One Down, Many to Go...

What a weekend it's been. One full of all kind of wonderful experiences. I had a chance to finish Brian McLaren's "A Generous Orthodoxy". I am so glad I read this at the beginning of my exploration of the emergent worship movement. The book offered an amazingly gracious overview of one individual's understanding of the core values driving the emergent movement. I said in an earlier post I was somewhat suspicious of McLaren and his rock-star like status in some emergent-circles. Having completed the book, however, I can see the temption to accord him such status. Nearly every page was chocked full of wonderfully rich, memorable lines that challenged me to rethink (and more importantly, re-experience) my spiritual commitments. In the end, I found the fullest characterization of what McLaren hoped to accomplish in his project in these words: "To be a Christian in a generously orthodox way ... is rather to be in a loving community of people who are seeking the truth on the road of mission" (333). I had the opportunity to worship at a United Church of Christ congregation in Spokane yesterday. The service was wonderfully spiritual (and an incredibly authentic expression of the community's values). The service reminded me, however, of the challenge faced by many mainline churches in their attempts to birth new worship gatherings. Some of these challenges were physical (pews nailed into the floors); others related to service components (finding music for the congregation to sing that is invitational). It felt great to be a worship participant instead of a worship leader for a change! After having the foundation for my future research and study laid with McLaren's book, I think my next book will Diana Butler Bass' "The Practicing Congregation". Til next time...