EMERGENT ANARCHY: Shooting oneself in the foot!

Philosophical anarchy can be described as ...

A system of thinking in the field of knowledge which leads to a belief in the eradication of "all direct or coercive government as a political ideal" and that "proposes the cooperative and voluntary association of individuals and groups as the principal mode of organized society" without formal government.

Communism is and was is a philosophical anarchist movement, perverted and corrupt as it is and was.

Ecclesiastical anarchy can be described in a similar fashion ...

A system of thinking in the field of ecclesiology (or theology) which leads to a belief in the eradication of "all direct or coercive government as a theological ideal" (i.e., I think perhaps a pure theocracy) and that "proposes the cooperative and voluntary association of believers and churches as the principal mode of organized Christian society" without governmental hierarchy.

The emerging church movement is an ecclesiastical anarchist movement; as idealistic and energetic as it is, it is at its roots an ecclesiastical anarchy ... nothing more and nothing less.

Emergents are not alone today (2007) ... the Anglican Global Communion is currently having its own run-in with this destructive force. Ironically, just as amongst the Emergents, the Anglicans anarchists deny their classic anarchy.

Anarchists apparently do not understand or deny the power of collective wisdom and experience; instead they prefer to repeat past errors in order to experientially acquire an independent philosophy of life or worldview.

For those of us who continue honor history and tradition (those who desire but often fail to avoid the errors of the past), we see Emergents as dismissing the collective wisdom of our historical and theological ancestors, something human experience and Scripture warn against.

G. K. Chesteron: "tradition is only democracy extended through time." [Orthodoxy, chapter 4] He says we should give more credence to the hero than the historian for the latter was not there. He said he is more inclined to believe the democratic ideas of the masses over those of the literary classes since their collective wisdom is that of the ages and not the moment.

One should not trust the idealism of the youth over that of the seasoned and elder member of a tribe; even though that elder was at one time an idealistic youth with idealistic beliefs.

Anarchy, Christianity, Emergents, Idealism,
Orthodoxy, Traditionalism, Wisdom