Yesterday while discussing the convention with my pastor (who doesn't consider himself emergent) before church he challenged my use of the term emerging church and references to emerging/emergent christians.
There is only one church on the earth- that is Christ's bride, the church.
And there are no different varieties of Christians in the Kingdom. For there is no distinction, neither Jew, nor Greek, nor evangelical, nor mainlin, nor emerging. Christ is all and in all.
So, abstractions may be helpful. We use categories to save time in conversation and time in our thinking, but this is ultimately a lazy habit.
The world doesn't need an Emerging Church, or the McLarenites. Wouldn't it be a shame if in twenty years there's a collection of middle-aged Mac-using hippies who identify themselves as McLarenites?
What the world needs is for the church of God on the earth to emerge.
This is a lot harder work than planting a few churches and abandoning institutionalized religion.
Phyllis Tickle referred to the emergent movement (conversation) as a new reformation. Oh, that we would consider ourselves as doing something that important in the whole church, without thinking of ourselves as too important.
Humility. Grace. Compassion. Anger. Peace.
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