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Winter Term Adult Class Forming: the Emerging Church by The Rev. Hartshorn Murphy Some years ago, I had a fascinating conversation with Lyle Schaller during a break at a conference on church development. Lyle is famous for authoring scores of "how to books" on church administration and church growth. His titles usually had catchy hooks like "44 Ways to Increase Church Attendance" and "21 Bridges to the 21st Century" and he was widely regarded as a visionary thinker. In a wide ranging conversation, Lyle predicted back in the 1980's that over the next 100 years denominations would become realigned based on style, spirituality and ideology rather than on our present divisions based on history and geography (English Anglicans, Scottish Presbyterians, and German Lutherans etc.) This has been our experience more and more − that we have more in common with liberal and progressive Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians and even Reform Jews than we do with conservative Catholics and even evangelical Episcopalians. As the Anglican/Episcopal communion continues to fracture, so do the other mainline denominational families and over the same issues: biblical interpretation, the role of women and the inclusion of gays and lesbians but also on such thorny things as the meaning of the crucifixion. Lyle was being prophetic. But whatever comes of his predictions, what has developed over the last 10 years or so has been the so-called "Emerging Church" movement which seeks to move beyond the old evangelical/liberal conflicts to affirm what is of value across the Christian spectrum. Thus we find "low church" Protestants celebrating "catholic" Ash Wednesday. A Baptist pastor once consulted with me over the use of an advent wreath in his sanctuary. Catholic churches, like St. Monica's, have effectively used Pentecostal music at the Sunday afternoon mass. And all churches are rediscovering the spiritual disciplines once relegated to monasteries. One of the strongest proponents of the emerging church movement is Brian McLaren, who for years has advocated a "post-liberal" and "post-conservative" open dialogue which moves toward a deeper formulation of the Christian life for this new century. His book, A Generous Orthodoxy, will be our text for the winter term beginning Jan. 4, 2009. He invites us into this on-going dialogue by exploring what' s insightful and useful to be reclaimed, recovered and rediscovered for all followers of Christ from a variety of distinctive traditions. His intention in advocating such a generous orthodox is for "a consistent practice of humility, charity, courage and diligence. Humility that allows us to admit that our past and current formulations may have been limited or distorted. Charity toward those of other traditions who may understand some things better than our group…Courage to be faithful to the true path of our faith as we understand it, even when it is unpopular, dangerous, and difficult to do so. Diligence when we feel we have lost our way, which seems to be pretty often … I see this practice as a way of seeking and cherishing truth." (From the introduction to A Generous Orthodoxy). Join the conversation Jan 4, 2009
A sign up will be on the patio so that we might know how many books to order for the bookstore. Copyright © 2008 St. Augustine by-the-Sea
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