Submerged

The "emerging church."

I've probably read more books on it than anyone else. I've got one last one in the stack to polish off and then...

...I doubt I'll read any more on the subject unless a book with new buzzwords comes out. They all say the same thing, ultimately.

This is my take on the whole deal:

Really, it all comes down to 1 Thessalonians, chapters 1 & 2.

Lives should be truly transformed by the reality of Christ.
Lives should be lived by serving others in love.
Lives should be lived, with others of kindred spirit, in the expectation of Christ's return.

If that were happening, everything else would be irrelevant. Whether you're 18 or 80.

So, to the church "as is": The next generation wants to see it lived out, and we can't bark too loudly at them or about them if we aren't doing those things...corporately and, more importantly, individually.

And, to the "emergents": You're right to push the church, and push hard, where the church "as is" falls short of those realities. But you have to remember that love and grace and personal & genuine transformation are all two-way streets.

There.

The sum of about 30 hours of reading in 5 minutes. But that's really my take on the whole deal.