The Emerging Christian Way

Index	Ch. 1 Marcus Borg	Ch. 2. Tim Scorer	Discussion Notes	Brenda's Quotes
Jock's Summary Notes: Ch. 1. - An Emerging Christian Way - Marcus Borg
A new way of being Christian is emerging in the churches of North America in our time. ...this emerging vision exists side by side with an earlier vision of being Christian... The division is so great that it virtually produces two different religions, both using the same Bible and the same language. It is a paradigm change and a paradigm conflict. In Borg's "The Heart of Christianity", he called these two ways "an earlier Christian paradigm" and "an emerging Christian paradigm", because words like liberal and conservative have lost old meanings and become pejorative. A principle characteristic of the earlier way is that it is belief-centred, and of the emerging way, that it centres on transformation. Neither of these perspectives is ancient, both are modern and response to the scientific way of knowing that has changed the modern world. The Belief Centred Paradigm. This is the experience of most Christians in North America and curiously, what non-Christians consider it to be. It is exclusive in it's claims of revealed revelation from God about Jesus and the Bible. It is concerned with "salvation" and with heaven and hell, and therefore has much to say about the requirements of the religious life. Sin and guilt and forgiveness are the constant experience of human beings falling short of God's intentions for us. Jesus died for this reason - to save us from our sins. The Bible has great authority as the "word of God" and is often taken directly and literally in meaning. The Bible explains itself and is sufficient for belief. Faith is believing. Faith is often for when science cannot answer or when conflict requires resolution. In this modern paradigm, trusting in God and the efficacy of religion has become a matter of believing correct doctrine. Much of this perspective has become hard for modern people - especially in "believing" incredible non-provable things - and contributed to the decline of mainline church membership. The Transformation-Centred Paradigm. Also a modern religious response to modern scientific times. "It sees the Chrsitian life as a relationship with God as known in Jesus that changes us, that transforms us..." It is less about truth and more about "a path". It largely began with the Enlightenment generating an historical analysis and criticism of the Bible. We began to understand that in fact the scriptures had a history, and were not merely a message from God. We began to see our religious experience through a cultural lens. The authority of the Bible changed with new respect for our spiritual ancestors and their telling of the transforming nature of their experience with God. "Historical-Metaphorical" became our way of seeing the Bible. The power of the ancient stories grew even greater when we became aware of their actual historical circumstances. That is true also of the "law" of the Bible as we now see the evolving moral awareness of our kind in this record. The Bible has become more than literal, the stories more than their historical origins, and the earlier conflict with the Enlightenment have evaporated. Transformation is the theme of the "macro-stories" of the Bible. These are the means of our understanding and illustrating human nature and human foibles. They illustrate our responsibility to care for the earth and to care for all people. Salvation and Faith take on different meanings in this new paradigm. We are born again (transformed) in the here-and-now to be "in Christ" a different better person. Heaven is not our central concern, but the world and people around us are. What this Means for Churches. Borg says the consequences of the new paradigm would include these things. We will take adult theological education seriously. We would become a community of practice of the Christian "way". Worship would transform. Compassion and justice would grow. Political involvement would challenge the status quo. The religious community would become a community of intentionality and commitment. It means the church recovers trust in God as known in Jesus.
