Why This Matters: A personal moment at the Austin emergence 2007 Panel on Theology

"Do we get to say that in church ?"

The panel was going crazy on the hobby horse of modern churchianity pundits - atonement.  It's hard to capture just how glorious the to & fro were - a group of God-loving people turned into something akin to The View, tossing around buzzwords in a way that would make a consultant on Sand Hill Road blush with envy.

Scot McKight played the Barbara Walters role - he tried to guide the soccer srum, then he figured "what the hell", I'm joining in.  It may shock those who have seen him before, but Doug Pagitt skillfully avoided the Rosie O'Donnell role.

For 20 minutes, folks were brave enough to handle evangelical kryptonite with their bare hands.  It was glorious - enough to scare the school yard bullies in ways they can only imagine whilst drinking their craft beers and smoking their  cigars.

"Do we get to say that in church ?"

He looked about 53 in his Air Force uniform.  He was a Texas reserve officer and recruiter.  He was at the event to man a table trying to interest attendees in applying for the AF reserve.

He wandered in to listen to the panel, sitting far in the back.  I was standing there too.  My long legs & restless head make it hard for me to process God talk in stadium seating.

After I heard him blurt these words out, I moved closer and heard part of his story.  He mentioned his life-long connection with a certain Christian tradition.  He spoke, almost in tears, about how Jesus on the cross and Jesus resurrected were daily images for him.  He breathed in, then said that some of the memes uttered by this panel were things he has wished for all his adult life some one would be brave enough to give voice to in a church.

"Do we get to say that in church ?"

Yes we do.  We do - and we must.  Not just for the cool kids or the elders or even for the "future of the church".  We get to say that in church because the Jesus we follow - the God who took skin & pitched tent in our midst - that Jesus was saying stuff like this all the time in temple.

We can not stop saying things like this church.  Ever. 

Comments

[bob carlton]

great question, gavin

truth be told, i thought the conversation transcended the format. i am NOT a fan of slick packaging or of talking heads or even moderated panels

what I DID think was that it was important that there were many people & that a sense of safety was being stretched towards

[gavin]

do we need to say it in a "view" type format? &:~)

[David]

Yup, you are right...we do get to say that in church...I believe that deeply now...I didn't always...I guess partly because I didn't think God was a big boy and he could take care of himself...you know, that he needed me and others to man the mute button on 7 second delay...also partly because I had this mistrust of the divine spark in all of creation to be able to sort the sort stuff between the recycling bin and the garbage can...Then I spent a lot of years working with kids who needed wrestling with truth and lies to be able to think for themselves and embrace something because it was worthy of embracing and not just because they were told...and I thought...we're all growing up...so yes...we do get to say that in church...thanks for reminding me...

dg

[nakedpastor]

thanks for the mention. let's put each other on our blogrolls?