My wife Amy and I just had a fun little IM chat about matters emergent. I joked about it becoming a blog entry, then thought, “What could be better than just sharing the conversation?” So, with her permission, here it is. Names have been changed/removed to protect the innocent.

If you’re not used to IM conversations, know that sometimes thoughts appear slightly out of order (they make more sense in the moment). Bear with it, though; you’ll figure it out.

Amy: here’s food for thought: Emergent Church for country music fans.
me: Absolutely! What brings this on?
Amy: [name taken out] was in the mood for some music and put in Dolly Parton singing some gospel. For this group that is contextual music.
me: Yup. Get used to it.
Amy: I wonder if that’s an area we tend to ignore.
what if we’re already doing emergent with rural churches, but don’t call it that because it’s not “our” culture.
me: Yup. They always loved it in [my old, rural churches] when I’d pick something country-like for a hymn.
me: I think that’s a big element, at least in the worship style sense. Their culture in terms of TV/newspaper/etc. is still becoming increasingly postmodern, though, and we still need to adapt our theology.
Amy: good point, emergent isn’t just style, there’s theology too.
me: “Praise and Worship” would not be contextual in [my old churches].
Amy: But the theology of my congregation is still VERY modern.
me: For me and my high thinking mind, theology is the starting point. Worship style flows out of that.
Is there a disconnect between their theology and their culture outside the church? Maybe not for older folks…
Around here, especially in the contemporary church, I get the feeling that many “check their postmodernism at the door” so they can do church.
Amy: if you stick with [the area I’m in] then no, it’s not different, but if you consider the wider area, then perhaps yes.
me: That whole “check your culture at the door” thing is what I used to do. I think it explains a lot of the disconnect between secular and sacred– and it explains why many reject it simply because they “get nothing out of church”
Amy: yeah, but what about the people who go to church b/c it IS the culture they identify with as is? How do you meet both groups? Can you?
me: There are emergenty-type folks who would give you an adament NO and then stop listening. I give an adament I HOPE SO.
I think postmodernism needs to respect it’s “father and mother” more.
But how to do it? Beats me…
I’m still working on how to be postmodern in a modern pulpit my own self.
What do you think? Respect for father and mother, or emergence can’t happen unless you “move out of the house” for a while?
Amy: quite a challenge for both of us. too often my postmodern theology is interpreted through modernity and they hear something completely different.
me: Wow, that was a very modern/two-choice question I just asked…
Amy: hmmm… it’s a good metaphor, though.
I think most adult children in that situation would say “both”.
of course, do postmoderns have any affection for moderns?
me: It is hard either way, but somehow it turns out ok either way, too.
Do most teenagers have any visible affection for their parents?
(I like this metaphor… It may end up a blog )
Amy: good point. Maybe we’re in that rebellious teenager part and in another 200 years or so we’ll have emerged as mature adults at peace with our parents.
me: I hope so; we need to.
Amy: this is a fun conversation!
me: Very much… I needed it.
…plus it helps me procrastinate writing a sermon I haven’t done enough thinking on yet.
Amy: he he