emergent post by Brian McLaren addresses issues of Diversity and Justice

There is a weekly update, the Emergent/C, that can be sent to you via email scroll to btm of page and sign up) or appears on the website, and directs you to the emergent-us blog.  This week's update is written by Brian McLaren and addresses the issues of diversity and justice as two arenas that emergent is committed to focusing on in the coming years.  His reflections on the summit begin:

"I left the June 05 summit with renewed excitement about the direction and potential of emergent.  We all sensed a growing passion in two areas that are especially important to me.

First, we have been increasingly concerned about diversity for a few years.  Fortunately, there has been denominational diversity among us since the beginning - and it has grown steadily in recent years as emergent has become a "post-liberal/post-conservative" common ground. But the "white maleness" of almost all Christian leadership networks has been of concern to us." (read more)

What follows Brian's post is a series of comments that digresses into mudslinging all to soon and does not remain on track to discuss the issues of diversity and justice or suggest and entertain ways to engage in these issues.  I posted the following comment:

"I was invited to the Summit in Minnesota, and I listened to and partcipated in the discussions regarding diversity and justice. They grew from a desire to live after the way of Jesus, who gathered a myriad of diverse people around him and asked them to love each other in the way that he loved them. Imagine a Zealot and a tax collector sharing a meal, living in community and serving together!

Jesus was always aware of "the other," the poor, the oppressed, the marginalized. This same awareness drives the growth in emergent's efforts toward diversity and justice. As a minority woman, I experienced a welcoming and inclusive tenor in the voices and hearts of the "white men" of emergent. There existed such an acceptance and equality, toward all the women present, that it in terms of equality and input it was a non-issue. However, because of the groups awareness and wisdom regarding this vast and important issue of diversity, the discussion regarding how to expand the way emergent address diversity ensued. (And believe it or not a diversity of age, gender, and faith traditions were represented within the room). Diversity was undertood to include differences within race, gender, age, socio economic, cultural, and faith, as well as other arenas.

I was reminded of the teachings of Levinas, regarding the importance of "the other," as I reflected on how the disciples learned about Jesus, a life of faith and the way of love as they lived in community. Embracing diversity affords us the opportunity to know more of God and of ourselves in learning and listening to "the other," as well as living in community with one another.

As far as justice issues, the humble attitude of the leaders of emergent regarding our part in historic and global injustice required an increased awareness and intentionally coordinated missional action. This is not a shift, but an expanding of the call and committment to live after the way of Jesus who cleverly and subversively fought injustice as the kingdom of heaven was at hand. Can we please get back to the main issues of doing justice, loving mercy & kindness and walking humbly with God rather than all the mudslinging that serves only to divide and incite further diversion from the work at hand?

Of course, there will be theological differences. However, as I read and teach the scriptures, I rarely see Jesus debating these points, for the sake of argument, but instead would call people to action, to move forward and engage in love. Therefore, what can we agree on? Where can we join one another in the work of God on the earth in these times..."

I would love to hear your ideas and thoughts regarding this discussion and/or ways to engage in these issues with a view towards inclusion and embrace.

Comments

[Sivin]

Thanks for posting your comment to bring things back into focus. I liked the reminder of Levinas on "the other".

I find any form of mudslinging very tiring (I think) for those engaged in it and those whom like me are hoping for "gentler" dialogue and even debate.

if someone is like that here in Malaysia I'll just ignore the conversation. It saddens me that so much energy is "used" (wasted?) on "mudslinging."

I told my friends more than once ... I hope unnecessary debates won't get imported to us!

[Aj]

Equip people to equip people to equip people. Emergent can't reach everyone, but if they plant seeds with others, if they spend time giving others the tools - the pictures - the example, diversity will follow (in a seven-degrees-of-Kevin-Bacon sort of way). As for justice: if people know to be rooted in the Scriptures, I can't imagine that the desire to do works of justice and compassion wouldn't naturally bloom in our hearts: that's what Christ was all about.

Coordinating can sometimes lend itself to controling. If Emergent can stay true to releasing control, if they can be a resource for equipping, then I believe these bi-products will naturally follow.

[fernando]

the question of diversity is a real test for the emerging church's claim to missional. if the churches that result from this shift fail to reflect the diversity of their contexts, both in participation and leadership, then emerging will struggle to justify itself.

my fear, is that this will be become a 'leadership" issue rather than an ecclesiology issue. for sure how representative the leadership is should be a concern. but the big concern for me is how representative the congregations and ministry groups are.

[Anthony]

I am hopeful that emergent and the emerging church at large will grow more diverse ethnically and economically as time goes on. As a Christian that comes from a predominantly African American context as it relates to Christianity and Evangelical Christianity in particular (with a dash of Pentecostalism) my journey here to Emergent has been a wild ride. I am encouraged by the growing amount of ethnic voices I see joining this conversation. I am getting emails weekly of people who are trying to find other ethnic voices that are a part of this conversation. One of the things I am seeing in this conversation is a congruence of strange bedfellows. Many of the people I am talking with have been wrestling with some of the issues Emergent seeks to deal with before they found this conversation. In Emergent many are finding a conversatin partner that is on on a similar journey in our time. This needs to be clear as we begin to seriously talk about emergent. My journey to emergent started with a chance visit to a pawn shop back in 95' where I picked up a tattered copy of David Bosch's book "Transforming Mission". I wasn't looking to be Emergent...I was looking to be faithful to the gospel given my North American context. Emergent has been one of the many conversation partners that has equipped me to better articulate what I am seeing.

My point. I came to this conversation not because I wanted to see "diversity". Diversity wasn't the telos that has brought me here. What has brought me here are some of the similar features in my thinking and practice of Christianity and Emergent. Emergent is singing the same song I am singing in many ways. I believe Diversity is something that should be intentional but not coerced. We have to be careful to look at the various narratives and ideas relating to diversity that are flying around in culture...based upon our particular social order. Diversity, in our culture, in many ways, has become somewhat of a ethic of coercion foisted upon the dominant culture. Such an understanding of diversity does not embody the peaceableness of the gospel. Diversity is something, I believe, that is the outworking of participating in the very life of God. When we break bread together, pray together, fuss, fight, dialogue, debate, share our joys, our sorrows together God may see fit to bless with His Spirit to guide our bodies to reflect the sociality of the Father, Son, and the Spirit. Which I believe is true diversity. The telos or goal of our diversity should be living life together in God...not diversity for diversity sake. When diversity is sought after for its own sake it can easily turn into some thing...some narrative...some idol that is foreign to the story of God. Let's break bread together and see what happens.

Ant

[natala]

i do not have too much to add.. except that i believe diversity comes simply from the invitation for all to join the discussion, all to join a church, a worship... to welcome, not discourage, to invite, not assume that all feel welcome.

[susie albert miller]

thanks to each of you for these comments, especially for keeping them on theme. i am reminded of how much we can learn from one another, and am grateful to be in conversation with you and many others. i have come to beleive that diveristy is such a broad topic that we may need to return to the simplistic and yet profound stance of "I/Thou" as outlined by Buber, which resonates with Levinas' regard for honoring "the other." if we find diversity in all that are not "me" than i am reequired to pause, to listen, to honor, learn from and make space for them so that i might have a greater understanding of not only myself, but "the other" and thus the body of Christ, which includes all of us.
This enables us to work from a broad and yet simplistic definition of diversity, as i fear that all of our efforts to define it will inevitably exclude someone, and that is the very thing we do not want. The Kingdom of G-d is inclusive, expansive and embracing, after the way of Jesus. Can we be the same?