Wright and Emergent

Justin has posed an interesting question at the reformation21 blog dealing with the connection between N.T. Wright and Emergent. He asks,

Do any of you guys have thoughts about why Emergent folks (like McLaren and Franke) are so grateful to and dependent upon the work of N.T. Wright, and why Bishop Wright seems to appreciate what they are trying to do?

I don't know about Bishop Wright's "appreciation" of the emerging church (and would be curious to hear why people like McLaren appreciate his work), but he did do an Open Source Theology Conference in 2004. You can find the audio from the conference here.

In the first session, Wright makes some introductory comments about how he finds it odd that these folks have an affinity for his work and want to hear him speak. Moreover, Wright makes some comments about how certain aspects of his theology could undermine the aims of those within the emerging movement and the critiques he has received from those within postmodern evangelicalism regarding his historiography.

Notwithstanding the connection between two, Wright's talks are fantastic-- and he makes mention of the UK study, Mission Shaped Church.

If you want to avoid the trouble of going through OST's page, you can download the sessions here:
Session 1: God's Future for the World has Arrived in the Person of Jesus
Session 2: Understanding and Implementing Jesus' Gospel in the Present
Session 3: Reimagining our Mission as God's Agents of New Creation in the World
Session 4: Fulfilling God's Kingdom Project for the World as a Mission Shaped Church

(Wright also mentions the UK study, Mission-Shaped Church at several points in the lectures)

UPDATE:
Phillip Ryken offers his opinion @ reformation21
Jeff Jue's response @ reformation21
Rick Phillips' response @ reformation21

Technorati Tags: Ecclesiology, Emerging Church, N.T. Wright

Comments

[andrew]

hi kev

i was at the conference last year, called The Future of the People of God. Good conference.

The theological stuff was good and very applicable to emerging church. but N.T. Wrights understanding of the emerging church and experience with it was quite thin. he appreciates it, yes, but he has only seen a few pieces of it. I am hoping his world will widen up as he gets more exposure to the emerging-missional church.

[Bruce]

Thanks for the post Kev. Some good stuff to check out.

[Shawn Doud]

I've cruised by here before and Googled "Goldsworrthy and NT Wright" and I was led here. I've been listening to the first two lectures recently. I've wanted to blog on it but afraid of the backlash!!

One comment of Wright's was enlightening. He spoke of GOd doing a new thing and offered Emergent as perhaps proof. The clincher for Wright: the church and the world are both antagonistic to Emergent or this re-reading that Wright is advocating. Since EC is getting attacked by both sides, they might just be right.

I thought his bit on Resurrection as New Creation was stellar along with the "1st day of the week" theology in the last chapters of John.