I am not a moral relativist; but I see the world differently

I was listening to a podcast where philosopher and moral relativist Simon Blackburn was being interviewed and to be honest, I’m a bit frustrated. I’m not frustrated at poor Simon who could probably care less. I’m frustrated because people outside the emerging church time and time again insist that those inside the emerging church are moral relativists.

Let me repeat what so many others have tried to say; we are not – let me say it once again – NOT moral relativists.

But as I have spent close to 15 years in the Evangelical Church (Emerging’s largest population of critics –– I’m not saying every evangelical is a critic of emerging… but a few are and they seem to be the most vocal), and maybe I can shed some light on the subject, although I’m sure many will simply disagree (and others agree) simply because I labeled myself emerging. But what the hell….

When I labeled myself as an Evangelical these are my observations of what was important to my culture:
That I didn’t listen to non-Christian music with the occasional exception of classical and jazz.
That church consisted of 4 pop songs and a 40 minute message.
That dissecting the Bible the absolute smallest denominator was essential to understanding – i.e., the first half of the root word in the original Greek…
That expanding the Kingdom meant praying in a living room and passing out tracts.
That to some varying degree we couldn’t cuss, watch rated “R” movies, get tattoos (other than Christian symbols) and piercings (other than the ears).
That we must defend the truth with debate, policy making, and voting Republican.
Someone who wants to follow Jesus says the sinner’s prayer.
That modifying behavior (so that it conforms) makes you more spiritual.
That you have to know all the answers.

Just to be clear; there are times in my life when I only listen to worship, when I pull out my Greek and Hebrew books to study, when I pray for hours (although I don’t pass out tracts), when I watch my mouth, and I am sensitive to any movie I may watch no matter the rating. I’ll never get a satanic chant tattooed on me, and I believe that there are times for debate, policy making, and I might even vote Republican. So these are not blanket criticisms (except for maybe the tract thing, but I’ll even concede that at times God can use it – which of course makes me a bit of a relativist, but not a moral one; which could beg the question, am I an amoral relativist? But I regress…).

Here’s what I have observed over the past couple years in within the culture of Emerging:

That justice is not a word but a way of daily life.
That living in dark places is better than hiding in the light.
That loving like Jesus is better than passing out a tract.
That reading the story of God as a whole story can so often bring more revelation than dissecting root words.
That church is not 4 pop songs and a lecture, but a gathering of people who are committed to love God, each other, and the world in sacrificial ways.
That God doesn’t want our best or our worst – He wants it all.
That action is more important that words.
That love is more important than policy.
That compassion is better than being right.
That trusting the Holy Spirit draws people more than a sales pitch.
That the sinner’s prayer is not in the Bible, but following Jesus is.
That Jesus didn’t die to modify behavior but save us from a list of rules.
That it’s okay to fall, stumble, not understand, be confused, and live in awe.

It’s not that we believe differently; it’s that we live it differently. There’s been much said from emerging talking heads (I mean that in love!) about the historical Christian orthodoxy of our beliefs, so there’s no point in going into that again; but I can say with full confidence that WHAT we believe is consistent with the Apostolic and Nicene Creeds - the foundations of our faith. This above list is obviously a generality of my own personal observations (I don’t need people commenting saying, “Well I’m an evangelical and I watch rated “R” movies!”). I would encourage people to look at the list as a whole and not as individual points – or my list could have been a hundred pages long. In any case this is my feeble attempt to explain the disconnect for what it’s worth. And I have Mr. Blackburn to thank for that.

Cussing and Drinking in Los Angeles

So, when you listen to the Counting Crows, do ever just want to move back to Los Angeles and get drunk? Or is that just my own personal thing?

And to borrow a Monty Python title, “And Now For Something Completely Different.” I had some blogwatchdogbloodhounds whatever the term is, find my post about cussing and decide to warn others abut the evils of the Emerging Church, and more specifically me.

I’m okay with that. At first, I wanted to explain myself and debate, but decided that responding above the line was the best and most Jesus like approach. Bless those who curse you kind of thing; which is rather ironic considering the subject at hand.

Anyway, for a group of people who are coming from a modern mindset – which let me be clear - IS PERECTLY FINE, I thought this was interesting (and not that unusual):

Modernity is based on reason. The more rational we are, the better the world will be. The church adopted this same philosophy (and it’s not wrong; it just is, just like post-modernity is not wrong; it just is) determining that reason was the best way to advance the kingdom of God, study scripture, share the good news of Jesus, etc. So if reason is the philosophy of the practice of their faith then why are these statements so unreasonable? I’m just curious. Please understand, I’m just trying to think this through myself because I would have flunked “Argumentation” in college if I reasoned like these statements below (I got an 'A-' by the way).

