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Today we want to wrap up our discussion on Humanism and the Emergent Church.Then after our first break we’re going to talk about a topic that hits close to home but could (and sadly does) happen anywhere. A school district faced a challenge from some parents about a controversial book that is set to be introduced to incoming Freshmen next school year. You can read about that here. Note that there isn’t too much publicized yet in the national media, but just wait. Many parents are upset that they were uninformed and are learning about this in the local newspaper rather from their school board representatives.
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For our first discussion, some definitions: Christian Humanism is the belief that human freedom and individualism are intrinsic (natural) parts of, or are at least compatible with, Christian doctrine and practice. It is a philosophical union of Christian and humanist principles.
What is the emerging church? According to Wikipedia:
The emerging church favors the use of simple story and narrative. Members of the movement often place a high value on good works or social activism, including missional living. While some Evangelicals emphasize eternal salvation, many in the emerging church emphasize the here and now.
Some have noted a difference between the terms “emerging” and “Emergent.” While emerging is a wider, informal, church-based, global movement, Emergent refers to an official organization, the Emergent Village, associated with Brian McLaren, and has also been called the “Emergent stream.”
Mike, thanks for addressing my comment and the kind words! I love being able to discuss topics here. You mentioned a comment from the FCC chairman about automatically having access to opposing points of view. Could you post a link to this? I haven’t read about this anywhere. I agree that having things pop up that you didn’t ask for in the interest of fairness is wrong. But I haven’t seen anywhere that this is proposed.Instead, I see Net Neutrality as the opposite of this. Right now, if your ISP decides they don’t like a service or a website, they can restrict or block access to it for their customers, with no disclosure whatsoever. They might decide they don’t like a website politically, or they might decide that it is business competition. Either way, it is wrong. I think Net Neutrality is about more freedom and less restriction. I don’t like government regulation either, but I don’t think that ISP companies should be deciding what’s allowed on the internet any more than the government should.For example, Q90fm.com depends on people being able to access your service through their internet connection. What happens when Time Warner or AT&T decide that Q90 is a competing media company, or promotes hate speech, or whatever, and decides to slow or stop access to you by their customers?
Ben, you are spot on in your assessment. I will see if I can find a link to Copps’ comments. I heard them on air and will see if I can track them down. Censorship of the internet is a dangerous thing, particularly if the FCC and the federal government get their hands on it. We need to fight for new neutrality–but not allow the government to substitute one form of censorship with a more dangerous one. A recent Obama appointee to his communications team admires the Hugo Chavez model in Venezuela–Chavez controls virtually all communictions in that country and is becoming a brutal dictator.
Hey Mike, i think as well as the parents need to know, the KIDS need to know to opt out. In an honors english reading class, one of the books was a Brave New World (which i hear does have a good end moral and is considered a classic). I read a little into it, and for someone who struggles with pornography, the scenes described in the beginning of the book was something I didn’t want to touch. I asked the teacher, and she assigned me a different book (1984 by George Orwell). Kids need to know what is good for them and not, and have THEM opt out. Help them stand, because it’s hard for parents to know everything going on, but kids are smarter than you think. Being a good parent and teaching your kids will help your kids understand and make smart decisions.
Good for you for opting out, Trevor. When teachers hear a request like that from one of their own students (rather than a parent), I have to imagine it sends a powerful message–and one that will be respected! We do need to teach our kids that it’s not only okay but encouraged to opt out.