9-11-05 Reading the Book of ACTS with Bi-focals

Our first week in the book of Acts. We want to understand the context of Luke's volume 2.
This entry will provide further background and resources to get the most out of reading Acts today. The sermon can be downloaded at the Christ Church site, linked here.

What do we mean by 'Emerging Church?'

The links here and this article by Marcia Ford provide some needed background and description. http://explorefaith.org/ford/emerging.html
A review of Brian McLaren' book, A New Kind of Christian, is an excellent introduction to the Postmodern turn, another term for Emerging Culture. Read it at http://www.ctlibrary.com/8630

I would add my own description based on what we've seen God do here at Christ Church. I summarize it this way....

Understanding the Emerging (Postmodern) Culture and being willing to adjust methods to advance the Kingdom, not building "bridges to nowhere."

A Christ-centered, ‘Generous Orthodoxy’ that keeps Jesus the ‘main thing;’ unity among differences of style and smaller doctrinal distinctives.

Cross Pollination of Spiritual Practices from many traditions that help us experience God with greater intimacy, often re-discovering the ancient roots of our faith.

Missional Communities- A balanced thoughtful commitment to compassion and social action. The Kingdom of God is not just about the future, it’s about NOW. We must lovingly approach our culture as a wise missionary would, actively making a difference.

Embodied proof in our proclaiming the Good News. A humble witness approach to outreach, Centered on the Great Commandment of loving God and neighbor that Jesus called His disciples to obey.

Transformation not just of the Head but seeing it lived out through the Heart and Hands
Not just right doctrine but right practice; “not just creeds, but deeds.”

Incarnational Communication - methods rooted in Jesus’ incarnation; Image along with Word, entering the scripture text and encountering God; story-telling and narrative preaching styles; renewed focus on the sacraments, the arts, with all the senses in use.

“Safe-place”, Journey environment for change – not just new programs or one time change. Grace and repentance are not one time experiences.

It “is calling the church back to what the church has always been called to be – a multi-generational, multi-cultural, open, orthodox and culturally engaged body of believers. This is what the church will need to be in order to speak to the postmodern culture with any legitimacy.” ( Dieter Zander, Re-Generation Quarterly 5, no. 3. p. 19)