"Change in Tide" - part 3

Translation of the article "Mudança de Maré", published by "Cristianismo Hoje" (Christianity Today), issue #9, in Brazil, written by Sulamita Ricardo.

Translation by Gustavo K-fé Frederico.

( See part 1 here. See part 2 here. )

Continuing. Part 3:

" But for pastor Baggio, the concept of Emerging Church is much greater than that. "It would be the place for those who are tired of the methodology of the current churches and are seeking alternatives", he defines. For the emergents, the labels have no importance. "It is not this recognition that motivates people inolved with this trend, but with a sincere desire to live and to communicate the Christian faith in this world in transition", he explains. According to him, the movement in Brazil is not strong yet. However, some isolated actions throughout the country start to be known, such as La Red del Camino, that functions in the south of the country, and the Tribal Generation, that had many conferences. "What we have is people in many places that show interest for the subject and try to know what it is about. The emerging churches are more families than institutions, more communities than gatherings", concludes the leader.

Pastor Carlos Oswaldo, leader of the Organização Palavra da Vida [Word of Life Fellowship], says that the principles defended by the Emerging Church are not new. "Some of the general propositions of the movement were recycled some times in the last 40 years", he points out. He is worried with some of the methods used by the group for achieving its goals - including many concessions to the postmodern thought. "Some of the voices of the movement adopt an attitude that could be called 'evangelical agnosticism', as contradictory as the expression may be ", criticizes he.

"The Emerging Church will have positive points if it is considered only one more non-institutionalized movement, with no pretension of offering pre-build answers or to present new truths", adds pastor Ed René Kivitz, in turn - the leader of Água Branca Baptist Church in São Paulo. He admits the sympathy he has for the movement, but he recalls that he prefers the context of the Latinamerican theology, on which he has walked on. For Kivitz, the platform of ideas that maintain this ecclesiastic branch must avoid solutions [that would appear] too natural, based on trendy fashion or "how-to" recipies.

"

to be continued...