand is that when I wake up in the middle of the night, I sometimes turn it on to read myself back to sleep, only to find myself driven more fully awake by something I read. That is the reason that I'm up at … Continue reading Left or Right of Orthodoxy
The Church of our Youth
There has been a conversation that I’ve had many times during my ministry when I am talking with folks about why they chose to be a part our church… Me: So, why have you decided to hang around? What is it about our church that you find appealing? Them: Well, it reminds me of … Continue reading The Church of our Youth
What does it mean to be “post-traditional”
Okay, I was one of the early “post” boys to the United Methodist table, thinking about our place in a “postmodern” world, moving to thinking about “postcolonialism,” and even thinking about post-evangelicalism, post-liberalism, yada, yada, yada, and the list goes on. However tonight I was asked by a friend and member of my congregation about … Continue reading What does it mean to be “post-traditional”
What does it mean to be “post-traditional”
Okay, I was one of the early “post” boys to the United Methodist table, thinking about our place in a “postmodern” world, moving to thinking about “postcolonialism,” and even thinking about post-evangelicalism, post-liberalism, yada, yada, yada, and the list goes on. However tonight I was asked by a friend and member of my congregation about … Continue reading What does it mean to be “post-traditional”
NYWC Nashville
The 2008 National Youth Worker’s Conference moves at the end of this week to Nashville, and I’m going to be there for part of the event. Are you going to be there? Leave me a comment and let me know. BTW, I would love to have some visitors for our 8:30 a.m. worship service this … Continue reading NYWC Nashville
Church Basement Roadshow – The Nashville Edition
I am certain that many others will go into more detail than I about tonight’s Church Basement Roadshow, featuring Doug, Tony, and Mark. Given the hour it seems fitting to throw out a quick review in fine bullet point fashion on what was a great evening. Part of the value in any emergent gathering of … Continue reading Church Basement Roadshow – The Nashville Edition
Church Basement Roadshow – The Nashville Edition
I am certain that many others will go into more detail than I about tonight’s Church Basement Roadshow, featuring Doug, Tony, and Mark. Given the hour it seems fitting to throw out a quick review in fine bullet point fashion on what was a great evening. Part of the value in any emergent gathering of … Continue reading Church Basement Roadshow – The Nashville Edition
A Plug for SoulFeast
Next month, Kay and the girls and I will load up the car and head six hours south to the Mecca of southeastern Methodism, Lake Junaluska, for our annual pilgrimage to the SoulFeast Conference, sponsored by the Upper Room. We started attending SoulFeast several years ago when we were short on funds and needed to … Continue reading A Plug for SoulFeast
What does it mean to be Methomergent?
I was surprised to see a shout-out in the latest edition of the Emergent-C newsletter, which focused on denominational expressions of the emerging conversation. I've been a part of this emergent conversation thingie (the thing we find ourselves in) since 2002 or so, and I count myself as one who has been influenced by the … Continue reading What does it mean to be Methomergent?
The Republicans Find Their Obama – New York Times
The real reason for Mr. Huckabee’s ascendance may be that his message is simply more uplifting — and, in the ethical rather than theological sense, more Christian — than that of rivals whose main calling cards of fear, torture and nativism have become more strident with every debate. The fresh-faced politics of joy may be … Continue reading The Republicans Find Their Obama – New York Times
Only Wonder Understands 