Philosophically bankrupt evangelicalism is no match for either modernism or post-modernism. Without the epistemological insights of a Bernard Lonergan or foundations in Aquinas or any pillar of Western thought, the evangelical’s world implodes with one intro class in modern philosophy. Enter the Emergent Church.
From Disengaging the Bible:
Brad Cecil has started blogging in defense of the Emergent church. He has a list of points that the Emergent church is founded on. I’m copying them here for discussion.
The Nine Foundational Pillars of the Emergent church
1. Post modern refers to the period after modernity. It appears to “us” that a significant epistemological shift is occurring – the likes of which we haven’t seen in 400 years.
2. Language is limited
3. Human concepts are limited
4. There is no place of irreducible certainty (foundation)
5. Considering the above it would be very difficult to convey absolute meaning using language and human concepts
6. Christian theology has become enslaved to the 1st order assumptions of modernity and is far more Cartesian than Christian and has become ashamed of faith
7. A Reformation of recognition and repentance is needed
8. New theological thought is needed to free Christian theology from the enslavement of modernity and enlightenment assumptions and conversation and friendships would be more productive than developing imperatives.
9. This is just the beginning of the transition and a great deal of work and theological thought lay ahead for those who desire to join the conversation
Catholicism has been dealing with these problems for over a century.
The insistence of many emergents that this is all something new and that it is “post modern” simply underscores the fact that evangelicals have been absent from the intellectual and academic developments of Western Civilization since Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason 221 years ago in 1787. If evangelicals are going to get educated, they will have to engage Catholicism’s answers to these “new” epistemological quandaries, or they will lose their faith entirely. If the above is what is emergent, then “church” will soon be a complete misnomer.
Evangelicals would do well to read Pope Benedict XVI’s Jesus of Nazareth where he addresses modernity and biblical interpretation with aplomb.
Howdy, Brother!
I am Protestant, but I trust we can agree on the poisonous nature of this worldly philosophy.
Absolutely, reburris
If Jesus is the Word made flesh, but words have no inherent meaning and are hopelessly culturally bound and all real communication is impossible, then there is no Christianity. But, then neither is there any meaningful reality at all, which is preposterous. Like modern art, modern deconstructionism is a laughable hoax.
Catholics can afford to play fast and loose with the Bible because we have Holy Tradition and the Magisterium to stand on, but if Protestants start to do that, they’re sunk. I think that is why we have been able to fight off all the horrible ideas that came out of the “Enlightenment” for so long. Who knows, this might be exactly what drives Protestants back into the arms of the Catholic Church. It’s worth sending up a few Hail Mary’s for.
I was really happy so see the pope slam the door on garbage like the Documentary Theory of the Penetuch, Higher Criticism and the like in Jesus of Nazareth.
I am not sure that Benedict slammed the door on higher criticism or the documentary hypothesis, he just framed them in the voice of one who believes. That is, one can be “scientific” about the scriptures without becoming distant from their message. And, that is the key to dealing with modernism or post modernism–to accept what is true by reason without letting mere reason supplant faith. The gross generalities of the 9 points above leave little for faith to hold. What Benedict advocates is that faith and reason each work within their proper spheres.
-a great deal of work and theological thought lay ahead-
Work and theological thought are generally avoided by those in the Emergent Church.
Rob, you found us! Good deal!
I still don’t understand how emergents come to self-identify… I understood it better when it was being applied to “everyone else that doesn’t now fit”… but when someone says “I am emergent church” I have no idea what I am going to get… Portions of the BCP prayed once in a while? Zen buddhism? A church that does not have a Christmas Service if it does not fall on sunday on the grounds that church workers deserve the day off?
For a brief minute I was thinking that this might be the road for some to the Catholic Church – and surely for a few it will be – but it seems so vast, unstructured, unrooted and unstable, I really don’t see what can be built on it once this generation passes.
Fr J, I thought Pope Benedict slammed the door on all that stuff, and if he didn’t then he should. He has the background and the steel in the right place to do it. I am all for being “scientific” but higher criticism has its foundation with anti-Catholics, anti-Christians, athiests and heretics. The Documentry Theory, in effect, discredits the divinity of Christ. There is no way we should tolerate that.
I agree, Joel, that many of the assumptions of modern bibilical scholarship are problematic or just downright wrong. But, Benedict deals with each of these problems directly without condemning all biblical scholarship. You really should give JofN a read. Warning: it’s dense and is written for an academic audience.
Yes, Rob, I was just thinking about you and wondering how to go about getting your eyes and comments over here at TBC. Great to see you, friend.
Fr J, I did read JofN. That is what I was refering to when I said the pope slammed the door on Higher Criticism and the Documentary Theory. Maybe we misunderstood each other when I started getting on those veins of scholarship. I am not condemning all biblical scholarship at all. In fact, my favorite priest I ever met is a biblical documentarian and he earned my favor (for what it’s worth) in giving lectures on St. Paul’s and the Apostle John’s writings.
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