Wed 2 Mar 2005
During the last year I’ve been following the Emerging Church. It pains me to admit that the movement is growing in the generation behind me; I’m no longer in the generation on the cutting edge of culture. But some people older than me help lead this movement, too. Jeff pointed me to an article that gives an interesting perspective on how the new church fits into the rest of the picture.
Click here for the article.
[Excerpt]
You have feelings of fear and dread. Your … son has gone away to the “big university.” Will it be a negative influence? Will he reject his … heritage?
He returns home for his first break, and you begin to notice some strange and disturbing patterns. As you ask him about his faith, he’s elusive. At church on Sunday, he seems uncomfortable and irritable. You begin wondering if this is it – the moment every Christian parent dreads. Has your son abandoned the faith?
At Sunday dinner, you muster the courage to ask. And his response floors you. “Dad and Mom, I’ve got something to share with you. I’m frustrated with church. It doesn’t tackle the deep issues I wrestle with.” Here it comes. This is it. You grab each other’s hand. And then he says it.
“Dad and Mom, what ever happened to the old hymns? My campus director plays guitar, and he’s got all these old hymns that I never hear in church anymore, and they are so relevant to my struggles. And what ever happened to the Lord’s Supper? Man, that’s the good stuff…that’s where I can lay it on the line with Jesus and bring him my fears and dreams. And what ever happened to the Bible? When I was young, I loved hearing the stories and struggles of faith. They reached me. I wish our pastor told fewer jokes and focused on some of the real life stories in the Bible and the church.”
You don’t know whether to cry or laugh.
