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Roger SanerJan 08,2010
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The emerging church blends into the mainstream?

I like Andrew Jones. He's a missionary who's been around for ages, and probably has the most complete history of the emerging church movement (blogged, not in a book).

I'd like to draw a few quotes from him, firstly from Emerging Church Movement (1989 - 2009)?:

"In my opinion, 2009 marks the year when the emerging church suddenly and decisively ceased to be a radical and controversial movement in global Christianity. In many places around the world, the movement has already been either adopted, adapted, or made redundant through the traditional church catching up or duplicating EC efforts."

"In 2009, the emerging church either grew up, stopped being offensive, switched gear from experimental to normal, became the new mainstream, or a bit of each."

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Graeme CodringtonAug 21,2009
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Brian McLaren faces criticism for observing Ramadan fast

Brian McLaren is an author, speaker and activist, well known as one of the thought leaders of the "emerging church" movement. His books have given words to what many people have felt about church, Christianity and Christ-following. I know him personally, and know him to be humble, wise and holy (in the sense that his life is wholly devoted to God).

Brian has recently announced that as of today, he will be observing a month of fasting, joining Muslims around the world as they observe Ramadan. He has not done this is align himself with Islam (obviously), but rather as a way of observing a Biblical command (to fast) and a Christ-like reaching out to others of different faiths. Christ's approach to those of other religions was not confrontation, but rather engagement. It did not involved doing anything opposed to His own faith, but did involve stepping into the world of the "other".

I admire Brian for his desire to build these types of bridges, so that in every possible way he will find a path to bring the light of "Issa al Massi" (Jesus the Messiah, as referenced in Arabic and in the Koran) to Muslims. I see this as being in the Spirit of both Paul and Jesus.

Yet, as you can well imagine, he is opposed in this quest, and his detractors have used to opportunity to (literally) call him apostate and a son of Satan.

Brian's reply is unbelievably gracious and Christ-like. Read it here, and be encouraged that there is a new kind of Christian emerging in the world.

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Graeme CodringtonJun 23,2009
Graeme CodringtonMar 07,2009
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Four "lanes" of the emerging church

If you've done any reading on the emerging church, you'll probably know the name Mark Driscoll. He has distanced himself from "Emergent", the voice of emerging church in the USA. But he nevertheless still considers himself as "emerging", although he prefers the label "Reformed Missional" or "Emerging Reformers".

The video can be found at YouTube (click here). Or see below.

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Roger SanerNov 05,2008
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The usual misunderstanding of postmodernism and deconstruction

"Postmodernism" is a loaded word for South African Christians: it polarises people into binary opposites before either side has said anything. It either means that you are doing some really cutting-edge things when it comes to cultural engagement for the sake of the gospel, or it means that you don't believe in truth, the Bible or much else.

If you research postmodernism a little, you'll come across Jacques Derrida, who coined the word "deconstruction."

Most people I know haven't a clue what deconstruction is, but think they do, and use their understanding incorrectly (I know: I used to be one of them).

Below I've posted a few extracts from John Caputo's book, "Deconstruction in an nutshell" (1997) (which has helped me to understand what deconstruction actually is) where he talks about the reaction Derrida has provoked. If you exchange "Derrida" for "the emerging church conversation" you may get a sense of why many of us are frustrated with people who criticise us before they actually understand what it is we're saying. I post this because of the strong resonances with critics of postmodernism and the emerging church conversation in South Africa at present.

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