emergent does not equal postmodern
first of all, let me say that i am thoroughly honored to be a part of this conversation as an 'outsider.' i am not a south african, nor am i african at all. i am an american (don't judge please ;)), and have much passion for the continent africa in general, and the nation of south africa in particular.
i have stumbled across a few 'emerging from apartheid' articles/entries, and i think that this is a vital conversation for your time and context (what do i know, though, right?)
the term 'emergent' is in no way synonymous with 'postmodern.' emergent is a spirit, and (more specifically) that spirit embodied in conversation(s). it's a new (or at least re-embodied) idea that longs for a church that is emerging, not stagnant; for a church that embodies the gospel and lives into the kingdom in fresh ways as culture changes and as new challenges present themselves. the spirit of the movement calls us to grasp our own culture lightly, that it not become an idol as we seek to perpetuate it at all costs.
so, the conversations about the church in post-apartheid s.a. are so inspiring to me, and exactly the conversations that i perceive to be needed in south africa's emerging church aand culture. why is it that so many south african christians feel that the culture is changing and leaving them in the dust? perhaps the church there is holding on to a quasi-apartheid mindset rather than living into the 'new south africa' or being a prophetic voice for how the 'new south africa' needs the kingdom of God to come alive to truly address the needs and issues of the day.
if postmodernity is not something that you feel you are dealing with, leave it alone. it's emergence has little to do with you. don't feel like you need to be doing what pastors and christians in the states are doing. do the things that you must do. emerge where you are.
these are conversations that i can not have well... i only know as an outside observer. but you guys (and gals) are in the midst of emerging culture in south africa, and i long to see what you build there.
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Postmodernism can be a buzzword
Hi Luke - it's great to have you here! Thanks for your thoughts on South Africa/emerging culture etc. I'm not sure if you've been to SA but the prevailing attitude towards Americans is generally "We really don't like your government but individually you're pretty nice people." :) But I must say you're pretty on the button with your post; for someone who keeps saying he's on the "outside" you've got some good insights :)
Especially on the postmodern/emergent front. I find we (as a whole) are several years behind world trends (although there are always a few people on the cusp) which means when something "new" comes along it has the risk of just being a buzzword - the "next big thing" for ministry.
I've seen postmodernism become this here. There are a few who genuinely understand it and who realise it probably needs to be downplayed as a philosophy given the propensity of embracing something without understanding it.
In fact, I attended a good youth pastor friend's workshop last year on postmodernism and it's doubful he had a good understanding - two of his key points was that postmodernism is the "opposite" of modernism (which it is not) and that "there is no such thing as absolute truth" (which is non-sensical). We seem to be stuck inside the "first postmodernism" which [McLaren talks about here | http://www.anewkindofchristian.com/archives/000071.html].
Although it hasn't happened yet, I fear the same thing might happen with "emergent." Add candles, multimedia, goatees and liturgy to a church and BANG you're emergent. So our challenge is to facilitate this conversation in such away where we don't simply follow the global trends but allow something to be created here...which will perhaps be in line with what's happening elsewhere - but that's not the point.
In the west the emerging conversation has been facilitated through blogs - something which has *just* made the headlines here...and only techies use news readers. But give it a year or so and it'll change. It's a challenge for a country where there's such a high unemployment rate, most people don't (currently) have access to computers or the internet and where telecommunications costs are just ridiculous.
And I wouldn't want to be anywhere else ;)
sounds like you are dealing
sounds like you are dealing with precisely what i was getting at. my prayer for the church in south africa is that you will catch the spirit of emergent, and not just adopt 'the next big thing.' after reading your comment, and because of some friends i have over there, i am extremely hopeful that you will be doing the hard work of living into the kingdom in a way that is unique to the south african context.
tony jones, the national coordinator of emergent, was at our church last weekend and we had some really great conversations. i think i was most excited to hear about some of the things that emergent is doing and plans to do internationally. i think that if the ideas of emergent are to stick, we have to be globally aware, and globally active.
i did live in joburg for about a year in '02 - '03, where i attended the Baptist Theological College, and i've been trying to figure out a way to get back ever since... i don't blame for you for not wanting to be anywhere else.
