Join the Emergent Conversation

Begin by learning the language. Here's a helpful glossary to get you started. Some of my favorites:

• Absolutes - A concept we must absolutely avoid.
• Atonement - Theory of divine child abuse that appeals to vampire Christians who want Jesus for his blood
• Authentic - Being one’s real, sinful, doubting self (and proud of it).
• Bible - A book through which subjective enlightenment comes to us as we live in community.
• Conversation - Equally confused people guessing what things might be “true” and guessing what “true” might mean.
• Criticism - 1. Something to which we must be radically open when given by non-Christians. 2. Something to which we must be absolutely closed when given by conservative Christians. 3. Something conservative Christians should accept from us.

These are just a few of the a-b-c's, so grab your half-caf, extra-hot grande (I thought I said "extra hot"... OK?...just bring it to the table) and pull up a chair. Today's topic: authentic missional communities and the urban poor...

Something Other Than a Baby Boomer's Bright Idea

From Frederica Matthews-Green who has carefully documented her path into Eastern Orthodoxy, answering why so many in this generation are attracted to it:

Orthodoxy itself is appealing, I think, initially because it is visibly beautiful, and because it is rooted in something other than a Baby Boomer’s bright idea.

Hear, hear, evangelical and emergent innovators. I might add "or a GenX/Yer's bright idea" , but it's a pretty good working description of the shifting sands beneath American evangelicalism, isn't it? Maybe it's high time for something old.

And a bonus unrelated thought from the great non-baby-boomer curmudgeon/philosopher/theologian/poet Gilbert Keith Chesterton on seeing and appreciating God's world:

[Children] always say, "Do it again"; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, "Do it again" to the sun; and every evening, "Do it again" to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy: for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.
—From Orthodoxy

Learning from Luther
I came across this quote from the good doctor regarding the way in which conflict and suffering contribute to a greater understanding and appreciation of the Bible:

For as soon as God's Word becomes known through you, the devil will afflict you, will make a real doctor [teacher of doctrine] of you, and will teach you by his temptations to seek and to love God's Word. For I myself...owe my papists [Roman Catholic adversaries] many thanks for so beating, pressing, and frightening me through the devil's raging, that they have turned me into a fairly good theologian, driving me to a goal I should never have reached.

While I have no hope of becoming a doctor or even a good theologian, I can enthusiastically echo the sentiment. Looking back on a fairly intense struggle with aberrant teaching and practice in a group I found myself in a few years ago, I can now see a corollary benefit to that misery—a greater seeking and love (even desperation) for God's Word. It certainly improved my library, including the three volume edition of What Luther Says, where the above quotation can be found. (3:1360, Concordia, 1959).

My Favorite Live Earth Moment

"Turn the the thermostat down one degree."

—Ludacris

The popular artist offered this when asked for one simple step all of us can take to help the cause and avert environmental destruction. It was in the 90's and humid over most of the country on Saturday, so Mrs. D dutifully walked down the hall and changed our AC setting from 75 to 74. Much better, thank you. Save the planet.

Amnesia Helmet Goes to Hillary (again)

I have a feeling that over the next few months they're going to need more mantle space at the Chappaqua manse. These folks have so much to forget.

Today's award-winning statement regarding the Libby matter:

"This commutation sends the clear signal that in this administration, cronyism and ideology trump competence and justice." - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y.