Defining Emerging II

I had this post in a comment, but decided to make it a full fledge post. If you have signed up, you can also create a post. If you are unsure, feel free to try it. You won't mess anything up. Comments are listed below a post. Anyone can leave a comment. You don't have to be signed up, but it automatically identifies you if you are.

Here's my post:

Maybe exit ramp isn't a great metaphor. Let me try another. There is a distinct traditional church culture in the United States. In The Present Future, Reggin McNeal calls it a "church bubble." The emerging church is stretching the sides of the bubble. Early images of this pushing of the bubble came with "contemporary" music, replacing pews with chairs, ... This didn't create a new bubble; it just distorted the edges of the old bubble.

Now rather than just pushing the sides of the bubble, emergers are pushing hard enough that they may be creating a new bubble that may float out on its own. That may cause some to worry, but I don't think they should. It isn't a different church or a different Gospel; it is a different church culture. It has happened many times in history. Sometimes with good results. Sometimes not. But reform never comes without some risk.

Let me give you some bubble differences. The emerging church is less likely to build big expensive buildings. It would take too much money away from community transformation, global development, and church multiplication. They are less likely to get up on a doctrinal issue, but they remain very solid at it's core, such as the Nicene Creed.

McNeal says the traditional church doesn't know it lives in a bubble. A problem for the Emerging church is they don't know that they too live in a bubble. They probably think they just live outside the traditional bubble. But I think it is probably impossible to live outside of a bubble.