BTC?!
Perhaps then you know my sister, Heather Saner? She finished at BTC last year and is now a youth worker in Pietermartizburg. I also studied at BTC, but only the 1 year youth course spread out over 3 (part time). I finished in 2002 but didn't go to any lectures that year. I'm trying to remember if I met you!
Where you based in a church in Joburg?
BTC?! reply
Ya, I knew Heather. In fact, your family was kind enough to loan/give me several things to furnish my flat while i was there. I'm sure we met at some stage or another. I did a bit of church-hopping (I worked with a missions organization north of pretoria and spent some weekends there), but spent quite a bit of time visiting Rosebank Union when in Joburg. My real core group was a bible study/home-group that Rob Stegmann hosted/led. In fact, your sister and I were in one of his classes together at BTC, Equipping Youth. Good to hear that she's busy with youth ministry at Pietermaritzburg. Are you currently in Joburg?
Good 'ol Joburg
Yes, I'm in Joburg. I'm a web-type open source developer who does a lot of work for [TomorrowToday | http://www.tomorrowtoday.biz/].
I like Rob - he gave me 90% for my last assignment for BTC - an assignment he said I should probably not do in the first place! And I think it was the only mark over 60 I ever got.
Heather's first day of work is today...I'll be going tomorrow with my Dad to spend the weekend with her - she gets inducted on Sunday.
So yes, we've probably met sometime :) Hope the stuff we gave you for your flat was decent! I'll have to ask Heather what nonsense you guys got up to in Rob's class ;)
rob and charity
glad you were able to get a good mark from rob. i know that he did not mark lightly, so he must've recognized something that the other lecturers overlooked. ha.
definitely tell heather i said 'hello.' we weren't all that close, but i would hope she remembers me.
funny you mention the 'nonsense' we got up to in rob's class. we were dealing with postmodernity and it's effect on culture (in general) and youth ministry (specifically). we had some good conversations for sure! and it could be pretty 'wheels off.'
an elitist movement?
Roger makes an interesting point in his comment above- is the emergent movement in South Africa an elitist (dare I even say, white) movement? How do we bring it to the 'grass roots', as they always say?
grassroots
i wish i was there with you folks, living and breathing in south africa, navigating the emerging culture there. since i am not, however, i cannot speak to the precise "how-to's."
i will, however, muse this humble thought: to bring something to the 'grass roots,' you must first step into the grass.
The UK/States guys see this too
From other emerging church blogs I've read - out of the UK and the States - this has been brought up many times. From their perspective they're saying emergent is a white, European/American thing...but where are all the other people?!
My take on this is we don't need to "bring it" anywhere...I think we need to recognise that a churched guy in Soweto might be asking the same questions about his faith as a white housewife in Pretoria and a Chinese teenager in Beijing. I'd much rather consider this perspective than tell people what to think and how to engage their faith...that's why I like emergent defined, first and foremost, as a conversation.
Our challenge in SA is that so many have walked ahead of us in their own conversations that as we join the global conversation we risk simply echoing the voices we hear instead of creating something new and authentic.
Bringing it back to grass roots
I think our challenge is to listen - to our culture, to our people, to our churches, to ourselves...and especially what all of the above say about church/Christianity/spirituality/faith. I think there's much dissatisfaction our there with church - with the way religion seems to "sell" the Gospel, the cliches given to those suffering, the problems that are glossed over etc.
This is the starting point for the conversation...not so that we run down church and decry how bad it is and maybe we should just petrol bomb the whole lot, but because somehow, in spite of our own frustration, we love God and know he loves the church and we want the church to be something which blesses the world.
The Dance
Like the [African Renaissance blog | http://africanrenaissance.blogspot.com/2006/01/god-is-dj.html] says:
"Most of the people go to clubs Fridays and Saturdays to dance into the morning hours. I was wondering how many of them actually have a spiritual experience while they are there. I was thinking that most of them actually find more healing there than in church. This made me think about the concept of church once again."
We actually started off a church service with the "God is a DJ" song last year - Faithless have posted a "vocal-only" mp3 on their site, and the words are fairly profound.
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