Research for MDiv Thesis

[Dean Lawrence]

Let me first introduce myself as I am new to the community, but a long time Anglimergent lurker. I am a senior Seminarian at Virginia Theological Seminary to be ordained (God willing) in June. I am currently writing a thesis about use of Anglican Liturgy within the emergent community.

I have occasionally heard a few people (Brian McClaren, Shane Claiborne, and Chris Seay to be specific) talk about the richness of the Anglican tradition and how it has informed their own community in worship. I theorize that there is something that resonates within the Anglican liturgical tradition that connects with the Emergent church mindset. I suggest that this has to do with what I would call a “practical piety” or a symbolic system that speaks both to and from a life lived in radical discipleship. I believe this symbol system is deeply tied to the earliest forms of Christian worship and community.

What I hope to gain is an open discussion particularly of how you see the prayerbook(s) informing a church that is deeply bound in intentional community and active faith. I am particularly interested if you have seen Anglican liturgy used in a community that is not Anglican. Yet, any experience is of interested to me. I look forward to any conversation that this generates and hope to hear from you soon.

[Steve Hollinghurst]

Dean
don't know if this helps, but some thoughts on this. i think there are two issues possible here. one is somethign to do with post-modern culture that favours the borrowing of the pre-modern over the modern and second is the history of UK alternative emerging worship that has formed part of a global tradition in this melieu.
re the first. in many ways i think the reformation was a response to the renaissance and as such part of the devlopment of modernist culture. protestant churches are i think in many ways incarnations of faith in modernism. the Anglican church has a strange protestant heritage in that it maintianed much more of its Roman Catholic roots. this means that post-moderns looking to borrow from the past and often within that appreciating the mystical over the obvious find switiching from ulrra-modern evangleical worship badn lead choruses to Anglican liturgy really positive.
re the second. many in the late 80s ealry 90s forming the first alt-emerging communites in the UK (and a number of us are on this network so others may offer comment and see this differently) moved from evangleical/charismatic worship band stuff to explore post-modern styles of worship using elements of dance culture and contmeporary media/art. ealry material was highly creative but often also very demanding as worship was each time created from scratch. over time as these communites developed an ongoing life they increasing adopted anglican liturgical style, but often to an ambient soundtrack with muti-media imagery, as way of creating a sustainable rythmn to worship. in a sense discovering or re-discovering this tradtion as somethign that fitted their own search for worhsip with integrity in a post-modern culture, and as somethign that offered a life-giving structure when creating worship each time alomost entirely from scratch became clealry unsustainable.

[Dean Lawrence]

Steve,
This is exactly the discussion I'm hoping for. I like perspective that the anglican characteristic liturgies of these emerging communities was a matter of practical development. Yet, I wonder if it didn't find something viable in the other direction as well. As these emerging communities became more and more intentional, perhaps something in the anglican form resonated more and more. There is a somewhat romantic view, that you are probably familiar with, of the anglican church as the town church, that worships, works, and gathers in the context of that specific community. It probably has its roots in the monastic life. The church sets the rhythm of that particular community. This is a view that is foreign to us in the states where modern "communities" are formed in the board room of a mass real-estate developers. But, perhaps as we become more intentional about our communities (less defined by money and more defined by true relationship) there is something in anglican worship that evokes this romantic view and therefore resonates. Just thinking out loud.

DL

[Aaron]

Dean,

First, I’m really hoping that Mike Croghan responds to this post because I know he’ll have a lot of really valuable insight.

Second, I don’t know if my perspective will be valuable to you all, but here’s my ‘two cents.’ I think you need to make a clear distinction within the language you’re using. I, personally, don’t see the emergent community as “a church that is deeply bound in intentional community and active faith” – instead it is simply people deeply bound in intentional community and active faith. Small linguistic difference, but a big conceptual difference.

The importance of this conceptual difference is that I don’t know many emergent folks borrowing from the Anglican liturgical tradition on the Anglican Church’s terms, if that makes sense – precisely because there is no ‘emergent church,’ but simply nodes of people bound together relationally and doing things on their own terms.

