National Youth Workers Convention

I had an interesting, and somewhat disheartening, experience at the Saturday night “Late Night Theology Discussion.” I was asked, in effect, to defend things that I didn’t say. That is, a well-meaning woman said, in effect, “In the seminar this morning, you didn’t say that you’re a realtivist and a universalist, but that’s what I heard.”

When I declared that I would not defend my own non-declarations, a guy chimed in with, “Yeah, that’s what I heard you saying, too, even though you didn’t really say it.”

Then I got a little more ornery, and I asked why in the world people would impute statements to me that they admit I have not said.

At that point, a couple people shouted from the back, “Way to go, Tony. We love what you’re doing. Keep it up!” I said, “Listen, I’m not trying to be a martyr here, I just want to know why is pinning me down so important? Why do you have such a passion to categorize me?”

About then, another guy spoke up: “OK, then why don’t you just put the argument to rest and make a definitive statement about what Emergent believes about absolute truth.”

I replied, “Emergent doesn’t have a position on absolute truth, or on anything for that matter. Do you show up at a dinner party with your neighbors and ask, ‘What’s this dinner party’s position on absolute truth?’ No, you don’t, because it’s a non-sensical question.”

Bizzarre.

The rest of the convention was good, but I have the distinct impression that lots of people are mad at me.