Emerging Women

Sorry this is posted a bit late in the day, but I wanted to wrap up this month’s discussion of Becky Garrison’s Rising from the Ashes. One question that was addressed in the final chapter “Moving Forward” was that of how those interviewed saw technology (blogs, podcasts) as tools to advance the gospel. Technology often plays a prominent role in emerging church and is the main point of connection for quite a few. Obviously we here use technology as a way to engage in conversation which otherwise wouldn’t be possible, so I was interested in the responses given to this question. To quote a few –

Nadia Bolz-Weber – “Technology is neutral. The intentionality around its use is what makes it work for good or evil. … I see me blog as a ministry, a little piece of the Internet for the lunatic fringe of the church.” (p. 156)

Cheryl Lawrie – “Only have blogs or podcasts if you have something to say. Technology shouldn’t be automatic tool. It isolates and divides communities as much as it brings us together.” (p. 158)

Kester Brewin - “Blogging will settle down. There’s currently too much noise… too many people talking for it really to be called a conversation.”

Isaac Everett – “When the gospel was translated into German and people could read the Bible for themselves, it changed theology and it changed the church. Blogs and podcasts are doing similar things; they’re leveling the playing field and allowing anyone to be published. Authority and influence aren’t mediated commodities anymore.”

What is your take on the role of technology in spreading the gospel?

Are there dangers in using mediums like blogs and podcasts?

Do you see blogs as creating too much noise or as means of leveling the field and letting the marginalized have a voice?

The editorial staff of Next-Wave would like to invite Emerging Women bloggers to submit their “Lenten Reflections” for our February issue. Please email submissions for this (or future issues) to Bob Hyatt at bob@evergreenlife.org. Thanks!

In light of the recent discussion here regarding different expressions of Christianity around the world, I want to point out a recent Synchroblog put together by Matt Stone on Christianity in Australia. In honor of Australia Day, he invited bloggers from around Australia to comment on “What does it mean to be a Christian who’s Australian? What does it mean to be an Australian who’s a Christian?” He has provided his own thoughts and provides links to the other participating bloggers. It is well worth the read so I advise you to head over there to check it out.

There were a number of great posts to highlight in this Weekly Roundup. I encourage everyone to follow the links and discover what these women are blogging about!

Robin gives her thoughts on McLaren’s book Everything Must Change and wonders how best to interact with the world.

Read about being accepted in the beloved over at Sensous Wife.

Kathy writes about the flogging machine – or to clarify how we treat ourselves when we make mistakes.

Check out a perspective of gender roles in the church through the eyes of a three year old over at On Raven Street.

Amy has some insightful thoughts on what it means to submit to Jesus.

Erin writes on the quest for freedom from the expectations of being a “Christian Woman” here and here.

and I write about Embracing Deconstruction.

The Chicago Tribune ran a fascinating article today about the state of women’s equality in Nepal (read the article here). In Nepal women traditionally have few rights. They are married before puberty, often die in childbirth, and until recently it was legal for them to be beaten by their husbands. But during the decade long Maoist insurgency they heard the promise of equality and fought as equals alongside the men. Yet as the fighting has given way to politics, that promise of equality is dissolving before their eyes. While the men setting up the new government say they support equal rights for women, it is clear that women are not a priority. So women find themselves shut out of the new government with no voice in the system they helped to install. They also are unable to return to their rural homes where unlike the men returning as war heroes, they are viewed as having lost their honor because of their serving alongside men as soldiers. Basically they are being told to wait until its the right time for the men to make everything better for them.

My heart goes out to these women who are being sent such conflicting messages regarding their worth and identity. To be called equals and given opportunities when it was convenient for the men and then pushed aside as a distraction is a devastating turn of events. It unfortunately reminds me a bit too much of the treatment women often receive within the church. So I’ll be interested to see how the plight of the Nepalese women unfolds.

We continue this week in our discussion of Becky Garrison’s Rising from the Ashes: Rethinking Church. I’ve appreciated reading this book for a number of reason, but especially for how it reveals the diversity of ways people are rethinking how we do church. The interviews included in the book represent voices from different countries and church backgrounds. The issue that appear important and how the church responds differ from context to context. I was especially interested in seeing how the emerging/missional streams are expressed in different countries.

In my American context I see people in this conversation beginning to realize that not all expressions of the emerging conversation are the same, but we often fail to realize how different the conversation is in places like England or Australia (just to limit it to places that share a common language at least!). While such differences are not the main theme of this book, it serves as a good resource to highlight them nonetheless.

In his interview, Jonny Baker mentions the differences between the UK Alternative Worship movement and the emerging conversation. He mentions too that “one of the huge differences between the uk and the us is that in the uk a lot of the emerging stuff has happened in and around the edges of the main denominations – particularly the [church of england].” (p.18). And Steve Croft of England speaks of differing terminology – “the phrase ‘Fresh Expression of Church’ was a neutral term. We wanted to find a new useful phrase to describe a collective range of phenomenon such as emerging church, alternative worship, and new ways of being the church.” (p21).

And when asked why the emerging church conversation has been going on longer in the UK than in the US, Ian Mobsby replied – “because there is more of a crisis of faith in the church in the UK than there is in the US – we are slightly ahead of you in the postmodern context – and this is why Australia and New Zealand are ahead of us both – as they have an increasingly post Christian postmodern culture.” (p. 28)

So I ask the questions to us here -

How do you respond to these differences?
Have you noticed how the conversation varies from country to country?
What are the major differences that you see at play?

And it would be great to hear from our members from around the world on this.

Check out these great posts from Emerging Women bloggers this past week. Enjoy!

Jemila writes on mindfulness and family.

Jan reflects on what it really means to have work experience.

The Justice and Compassion Blog posted an “American” version of the Sermon on the Mount.

Carmen writes on the subversive and dangerous women in the Bible.

Kathy has some good thoughts on moving mountains and changing the world.