How to talk to an evangelical
Sunday, December 11, 2005 at 8:34PM Scot McKnight turns the tables and suggests some ways that those in the emerging movement might talk to evangelicals. These two are my favorite:
...don’t engage evangelicalism by reducing evangelical theology to some stereotyped, narrow-minded fundamentalist idea that we know full well is dismissed by many thinking evangelicals. Let’s not suggest that all evangelicals pastors and churches are control freaks or that their churches are business shops, let’s not suggest that dispensationalism is typical for evangelicalism, let’s not suggest that all evangelicals are politically uneducated or politically Ludite or any other such stereotyped category — in other words, treat evangelicals the way we expect to be treated (for many of us are in both camps). (This, after all, is good praxis.)
...the point of the EM conversation is not to divide the Church but to find unities within the Church, so establish conversations that seek commonalities and are rooted in commonalities and that seek out commonalities. Shame on you if you end up meeting with only acrimony. Pray together; break bread together; discuss together; disagree clearly but with love and in the spirit of finding genuine gospel.
Most of these can be reduced to two words: play fair. Not bad advice.
Reader Comments (3)
I appreciate those words.
Darryl, I think it is wonderful how balanced you are about all this. Recently had a "mini" conversation with our Pastor about this stuff and was amazed at how open he was to hearing our struggles. I also think that you are very adept at not fanning the flames; when people are legitimately wrestling with the concepts of all things emergent(ing), and offering clarity. Thanks for that.
Thanks, Janet. I appreciate the encouragement. I'm actually still learning a lot - some of us who have been around here a long time have the bruises to show. ;)