Tuesday, April 3, 2007

Emerging Fear and the SBC

How do you draw more attention to the emerging movement? Like This. If you say blanket statements like the emerging church is "one of the most dangerous and deceptive movements to infiltrate the ranks of Southern Baptist life," you could think that might be an overstatement of fearful dread over the unknown, but I think not. The SBC should fear the emerging movement, because emergent types do two things that can ruin the SBC. 1-Talk 2-Think And they do these at the same time. What happens when these two powerful forces join hands, thinking and talking, you realize you don't need to continue to be subject to the fear mongering of modernity in its worst form. Hell is the religious fear-bearing motivation and Islamo-fascism is the political form. (Well there are more like French atheists, homosexuals and liberals.) So I agree with Roger Moran, the SBC should fear the Emerging movement. Moran is not moron, just observant. Well I would say those baptists who were exiled from the convention with emerging leanings don't want the bureaucracy back. Keep all you stole or won. I think the baptist Fall or Ascension in 79 may have been the best thing that could have happened for real baptists (other than the bitterness part). Power corrupts and convention power corrupts the gospel into conventional fluff.

Bill Leonard makes a good observation, "The Southern Baptist Convention is growing increasingly terrified that they've spent all this time recreating the denomination in this (conservative) image, and now nobody cares," he said. "Young seminarians are challenging them on issues and saying, 'Your vision of reality is not ours.'" OH how I hope this is true.

[an aside] I know the SBC is the Southern Baptist Convention, but I decided sometime in high school always to use SBC instead. I think it parallels Kentucky Fried Chicken’s switch to KFC because they had genetically altered their chicken so much they couldn’t keep it in the name. I bet the KFC story is an urban legend, but I think it works well with the SBC.

6 comments:

Ashley and David said...

what a great post.

Anonymous said...

I think Emergent will only be worthwhile as long as it has critics and naysayers. The day we get embraced is the day we die.

I think it is important that we keep that in perspective.

Andrew Walker said...

Tripp,
While I appreciate your comments and somewhat truthfulness about the SBC and the emergent church, I don't feel as though rude and inept comments help the situation. I myself, a baptist college student and future SBC seminarian do recognize the problems with the current leadership in my denomination. While I may have strong sympathies with the emerging movement and feel called to stay within the SBC, I don't feel as though re-inventing the wheel as Emergents are doing is going to solve every ecclesiastical problem as assumed. And likewise, if the emerging church atmosphere is priding itself on an atmosphere conducive to "conversation" with all walks of life (a new form of ecumenism) than I would expect people like you, who have a presence within the movement, to be more courteous to your brothers and sisters in Christ. You're only prolonging the ethos that I cannot figure out about the emerging church movement- its built on who can become the coolest Christian.

Andrew Walker

Tripp said...

Hey Andrew, We don't know each other so you probably don't know that I grew up as a PK in an SBC church. Commentary I make at Baptists are ones I make as a Baptist and usually with sarcasm. If you think there is hope in the SBC good luck and I hope I am wrong. The SBC leadership will be a tough cookie to crack as long as everyone has to sign the BFM, which is a supreme example of the ecclesiastical fallout of modernity (I would say the same thing to other denominations and probably will if one of them says as wonderfully revealing statements as Moran.) Any way, I'm not too sure anyone thinks I am that cool. If you end up visiting South Eastern and want to chat holla at me. My parents live there and we might could have coffee or a hot dog and the famous Shorty's.

Andrew Walker said...

Tripp, thanks for the feeback. I apologize for the "cool" statement that I made. There was no need for me to go there. Anyway, I am relieved to hear that you are familiar with SBC polity, and in that case, I guess you are in a better position to make an informed opinion upon the SBC. And yes, most comments about the SBC have to be made with a brush of sarcasm in order to keep a healthy dose of reality.
On a side note, NAMB (North American Mission Board) has released some statistics that are very revealing about people's feelings toward the SBC. The hierarchial leadership is learning that they are increasingly losing voice with the younger generation. Though theologically conservative, youger SBC'ers are translating into a formidable voice as of right now.

Blessings,
Andrew

Tripp said...

Good news. I am going to attempt to be more optimistic about the future of the SBC since at least 8 of my friends plus you are sticking to it. The emergent cohort leader in Columbia, SC is named Bobby and he is a self professing 'southern fried southern baptist.' He is also super sweet and easy to find if you have questions about emergent and how that works while being a SB-type Baptist.
Grace and Peace