Went to a stimulating day of training sponsored by the National Crankypants transformation team. Heard Emergent Guy (remember him?) and Emergent Gal talk about the church in the 21st century and such.
A few notes:
EGuy said that the emergent churches began not as some hip attempt to reach out to young adults, but to “save their own faith”: to make one last attempt to form a Christian community that had integrity with where these folks now found themselves theologically. I think this is key. Not that outreach isn’t important, but this statement acknowledges that the first evangelism we do is to and with ourselves. Conversion begins with us, and if we’re not being authentic to where we are, our evangelism is basically inviting people to a movie set that’s designed to look like a city street but is just a facade. (To riff on a metaphor offered by EGal.)
Emergent Gal used the phrase “faithful improvisation” to describe how we contextualize the gospel. Love that phrase.
She told some stories about former pastors who are ministering outside of the traditional model, including one who now works the night shift at Wal-Mart. She is able to “be Christ” there more easily, she says, than in her last congregation that spent inordinate amounts of time arguing about the colors of the carpet. EGal described conflicts like that as “arguing over what’s left.” That phrase resonated with me and made me unspeakably sad. How many conflicts in the church seem to be arguments over what’s left? Like two people who know in their hearts the marriage is over, and the only thing left is to bicker over the dining-room furniture.
During Q&A someone asked a question about the proliferation of choices out there (there’s a book out about that), and isn’t all this emergent stuff just exacerbating that mindset? (Emergents will draw from a variety of Christian traditions instead of being loyal to one denomination.) Why do we need all these choices?
And I realized, denominational Christianity is living that scene in Two Towers when Theoden says, “I will not risk open war,” and Aragorn says, “Open war is upon you, whether you would risk it or not.”
No, we’re not at war, and given the history of Christianity, it’s risky to use that scene as an analogy; my point is, people are still arguing over whether the world has changed.
I am so past that. 17% of people are in church on any given weekend. Mainline churches are declining; evangelical churches are growing slower and slower every year. People are putting together a faith system that works for them; they don’t care about our old modernist categories. And it felt like underneath this guy’s question was the suggestion that if it were not for these pesky Emergents disrupting stuff, the way things have been could still be the way things are.
Yikes. If we can’t even acknowledge what is, how can we even start to talk about how to respond?
Finally, I still can’t stop thinking about starting a new church development in the arts complex not 15 minutes from my house. Can’t. Stop. (See this aside)
What does someone expecting a baby in five weeks do with that?!
———————-
While I was gone today, Free to Be came over and played with the girls while R worked wonders on the unfinished part of our basement. Clearing out, organizing. Wow.
FtB had brought craft materials over and they all had a good time. M showed me hers and talked about making it with “Mah-dah.” Love the surrogate grandmothers in our lives.
———————-
Would you be worried about a toddler’s hearing if she had had five ear infections in her first 14 months, and she articulated words like:
–gah-gen (water)
–duck (stuck)
–daggy (daddy)
?
She hardly ever makes the “s” sound except at the end of a word. I don’t know if this is normal; eh, probably is. On the other side, she says “yellow.” yell-ow. Which seems like a positive sign. The letter L can be tough for some. I remember when little she first got the letter R.
———————-
Saw The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio last night. It was a good writers’ movie, a true story about a woman who helped provide for her family by entering (and winning) commercial jingle contests. But it was uncomfortable to watch. Claustrophobic, in fact. Stay-at-home mom in the ’50s with ten kids and an alcoholic husband. I found it was hard to breathe while watching it. At one point the priest comes to visit after the husband has a violent outburst and he tells the woman that she just needs to “try harder” to create a peaceful home for her husband, so such things won’t happen.
Gah!
DID CLERGYMEN [sic] REALLY SAY THIS CRAP IN THE 1950s???????? Or was that a cheap literary device? I must know.
She was an optimist through it all; still, I found myself profoundly grateful for the women of the sexual revolution in the 1970s. Cheers, you uppity broads. We thank you.
Signing out.
16 Responses to “weekend update”
Leave a Reply
Search
Asides
» I have been remiss in posting SBJ’s latest stats: 23 pounds and 27 inches at six months. Yes, I’ve got the big mama biceps.
» Aaaaaand little she-who-is lost another tooth this week!
» SBJ is four months old, 19 pounds 5 ounces, and 26 inches tall. GIGANTOR!
Links
Join | List | Prev | Next Random | Prev5 | Next5
Skip Prev | Skip Next
Join | List | Prev | Next |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
RM, how old is toddler?
22 months. Wow, today!
