Dr. Grier

Since I am somewhat ADD with my thought processes, if I am doing a series on a subject, that does not mean that I can't interrupt it to post something different-like putting on hold my Shane Claiborne series to blog about something else. Although I represented UTM at a ministry conference yesterday, more importantly I had the chance to reconnect with one of my former profs from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary (also the former dean of the seminary as well), Dr. James M. Grier. He's been retired for some time now, but maintains a rigorous preaching and teaching schedule throughout the world.

I attended the two workshops that he taught, both of which intersected with post-modern thought and the emergent church. The first one, Certainty about Uncertainty, dealt with the ongoing conflict in Evangelical circles about the certainty, assurance, and confidence of truth. Dr. Grier has a unique gift of rising above all the noise of the debate, pointing out both the veracity and the errors that each side is making, and then presenting the orthodox position with a fresh new viewpoint. In this presentation, he tore down the modern idols of rationalism and empiricism that permeate Foundationalism, but steered away from replacing them with the post-modern idols of social relativism and pluralism, which regrettably, many emergents have allowed to seep into their epistemology. Even as Dr. Grier pecked away at more of the enlightenment's cancerous influences of the late 20th century and early 21st century (non-emergent) evangelical church, he makes clear God's self-disclosure as through nature, the scriptures, and the incarnate Son, Jesus Christ. In fact, he makes Scripture the central aspect of our Epistemology and ultimate standard of truth demonstrating how it can interpret and give significance to all of reality around us. If you are interested in hearing a longer, drawn out version of this presentation, download it from his website. jamesmgrier.org

His second presentation, The Missional Church, really stepped on some toes. Since much of the emergent church has been associated with the term missional, he begins by identifying several characteristics of the emergent church, taken from Bolger and Gibbs book, Emerging churches. As he walked through these characteristics of the emergent church, he took aim at some of the sacred cows that exist in the typical evangelical church of today. For instance, while describing the characteristic, transforming secular space, Grier bemoans the fact that churches throughout North America have locked their resources into building programs and buildings that they use only a couple times a week. However, by transforming secular space, emergent churches free up more resources for the kingdom. At the same time, he feels that much of the emergent church has capitulated itself to post-modern culture, which is just as wrong. Instead, he proposes the church as an alternative community living out Missio Dei as a sign, instrument and foretaste of the kingdom of God.

Interestingly enough, Dr. Grier exposed the same idols as Shane Claiborne when explaining the church as an alternative community. With indignant disgust, he exhorted our group to get the American flag off the platform and out of the church so that people don't confuse kingdoms. He also exposed the idol of consumerism, including a modern day story of the rich young ruler. A man requested Dr. Grier as an accountability partner in the areas of purity, marriage, and devotions. Dr. Grier responded by asking to trade 1040 tax forms and the man retorted that his finances was his private business and thus withdrew his request of accountability.

Finally as Dr. Grier fleshed out a kingdom theology of the church, he took the evangelical church to task for their lack of commitment to God's mission in our nation's urban centers. Of course I was shouting Amens to that until the people around me gave me more than a few dirty looks.

Thank you Dr. Grier for continuing to articulate a scholarly, Biblical theology of these different issues in such a way that refuses to bow down to either the modern idols nor the post-modern idols.