What is similar between how the American Restoration Movement began and how the emerging church is, well, emerging? Here are ten similarities, though there are more:
1. Eschewed denominational allegiance.
2. Sought to understand the Bible free from established interpretations.
3. Anti-institutional (or at least skeptical of institutions).
4. Although there are some loonies attached to each movement, the main movers and shakers are courageous mvers and shakers who put their ministry where their mouth is.
5. Fit the philosophical zeitgeist of the day.
6. Had influence beyond its own circles.
7. No one runs the movements.
8. At their beginnings, very diverse.
9. Resisant to denominationalizing (Resotration churches eventally succombed. What will emerging churches do?)
10. Willing to "reboot" Christianity in order to save it.
1 comment:
Fajita said: 9. Resisant to denominationalizing (Resotration churches eventally succombed. What will emerging churches do?)
Alas, emerging churches will probably succumb to denominationalizing as well at some point. The process of "up and coming sect" becoming denomination/church is a cycle due to human nature; it's hard for later generations to maintain the original enthusiasm of the founders. Therefore the sect becomes a church/denom and pretty soon some reformers arise in that church, and so on and so on. I don't have any scholarship to quote at the moment but it has been written about extensively.
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