Youth-Snobbery & Emerging-Snobbery Should be Called Out
Matt Chandler has a great post up over at the Resurgence blog. In it he recounts his initial cooler-than-thou approach to ministry, the period of awakening when he discovered he was an idiot, and his subsequent alliances, for the sake of the gospel, even with people who eschew the very thought of cultural cool:
It's a strange thing to wake up and find out you are the very thing you hated and rebelled against to begin with. Judging men not by the content of their souls but by how they dress, talk and drink. I was expected when I came to know Jesus to wear a suit on Sunday, part my hair on the side and then hairspray it down, quit drinking completely and learn to speak "Christianese" fluently. If I did those things I was welcomed and loved if not, I was the outcast. I find it heartbreaking that I have tendencies to do the same to others. The expectations have changed, it's not a suit it's an un-tucked shirt, it's not your hair parted down the side it's messy hair that you spent 15 minutes making look messy. But it's the same madness, the same judgments, and the same sin that plagued my fathers before me. We think our methods are the methods instead of a method.
Matt's humorous story is very perceptive, and I think there are applications to be made on a couple of levels. The first one is the obvious, connect-the-dot, point: Young Christian leaders should be wary of vindictively "turning the tables" on those who have enforced a version of cultural Christianity in the past. The second application is more abstract (I'm reading between the lines to get it): Participants in the current theological embodiment of cool, the "emerging conversation," need to exercise a similar humility. Caricature and condescending talk sneak in all too easily when "your side" supposedly has dibs on the street cred.
As I look around American Evangelicism and try to get my bearings, I find myself floating in one of the theological streams labeled these days as "emerging" - I'm convinced that orthodox, biblical truth needs to be expressed and lived out in culturally relevant ways. As I continue to think and talk about church, and eventually get a shot at doing church myself, I need to remember that my generation does not hold a monopoly on the elements in the emerging conversation that seem most appealing.
As in all conversations, humility is vital, and snobbery should be called out.
4 comments:
it's not your hair parted down the side it's messy hair that you spent 15 minutes making look messy.
HA!! It takes me like a tenth of that to get my hair looking just-right messy. Suck on that, Matt!! Who's holy now? Huh?!
Oh, wait... dangitstupidhumility
I'm gonna go read me Bible now...
One thing to remember: It is possible to passionately disagree with another Christian and be humble at the same time. Humility is not necessarily evidenced by how much we refrain from disagreements even over debateable issues. Here's an interesting question: Is it a sign of pride to passionately debate conscience driven issues? I really don't think so. Do you think Romans 14 is a Paul's attempt to get rid of passionate debate? I don't think so. I think what he said has everything to do with how deal with one another after the passionate debate is over. HMMM... I am not sure if this has anything to do with the column, but hey, why not!
Jimmy Snowden
Is it a sign of pride to passionately debate conscience driven issues?
I hope not, because I love arguing.
More seriously: I agree with everything you said, Jimmy. I think that if open, "passionate" debate was the norm rather than the exception, we wouldn't have to wade through the insinuations and caricature that make theological debate such a minefield.
In regard to the emerging conversation, I often find myself wishing out loud that people would demonstrate more backbone in owning up to their beliefs and defending 'em, rather than hiding behind the curtain of provocative ambiguity.
Excellent stuff, I've been having similar thoughts as well. I've noticed a veiled condescendence among Emergent folks (and this is just my observation, with no intention to offend anyone) towards those of us who have a more "conservative" background and perhaps are more vocal about this conservative background in our interactions. It is unfortunate because others have noticed some "elitism" within Emergent as well and it does turn people off to the so many great things the Emergent Christianity has to offer.
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