Thanks to friend of IM Fr. Ernesto Obregón for this testimony. A word from Chaplain Mike: As we begin our week of emphasis on the Ancient-Future movement, I thought it would good to hear the testimony of someone whose faith journey has taken him through different streams of tradition and ultimately led him to find [...]
The Ancient-Future Path
22 Aug by
By Chaplain Mike The second week of our conversations about “Three Streams of Post-Evangelicalism” will focus on what has been termed the “Ancient-Future” movement. Please remember that this is a DISCUSSION series… We are doing this precisely because we are NOT experts with regard to these movements. We want to learn more. We want to [...]
iMonk Classic: Review of “Deep Church”
21 Aug by
Classic iMonk Post by Michael Spencer Originally posted September 15, 2009 “A chastened, invigorated traditionalism, re-rooted in deeper, better soil and paying attention to the younger voices and cultural changes, is the better evangelical future.” Jim Belcher’s fine book, Deep Church: A Third Way Beyond Emerging and Traditional has been at the top of my [...]
A Simpler Emerging Way
20 Aug by
By Chaplain Mike When Jesus heard this, he said to him, ‘There is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ (Luke 18:22, NRSV) ‘When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your [...]
Where Is “Emerging” Now, and Where Is It Going?
17 Aug by
By Chaplain Mike According to Rick Bennett, aka DJ Word, the obituary for the Emerging Movement has already been written: MINNEAPOLIS — The Emerging Church, the controversial Christian movement that inspired many to plant churches, leave behind their faith and question authority, died in her sleep Thursday following a short illness. She was 21 (according [...]
Convince Me!
17 Aug by
By Chaplain Mike OK, you are going to find out today just how cantankerous and out of touch the ol’ Chaplain is. The longer I have been a believer in and follower of Jesus, the less I have been attracted to “movements” (“fads?”) in the church. I realize this puts me at odds with those [...]
The Emerging Movement: Getting the Big Picture
16 Aug by
By Chaplain Mike Series Note: This is the first in a series of posts on the Emerging Church, one of the three “streams” that has come forth from the old evangelical coalition. In future weeks, we will discuss the Ancient-Future movement, and the New Reformed Movement. Getting a handle on a movement as diverse as [...]
Three Streams in the Post-Evangelical Wilderness
16 Aug by
By Chaplain Mike Here at IM, we recently noted that Scot McKnight joined a conversation at Patheos on “The Future of Evangelicalism” with his article “The Old Coalition Is Passing.” In his article, Scot observes that the old coalition of evangelicalism has become fragmented into “alternatives and elements” rather than an identifiable coalition. In particular, [...]
Defining Terms: Evangelical and Post-Evangelical
28 Jul by
By Chaplain Mike “Dispatches from the Post-Evangelical Wilderness” is the byline of this website. In recent days I have received a number of questions from readers, emailers, and Facebook friends asking me to define “post-evangelical” for them. Here’s a review of how I, Chaplain Mike, use this designation. Michael Spencer called himself “post-evangelical,” and to [...]
