Emerging Church assumes room temperature

C. Michael Patton carries the obituary:

Why did the emerging church die?

1. Lack of Tact Theory: I remember learning in seminary that when one pastor replaces another, the new pastor must be very careful not to attempt change too quickly. One thing at a time. Work with wisdom. Slowly, slowly, slowly. Don’t come in and beat up the old way of doing things thinking that your passion and belief in the necessity of change with be shared by others. It won’t. In fact, your demand for change will solidify people in their own places. You will be politely asked to leave. The emerging church lacked tact. It never gained the ear of the home base. Movements such as this need to be changed from the inside out, not the outside in. That is unless you are willing to go all the way and break completely from the home base (e.g. the Reformation).

2. The Offense Theory. The coup did not work. The elephant in the room (the Emerging Church) was forced out. They assumed that Evangelicals would listen and exit the building with them. But what happened was not unlike a disrespectful teenager who thought that he suddenly had it all figured out through a series of unadulterated epiphanies. He tugged on the shirt of his parents letting them know how much more he knew than them and he was blown off because of arrogance. “Tsk, tsk” was the reply, “I remember when I thought I knew it all.” While the Emerging Church, as well as teenagers, do have some very good things to say and should be listened to, it is the (almost total) disregard of Evangelicalism’s values that caused them to lose their audience. Evangelicals were offended.

3. Misidentified Evangelicalism Theory. It certainly is the case that Evangelicalism needs to reform. In fact, one of the Evangelical principles is that we are always reforming (semper reformanda). In principle, Evangelicals are not scared of change. When this principle is denied, it is no longer Evangelicalism, but some form of Fundamentalism. Emergers failed to realize the shared DNA with Evangelicals and belittled them instead. They, most of whom were former Fundamentalisms (not Evangelicals), mistakenly identified Evangelicals with Fundamentalists. Therefore, their cries of change, their proclamations of enlightenment, served only to belittle Evangelicals. Ironically, their judgmental spirit of Evangelicalism backfired and caused them to look more like Fundamentalists than than those who they criticized. It was just a Fundamentalism of a different kind, but the attitude was the same. Grace left the emerging building.

4. Heretical Tolerance Theory: Oh, and then there was that. The Emerging church refused to stand up for anything. As the old song goes, “You have to stand for something or you will fall for anything.” The Emerging Church fell. It ran out of fuel. It called on everyone to leave their base and fly with them. Many of us came along for the ride. The problem is they never did land anywhere. They just flew and flew. They wanted to wait five or ten years to decide who they were. In the meantime, the fuel ran out. They did land and it was (mostly) not on friendly ground. From there they definitively cried out against Evangelical orthodoxy kicking us in the most sensitive areas. Abortion, Atonement, Justification, Assurance, and then there was the attempted burial of our belief that homosexuality was a sin. Oh, did I mention the attacks on Hell and the Exclusivity of Christ? They quickly moved from an insightful teen who might have some good things to say to barrage of disconnected enemies on the attack.

Of course, as I said, there were many of us who flew these skies with them. Some even identified with the movement believing it has many insights. But soon, most began to parachute out. It was too late for the band-aid of the Emerging/Emergent distinction. One after the other, people jumped. When its most prolific insiders jumped (along with a few pilots), it was over. We landed and acted as if it never happened. “Emerger who? Never heard of him.” And we pull our hat down over our eyes and move on.

The Emerging Church, in my experience, became nothing more than that place where liberals who think themselves hip and cool went to play church, only they couldn't call it church because that wasn't cool and hip.

If the death is true, good riddance.

Comments

[Steve]

Yes, I have been struck by the arrogance of many Emergent folk and their sympathizers. In the end, it just seemed like McLaren et al. were saying "You evangelicals are just too conservative in everything--theogically, socially, even politically. To be a true Christian is to just be more liberal in everything." I'd read his articles and come away covered in his dripping condescension.

There are some good emerging folk out there--Dan Kimball, even Scot McKnight (who I think is wrong on most things political). But once you start courting Marcus Borg and the mainstream media, and the most notable emergent leader starts doing campaign ads for then Senator Obama, all while deriding other Christians for being politically conservative, then I just tune out.

[Mommynator]

The arrogance and disposal of some good traditions and wisdom just affected my family in a very tangible and negative way.

I read a few of the emergent authors and it was interesting, but there was no depth, no real foundation, no recognition of the wisdom of past generations - totally iconoclastic without a good replacement.

I'm with you. Good riddance.

[chuck aka xtnyoda]

... and the Word of our Lord still stands... and has withstood one more puny attempt to subjugate our Lord to the cesspool of public opinion.

This, the foundational flaw and the typical arrogance... attempting to make our Lord palatable to... humans. To do so one must make God into the image of man... and that's not happening.

Good article.

[chuck aka xtnyoda]

chuck wrote:

"This, the foundational flaw and the typical arrogance... attempting to make our Lord palatable to... humans. To do so one must make God into the image of man... and that's not happening."

Should have added, "except in the case of the Son of God taking on the form of a human, Jesus. But that wasn't to make God act like us, Jesus did quite the opposite of our tendencies.

Instead of taking on our personal preferences He died for our personal preferences.

Quite different the "emerging church" that one more time tried to bring God down to our level.

[BroKen]

Excellent post-mortem. But I grieve, not for what it became, but for what it could have become.

[Leslie]

I'm not sure it's necessary to grieve, Ken.

The Earth is the Lords and everything in it. God is in firm control of his church and it rises and falls on his almighty command.

This was a refreshing post, Rick. I'm not sure the emerging folks know their beloved movement is dead, but a pleasure to read all the same.

Perhaps, one good that can come from it all is with those enthusiasts who were eventually disappointed with it...there is something really valuable about learning how it is when humans try to shape the truth on their own steam.