Awhile back, my grandfather made a church related statement to me. He then asked if I agreed or disagreed. I could not figure how to accurately formulate my response. Underlying my grandfather's statement were values and presuppositions that I did not share. Though my grandfather and I share much, we are currently functioning within different paradigms. In order to answer his question, a larger discussion about disparate values and assumptions inherent in his question was needed. The difficulty of that conversation far outweighed the significance of the original question, so it was dropped.
I see a similar communication gap emerging at Sunshine. It's no different from tensions discussed in many books, university lectureships, and a host of CofC blogs. The tensions stems from larger issues not specific to us at Sunshine. Two terms that signify this struggle are postmodernism and emergent-church. What is postmodernism and the emergent-church? Nobody knows...yet. What we can know is that the reigning paradigm, modernity, is deteriorating, and new approaches to thinking are emerging. Postmodernism is a catch-all term meaning anything that is beyond modernity. Eventually some approaches will win-out over others, and a clearer definition of this new paradigm will be possible.
I'm writing in hopes of stimulating an open, upfront discussion about these issues, as they apply to our family. As I said previously, we are not embarking on this journey alone. These issues are not unique to us. We can benefit greatly by "educating ourselves" in how this paradigm shift is being addressed within the larger CofC. Books, journals, lectureships, etc., are available. If we were taking a vacation to an exotic location, we would gladly consult with one who had previously been there. We would not blindly follow their itinerary, but the information gained would greatly enhance our own plans.
I believe the gap between where we are and where we are going is not so great. What do you think?
Monday, January 02, 2006
A New Year - A New Paradigm
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3 comments:
Thanks for the comment, Taylor. I believe we can minimize any strife that might occur between voices within our fellowship by discussing these things directly (and by learning from the experiences of others). Living in the area we do, cultural trends and shifts in thinking come to us much later than other urban areas. The issues we are just beginning to address have been handled as early as ten years ago by some congregations.
If there is to be strife, it will center around principles of biblical interpretation (Hermeneutics). I remember in the late 80's, many were decrying the "New Hermeneutic". It was a term much like postmodernity, nobody could define it clearly. Many were using alarmist language suggesting that if the new hermeneutic was not stamped out, the CofC would come unglued. Thirty years later, we are still here-and to the best of my understanding-many of those old new hermeneutic principles were adopted.
The church has always been the property of the Lord. I do not think postmodernity scares Him, nor should it us. The impending changes in our world view offer as many opportunities as threats. We can approach these issues prayerfully and openly, and be the better for it.
Paradigm...emergent...postmodernisim...hermenutics....
I don't have any relevant comments to add except that my brain is about to explode after thinking about all of this heavy stuff. :)
Hmmm...I went to post this comment and the random letters are "lugie"...does this computer know more about me than I thought (boogers for brains)? At least it didn't call me a "nerd!"
HEY! ;)
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