Ancient/Future

Chris, in responding to my post on Emerging Church and Cultures, asked if ancient/future leanings are aspects of local theologies. That brings up another topic and I thought I would start a different thread.

Chris,
Yes, I see the ancient/future disposition as an element of developing a local theology. Within postmodern culture there is an eclecticism, one that seeks to borrow from the marginal voices outside the mainstream. Correspondingly, emerging churches borrow from many traditions and feel limited by just one. Traditions that seem to be the most retrieved are those that exist (ed) outside of the modern world, either in 1) ancient times or 2) modern times outside the West, or within 3) Western culture as minority faith traditions.

Besides a healthy eclecticism, there is nothing magic about the ancient per se. The key missiological benefit of these retrievals, in my opinion, is the positive example of communities whose lives embodied a faith that overcame the sacred/secular split -- where their spirituality encompassed all of life. These communities are exemplary role models for those looking to construct a 24-7 faith, one of our most pressing tasks today...

Technorati Tags: ancient/future_worship, Emerging_Church, Local_Theology, sacred/secular

Comments

[Chris]

Ryan, thanks for your insights regarding the growing fascination and pursuit of the more ancient faith practices. Viewing this as part of an embraced eclecticism is helpful. I'm wondering if such a desire to be eclectic is somehow akin to a darker and more dangerous 'syncretism'?

"The key missiological benefit of these retrievals, in my opinion, is the positive example of communities whose lives embodied a faith that overcame the sacred/secular split -- where their spirituality encompassed all of life. "

I agree, yet believe there's more to the ancient-future urge than this. In part, it's a desire to divest ourselves from our modern arrogance of developmental superiority (theologically as well as ecclesiologically), and in part it's the desire to anchor into the past in order to survive contemporary challenges to our faith (e.g. what survived past challenges will survive again).

You're also right about all this not being "magical", yet wouldn't you agree that the attraction to things-ancient is, in part, an attempt to re-value the mystical dimension of Christianity?

[Ryan Bolger]

Chris, great insights.
I agree to the benefits you listed --
To clarify -- spiritual practices that overcome the sacred-secular split are inherently non-modern and mystical, as modern culture is the only culture in history that created the sacred/secular dualism. Modernity's metanarrative includes the idea of unceasing progress. And you are right, these ancient practices overcome this modern, Western arrogant stance. But other local practices, current practices can do this too...My concern is if we do not worship/practice our faith in indigenous ways as well, we create a dualistic life -- one for worship, one for everything else.
So, once again, our eclecticism must include the present so that we bring our whole lives to God (as my alt-w friends like to say)...

I'm not sure what you mean by syncretism -- I don't see eclecticism as any more syncretistic than thoroughly modern forms of faith that stayed within one tradition, but this might be another thread...