Seeking a new way forward

Andrew’s fifth rule particularly resonated with me. Intentionally borrowing phrases from that, I believe that to the extent possible our mission today ought to be: to restate for ourselves, and for those outside, the Life which Jesus established for His followers; to demonstrate that Life by living it more than by words; to be in continuity with the priorities of Jesus; to be disciples of Jesus and of none other; and to be authentically in, of and about Jesus.

Personally I feel that evangelicalism in the latter half of the twentieth century, at least here in the United States where I live, left the priorities of Jesus when it embraced a moral and political agenda and aligned itself with the dominant political party. Today, I feel much of American evangelicalism has abandoned its original purpose in favor of militant culture war.

Because of this I believe that any new way forward, if it is to be credible and sustainable, must either confront those realities, or else disengage completely and instead return to the simple gospel and the New Testament prototype, centered in the life and teachings of Jesus and demanding a personal relationship with Him, relearning who we are and who we were meant to be as His disciples. A new/old first century way of living, about Jesus and His life in us and centering our lives around His teachings. If I were to suggest Acts 2 as a possible starting point, would it be thought naive and simplistic?

If I am speaking the wrong language here, please tell me, because I am very new to this movement and am still exploring whether I belong here. I am a bit ambivalent about the apparent emphasis on church planting in the emerging movement. It would seem to me we need to first get our theology straight and work out exactly what it is we’re planting before we plant it. I also think in today’s culture of church shopping in the ever-expanding suburbia, a new movement needs to be able to clearly declare not only “we are this”, but also “we are not that”.