An Emerging Faith Conversation Group

Hello Friends. Since you have arrived on this blog page I will assume that you are, like me, a curious investigator of life. If so…then it’s my guess that, like me, you may also have some nagging questions about life and the spiritual journey or faith walk that your are on…questions that cannot be asked or addressed in the conventional religious institutions you attend because they are questions about orthodoxy and theology that might put you at risk of being branded a backslider or heretic if you dare to ask.

About eight years ago I began asking some of the questions that had been stuck in my soul for years but took time to really come to the surface with such pressure that I no longer could stay quiet. I felt very alone in my quest for greater understanding. I knew of no one that was asking the same questions, no one that is; until I discovered Brian McLaren’s book A New Kind of Christian. Before this discovery I felt that I either needed to live with the dissonance that I felt or leave my faith entirely. But, Brian’s book was like a rope thrown out to save me. In it I found that Brian too was asking these hard questions. I knew then that there was hope for me and all those like me. Since then I’ve discovered an entire world of people who are emerging into new understandings of old truths. It’s been a journey of new discoveries and great inner rewards.

It’s been several years since I’ve read one of Brian’s books, but I recently picked up his latest book A New Kind of Christianity (not to be confused with his first book with a similar name). This book has reignited my heart with the message of Jesus that has for so long evaded me, that the Kingdom of God is in us and among us NOW!...which begs the question Francis Schaeffer asked…”How Then Shall we Live?” and I would add…how then shall we rethink what we 'know' and open to the possiblity of learning new ways to live our spiritual life in the 21st century?

In his latest book Brian asks 10 questions that are most important to those of us who live daily with the knowledge that life cannot sustain itself in the ways we are living. The following are the topics he addresses:

1. The Narrative Question: What is the overarching story line of the Bible?
2. The Authority Question: How might the Bible be reunderstood?
3. The God Question: Is God violent?
4. The Jesus Question: Who is Jesus, and Jesus outside the lines?
5. The Gospel Question: What is the gospel’s message?
6. The Church Question: What about the church in the 21st century?
7. The Sex Question: Can we find a way to address human sexuality without fighting?
8 The Future Question: Can we find a better way of viewing the future?
9. The Pluralism Question: How should we relate to people of other religions?
10. The What-Do-We-Do-Now Question: How do we translate our quest into action?

These are questions that take courage to ask and to talk about. If these questions are ones that are on your mind but you haven’t yet found an arena to discuss them… then Phil and I would like to invite you to join us in a 10-12 week discussion on the above topics using A New Kind of Christianity as a springboard for discussion.

We would like to be clear that this is not a conversation for everyone. However, we do welcome those of all faiths and lifestyles who wish to enter the conversation with us. We have no desire to attempt to change anyone’s belief structure. So if you are not asking the above questions then this is definitely not a group you will be comfortable in.

However, if you are asking these or similar questions…then the following two quotes on the opening pages of this book will most likely resonate with you.

"Lord, we acknowledge that we have made a mess of what Jesus started. We affirm that we are wrong and Jesus is right. We choose not to defend what we have done and what we have become. We understand that many good Christians will not want to participate in our quest, and we welcome their charitable critique. We acknowledge that we have created many Christianities up to this point, and they call for reassessment and, in many cases, repentance. We choose to seek a better path into the future than the one we have been on. We desire to be born again as disciples of Christ. Now grant us the wisdom and guide us in our quest, and create something new and beautiful in and among us for the good of all creation and to your Glory, Living God.”
Prayer prayed by John Robinson, pastor of those who
were about to set sail for the new world on the Mayflower.

AND…

"Never accept and be content with unanalyzed assumptions, assumptions about the work, about the people, about the church or Christianity. Never be afraid to ask questions about the work we have inherited or the work we are doing. There is no question that should not be asked or that is outlawed. The day we are completely satisfied with what we have been doing; the day we have found the perfect, unchangeable system of work, the perfect answer, never in need of being corrected again, on that day we will know that we are wrong, that we have made the greatest mistake of all.”
Vincent J. Donovan

If you think you are interested in becoming a part of this conversation or you have questions about it then please contact me at karenholderbein@comcast.net

Depending on the response we will begin sometime in March and will decide what day we will meet based on the needs of the group.

Thanks for reading and bless you wherever you are on your journey of faith.

Phil and Karen Holderbein