Page 13-14 - The Warrior

Opinions
A New Reformation?
Exploring the Emerging Church
By Caitlin Mulvihill
Opinions Editor
With every passing decade, new
technological development, political
climate, and social landscape comes a
transformation in ideology. The western
world has made a shift from modern to
postmodern thought, heavily impacting
they way in which church relates to culture.
As a result of these philosophical and
cultural shifts, many typical evangelical
practices do not seem relevant to the
challenges of postmodern culture. During
the past few years, the western world has
begun to witness a movement, a sort of
reformation of church, in reaction to these
concerns. This reactionary movement calls
itself “The Emerging Church,” which
describes the way that church is beginning
to look in a culture that is emerging.
Reconstructing The Church
The emerging church movement
is based off of the understanding that
Christ transcends culture, which is why
the gospel can be applied to any people
anywhere in the world at any time. The
cultural landscape of the western world
is considerably different from the way it
was decades ago, and it has been said “the
faith of the children looks different from
the faith of the fathers.” This change can
be primarily attributed to our culture’s
ideological shift into post-modernity. The
emerging church seeks to communicate
with the generation of relativity, “openmindedness,” and political correctness by
welcoming the asking of questions and
probing at ideas concerning faith.
Reconstructing Orthodoxy
The postmodern world has caused
many to reevaluate their beliefs about
Christianity because it is an orthodoxy that
requires a degree absolutism. Rather than
“preach” at a people who are unsure about
the nature of truth, the emerging church
tends to be more tolerant and works to
create a friendly setting for everyone to
express his or her ideas and beliefs. There
has been a significant theological shift
13
February 15, 2008
The Election: Quite
Frankly
by
Chris Meyer
Political Editorial Writer
Elections are often raw and distasteful affairs that involve so much mud
flinging that anyone caught in the warpath
is often decimated as the campaigners
continue upon the trail of politics. This
year, however, has a silver lining in the
fact that WE are on the cusp of making
true history, and as time marches onward,
seems likely that we will make history.
in the emerging church in which a more
subjective interpretation of doctrine is
shared and accepted.
Reconstructing Structure
The evangelical methods of doing
church—the business-like structure of the
buildings, positions of clergy, and practices
are often viewed in our culture as a barrier
between the church and the mainstream
public. In response, the emerging church
has sought to reform much of this structure
by organizing from below rather than topdown, depend on feedback for adaptation,
and are often not centrally run. Also,
worship practices are often characterized
by a shift back to “sacred” with the use
of candles and incense. Churches that are
emerging emphasize a more relational and
communal culture in which the members
engage in corporate prayer and recitation
as integral forms of worship.
Reevaluating Values
Dan Kimball, author of books
The Emerging Church and They Like
Jesus But Not The Church, as well as
pastor of Vintage Faith Church in Santa
Cruz points out several values held by
the evangelical church that he believes
to be worth reevaluation. Among these
specified evangelical tendencies are
the church’s association with a distinct
political agenda, the reputation for being
judgmental and negative toward culture,
the inability to respond to homosexuals in
ways that communicate love and respect,
and a decided sense of arrogance toward
The candidate who I feel is most likely
to take a seat in the oval office come the
end of the general election in November is Barack Obama. With his growing
momentum, many liberals have become
frustrated because the ticket they had ultimately hoped to run, (Hillary with Obama
as her VP), is no longer a possibility because Barack wont give up his shot at the
Presidency. The other issue that Hillary
faces is appealing to the Republicans during the general election, a task that seems
challenging given her unpopularity with
staunch conervatives. Hillary is desperately ramping her campaign up because if
Continued on page 14
Continued on page 14
Restaurant Review
Steamer’s Grillhouse, Los Gatos
Photograph by George Sakkestad
By Christine Byrne
Junior Features Editor
Steamer’s is a chic
grillhouse located in the heart of
Los Gatos. Its menu has a diverse
array of pasta, vegetables, seafood,
and steak. Its California fresh
cuisine is appealing to all, because
there is something for everyone
on the menu. The atmosphere
inside Steamer’s Grillhouse is
aesthetically pleasing, with warm
copper tones and colorful sage
and auburn accents, it makes the
perfect setting for a date, a party,
or a family dinner.
As a guide for dining
at this spectacular restaurant,
the Journalism class came up with a list
of our personal favorites after dining
there together. As an appetizer the CrabArtichoke Dip was a hit. The dip was served
fresh out of the oven. Toasted pita bread
was delightfully fanned around the copper
bowl of dip as “chips” to scoop out the dip.
We also enjoyed the light, crispy calamari
with a roasted garlic- chive aioli
to flavor the fried delicacy.
Two of our favorite
salads were the Caesar salad and
the Pear salad. The romaine was
kept whole (unchopped), with
long toasted croutons, and finally
drizzled with a creamy Caesar
dressing. The Pear salad was
sweet, fruity, and tasty accented
with roasted pear, walnuts, and
pomegranate seeds. The dish was
garnished with a light champagne
vinaigrette.