Next you are gonna tell me that homosexuals are going to inherit the kingdom of God. PLEASE!

Our society is in a shambles because everyone wants to do what they want. No community (society as a whole) standards of anykind, will result in anarchy.

The Christian light is dimming.

A quick note: If you want to read these comments in context (because I don't like anyone taking things out of context including myself) please go to the "The Art of Cussing and Suggestions on Proper Cussing Etiquette" and read the comments there.

So, can anyone help me understand these two things:

1. Why do I want to go L.A. and get drunk when listening to the Counting Crows?

2. Do these comments make sense to you? If so, why?

Honestly I’m more curious about the first.

The Art of Cussing and Suggestions on Proper Cussing Etiquette

Post-modern Christianity brings freedom, releasing us from the shackles of religiosity. Some of us drink. Some smoke. Most cuss at least once in a while.

I used to say things like, “Darn it, Fudge, Dang, Shoot” or “Golly Gee Beave!” Now I am free to leave censorship aside. I am not only free to watch rated “R” movies, I am also free to quote the lines in the car on the way home.

But for those of us newly acquainted or are being re-acquainted into the language formally reserved for heathen and Irish Catholics, let me lay a few ground rules that can help you not only live free without hypocrisy, but also not offend the children in the playhouse at McDonalds when you accidentally drop your McNuggets on the floor.

Suggestion#1. Don’t eat at McDonalds.


Suggestion#2. Be respectful. If you find yourself eating at McDonalds and you do drop your McNuggets on the floor, remember that there are probably others around who don’t want to hear that language even if you are emergent. So hold it under your breathe, or say it softly out of earshot. You don’t have to be a hypocrite and still be respectful.


Suggestion#3 Don’t sound like white trash. With all due respect for NASCAR lovers, you don’t want to lace every sentence with colorful metaphors and descriptions. When you talk about who won the Daytona 500, you don’t have to say, “**** man, that Jeff ***** Gordon is ******** a big ***** paycheck for doin’ all the ***** winnin’ – Hey Mary Bea did you ****** go to the ***** store to ****** buy me my BudLite?


Suggestion #4 Don’t drink Bud Lite.

Suggestion #5 Use when poignant. If you follow rule #3, this should just come naturally. I had a guy apologize to me for cussing so much since he knew I was a Christian. What he didn’t know, was that I was post-modern so I looked him straight in the eye and said, “I don’t fucking care!” Although he hasn’t yet, he said, “Man I gotta come to your church!”

And although Emerging and Seeker Sensitive are completely different, this can be a good strategy for Seekers wanting to build a mega-church. After all it works for Driscoll (who is not Emerging – incase any of you have been too busy watching NASCAR to notice).


Rule #6. Be edifying. Paul exhorts to use words that are for building up and edifying each other. There are times to let it loose when you stub your toe or when your favorite American Football teams star running back gets busted for smoking pot, but you can also use cussing to emphasize your love for others. For example, “You’re fucking radical!” is so much more dramatic and encouraging than saying, “Golly gee, you’re swell!”

Rule #7. Don’t give a shit. After you’ve followed all these suggestions, then just have fun with it. Be natural. Make up words that sound like cuss words but aren’t. Sometimes it’s more fun to quote Battlestar Gallactica and say “Frack!” You can even sing them. Check out my new favorite group, Cobalt Season. They love Jesus and follow him on the edge of life… and they say “shit”.

It just can’t get any better or more real than that.

So go. Be respectful. Be free. Build each other up – and use some colorful metaphors to create emphasis that will always be remembered.

And if by chance you don’t follow one of these suggestions – for example you yell something from a rated “R” movie as you watch your McNuggets scatter across the floor – and you look up and realize that children, mothers, seniors, and a Mormon are all staring at you, just say, “It’s okay, I’m f****** emergent.”

My experience tells me that God is emerging (reflections on The Gathering)

For a while know I've considered myself a part to the emerging conversation. We vibe!
But I must admit that coming to the Emergent "The Gathering" here in New Mexico, I had some (very small and very few) reservations.
After all, until now my only connection with emerging has been with people in my local area, and online. In other words, a tad limited.

I had this horrific thought that those attempting to slay the emerging church as if they were the evil dragon of the land might have some validity in their passion against us.

I'm thankful to know that I was wrong.

I have encountered a people here that are passionate about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I have engaged with people who with great desperation want to see the Kingdom of God realized here on earth.

