Sojourners Cover Story on Race and the Emerging Church Already Making Waves

I'm not sure what you're trying to say, either, since I'm not talking ethnic differences in politics, I'm talking theology. Ethnic minority Christians are generally more theologically conservative than the EC.

Given what I know personally, that's not saying very much at all. I brought that up because of the association of liberal politics with liberal religion. Not only that, but minority churches tend to be more willing than "white evangelicals" to partner with anyone when it comes to doing ministry.

Here's the question that needs to be addressed: What kind of churches do "young minority" people attend? Given that the EC is in many ways a reaction to navel-gazing baby-boomer evangelicalism, it's likely that their churches are a tad more elastic and realistic than those.

Nouwen was a Catholic priest, for what that's worth.

This comment suggests labelling rather than a serious reading or rational critique of this post. A Unitarian would (on theological grounds) never say that Jesus was "God who came" in any sense. That's why they're Unitarian.

Henri Nouwen, a Unitarian!? Ha! Thanks for the laugh

Sojourners in recent years has been very fad-oriented. It sees what others are doing, and jumps in. This is just the latest example. Recently a number of evangelicals once considered somewhat sympathetic to the "emerging church" have attacked it. Ah! A new fad! Sojourners rushes in with an attack of its own, tailored for its audience.

"and I know of no Emergent leader (or follower) that could be considered a conservative Republican."

are you kiddin? maybe you should check out a few more emerging church groups and movements, inside and outside the denominations. how many ec organizations have you looked at?

Who did the right wing fundy's promote? Sarah?

ACCORDING TO THE UNITARIAN'S CREED, THEY BELIEVE IN...
--The inherent dignity and worth of every person;
--Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
--Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
--A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
--The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
--The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
--Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
NOT A BAD STARTING PLACE FOR ANY RELIGION!

You hit the nail on the head. I only hope and pray that post-modernity doesn't hit minority churches the way it's infiltrated much of White American Christianity.

Yes, Jones and McLaren are outspoken Obama supporters and were active in promoting his candidacy during the last election. Though the leaders would claim that the movement has no political allegiances, the "conversation" they are promoting is overtly political and the politics of the conversation promoters are clearly left-leaning.

What do you mean by ethnic minority culture?
--Sorry for the sloppy wording. Hispanic-American and African-American cultures are more culturally conservative than emergent folk. Black and Hispanic Christians are also more theologically conservative, generally speaking. I would say the same is true of Asian-Americans and your average Asian church in the US and abroad. You are also much less likely to find post-modern thinking and liberal scriptural interpretation among Christians from these ethnic groups.

The movement has surely become associated with support for Obama and Democratic policies, and I know of no Emergent leader (or follower) that could be considered a conservative Republican. They also all generally come from evangelical/fundamentalist backgrounds, though their theology would not be considered evangelical now. It is a homogeneous group in more than one way.

I would guess that the main reason the EC is not racially diverse is because the emergent movement is rooted in Western, post-modern thinking that is fundamentally at odds with ethnic minority culture in the US and non-Western cultures in the rest of the world (think S. America, Africa, and Asia).

Theologically speaking, ethnic minority Christians in the US and Christians in non-western cultures are very conservative compared to McLaren, Jones et al. This is also why liberal mainline denominations are much more white than evangelical churches in the US. If the author focuses on the EC's lack of minority outreach as the culprit, he will be missing it completely.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

"By the honest recognition and confession of our human sameness we can participate in the care of God who came, not to the powerful but powerless, not to be different but the same, not to take our pain away but to share it. Through this participation we can open our hearts to each other and form a new community."

That sounds a lot like the Unitarians....their tolerance extends to those of all religions, even agnostics, and atheists.

This comment suggests labelling rather than a serious reading or rational critique of this post. A Unitarian would (on theological grounds) never say that Jesus was "God who came" in any sense. That's why they're Unitarian.

Henri Nouwen, a Unitarian!? Ha! Thanks for the laugh

Just a small but important comment: to be perfectly correct, the Unitarians and Universalists merged in the 1960s, becoming Unitarian Universalists. Yes, it's a long mouthful, but you'll find UUs from both traditions. For more information, check out http://www.uua.org/

"and I know of no Emergent leader (or follower) that could be considered a conservative Republican."

are you kiddin? maybe you should check out a few more emerging church groups and movements, inside and outside the denominations. how many ec organizations have you looked at?

Who did the right wing fundy's promote? Sarah?

ACCORDING TO THE UNITARIAN'S CREED, THEY BELIEVE IN...
--The inherent dignity and worth of every person;
--Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
--Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
--A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
--The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
--The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
--Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
NOT A BAD STARTING PLACE FOR ANY RELIGION!

You hit the nail on the head. I only hope and pray that post-modernity doesn't hit minority churches the way it's infiltrated much of White American Christianity.

Yes, Jones and McLaren are outspoken Obama supporters and were active in promoting his candidacy during the last election. Though the leaders would claim that the movement has no political allegiances, the "conversation" they are promoting is overtly political and the politics of the conversation promoters are clearly left-leaning.

What do you mean by ethnic minority culture?
--Sorry for the sloppy wording. Hispanic-American and African-American cultures are more culturally conservative than emergent folk. Black and Hispanic Christians are also more theologically conservative, generally speaking. I would say the same is true of Asian-Americans and your average Asian church in the US and abroad. You are also much less likely to find post-modern thinking and liberal scriptural interpretation among Christians from these ethnic groups.

The movement has surely become associated with support for Obama and Democratic policies, and I know of no Emergent leader (or follower) that could be considered a conservative Republican. They also all generally come from evangelical/fundamentalist backgrounds, though their theology would not be considered evangelical now. It is a homogeneous group in more than one way.