Why Rob Bell Still Matters to Me – In Response to @jonestony @evancurry @fitchest

Like many, I too have been thinking about Rob Bell’s comments throughout the week. I’ve been asked about them almost every day. I’ve just listened to the interview and been catching up on the numerous blog chatter out there. These are the tricky posts because they cover on a number of topics, like “Gay Marriage,” “What the Bible [Read more…]

Tony Jones at Youth Specialties – General Session – 11.2.08

First, it’s about time Tony speaks at the General Session at YS’s National Youth Workers Convention.  Because the world tends to revolve around me, I did literally write in last year’s eval that Tony should be a given  a general session.  (I’m sure YS would have come up with this had I not written that since I’m pretty sure those evals head straight for recycling but it’s a great ploy in making attendees feel heard – lol.)

After a warm introduction from Marko, there was the Church Basement Road Show thing with Doug Pagitt and Mark Scadrette (who makes a hilarious preacher-type and in real life is the author of Soul Graffiti – Making a Life in the Way of Jesus).  After that, Tony began speaking …. lol– just kidding.  I, for one enjoyed the CBRS and couldn’t stop laughing, especially at Doug.  How one of the most brilliant minds that you’ll ever meet got roped into this is either a great sign of friendship or there is some Josey-Bass statistic out there that has an irrefutable link to dressing up like a 20th century traveling southern evangelist and selling thousands of copies of A Christianity Worth Believing. 

On Tony’s new belief.net blog, he wrote that he was afraid that some people didn’t get it. He and his friends are in good company for a lot of people didn’t understand the parables of Jesus and a lot of men don’t understand women and a lot of us don’t understand Sigur Rios but love them all anyway.  Perhaps some didn’t get it but for all the times I’ve had to listen to a Josh McDowell type, I appreciate YS considering those like me. 

After the Tony & Trucker Frank clip (which is brilliant), Tony shared a little about his journey, his faith and the nature of truth.  If you know Tony, you know that he’s well-educated, brilliant, and never got the memo that  you don’t have to talk to people after you speak.  He probably doesn’t know that because he was a youth pastor for 20 years (source: Marko) and as many of you know, after you just spent 25 minutes sharing the most profound truth humankind has ever known, you are talking to 10th graders about LeBron, Brittany, and the big Algebra test.   Seriously, Tony as well as many of his friends, are among the most accessible to have conversation with you.

Tony talked about his life starting in his senior year of  high school about a letter that his youth pastor made him write to himself that was sent during his freshmen year at Dartmouth  It was a helpful reminder of the presence of Christ in his life.  He shared about his college bible study experience (this story is in his excellent book, The New Christians – you should read it), his Fuller Seminary experience, his studies in philosophy and learning how to understand the great German theologians … in German.  This story transitioned into the importance of living out the Gospel relationally while he lived in a poor part of South Dakota in the Indian reservations.  If there’s something wrong with Tony, it’s that he speaks better of his time living in South Dakota then he does about his experience in New Jersey (he studied at Princeton Theological Seminary and is currently finishing up his doctorate).

Then the scary part, that wasn’t that scary … unless you are addicted to you pre-conceived notions and couldn’t wait to pick on something.  Tony talked about the nature of truth.  What he said was extremely appropriate for a YS General Session and from my seat, I hoped it stirred people’s appetites.  He said that truth walked with Adam & Eve, wrestled with Jacob, was in a cloud leading the Israelites and that truth was born as a man and had foot fungus and bowel movements and about the profound nature of Christ.  “It’s truth with dirt under its fingerails.  That’s our truth.”  

Reminding everyone that it we couldn’t reduce it all to passages or theologies. It was almost a Pauline moment, “If anyone has right to boast …”.  He asked us youthworkers to remember that it’s worth being locked in a YMCA with junior highers, and be underpaid, overworked, and unappreciated.   But it was well worth it to “bask in the knowledge” share the truth with our young people. 

I am a fan and a friend of Tony and as a brother in the Lord was proud of his time.  Toward the end of 2003, it was books like Postmodern Youth Ministry and McLaren’s New Kind of Christians that w

ere very helpful for me like many others.   It would be typical to end the story that people rushed the stage for his blessing upon them but he ended up announcing that he was going to play the Jesus Road show song to open up the Crowder set which launched everyone out of their seats to the main stage.  So typical of Christians to rush past the challenging stuff to get to the good and comfortable stuff (I love Crowder too, don’t miss my point).

For many this was a great starting point.  And For people like me who are barely two steps ahead in this part of the journey, it was more than a good moment but a necessary one. I need to see organizations like YS encourage this part of the conversation.  I don’t need everyone to be emergent.  Not needed at all but what I would appreciate is that before people attack the conversation and the people that are having the conversation to know the conversation and to participate in it.

 

Reflecting on "What Is Emergent?"

Most days I don’t think that I am the ideal youth pastor.  Partially because I’ve never dyed my hair but some of the other stereotypes apply.  Anyway, I don’t think I make a good conservative, liberal (theologically, politically), whatever.  And though I’m very interested in the emergent conversation, I’m probably not that good of an emergent (haven’t read enough Descartes, Barth should I go on?). 

Regarding the emergent interest, aside from sharing these thoughts with my circle of friends, I’ve tried to keep it low-key.  Not in a shameful sense but because sometimes the conversation itself seems to become too much of a distraction.  That and I don’t feel “qualified” to speak about it.  (Which hasn’t really stopped me if I am being truthful).

I’ve been in two conversations this week basically asking, “Where do I get started in wanting to know if this thing is biblical/right/good/____ or not?”  I almost felt like Peter when the jailer asked P&S, “What must I do to be saved?”.  One was in my church hallway, the other was in class (I attend Biblical Seminary). Those that were there can testify that I tried not to say anything, but after 10 minutes, it was like a “fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary of not holding it in.” (Yes, people like me, read, apply and love the Scriptures).

These are my quick bullet point thoughts regarding an intro into the emergent conversation.  (Though there’s always more then three points, I’m being a good Bible preacher by only giving you three).

1.  If all you know of postmodernism is from Chuck Colson, Ravi Zacharias (men who I respect very much and I am not being sarcastic) and others then try to either unlearn the idea that postmodernism equals the relativism described by that mentality.  As I found, you must expand your education of postmodernism in order to appreciate it and gain an understanding of it. 

2. Try not to think of it in terms of conservative versus liberal.  Some have accused it of being today’s liberalism repackaged.  I consider myself to be generally conservative (as in belief in literal resurrection, embrace the idea of inspiration, love the trinity) and I’d like to say that  part of the problem is that whenever we, conservatives, encounter a liberal, we are too quick to break fellowship.  We leave the table, thereby creating a “liberal table”.  This is a conversation and it’s one that participation is encouraged, welcomed, and needed.  On a side note, one of the hallmarks is the desire not to break fellowship – I love that.

3. So much more to say, but there’s a beautiful humility that you need to experience.

For a brief intro, I encourage you to read, Scot McKnight’s “5 Streams of the Emerging Church”.

If you have $20, pick up Tony Jone’s New Christians at Barnes and Noble or here at Amazon.  It’s a user-friendly, honest perspective of the emerging church movement.  Read it twice, have every intention of blogging by perspective about it.  Til that day, you are encouraged to read it for yourself.