I apologize to all of the die-hard Alan Roxburgh fans out there, but I had never heard of the guy until this week. I went to his seminar because I was intrigued by the title: God is always found in the most god-forsaken places. This has by far been my most thought provoking seminar. I would equate his seminar to a movie like Fight Club or Memento. You?re completely confused through almost the entire body of the thing and then at the end everything makes sense. Very cool. For time?s sake, I?m going to focus on the areas that hit me the hardest.
He started by talking about this thing called emergence. In his words, emergence is trying to see more than the obvious, to get below the surface, or ?[putting] George Barna in the toilet.? 
Emergence, he also said, MUST be linked to the past. If emergence has no link to the past, then it is just ?the new and the next? and then we find ourselves back where we started: in modernism. Whoa.
More on emerging to the past:
? Jane Jacobs ? why do cultures, groups die or disappear? Amnesia, loss of memory.
? Emergence must be connected with the past. Ie. Passover
? Memory is not history. Memory is now. Memory is more than information in our head.
? I am not an individual; I am my parent and their parents. I include the living past.
Why is this so important? Well, look in the Bible. Where does God show up? Where does emergence happen in Scripture? It happens in the most god-forsaken people and places. Some examples:
? Abram/Sarai ? nomads, gypsies
? H?bru ? no name, no one.
? Moses ? hiding in the desert
? Ruth ? no husband, no future
? Hosea
? Babylon ? Jeremiah 29
? Luke?s birth narrative ? two kids in Bethlehem
? Cross ? the most god-forsaken place in all history
Emergence is dependent on the past so that we know where we have come from, that we were nothing and no one. God?s future emerges from nobodies, losers. God says, ?Remember, you had no right to exist, but I have called you!?
Where are the most god-forsaken places today? (Some notes)
? The local congregation?!?!
? Commercialized gospel, too busy making life happen
? This is where God?s future will come
? John 20 ? frightened and confused apostles ? Jesus brings shalom! Peace.
? Weird? can this be where God?s future is?
? God?s future is not found in the new and the next.
? God?s future is in those who don?t get it, who don?t know what they?re doing.
? There are no universal answers, only confused people with God?s future and God?s people
? Being a leader is not having an answer, but one that cultivates environments that bring for the future ? by remembering! We can join God?s story.
Good stuff. I hope to bring more reflections on this later.
Here?s a clip. (10.8 Mb - 8:20)
Attention Mac Gurus: For some reason Quicktime Pro will not let me edit my movies (the options are all greyed out). If you have time, download one of them and see if you can help me out. Thanks!
That clip was very interseting, the interplay between emergence and continuity. the part regarding the body reminded of some of Justin’s questions on physicality.
Justin, thanks for the clip. Alan is indeed a thoughtful teacher of teachers.
Way back when I was still planting a “GenX” thing I found a little book by Alan called “reaching a new generation: strategies for tomorrow’s church” which was outstanding.
thanks again. And I’m thinking of and praying for Charlene.
Peace, dwight
I, too, enjoyed the clip. The physicality of faith and community is certainly a “hot” issue within the emerging conversation. How did other EC attendees generally responded to Alan’s ideas?
Adam at pomomusings bought the cd of Alan’s seminar and transcribed that last portion of it. It’s great to read his actual words as opposed to my bulleted notes. Check it out.