Musing on McLaren's emc: Conversation

This is the second in a periodic series of reflections on Brian D. McLaren's everything must change. Quotations used by kind permission of the author, with page citations from the edition featured on the Emerging Church Reading List to your right.

"As a follower of God in the way of Jesus, I've been involved in a profoundly interesting and enjoyable conversation for the last ten years or so. It's a conversation about what it means to be 'a new kind of Christian' . . . something fresh and authentic and challenging and adventurous. Around the world, millions of people have gotten involved in this conversation, and more are getting involved each day. (One reason we keep calling it a conversation is that we can't find a short way of describing it yet)" (pp. 2-3).

Some of you may be joining this conversation for the first time as you read this post; others, like me, have only recently joined the conversation, and may be more inclined to overhear it for a while before contributing to it. Perhaps a few of you have engaged this conversation for a long time. In any event, our former Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold frequently reminded us that the word "conversation" comes from the same root as "conversion," and therefore every true conversation carries within it the potential for conversion of mind and heart.

I also appreciate Brian's including the word "adventurous" as a descriptive of this "new kind of Christian." While I was trying to find inspiration for preaching on the First Sunday of Advent this year, my dear friend and colleague Jim Swarthout published a Reflection titled "Advent Adventure" on his parish's weekly email blast. Here's how that felicitous pairing played out in my sermon:

Now if Advent means “coming to or toward us” then the word adventure means something that comes to or toward us. So strictly speaking we can’t go out and look for adventure; instead, adventure is something that comes and finds us!

If Adventure finds you in the course of this conversation, I hope you'll be adventurous enough to join the conversation by clicking on Comments at the end of this or subsequent Musings on McLaren.

Comments

[Liz Meade]

Bill --
As always, I love your blog.

I have been listening to this conversation for a couple of years now. A couple of books that you'll want to add to your reading list:

Reggie McNeil: Missional Renaissance
Shane Claiborne: The Irresistible Revolution

McNeil's is wonderful in how it relates this Adventure to more traditional churches in the suburbs. Claiborne is a dreamer who is living his dream, but a dream with much wisdom for us all.

Peace-
Liz Meade

[Bill Roberts]

Dear Liz,

I bought and read The Irresistible Revolution after our Clergy Conference with Tony Campolo, and I share your enthusiasm for Shane Claiborne's book. I am amazed by his audacity in the service of the Gospel.

Thank you for recommending Missional Renaissance; I have added it to my list!

Cheers,

Bill