Emergent and Liberal

So my friend/pastor recently wrote a post about a conversation she had with her husband. While this post was interesting, the comments are what i loved. I ended up leaving a post and my computer sucked it up and deleted the post before i could submit it. So i thought i would post my response here. The question was about is the emergent church movement moving towards relativism and universialism. Which is quite the common criticism. But a completly irrelevant one. And here are my thoughts.
This is kind of a straw man argument against the emergent movement but I see how it happens. I believe that the emergent movement is a reaction out of what my generation has seen from the clergy. We were told that the clergy spoke for God and that the had "The Truth" and were just preaching "The Bible." Then we saw these people fall from grace and relaized that they are just human like us all. (Note: See Ted Haggard. He is a man just like us all, and I would not wish my issues hung out for everyone because I would shame Christian Faith with my actions.) However, we are a generation that saw the popular and the local fall and be just like us. If the pastor or the gatekeeper is just like us, then the question arises if we a person can arrive.
One of the most amazing things i have seen in years is Jay Bakker. I am not sure if i believe the same things as he does, but he is honnest. ANd he is broken (just like me), and he acknowledges that. And he realizes that brokeness is not a red card for ministry.
Jay Bakker is the son of Jim and Tammy Faye... and he still loves jesus and still has grace that is amazing.
So there is the preabmle... The real issue is that the emergent movement does not strive to take a stand, or make "truth" claims... That is nto to say they are relativistic or weak in philosophy. It is to say we are humble. In Rob Bell's book, Velvet Elvis, he talks about how the early apostles came to descisions but left room to understand they are falible. Thus they issued their beliefs as it "seems" that the Holy Spirit says this... Not "to be a Christian you must say this." The amazing thing about the emergent movement is that it strives to be humble and say "This is where i am at in ther journey, and I am open to God Correcting me."
This is Scary! I can here people say "But what about (insert issue here)" and needing an answer. But I don't think it is that easy. We can have convictions, but just because we have convictions doesn't mean that they are applicable to everyone or even that they are from God. I assume that Satan has some pretty stong convictions too.
All that being said. I really see that discord and conversation is something from God. It is obvious in the scripture that he has this dialogue with himself. Jesus request God to have this cup pass from him if it is possible (referring to being crusified) and the God-Head and the God-Man are the same entity. But we are made in God's image. Thus, i think questioning and conversatoin is part of that image. And the inability to know "Truth" for certain things is part of the fall. This is where God's grace comes in. He forgives and makes our knowledge perfect in the next, and not now. Thus can I really know "the truth," or be so concieded to say that my opinon is simiply just what "the bible says." NO! God wants me to engage in the process of Grace, and stumble along the way, and make his sacrifice worthwhile, and engage in the wonderful world he created and redeemed.
So I am no relativist, or universialist, but I believe that God's grace is big, and I don't know how or who it is imparted to ,but I think it is amazing and a mircle and I have my thougthts, but I am ok with being wrong.
And that is where I am at.

Please comment. I love to hear from others.