In order to understand the reactions and misconceptions about emergent, you have to first realize that most people have lived their entire life with little or no exposure to ideas other than their own.  Many people are getting their first exposure to different theological ideas through the emergent conversation.  This is probably true of its critics as well. Therefore, it is easy for them to assume that these ideas are the ideas of the emergent church. In the past, these types of theological and cultural discussions have been confined to seminaries and never before exposed to such a large audience in a format that we can all absorb.

The reality is that NO NEW THEOLOGICAL IDEAS ARE BEING DISCUSSED IN THE EMERGENT CONVERSATION.  Any one that thinks that these ideas are new is ignorant of the history of Christian theology.  Martin Luther questioned the inclusion of Revelation in the Bible for fear it would lead to misinterpretation of the “end-times” (as it has!).  Karl Barth, considered the father of modern conservative protestant theology, had a view of salvation that bordered on universalism.  Schleiermacher questioned the transcendence of God while Ritshl ignored the trinity and focused on the romantic notion of Jesus’ message on the Kingdom of God.  All of the concepts discussed here and elsewhere throughout the emergent community are examples of people working through these same problems for themselves in their own way drawing on the accomplishments of those that paved the way over the last 2000 years.

Our lack of exposure has created a polarized and insensitive Christian community. It is this polarization that is the key target of the emergent conversation.  As Brian Mclaren showed us, the goal is not finding the perfect point on the scale between liberal and conservative.  It is instead about moving us all to a higher plane of conversation and cooperation.

On Post-modernity…

It seems odd that people use the term “post-modern” as if it is a school of thought or value system that you can accept or reject.  It is not such a creature.  Unless you are hiding in a remote location, then you are part of the post-modern world and are being affected by this current worldview.  If you use the Internet to discuss theology or acquire news and weather, then you might be post-modern.  If you order take-out for dinner, you might be post-modern. If you have seen television shows about cultures across the globe then you might be post-modern.  If you ever watch movies that seamlessly blend reality and fantasy with computerized graphics, then you might be post-modern.  Being post-modern means living in a world that has resulted from the knowledge, technology, cultural, philosophy, and religion created in the modern era.  There is no way that anyone can just decide that they will not be effected by our current culture.  We cannot be so ignorant as to think that we see the world the same way our grandfathers did.  You may not radically differ from your grandfather’s modern theological views, but you probably express them a bit different and you cannot expect the people you encounter in the 21^st century to respond the same way to those same views.  Seeking to understand that reaction is the heart of the emergent conversation.

If the term "post-modern" scares you or if you think the primary character in the “word-a-gud’ is spelled “Jeeeezus”, then I guess you actually might NOT be post-modern, but you just might be a redneck.