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As we discuss our different ideas about church, theology, and everything, I have started to get concerned that we are getting disconnected from each other. It seems (to me) that what is happening is more like talking at each other than talking with each other. My guess is that there are competing desires for innovative thought and for steadfast doctrine. I think that both of those desires are good and Godly, and I want this website to be a place for both.
At the Village (and particuarly on this website), we have intentionally made space for what might be called "Bleeding Edge Theology." The term "bleeding edge," of course, is a cynical turn on "cutting edge." Whereas "cutting edge" reflects the idea that what is new and dynamic is always good, "bleeding edge" reflects the fact that, out at the fringes of development, things are not always clean and nice and perfect. Sometimes, progress is good; sometimes, it is a wound.
I want everybody to feel like they have the freedom both to explore new areas in theology, and to critique those explorations. I want people to post weird ideas without the fear of them being labeled as heretical; but I also want others to reflect back both the good and bad elements of those postings.
Together, I am convinced we are in the process of inventing a new culture, which will be uniquely Christian in nature, yet so relevant to the postmodern man that all will yearn to be part of it. To do that, we must hold steadfastly to all that is Christian while allowing ourselves to at least double-check all the assumptions of Christendom.
EDIT:
Some people were confused by what I wrote above, and wanted some clarification, so here's a little more detail into what I was thinking about.
"talking at vs. talking with"
One danger in these blogs, as I see it, is that, like most online media, they have a great potential for flame-wars. If we are more interested in posting & defending our own ideas than in encouraging others, then the blogs will become a destructive format very quickly.
This gets back to my previous post, about interpretation of experiences. We have the potential here, as we discuss theology, to divide ourselves into camps; old vs. new, dogma vs. progress, etc. This will only cause damage to all of us. Those sorts of fights have driven people away from our community before.
I want to make sure that, when we post, we are always posting in such a way that we are "talking with" the other person - considering, respecting, and reflecting his ideas - not "talking at" the person - simply stating one's own viewpoint.
Perhaps I'm oversensitive; maybe the discussion has been great, and nobody's sore about it. But I would rather be safe than sorry. People are too important. |
