Emerging Africa

For some time now I have not read blogs. I have been rather irritated by “all those blogger types” (as I labelled them in my mind) who imagine that they have something worthwhile or new to say and which thing everyone else would miss unless they pointed it out to them. I hear the from-the-hip (no pun intended) musings of sincere guys described as a “white-male-philosophical-conversation" (hyphens and all) and I proudly wonder who should be embarrassed: philosophy, white males or true conversationalists. I now realise that this attitude is a form of pride, so I read blogs again (when I have some time to do so). I am also going to try harder not to be one of those “strong silent type” pastors (who deliberately do not post on sites like this one). I am not emergent (I think I am beginning to see a little bit what that means now), but maybe, in some way something is emerging in me too. I, too, am increasingly disillusioned by much of what I am experiencing as a pastor within Evangelicalism: the American dream that has been turned into the gospel and vice versa; the rampant individualism; all those groupie actions and “teams”; the badly played Rock (I am not worried about what Rock is doing to the church; I am worried about what the church is doing to Rock). Having said all that, I remember the words of some saint: “There but for the grace of God go I”. Sometimes, in my case, it is: “there despite the grace of God go I”. So, I hang on and I even help with the bad Rock. I try to listen more. I try to hear more, from everyone. I realise more and more ever day why I am a Christian: I am a Christian because I am not good enough not to be one.