Stumble it!
I have friends who are dubious of movements (one friend even compares “movements” to bowel movements and says that the only thing they’re good for is to be flushed). In general I suspect that most of us sit within the confines of a love hate relationship with trendiness. Ever since the dizzying highs of youth camp were followed by the soul crushing shallows of “back to school” we learned to be wary of “riding the wave”.
And I can’t help but wonder if there were some disciples (maybe Thomas) who were dubious of the explosive growth of Pentecost. Maybe they were figity and thought that “this Jesus Movement” was catching on to fast. I’m certain that the Jerusalem gang was annoyed and suspicious of the newly developed Gentile market Paul had targeted. Because…maybe…world over, time tested, human conditioned, we would rather be unique. There’s a desire to be the ONLY fan of that really obscure band (and then when they hit Billboard’s Top 100 list we call them sellouts even though their music hasn’t changed a bit from when we LOVED them). There’s a guilty pleasure we take in knowing that we were the FIRST to read the book, sign the petition, or discover the latest experience of the Spirit. And then…then…then when others read, sign, and discover we label the whole a MOVEMENT and demand that it be flushed. Because we’re not into living in the buzz. We don’t like buzz, can’t handle the noise of other’s clamoring for our pet project.
That’s why I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of the original “emergers” emerge to something else; the alt-worshipers will find a new alternative; the house churches will recklessly move forward and find a smaller and even MORE insular world (maybe a closet–imagine CLOSET CHURCH)…because that’s what we do when others come on board–we jump. That’s what I do.
So in a way the anti-movement folks who protest vehemently our participation are really just the master movement–the original movement–the matrix around the matrix.
I’ve got an idea…let’s stop competing to be in or out of movements…let’s just learn to follow Spirit…if only with a hundred and twenty people in an upper room or five thousand in an ornate courtyard…let’s just keep following him…isn’t that the important part, his movement?
Filed under: emerging | Tagged: alt-worship, anti-authority, anti-establishment, emergent church, Holy Spirit, house church, movements, new religious movements
I remember when alternative music was just that. It was something ‘other’ than what was being offered by popular culture.
It was, for the most part, unique, authentic, and had “spirit”.
After a while, instead of folks being true to themselves, being authentic, unique, and “spiritual”, they were so impressed with the sounds that were coming from the alternative bands, that they just wanted to be like them, and fit in with that crowd.
The true ‘alternative’ music never stopped coming, but it just wasn’t as easily accessible as the ‘pop’ alternative stuff that was catching on with the masses.
I remember one little club in Florida which consistently offered incredible live atl. music performances every week.
It was great. The atmosphere, for the most part was neat too. Not too ‘cliquey’ but not at all ‘pop’ either.
It was quite an enigmatic environment.
Over the years the staff changed, the place relocated, and now….well…now the music, last time I spent any time there, was horrible,….shallow….ugh!
My point in all of this is that when we start compartmentalizing, crystallizing, and duplicating the things that are genuine expressions of quality and authenticity, we run the risk of forcing them to become something altogether different from what they were meant to be.
Most of the ‘alt’ musicians that I have known personally could care less what category you lump them in with. When it comes right down to it their concern is, “Am I honestly expressing myself?” Not, “What label am I wearing”.
They (we) don’t really care about that.
I don’t blame folks for ‘jumping ship’ if the ship starts sinking down.
You are dead on right about following the Spirit. To me that is the same as saying ‘keep it authentic’, as opposed to saying “This is who we are, this what we do, this is the way we talk, these are the things we talk about…”
When the Anointing is present, it is up to us to go along with Him, if we don’t, then we just come up with our own little things to become proud of.
My particular frustration over movements is not the movement itself but people who gravitate toward them in some external way. This includes myself. All together Christianity is socially a movement. But if just come to the externals of the faith it’s not really faith. So while “movements” often have good points that bring to the forefront elements off God ignore and forgotten. That’s why I have no problem aligning myself with Charismatics of House Churchers even though I don’t agree with them in totality.