More than a Feeling – Mike Witttmer Reminds Us to Believe
The keynote speaker at this year’s Paideia Conference was a guy named Mike Wittmer and his topic was How Can We Really Know Anything?
I was horrified.
The quickest way to get me angry during an intellectual conversation is to say “How can you really know anything is true?” when it looks like you are wrong. It happens all the time when someone’s thesis is challenged by the fact that no documents support their claim. They quickly appeal to abusive post-modernism and state that we don’t really know anything, anyway, so who cares? I don’t talk to these people more than once. (I tell them I don’t believe in them.)
So who was this Mike Wittmer guy and why was he talking about the same thing? As it turned out this guy was on his game; he quickly gained my respect and his blog has become one of my favorites. I have been very put out by the actions of the emergent church and was delighted to know that Mike Wittmer has met with emergent church leaders to point out the problems in their theology (or lack of it) and to encourage the church not to throw out the Bible. Mike Wittmer is a champion of the church – confronting those who seek to do it harm with their philosophy.
“It was always our dream that one of our songs would inspire a Christian book. Now, we can finally retire having accomplished all of our goals!”Mike reminded us that our beliefs are everything. He went on to talk about being a Christian in a doubting world that hangs on to abusively post-modern stands. In the question and answer section he displayed his intellectual prowess when confronted with tough questions; during a conversation with him I was delighted to discover that he is also something of a medievalist and we had a nice chat about early medieval thought. Mike Wittmer gave us sound logical/philosophical advice for our lives that was practical in helping us live out our faith. What more could an intellectual ask for?
Well, he could name his next book after a Led Zeppelin song, for starters. What is and What Should Never Be sounds like a good title. So does The Battle for Evermore. Or maybe a book about Catholocism titled The Wind Cries Mary? (Of course, when I think of the emergent church the first song that comes to mind is We’ve Got to Get Out of this Place.)
“Just think – 1 million people with the song Don’t Stop Believing by Journey stuck in their head! That’s our vision, folks!”
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hey Adam… thanks for this… that was a great post and I too am loving this man’s blog now… its so nice to see others fighting the good fight and doing it rightly…
Awesome pictures and captions. I was laughing out loud! And the song is stuck in my head…again….
Hmm…”What is and what should never be”…so many possibilities! 🙂
Go for it, Mike!!
Jason
Thanks, Adam! I’m thinking of a book with the title, “Faithfully,” (isn’t that also Journey?), but I’m not sure that an adverb works as a title. I hope you’re doing well in Texas. Aren’t things going to heat up for you real soon?
Any song other than “Any Way You Want It” would probably be fine if you’re sticking with Journey. (Although, some emergent is probably working on a counter-book with that title.) A
nd, yes, it’s going to 100+ around here soon. I love the heat but the local wimps will complain it about and act surprised like it doesn’t do that every year.
So, is Mike an emergING guy? A Driscoll or Chandler type? (I.e. Some who is postmodern with their methadology but not their theology?) Just curious…
No word that starts with “emerg…” is going to sum up Mike Wittmer. He’s a believer who attacks poor theology brought on by relativist philosophy.
I’m hoping those words (emergent/emerging) all disappear soon.
You know that there’s a difference between emergING and Emergent, right? Emergent may be considered emergING, but not all emergING are Emergent. In fact, most emergING seem to be against the Emergent like and for the same reasons as you seem to be. (I don’t know though. Maybe you’re really way more anti-postmodern than you look…)
Mark Driscoll describes the importance of keeping a closed fist when it comes to theology, but agrees with an open hand and postmodern approach concerning methodology. He describes three out of four components of the emerging church as being like minded in that regard and this super dangerous fourth movement (formally calling themselves Emergent) as being evil and “off the highway”, “lost in the woods”.
I’m aware of the difference and hate both words because they are confusing to people who have not been exposed to them. The discussion of “Emergent” vs. “Emerging” seems silly to me. If we are going to choose an alternative position let’s pick a word that doesn’t sound just like it.
Maybe for simplicities sake we should just stick with “post-modern innovators” (PI’s)….?
How about we start the “Emergentation Movement”? That should dispel any confusion. 😉
Kelly, Adam just may be more anti-postmodern than he appears at first glance 😉 but I think it’s imporant to note the distinction he makes (sublte as it may be) when he uses the phrase “abusive post-modern”, indicating his understanding that relativism isn’t actually post-modern at all, but is merely the flip-side of the same old coin: modern Cartesian epestemology.
WHAT!!?? 🙂 For more, see James K.A. Smith’s Who’s Afraid of Postmodernism (and my review of it: http://reneasbooklist.blogspot.com/2007/12/in-whos-afraid-of-postmodernism-james-k.html).
Quite right, Renea, very helpful!
I actually agree with Adam that the terminology is confusing. Unfortunately, it is also the current state of things. Hence why I tend to insist upon clarifying it when I perceive a possible slight being done to the emergING party because of the confusion between it and the Emergent party.
Of course, I also enjoy pushing Adam’s buttons a little bit. (That’s probably not very nice of me, right?)
Speaking of which: Adam, did you get your thing yet? 😛
No, he deserves it. 🙂