No, I would not be worried, but keep and ear out on it and have her look at your mouth - have her imitate your mouth movement.
There are generally lots of sound substitutions in young children. Next time you are at doctor’s with her make sure she doesn’t have fluid behind the ears.
Yes, Priest in the 50’s said those kind of things. Unfortunately, sometimes they still do. I have a mom in my practice whose priest said some pretty destructive things to her as her marriage was falling apart and she was dealing with her autistic son.
The verbalization sounds like it is OK.
Sherry
OK - here’s the weird thing re: NCD.
I once went to a clergywomen’s thing in which we were all asked What God Is Calling Us To Next. Astoundingly, everyone (but me) had a clear idea of this and although I had no idea for myself, I was very clear on what others should do. And not in a bossy way. (e.g. S. should run for moderator of PCUSA, A. should be a consultant, etc.) I was right on the mark.
I’m better, maybe at figuring out what others should be doing.
So here’s the thing: I’m going to a discernment event to see if I’m cut out for NCD work and I find myself pondering if everybody BUT me is actually called to this. I’ll be praying about whether my favorite RM might be called to set the prisoner free in L.
I think you should say something to someone in the Presbytery. Who knows?
I am of no use regarding toddler sounds. I campaigned against sheep therapy for my niece because I thought the way she talked was cute. Cute trumps accurate anytime.
For what it is worth, A. failed a “developmental” test around M.’s age partly because of the lack of sounds he was making comparatively….we found out he did have fluid behind his left ear and had no hearing on the left side. We had his ear drained and he’s not had another problem - or another ear infection - since then.
So….I would get it checked. She sounds like all is well, but it’s an easy test through a pediatric ENT (they do it with sound waves instead of “put your hand up when you hear a sound…”) and you’ll know for sure.
As for the NCD…maternity leave is an amazing time for discerning the next thing! What could it be like to be “sponsored” by Suburban Pres? Stil be on staff…doing an NCD. There is one like that here in TX that is working quite nicely. Something to think about!
yes, I believe that priests really said this in the 50s. sorry.
LOVE MY NEW NAME.
Um, that would be speech,not sheep.
Although a sheep defect is interesting to contemplate.
…that’s baaaaaaad, ppb!
The underground train is a sugway, that transcendent brown nectar with the cow on the side of the carton is shocky moke, and when Daddy wants to show little boys a TV show, he can never find the amote.
No ear infections as of this fate-tempting comment.
Little she only had one. You may luck out. In fact, at almost three years old, you’re probably out of the woods.
Part of this is that C was hyper-articulate at this age. They are just their own people. By contrast, M careens all over the place and climbs on anything bolted down.
I listened more closely to the divine miss M and it turns out she does say “Daddy.” But it’s not Da-Dee; the second d is very subtle, more at the back of the mouth.
I can also get her to say “ah-ter” for “water.” Maybe she’s just lazy or working on other developmental things.
The nursery worker at the church hasn’t noticed anything amiss and said any concerns can wait two months until her 2 year ped visit. But she is giving me some numbers of resources should they become necessary.
I actually like gah-gen and the other mispronunciations; they’re cute.
This afternoon she and C were taking turns rolling downhill on this sit-down scooter toy, and I said, “Maybe I should take a turn.” She looked at me and said, “Too big, Mommy!”
And then tonight she busted out with “Can I have some water, Daddy?”
on the topic of ministry in unexpected places. (from a lay person)
one place in my life that i think i made a big difference in people’s lives was at chico’s (women’s clothing store)—where for 2 years i learned people’s names and really listened to their stories—about divorce, job interviews, first dates, children, illness, hopes, dreams, success, and failure. perhaps the reason this was so was because on the night before i started that job i wrote in my journal that i wanted to “be God’s woman in that little corner of ____ (the town-center where our shop was located).”
ordained ministry confers status and a pay scale. but ministry happens wherever anyone is open to the possibility of ministering.
I loved this post, and the one following. Great reflections on the church-as-it-is.
One more “priests in the 50s” note–before I was born, my mother fled my physically abusive father and moved to San Francisco. A pastor in her mainline denomination heard her concerns and said “You promised to obey your husband. Go back and do your duty.” So she did. That was in the 1960s.
Hate to break it to you, but clergymen (sic) still say this crap. Happened to a woman I met on a train less than 3 months ago. “If you loved him enough, you would forgive him for having sex with the babysitter for the last 10 years.” Grrrr.
re talking - our boy’s kindergarten teacher says they dont worry about those tough-to-say sounds (L, R, S) until they’re like seven.
Praying that things keep going well in these late pregnancy days.