The greatest entrees
were the Aged Midwest Filet
Mignon, the Oven Roasted Free
Range Chicken, and the Crispy Prawns. The
flavors in all of these dishes were diverse and a
delight for the palate. All of these entrees were
cooked to perfection and artistically displayed.
Before you go, be sure to make reservations.
This hotspot gets filled up fast! Steamer’s
Grillhouse is and excellent dining spot for any
occasion. Bon Appétit!
Photograph by Kathy De La Torre
14 THE WARRIOR
www.valleychristian.net
Exploring the Emerging Church
Continued from page 13
those who the church disagrees with. The
Emerging Church movement seeks to
combat these inclinations by making an
effort to be positive agents of change who
are humble and respectful toward others.
Value is also placed on helping individuals
become thoughtful theologians who
strive to understand opposing ideas. Most
distinctly, The Emerging Church is also
highly involved in social justice issues,
and makes a point of displaying Christ’s
compassion through service to those who
have a hard time speaking for themselves.
The idea that the gospel transcends
shifts in cultural ideology is central to its
message, and many find relief in knowing
that God meets them where they are. The
world has seen many reforms in the way the
church relates with people, many of which
have been welcome. However, the new ways
of doing worship and relating with doctrine
continued from page
that have become trendy in the emerging
church might not be entirely “sunshine
and puppies,” and many theologians and
thinkers are concerned. There is great
danger in looking at scripture through the
lens of relativism, dismissing fundamental
doctrine, and integrating secular ideas
about the nature of sexuality and sin into a
Christian belief system. Christianity calls
humans to accept the idea that truth exists,
that truth is available, and beyond that, to
believe that truth is found in the person
of Christ. The latter is certainly nonnegotiable, and while it is easy to integrate
one’s self into a community that seems to
have a more modern grasp on faith, it is
prudent to consider the wider implications
that are being made about truth, God, and
scripture. Embracing change in a changing
world is often a good thing...lets just
remember to hold on to what we know to
be true in the process.
The Election: Quite Frankly
13
she doesn’t garner a nomination this year
her next realistic chance is 2016, and that
may be far too late for Clinton who will be
76 years of age at that time. This year, the
republicans are running with a weak lineup
with only McCain and Huckabee left in the
running for nomination. Neither candidate
leaves a distinct impression with the moderate majority of the United States. Huckabee and his religious conservatism has the
fervent support of much of the Evangelical
community, but proves largely ineffective
with the majority of the population. McCain, however, faces a different problem,
and that is his age. Many people feel he
is “too old” to be elected president at 69.
While I don’t share this opinion, it may be
enough to deprive him of the White House
in favor of far younger Obama or Clinton.
With all of this rigmarole we have forgotten one of the most important aspects of
the election though, and that is the passing
of the torch to the next generation and allowing them to be in on that decision. This
year has yielded some record breaking voter turnout and the youth vote is certainly
moving and worth considering. This year,
everyone who votes will be a part of history no matter who ends up being elected!
Opinions
New on DVD: Becoming Jane
February 15, 2008
By Kaitlyn Baker
Assistant News Editor
For all fans of the beloved author
Jane Austen, the film Becoming Jane has
been released on DVD this week. This
movie, the most recent depiction of Jane
Austen’s life, is a must-have for any lover
of the famous British novelist.
Following in the footsteps of the
widely successful film adaptations of Jane
Austen’s Sense and Sensibility (1995)
and Pride and
Prejudice (2005),
Becoming Jane
was an instant hit
when it premiered
in August last
year. The movie
portrays
the
events in Jane
Austen’s
early
life and how they
corresponded to
the
fascinating
characters
and
events in her
novels. Becoming
Jane stars Anne
Hathaway
as
Jane and James
McAvoy as her lover, Tom Lefroy. Both
Hathaway and McAvoy give stunning
performances and work extremely well
together. With her experience from movies
like The Princess Diaries and The Devil
Wears Prada, Hathaway once again
masterfully plays a unique and somewhat
awkward yet headstrong and courageous
character. James McAvoy, who some will
recognize from his role as Mr. Tumnus in
The Chronicles of Narnia and also from his
role in the new movie Atonement, gives a
captivating performance as well.
Becoming Jane tells the story of
Austen’s youth and her romance with “bad
boy” Tom Lefroy. At first, the two are an
unlikely match – Austen is conservative,
reserved, and highly intelligent, while
Lefroy is unpredictable, outgoing, and
mischievous. People familiar with Austen’s
work will recognize the similarities
between McAvoy’s character Tom Lefroy
and the arrogant Mr. Darcy from the novel
Pride and Prejudice. Yet the more Jane gets
to know Tom Lefroy, the less she dislikes
him, and eventually the two fall in love.
Unfortunately for all hopeless romantics,
the film tried to portray Austen’s life as
accurately as possible, so don’t expect
a happy ending like the ones that always
concluded her novels.