My First EMO Meeting!
So finally I become a participant… Well, still not really a participant! I was more trying to listen and see what I could learn from it rather than sharing my thoughts and views (not that I had much to say anyway, knowing nothing much about philosophy or postmodernism). I’m a little too shy for that! Plus, having all those pastors and seminary students around were quite intimidating for a first timer layman like me! But it was good to finally meet up with some of those bloggers in person! I also learned a few things about modernity and post-modernity, especially on their respective histories and contexts in which they came about.
One thing that really struck me was how the discussion would always be dragged back into our own context and practice as Christians here in Malaysia. Someone would always remind the group, “How do we apply that here?” or “How will that affect us?” I think this is a good way to go about these discussions, because they are always in danger of becoming detached from Christian praxis, or from our own Malaysian context (both of which I have been guilty of countless times in some of the discussions that I’ve been in!). It’s good to see Pastor Sivin and Emergent Malaysia moving towards that direction. I'm looking forward to the discussion on post-colonialism.
One thing that really struck me was how the discussion would always be dragged back into our own context and practice as Christians here in Malaysia. Someone would always remind the group, “How do we apply that here?” or “How will that affect us?” I think this is a good way to go about these discussions, because they are always in danger of becoming detached from Christian praxis, or from our own Malaysian context (both of which I have been guilty of countless times in some of the discussions that I’ve been in!). It’s good to see Pastor Sivin and Emergent Malaysia moving towards that direction. I'm looking forward to the discussion on post-colonialism.
posted by sojourner @ Tuesday, September 27, 2005
5 comments
5 Comments:
ehhehe... i was there too! Where did u sit? I was at the back row reserved for 'modernists' ahahaha!
(I have no formal paper too!)
I think in fact that one of the key objectives of groups like Emergent is to get all this teaching/ideas 'out from' theologians, pastors, etc. and 'towards' the layman and just about anyone who's keen...
btw, was I at your table? Are you the one who knows Joanne Ong? (I'm, err, the guy who confused everyone w Nietzsche & Co...) (smile)
to alwyn: yup! We sat at the same table! And I'm the guy who knows Joanne Ong. :P
I just came back from a consultation where the word "postmodern" was discussed a little in a session. I was not surprised to see and hear that many have not begun to be exposed or even grapple with the issues at hand.
The good thing is as usual we ask "what about us here?" which reflects a kind of "postcolonial" mood (for lack of a better term). And yet, at the same time ... I find it was also it's too tempting for us to see anything we are "uninformed" about as a disease ... tell you more some day or it might come out in a blog post.
Pastors are getting shy too - they too are afraid to show how ignorant they can be.
When you are in an Emergent conversation - pastors, theologians or students, we are all sojourners - our common designation.
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