So, my reflection is somewhat similar to Steve’s – I believe the Anglican prayerbook/liturgy offer deep symbolism and sensory engagement, which is often a component very important to emergent communities. Reciprocally, there is much about the Anglican tradition (particularly the hierarchical aspects) which emergent & post/modern folks find repelling.

So, when I have seen the prayerbook/liturgy used, it has been in more of a collage form – which is more of the post/modern modus operandi. (This is not to say there aren’t groups out there that use the prayerbook/liturgy in its standard, Anglican forms – I’ve just never seen them). But I know many (i.e. three) groups who ‘cut and paste’ their favorite pieces of the prayerbook & aspects of the liturgy, transforming them into something new in conjunction with other traditions, religions, and completely invented things. But I also know a couple of Southern Baptist churches that also use the prayerbook as a starting point for liturgy, too…

Hope that helps, and good luck with your thesis!

Aaron

[Dean Lawrence]

Aaron,

Thanks for your response. All thoughts are invaluable at this point. I am looking for ways to clarify my vocabulary as well, so criticism is welcome. I am often (if not always) guilty of speaking/typing before thinking. I know the emergent "conversation" tends to reject the idea of being an identifiable church and certainly should never be associated with an organization. Yet, it is difficult to talk about a reality or phenomenon without classifying it in some way. I, therefore, classify for my own purposes some communities as being emergent while others as being not emergent. I would probably consider the communities using the prayerbook/liturgy in a collage form as being emergent (by the way, this is precisely what I am looking for), while the baptist church you mentioned as being not emergent. But I am making a lot of assumptions and for that matter I am not really sure what factors would make a community emergent or not. It seems to be a general feeling. I believe intentional community is part of the formula, but does that make Mother Theresa emergent? Some people would say its the music and the casualness of the community in worship. As Steve seems to intimate, it is perhaps an willingness to engage the culture and art rather than reject it. It is certainly a combination of factors that I am hoping I won't have to identify in my thesis as this would be some statistical analysis that I am not sure I am capable of. In exploring these emergent communities in the past, It has been primarily a matter of feeling. One can't measure it, you just know.

I had a interesting conversation with an "emergent community" pastor this morning about using the prayerbook. He had used the prayerbook in the collage form like you mentioned, using prayers from it and others generated within the community. He did say that a few years ago they used the Daily Office as is throughout Lent. This may also support Steve's notion that when the implications of creating a service from scratch seem overbearing, falling out to a preconceived liturgy is attractive. I am not really concerned if they are using it with or without alteration. My concern is that the typical reaction to the loss of the post-modern age groups from the Episcopal church is to create a praise band, project the prayerbook on the wall, and tell people to come as they are. I think we are missing the heart of the post-modernism and the emergent phenomenon, but I could be wrong.

In criticism of those communities that might be classified as emergent, there is something that I call "the gathering of the of the tragically hip." Often it seems that the number of piercings and tats are through the roof in these communities. These are clearly people who would feel uncomfortable in mainline traditions. I even had a conversation with one girl who said she had grown up in a mainline baptist church, but with the addition of her piercings and tattoos was unable to ever feel comfortable in "those churches." I cant help but wonder if the emergent phenomenon is just the church of cool. I hope not.

While I tend to agree that the notion of hierarchy is repellent to most postmods, I would argue that this is not really a major consideration when seeking a community. I would argue that most people, postmods included, look only to the particular community and what it is doing. The fact that the "pastor", "leader", "priest" or whatever is answering to some other authority is relatively unimportant. But that is just my inclination I have no real proof other than my own experience.

Again, thanks for your input. Maybe I will just send a message to Mike Croghan and see what he says.

[Edward Green]

Quick thoughts from my phone ....

I certainly think there is something in the 'Reformed Catholic' DNA of the Anglican Church that is resonant with any emergent community that is looking beyond its protestant heritage.

