Archives for: December 2009
The Great Emergence by Phyllis Tickle
Phyllis Tickle articulates the state of the church in North America, seeing reformation-like change underway. (Perhaps it's time to stop trying to return to a model set in a time that no longer exists. After observing that about every 500 years the church reconstitutes itself, she begins closely following the state of the church over the last 100 years. Generally speaking a four quadrant picture defined christianity: liturgical, social justice, renewal, and conservative. But of course each interface became fluid over time. Recently though, something new, a "gathering center" emerged, not part of, and not delineated by standard terminology, see for instance McLaren's Generous Orthodoxy.
This volatile, dynamic center set off backlash among the established organizations, drawing lines to distinguish but now finding themselves occupying corners instead of filling a quadrant. In between, where many christians find themselves, all sorts of adaptive models are arising: this and this but not that.
Who am I to evaluate this work, but from my limited perspective, she's on to something. The cutting edge is dangerous, but extinction hardly suffices as an alternative.
Anyone interested, should likewise read Harvey Cox's The Future of Faith. A great read, if the expression "the tone-deafness of literalism" resonates with you (p75).
