One In Jesus

McKnight says,

 The emerging movement is a protest against much of evangelicalism as currently practiced. 

He says the emerging movement is “post-systematic theology” and “in versus out.” We begin with post-systematic theology (which is just so Alexander Campbell) — Continue reading →

The foremost concern of the praxis stream is being missional. What does this mean? First, the emerging movement becomes missional by participating, with God, in the redemptive work of God in this world. In essence, it joins with the apostle Paul in saying that God has given us “the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Cor. 5:18).

Second, it seeks to become missional by participating in the community where God’s redemptive work occurs. The church is the community through which God works and in which God manifests the credibility of the gospel. Continue reading →

A notable emphasis of the emerging movement is orthopraxy, that is, right living. The contention is that how a person lives is more important thanwhat he or she believes. Many will immediately claim that we need both or that orthopraxy flows from orthodoxy. Most in the emerging movement agree we need both, but they contest the second claim: Experience does not prove that those whobelieve the right things live the right way. No matter how much sense the traditional connection makes, it does not necessarily work itself out in practice. Public scandals in the church—along with those not made public—prove this point time and again.

This is one of the most powerful points I’ve read in Christian literature in years. I’d always assumed that sound doctrine would lead to sound behavior. But now that McKnight points it out, it’s really been my experience that it very often does not. Continue reading →

“Praxis” is the technical term for how we actually live our theology. We could say “practice” just as well. “Orthopraxy” is to praxis as “orthodoxy” is to doctrine. It’s what we consider standard, proper practice.

McKnight writes,

At its core, the emerging movement is an attempt to fashion a new ecclesiology (doctrine of the church). Its distinctive emphases can be seen in its worship, its concern with orthopraxy, and its missional orientation. Continue reading →

McKnight writes,

Living as a Christian in a postmodern context means different things to different people. Some—to borrow categories I first heard from Doug Pagitt, pastor at Solomon’s Porch in Minneapolis—will minister to postmoderns, others with postmoderns, and still others as postmoderns. …

The vast majority of emerging Christians and churches fit these first two categories. They don’t deny truth, they don’t deny that Jesus Christ is truth, and they don’t deny the Bible is truth.

Now, the Churches of Christ do none of these. We don’t minister to Post-moderns — not as Post-moderns. Rather, we try to persuade Post-moderns to be Moderns and then persuade them to be Christians. It’s a losing strategy. I mean, is the greatest need of the Post-modern generation to accept Modernism? Or to accept Jesus? Continue reading →