Thabiti,
I, too, agree entirely with your first observation that it doesn't make sense to say, "We're just asking questions but not looking for answers" (see my last post for context). In fact, there are so many things wrong with that statement I'm not sure where to begin. First, it's logically flawed. A question that admits of no answers is not really a question. It's a statement. In that sense, it's either tautological or, worse, disingenuous. Second, it may evidence a kind of spiritual pride, at least it does insofar as it presumes to know and dismiss the answers even before they're given. Third, it's culturally naïve or unaware. It fails to recognize how much of the relativistic, anti-God postmodern ethos it has imbibed. I could go on. Yes, all of these statements need to be qualified, but you get the gist.

(Here's one important qualification: I don't mean to identify the author of the quotation in my prior post with these critiques. Other posts of his, such as this one, demonstrate that his own approach to theology is willing to provide concrete "answers.")

But here's the shocker, Thabiti. His statement makes intuitive cultural sense to me. It resonates with an old way of thinking, and I trust it resonates with many of the young pastors and seminarians "out there." In fact, having grown up in mainstream, conservative evangelicalism, I might have "gone emerging" if I hadn't been snatched up by the loving, embracing community and powerful pulpit ministry of Capitol Hill Baptist Church.

How does it resonate? First, stylistically. That's just how people these days talk. Second, I agree with many of the emerging church's critiques of conservative evangelicalism. But third, most significantly, it resonates because it embodies the deep suspicion our generation bears toward all authority, just like postmodernism. That's really all the quotation I posted said: "We don't trust authority. So nobody had better answer our 'questions.'"

The sad thing is, of course, the emerging church has baptized this kind of thinking into the church.

Now, from the standpoint of this fallen world, the emerging church is exactly right to be so suspicious (see John 2:23-25!). But this is precisely the thing that should not be baptized into the "kingdom" of God. The kingdom (or redemptive rule) of God is where authority is supposed to be regenerated, born again, and made a life-authoring thing (see how God's authority is used in Ps. 8). Yes, churches corrupt and abuse authority. But the point is, Christians should begin the difficult and complex task of trying to work out (in a Philippians 2:12 sense) a regenerated and redeemed practice of authority; we shouldn't simply adopt the cynical postmodern posture toward it.

Therefore, Thabiti, I posted this for you and other pastors for two reasons: First, it presents one very concrete example of how many Christians are baptizing postmodernism into the church. We need to be able to recognize this. Second, you and I love the emerging church. After all, many of them are Christians! And I guess I want to say to all the young pastors and seminarians "out there," who, like me, find a certain cultural resonance in the emerging church, "There's another way, friends!!!"