I have not found what people fear here.

I have found a people wanting to move forward in hope, in life, and and in love, all in the name of our Saviour.

I have found people who live their faith more holistically than most people I've known. Their whole lives, from what they eat, drink, eat, speak, wear, breathe, and how they engage with others, is a reflection (or an attempted heartfelt reflection) of Jesus.

Raw, flawed, and beautiful. Passionate, desperate, and humble. Gracious, giving, and hope-filled. These are the people of Emergent and I identify with them.

And now, it is time for me to move forward. To be above the line of lobbying and arguing. To be above the line of defending or attacking. But to move forward in the revelation that God is giving hope to a new generation through the Emerging church. Whether this phenomenon lasts 1000 years or 10, God is here now. God is with them.

I am a part of them.
And I'm not ashamed.

The Emerging Church Loves Darkness (or what I do stand for) Part II

As you can read in my previous post (sorry it got so long) there seems to be this idea that the emerging church loves the darkness.
And I also mentioned in my previous post that there were some things that John MacArthur said, that got me to think.
One was this: That the emerging church loves to tear things down, but never really build up.
This is the second time I heard this in the past month and it got me thinking...maybe personally I have been spending too much time tearing down and not enough time building up.
(After all isn't there a season for everything?)

So, let me tell all those who think we don't stand for anything, what we do stand for (because maybe we haven't made ourselves clear and I personally will take responsibility for that in my own life):

It's true I LOVE DARKNESS!

I love the dark places of this earth because that's where the light of Creator can shine the brightest. I stand for those who live in the darkness of the earth because that's who Jesus stood for. That's where social justice can reign and show herself true. That's where creation can see redemption.

I love the dark places of humanity because that's where the hills rise above the plains and where the candles can be lit. I love those who are persecuted for their faith because in them is more of the fullness of the Kingdom of God.

I love the dark places of my city because that's where I want to go because that's where Jesus lives; on the streets and tattoo parlors, and bars, and homeless shelters, and basements, and prisons.

I love the dark places within our faith community because God's grace is sufficient for all of us and no-one has to put on a fake smile or say that everything is fine when it isn't. Because Jesus dwells in pain and doubt and reality and confronts hypocrisy.

I love the dark places of my own heart, because I am prideful and selfish, and if God never exposed the darkness in me (or I never listened), I'd be a selfish, prideful, needy ass. Because Jesus loves all of me, and he's shaping me in love, and out of the darkness and pain, comes compassion, passion, humility, and empathy toward others.

I love the darkness of the night when I gaze at the stars above me and tremble in awe at the majesty of a God who loves darkness.
I love dark music that shatters the comfortable mind and exposes the plastic fake actor in all of us.
I love people who love darkness because Jesus came for the sick not the well.
I love the dark side of the force because you can have the power of lightening bolts come out of your fingers.
I love solar eclipses, and when lightening knocks out the power.
I love goth, depressing pictures, deep movies, and disturbing stories.

I love darkness because Jesus was born in it and into it, lived in it, embraced those within it, and died in the darkest of nights - even though it was still day.

I love darkness because Jesus was not a middle class, modern white man living in suburbia, but a dark skinned middle eastern radical, living in a dark time in history, in a country living under the oppression of darkness from within it's own people and without.

I love darkness because if darkness is the only thing that loves darkness, how can the light shine?

I love darkness because Jesus embraced it, loved it, and so shall I.

Keep Our Buts Silent - A Brief Thank You

In spite of levying much criticism upon the modern era church over the past several months, I thought I'd just say thanks to her as well. After all, she's been the church for the past 500 or so years and with all her ups and downs, by the grace of God, she has continued on.
The church is never without criticism even from within herself, and I for one welcome it because we all look through a mirror dimly and we can all learn from each other. That's why I call myself Emerging because I welcome the conversation of varying points of view; as long as it's done with a humble apologetic and an eagerness to learn from others.

So, thank you to the high liturgical church, that has kept the Eucharist the central point of worship. Thank you for standing up for justice when others failed. Thank you for much of the rich tradition that we can all learn from.

Thank you to the evangelical protestant church who has held firmly to the reading of the sacred scripture. Thank you for providing an environment of intellectual study where everyone can learn to read the text...and more importantly allow the text to read us.

And thank you to the Charismatic church who has received the revelation that God is powerful and at work in lives today with miracles beyond our comprehension. Thank you for igniting a worship revolution that creates thin places where heaven meets earth. Thank you for understanding the power the prayer.


And yes, there can be lots of buts in these thank yous, but let's just keep our buts silent for now.