'Reformed Catholic' is perhaps another way of saying 'Ancient Future'.

Even though the 'Catholic' order of the Church may seem hierarchical it is certainly less 'leader' focused and authoritarian than many new Church movements. Priests as servant representatives of the church's shared apostolic ministry certainly appealed to me when I came out of the wider Charismatic Evangelical Leadership culture.

[Aaron]

Dean,

It sounds like you’ve done some good thinking and researching already. I’m really happy to see a future church leader taking these issues so seriously, because I do believe how the Anglican/Episcopal church responds (or doesn’t respond) to these issues will decide its fate.

I do, however, want to respond (again) to some of the concepts you’re using. I could be wrong, but I get the sense that in some ways you’re using the concept “postmodern” to be interchangeable with “a young generation” or perhaps the “tragically hip” across many generations. In addition, it feels as though the concept “emergent community” is being visioned as, in some sense, a new denominational form.

If this is the case (which it might not be), I would say that “postmodernity” has less to do with a group of people, and more to do with a epistemological mode of viewing reality. In other words, the emergent movement isn’t ultimately about finding homes for churchgoers who don’t fit in other places (though this is inevitably a result), but instead an attempt at an epistemological overhaul of the enterprise of Christianity. The reason this is slippery conceptually is that it’s in the midst of being invented, and hasn’t really found a form yet.

In other words, the terms “emergent movement” and “postmodernity” have become very connected – but, I believe, there is a lot of confusion and misinformation about what these terms are, and how they are related. In brief, I see the emergent movement as an attempt to develop Christianity out of and true to the postmodern situation. The reason I’m being so sensitive to language here is that there is a tendency, I think, for folks operating out of traditional denominational or Modern hermeneutics to conceptualize both postmodernity and the emergent movement on Modern terms – which would, in some sense, corrupt the concepts.

Blurred together with all this is the whole “contemporary” movement, as you described. I believe there are many folks out there who confuse “contemporary worship” with “emergent movement” – when they could be not be more different from each other. I see “contemporary worship” as a Modern attempt to make church relevant for a younger generation. In other words, some cosmetic changes (i.e. attire, music, etc..) are made, but they still use the same irrelevant theology and language. I see the “emergent movement” as something entirely different; instead, it is a revision of what Christianity is and what it should be, in light of ‘postmodernity.’

I’m sure you’ve done your homework on postmodernity as a concept, but I highly recommend reading “The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism,” which is the first chapter in Fredric Jameson’s book “Postmodernism.” It’s a great introduction to postmodernity. I also blogged about this issue a couple of times (http://therivermerchant.blogspot.com/search/label/postmodern)

In any case, sorry for the long-winded response, and good luck. Best,

Aaron

[Dean Lawrence]

Thanks again Aaron. I really do appreciate this. I know I need to get the language around this hammered out. Furthermore, talking about a seemingly postmodern phenomenon in a Thesis paper seems somewhat counter intuitive. Yet, can we can agree that the emergent movement is an event or something that is happening, although difficult to quantify in a "modern" sense? Denial of categorization is useful in a postmodern sense, but I'm not sure my thesis adviser will go for that. I reassure however, that I don't see the emergent movement as a new denomination, but instead as an event or phenomenon that mainline denominations can "fall victim" to. A specifically postmodern world view that is already infiltrating the church and resulting in unavoidable emergence. Perhaps, the mainlines can choose to experience this as a sort of spasm of death throes, or a unique opportunity to reimagine the call of God. I think we are agreed here. Again, thinking out loud.

DL

[Steve Hollinghurst]

just want to underline Aaron's observation re post-modernity and youth/cool. emerging/emergent groups should be seekign to incarnate faith in post-modernity, as such thay are church for post-modern people not for young adults...which is why in the UK those that have been around 10-15 years have familes in and lots of middle aged folks. this is very different from 'youth culture' seeker services as often put on as you observed Dean with the praise band etc.

i thinkt he theology of church is important too, essential here is not just that pomo church will be multi-media and boorow from ancient tradtions to create a contemproary collage but also the critique of power, so often breaking down the leader/lead structure of modernist worship with its 'seats facing the front' architecture.

