Comments on: Stories of Emergence

By: Mike G.

Mike G. — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 09:17:05 +0000

Interesting stories. I agree that no matter what one thinks about the emergent church personal stories are a valuble insight into how others have experienced church. Transformed lives not just numbers is what we should be about as servants of the Most High God. By God’s grace more Christians will model that and then teach it with more than just words.

By: Caleb

Caleb — Mon, 05 Jun 2006 17:10:04 +0000

I’ve read about 1200 pages and researched about 200 pages of internet blog and church sites on the “Emerging Church.”
I think this is one of the best books to understand the “vibe” of the EC crew. There is little thought given to how to fix the issues one has with the church or the Church. Rather the continually finding fault let’s seek to see the life change that is being instigated by local churches of all type across our country.
My perspective is on “Stories of Emergence” come from an emergence from a solid biblically based Baptist home to a solid biblically based evangelical home. One is not better than the other, they are different. I hope as Christians we can see the need for all types of churches. Not everyone wants rock music in their church. Not everyone wants candles. Not everyone will love the idea of community or small groups. Not everyone likes choirs or expository preacher either.
Also, though you will not read it in this book, there are many who have emerged from a mainstream evangelical position to a conservative baptist or even from mainline denominational to a roman catholic or from pentacostal to greek orthodox. Emergence is not just one direction.
Let keep building the kingdom together and emerge as better followers of Jesus and more verbal witnesses for His Name!
-Caleb

By: emergingblurb

emergingblurb — Mon, 05 Jun 2006 16:52:30 +0000

I can only concur with all of this. The last point has been an important one for me. In sharing with friends they know I’m not trying to introduce them to a church but to God, and there is a big difference.
We must learn to see all the biases of our cultural churchianity before we can expect to move forward or we potentially suffer from conforming people to a cultural Christianity of middle class values rather than seeing the real transformation.

By: Kelly Filgo

Kelly Filgo — Mon, 05 Jun 2006 15:16:23 +0000

This one is going next on my reading list… I’m halfway through “A New Kind of Mind” (see post a few weeks back). Great stuff- a tad academic at times, but with a little re-interpretation, it has lots to offer to church communicators.