The XSI really got me thinking.  This emergent church-thing: what is it? In this entry I scrape the surface slightly to try to collect my own thoughts on the matter.  I recently began blogging at the Columbus Cohort’s website and this is some of the information i have garnered.  I am not sure the most effective way to dismantle the ECM is with the Bible.  In fact it is so lacking in biblical foundation, that the words “Captain Obvious” come to mind.  I am looking at it more from a philosophical and logical standpoint, but ultimately using my philosophical and logical groundings from the Bible.  There’s just no escaping truth, I guess.

The Emergent Philosophy

The problems with the emergent church system are numerous. Their underlying ideology is difficult to determine, even by those proponents of it. This in itself is a problem, as there is no group focus, no goal seeking to be attained by all. Some of their main points, as near as I am able to discover, seem to be:

• The soft categorical assertion that true understanding of the Bible only comes with experience, not study.

At times they take this one step further and claim that study of the Bible actually hinders spiritual growth.

• The soft categorical assertion that truth is ultimately unknowable.

This is perhaps best displayed in the argument that:

1. God is infinite. 

2. God is truth. ← A breakdown occurs here in that there is no distinction between God being the revealer of truth and God being the same as truth: God is true but truth is not God.

Therefore

3. Truth is infinite. ← A second breakdown occurs here in that truth is not infinite. A limited number of things are true, even about God. This has, however, no impact on his nature of infinity. It only says “There are qualities God does not possess.” This would only limit the number of true things about him, not the things about him that are true.

And

1. Humans are finite.

2. Finite humans cannot comprehend infinite truth. ←  A third breakdown occurs here as a result of assuming that an infinite God cannot reveal any truth to a mind not capable of comprehending his infinite nature, or that a finite mind is incapable of being revealed to by an infinite God.

 Therefore

3. Humans cannot comprehend truth. ← The final breakdown occurs in the ultimate conclusion. If the conclusion was something like “Humans cannot comprehend infinity,” I would agree with it.

• The desire to avoid allowing internal and external contradiction to cause division.
• The soft categorical desire to avoid coming to any conclusions about the origin, nature and meaning of truth,
• From which naturally follows their desire to avoid reaching conclusions.

This idea I think is best summed up in a quotation from the leader of the emergent group in Columbus, Ohio. In a web log posted on December 12, 2007, he refers to a PBS documentary which had reference to the emergent movement, and encourages his group to watch it. His statement runs as follows, “Since I generally try not to know about things, and have done a pretty good job of this when it comes to my faith, I learned a lot from it.”

• The assertion that the idea of atonement through penal substitution is divine child abuse.
• The assertion that the letters and instruction of Paul “color” the “Gospels” in a certain way and what our view might be if we disregarded his input.

Please note I am still in the process of sifting through the grains of sand that fill this hourglass.  The emergent movement is, as of yet, undefinable.  Thus it is incredibly dangerous as they are not possessive of a SOP.  What focus there is seems to be on “knowing that you don’t know.” This to me has the ring of eastern mysticism where great knowledge is supposedly in aphorisms like “What is the sound of one hand clapping?”  This is actually very close to describing the emergent movement because if you consider one hand to be the study of Scripture, the other hand to be its application to life and the clap to be a successful Christian walk in which one grows closer to God as one grows closer to people, they have removed the hand which values the input of Scripture and are still trying to make a successful clap.

Preface

He sees us without our masks.  He sees us without our lies.  And to many in this world He would appear as The Red Death.  How do you see him?

 

The Interred

j. ramsey

 

He’s the guest without a mask in this Prospero’s Ball,

The uninvited blood-red stain incurring horror on the faces of all.

 

They see him- the sick surprise.

He sees you- without the lies.

He sees them- they gawk and stare,

and move in circles to anywhere.

 

The bastard son of some bastard’s son is the first to seal his fate

And stricken with truths he cannot comprehend is the first served with death on his plate.

 

First with just one

And then with the others,

Ignoring their wives,

Ignoring their lovers,

 

The throats of the unclean are opened and cut,

Their necks torn asunder to never be shut.

Their life’s blood runs out and leaks onto the ground

As cries of “It’s Murder!” are heard all around.

 

But sitting alone and forgotten for now,

I could hear in my ears as the fragments rolled down

Invading words of the whispering wise:

Fire! Fire!

There’s an arsonist here!

Blaze! Blaze!

But what wilting tear

Could you shed to extinguish these lies?

 

Unspeaking, removed, both my mask and face fell.

I turned to recieve but could hear no death’s bell.

 

No lingering toll,

No wisp of a cut,

No lack of a soul,

No neck unshut.

 

For me, a forgiveness

As The Maskless reached up

And lifted his own head

And his own neck he cut.

Preface

It’s tattooed on my left arm- Pride Kills.  The tattoo, like this poem, address the idea that self-pride is ultimately what keeps us from acknowledging the Lord Jesus as Savior.

 

The Pallbearers of Hope

j. ramsey

 

Strangulation,

Execution,

How have I come this far?

In spite of relentless opposition

I’ve set my sights upon His star.

 

Somehow it shines so brightly,

Yet so few are those who see-

As the few who, long ago, brought gifts and tempest

To that Child, falling to their knees.

 

Dimly- eyes of pagan glories

Blink and bat,

Grow old and fat.

 

Wasted- eyes of truth revealers

Roll and stare,

Become less aware.

