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We live in a world of labels and categories. Everything has to fit into something. And perhaps among the widest of these categories is the one labeled, “Emergent.”
I’ve been told that I’m Emergent. Sometimes I’m asked, but recently a few people have just labeled me that. When this issue is brought to my attention I always respond with a question, “What is your definition of Emergent?” I had one person tell me that I’m Emergent because I used the word “journey” in a message. Another was concerned because I did an overview of a book of the Bible (Ecclesiastes) in a talk versus going verse by verse and phrase by phrase. I’ve had another person assume I’m Emergent because my churches website didn’t have the exact words, “Triune God” anywhere on it (as if I don’t believe in a “Triune” God simply because it’s not explicitly articulate on a website).
Do those things really define someone as “Emergent?” If so, I think that’s crazy.
I’ve yet to hear anyone ask me a theological question. No one has asked me what I think about a specific statement or view proposed in a book by someone that actually claims to be Emergent. I’ve yet to have anybody ask me my view of Scripture. And nobody has asked me my definition of “Emergent.” It just seems like anything outside of anybody’s personal realm of normality is to be labeled Emergent…?
My hunch is that if I were asked some of the questions above I would be more conservative than many of those asking the question. And my guess is if I asked for everyone to post their definition of what “Emergent” is we would have hundreds of different definitions. And I would assume if I asked what sort of things would “tip you off” on someone being Emergent, we would have a list thousands of ideas long.
That to say, I’d love for the label to disappear. Not because I’ve been labeled it by a few people, but because it’s not really a label or category anymore. It seems to have simply become anything different than we’re used to. But, if me at times being a little “unorthodox” in order to bring the unchanging gospel message to a lost world labels me Emergent, I guess I’ll take the label…even though I went to one of the most conservative seminaries our country has to offer…
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