Wayne's Summary Notes: Ch. 2. - Experience: The Heart of Transformation - Tim Scorer
Wayne commented on moving back to the community of Silver Springs in Calgary some years after he left feeling very dejected about the losses in his life experienced from the first time he lived there, 27 years ago, upon arrival in Calgary. Moving back, some years later allowed him the opportunity to see the place anew, with a different set of lenses, as if for the first time. It reminded him of the quote from Little Gidding (TS Elliott) from our adult forum website: We shall not cease from exploration And the end of our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time. For Wayne, this represented a paradigm shift, a change in his way of seeing the world. It is important to remember that Reality itself does not change, but ones way of viewing it does. Tim Scorer speaks of this in Chapter Two - Experience: The Heart of Transformation (pp. 33-47). Scorer suggests that to experience something involves what praxis meant when we used to talk about it while doing liberation theology. Only this time we are dealing with personal change, not societal change, per se. The personal and the social are not mutually exclusive, however. Praxis - involves action (doing) assessment (evaluation) and reflection (notation of learning). Repeating the process. Transformation - according to Scorer means to move from an identified dilemma to resolution. From a human predicament to solution. From fear to encounter with meaning and truth. (34). Scorer provides a design he has used with groups to suggest an important change in Christian experience, or a journey of transformation. In other words, experiencing change. See the star image (p. 34). Exercise to put these words In sequence on the tips of each ray - (1) Jesus, (2) God, (3) Open Heart, (4) World, (5) Bible, (6) Community/Tradition. Jesus brought us a new way to experience God. We have lived in personal bondage, as many of our comments/feedback from the first session clearly indicated. We now experience freedom and can view life in the world anew, with an open heart. The Bible offers us insight into living with a new set of lenses. Our community of faith provides us with support and appreciation for the tradition of Christian living/teaching as we continue on our spiritual journeys. This exercise may help people to engage in a personal process of Christian transformation. We also reflected that using our opening readings from the Jim Taylor book Everyday Psalms as another way of viewing the old familiar Pslams with a new set of lenses.
Summary of Discussion Notes after Small Groups
Where am I right now on the Christian journey? Metaphor - the importance of metaphors, which help us to get a clearer picture of something. - the meanings behind the metaphors can change over time. We need to be aware of that. Examples of Four Men and Zaccheus - Zaccheus story in Scorer (36-40) suggests honouring our time with Jesus. - liked the examples of the four men paralysed by fear (35-36). Seeing self in that. - Certainty, which we all seek, but find illusive, is not proof of having found the truth. Certainty - a good thing? - many are engaged in a process of evolving consciousness. - awareness - how aware are we? - the Bible offers many paths, not just one path. - to be floundering not comfortable, also not a bad place to be for awhile. - Borg & Scorer ideas are well known since both have visited St. Davids. - they help us deal with issues like ambiguity and assurance. Values - Culturally conditioned, or universal? - are values culturally conditioned, or are there universal values? - we have backgrounds focused on right/wrong. - in some places, systemic hate is taught (eg Islamic, but Christian also) - Christian ethical maturity more nuanced; we move beyond simplistic thinking as we grow. People of the Way - early Christians lived as People of the Way. Their behaviour spoke louder than words. - we have many options today, both freeing and frightening.
Brenda Wallace shared these quotes as central to the evenings themes.
"Believing in Jesus means to give one’s heart, one’s self at its deepest level to the post-Easter Jesus who is the living Lord, the side of God turned toward us, the face of God, the Lord who is also the Spirit. It is the movement from secondhand religion to firsthand religion, from having heard about Jesus with the hearing of the ear to being in relationship with the Spirit of Christ. Jesus is a figure of the present. Meeting that Jesus – the living Jesus who comes to us even now - will be like meeting Jesus again for the first time." ... Marcus Borg "My Prayer Lord, send the gift of Your Spirit to fill this place, myself and the world. Touch me with TRUTH that burns like fire; with BEAUTY that moves me like the wind. And set me free, Lord, free to try new ways of living, free to forgive myself and others, free to love and laugh and sing, free to lay aside my burden of security, free to join the battle for justice and peace, free to see and listen and wonder again at the gracious mystery of people and things. And free to be, to give, to receive and to rejoice as a child of Your spirit." ... Ted Loder "The mark of the faith that I strive for is a self-possessed maturity, not childlike dependence. My hope of heaven lies in the ability to share in the eternity of God who is the source of life and love and the Ground of Being. Churches will cease being behavior-controlling institutions and become institutions dedicated to the empowerment and expansion of life. Worship will become the celebration of the power of God, who is present in the heart of life. Christian education will become the search for truth rather than the indoctrination of the faithful with a particular form of religious propaganda. Life in community will be important because it will help free us to live fully, love wastefully and be all that we are capable of being." ... Bishop John Spong

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