i found this article on theooze today, and it really resonated with me: http://www.theooze.com/articles/article.cfm?id=654 it asks the essential question "how burgeois is the emerging church?" you see, i've been reading a lot put out there by people in the "emerging church" and "missional communities," and i like what people have to say a lot. but does this really relate to the people in our neighborhoods who can't even think of affording internet access? we're asking all of these huge, philisophical questions, but what about the simpler questions like "how is my neighbor going to pay for their groceries this week?" it's hard for me to take the time to know my neighbor and her needs when we're isolating ourselves in our ivory tower, putting forth questions that can really only be asked from a middle-class position of power. are our communities really incarnational in our larger world if we spend all of our time flying to conferences and roundtables? the early church "sold all that they had and gave to each as they had need..." but how can we do that if we keep buying plane tickets to visit "the emerging church" around the world? just a few ranting thoughts for the midmorning.