Class Summary for Dec. 1

Today in class we discussed the attributes of Emerging Churches as described in Gibbs and Bolger’s book Emerging Churches (see my review next week). Here is how they wrote it: “Emerging churches, as they are embodied in postmodern cultures, are those who take the life of Jesus as a model way to live, who transform the secular realm, as they live highly communal lives [essential aspects] Because of these three activities, they welcome those who are outside, they share generously, they participate, create, they lead without control, and function together in spiritual activities [derivatives of the essential aspects].” These aspects are not set in stone and not all churches would agree to them. The most interesting thing is that it looks very similar in theory to the Restoration Movement’s principles. Their theology may not be exactly the same, but I believe churches in the Restoration Movement, if they have an open mind, can actually learn from emerging churches and use our principles to challenge theirs.