A Ministry of the School of Theology and Christian Ministry—Olivet Nazarene University
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Youth Ministry

2/01/10

Do You Have to Be Angry to be Emergent?

 

Do you have to be angry to be emergent? My most basic concerns about the emerging church conversation are really not theological. That is to say, while there are theological issues I would like to pursue in that conversation that is not significantly different from the ongoing theological conversation of the church in any time. What adds a problematic dimension to this conversation is the tone that seems to be characteristically present.

Let me acknowledge at the outset that any general consideration of the emerging church is an impossible task. The very nature of the conversation defies easy categorization. Proposals range from radical to incremental reform. So, any generalization can be easily critiqued. Nevertheless, it seems to me that there are some patterns that are, at the least, recurring.

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Author Profile

Carl Leth is Professor of Theology and Dean of the School of Theology and Christian Ministry at Olivet Nazarene University.  He is a graduate of Duke University where he earned his Ph.D. in historical theology with a focus of study in late medieval and Reformation studies. His teaching focuses on theology, the Reformation era, Augustine, and Worship.

Prior to coming to Olivet in 2003  he served 23 years as a pastor in Kaiserslautern, Germany; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Detroit, Michigan. He has written one book, A Holy Encounter, contributed to 13 other books and has been published in numerous periodicals. His current projects include holiness as inaugurated eschatology, a Christian response to homosexuality, and practiced holiness ecclesiology.

He and his wife, Nancy, live in a historic district of Kankakee, Illinois in a century-old house they have been renovating. They have six children, including four siblings from Haiti they adopted in 2004. Their home is perpetually active and a working test case for the claims of holiness. The jury is still out.