[Jon Spangler]

Dear Dean,

Have you visited St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church (SGN) in San Francisco yet? If not, I hope you'll be out here in March. I'm not ready to diuscuss post modernism or concepts like that, but I DO know that, after nearly running away from SGN after my first exposure, I have come to see and appreciate the value in our unifying and healing community, where we dance and sing together every Sunday. Our worship is in many ways UNLIKE any other Episcopal church of the mid-late 20th century, but it reflects the values of a far older (and newer) era.

I grew up singing the Healy-Willan 1928 BCP Morning Prayer service in a choir robe, but would never go back to the formal (and separated-from-each-other) organ-dominated liturgy if I could help it. Being a part of SGN has also re-energized my commitments to volunteerism, social change, and justice, long "dormant" after my Vietnam- and Watergate-era college protest years.

[Michelle Baker-Wright]

Hi Dean,
My two cents on your questions: the few times where I have seen Anglican liturgy used in non-Anglican settings have been in a multidenominational seminary context--those of us familiar with Episcopal/Anglican liturgies have initiated them to expose the larger community to their richness. My working theory right now on why people are attracted to Anglican liturgy is that more individuals are tiring of theological wrangling and are thirsty for a church ethos defined more by a sense of common worship rather than a precise theological laundry list that must be embraced. This is the "Anglican ideal," anyways; while in reality we have our own share of wrangling it's an ideal to which many are attracted. I'm speaking from the perspective of having seen people of a more Evangelical persuasion discover Anglican tradition, if it helps.

Good luck!
Michelle

[Mike Croghan]

Hi Michelle,

Very good point; I agree.

Peace,
Mike Croghan

(And BTW, it occurred to me that I should mention, lest Aaron think I'm spurning this conversation, that Dean and I got together for coffee and talked live a while ago, since we're in the same neck of the woods. Really good question, and good thoughts, all. I think the main additional idea that I voiced in my conversation with Dean is this: once you broaden your concept of "Church" from "those who share my denominational affiliation or detailed doctrinal statement" to "the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church throughout the world and through history", how can you avoid these lovely, liturgical forms of worship? They've been used throughout most of the Church through most of its history. And once you're there, Anglican forms of liturgy are among the most accessible, what with easy - even online - access to various BCP's. Anyway, good stuff!)

[Dean Lawrence]

Dear All,

Thank you for your thoughts. Let me update you on some of my thoughts as this conversation/discussion has re-shaped my thesis. Jon- thank you for your thoughts about SGN. Paul Fromberg is my reader so most likely the paper will be shaped by what is going on there.

I am currently trying to understand what is happening to the framework of Christianity in this emergence. I have looked at past shifts that have reshaped the church (think protestantism). I've studied the decay of modern rationalism and have brought that right up to the current world financial situation. I have looked at the shift of standard social unit from family to the multifaceted social units we see today in everything from workplace to gang. And finally the internalization of authority and the dissolution of Christendom. These, I believe are a few of the factors that are bringing about this emergence in both culture and religion. I done some demographic studies on church affiliation and attendance using
FACT, Pew, and Barna. I've looked closely at some responses within the ECUSA to dwindling numbers and generational shifts. I have begun to propose that what we are currently doing is something akin to spitting on a forest fire. We are, for the most part, just changing out one dwindling group of traditionalist rooted in modernism to another group still rooted in modernism. We are still doing church from a rationalist perspective. Yet, the good news about forest fires there is usually a phenomenal opportunity for growth afterwords. We just have to help the viable seeds germinate. So I am proposing that there are certain things within the Anglican tradition (aspects in our forms of worship and, dare I say, our ecclesiology) that can flower in this new emergence. Steve and Aaron, I hope you can see that your thoughts and direction has been incorporated and, of course, the conversation I had with Mike was invaluable. Please keep your thoughts coming.

Dean Lawrence