 

Numb to the moving of His hand’s progress,

We retreat into shells of ourselves- nameless.

Just us, not Him,

Though walls are thin,

We can’t hear the knocking

Over selfish mocking.

 

Look now!  It’s your pride on the gallows.

And somehow it will hang today.

Against your will, or with it,

You both will die, or it will fade away.

 In The Castle of “Ahhhhgghhhhh!”

Few things are more disgusting to me than All-You-Can-Eat-Buffets.  Whenever I see one, images are conjured up in my mind of picnic food laying unattended in the sun with flies, ants, and centipedes having their way with it as an unattended child, hands gleaming with the grease of an earlier food encounter, shovels steaming mayonnaise into its mouth.

Last night I ruined a personal record in avoiding buffets when I attended “Golden Corral” with my family in the celebration of my grandmother’s 86th birthday.  It took only five minutes for me to remember what made me avoid them in the first place.

I’ll ignore the fact that the floor was sticky, the chairs were sticky, the tables were sticky, the walls were sticky, the employees appeared to be sticky, and after 10 minutes somehow my hands were sticky.

I’ll ignore how the line to the cashier resembled the weave of those steel railings which lead to a ride at an amusement park.

“ALL YOU CAN EAT! $9.99” a sign screeched in bright red lettering at anyone in the foyer of the restaurant. The sign only said All you CAN eat! Not ‘All you should eat’ or ‘All that is healthy to eat’ or ‘All we’ll allow you to eat.’ Noooo, it was all you CAN eat. If you’re able to eat it, you’re allowed to eat it, because you should and it’s healthy! Basically I think they were saying that most people might want to chew their food but if you are in that minority of the population that considers chewing an affront to common social standards, by all means, gulp your food the way a thirsty person gulps refreshing water.

Ah-choo! *sniff*

A few years ago I came to the independent conclusion that anything which needs a so-called “Sneeze shield” to protect it isn’t going to find its way into my mouth. You know what a sneeze shield is. It’s the big slanted piece of glass you stare through and see the food on the other side. An awkward stooping at the knees and over-extended reach of the arm is required to attain food. Sneeze shield? Oh, I get it. The food goes UNDER it…to protect it from what else but a sneeze! I guess a sneeze shield in and of itself doesn’t bother me as much as the ideology behind the reason for their invention. Some hundreds of years ago, there was probably a slew of unshielded buffets. Then some health inspector/ doctor type said to himself “I wonder if some kind of covering over the community food would help to stem this outbreak of whooping cough!” And lo! The sneeze shield was born. Of course the earliest sneeze shields were made either of wood or leaves. But at least they became invented.

“Don’t worry bro, our food is good. We’ve got brand-new sneeze shields.”

“Ooh, they’re so clean! So shiny! Whoops, except for this one…looks like someone sneezed on it. Ah well, I don’t think it hit the lettuce… although I wouldn’t try any croutons until they replace that batch.”

“Oh no prob. Here, let me Windex that right up (Lots of spritzing over the food).

Ugh. Buffets remind me of a community food trough. Hey! Free microbes!

Yummo.

My parents pointed out the sign advertising shrimp. Expecting, I guess, that I would share in their awe of the availability of such a delectable dish at a buffet! My only response was a disparaging look and the admonition that “I don’t like seafood.”

Shrimp? SHRIMP? If those things lived on land, we’d buy sprays and traps to keep them off our lawns and out of our houses! Same with crab! “Oh darn,” I’d say to my wife, “Time to go to the hardware store and get some good strong crab traps.” The horror of the texture alone should be enough to dissuade even the most hearty proponent. Then factor in the taste and you’ve got a recipe for something that, if it took human form, would resemble the monster Grendel. And I’m no Beowulf.

I had frog legs once. Know what they tasted like? A swamp. A big, green, algae-infested swamp with mosquitoes and malaria and Kermit the Frog singing “The Rainbow Connection” on a moldy old tree stump. Shrimp, crab, frog legs: they all taste like a swamp! Maybe occasionally you’ll hit one that tastes like licking the underside of an old John-Deere riding lawnmower. Consider yourself lucky. I hate the texture, the taste, the look, the idea. I don’t eat things that a. have feelers or b. start off as a tadpole. Sorry. Whoever the guy was that first said “Frog legs? Sure, they taste just like chicken” was a mental. Apparently someone out there was raising chickens in swamps to make sure they absorbed all that natural swampy goodness.

Everbody Just Party Down

I can see it all now. Some mook trying to buy a house has to have it inspected. The inspector comes out, inspects the house and in a somber tone manages to whisper through his tears to the future homeowner, “I’m sorry! You’ve got….shrimp.” “NOOOOO,” Screams the schmuck, “WHY ME?!” On land there would be no stopping them. Even the most potent “Shrimp-Away-Spray” would only be a temporary solution until they ate right through the timbers and joists that hold up your WHOLE HOUSE.

Light Bulb!

Ooh, Ideaaa! Know how some whales strain krill through their baleen and eat millions in a single salty gulp? Let’s serve krill at restaurants! They’re really just teensy tiny shrimp anyway. They could be like a shrimp flavored coffee. Mmmmmmmm… Hot Krill. Just like Mom used to strain through her baleen.

 

My Personal Baleen

 +

Their Krill

 =

The Perfect Storm.