Post-Modernism and the "Emergent" Church - A Concise Definition

[cqg]

Nadia, the "mission developer" (read: pastor) of a self-described "emergent" church in Denver, concisely describes what she thinks is meant by the adjective/handle. I like this because I was asked over lunch yesterday by A Catholic and a member of a MCC church what "post-modernism" means and how it relates to "emergent" churches

Comments

[shapenotesinger]

You've touched on something I've been reading about recently. The study of cultural anthropology in relation to the development of the church. It gives even more insight into the weight of culture in the formation of Christian perspectives.

[cqg]

Chapman's book or something else?

[shapenotesinger]

I'm getting Bruce Malina's book The New Testament World. It's a look at the cultural anthropology of the Hellenistic and Roman worlds. His main contention is that Mediterranean cultures were agonistic -- competitive among men for honor which they saw as a limited good -- one gained or lost by verbal competition/contention. What you got by losing was shame. So a constant haggling among men not blood kin for honor and seeking approval from the group almost like positive reinforcement. That's a thumbnail sketch and probably a stick figure sketch at that!

But it plays into the whole set of cultural roles and expectations we don't see when we read the scriptures with a "face value" approach or "naive realism" as Binauje/Patrick would say.

[cqg]

yes. Good point. I'll keep my eyes open for that book.