Book Review.
Taylor Brown, Barbara. An Altar in the World. A geography of faith. Harper One 2009.
BTB- an Episcopal parish priest for fifteen years. Now a professor at Piedmont College. Also teaches at Columbia Theological Seminary.
Comment. Henry
On the pendulum of postmodern/emergent literature this resource would be in the (extreme) left quadrant. Although I do not consider myself anywhere near this position I was amazed, maybe even shocked, at how often I resonated with what I was reading. Some of that response came from my spiritual experience as a child and young person. There is a much in this book that would make ready ‘cannon fodder’ for a conservative who sees postmodernity and emergence as apostasy and heresy, e.g. Roger Oakland. This is “a book about practices not ideas”. (194) Barbara really pushes the envelope for me when it comes to tolerance and inclusiveness. That being said I did enjoy the read. I am thankful that I experience no pressure about the need to defend or attack this author’s thesis.
Using the story of Jacob’s experience at Bethel the author suggests that an altar, a place of worship, can be anywhere, even a rock in a wilderness. It is certainly limited to an acceptable ‘house of God’. As God came to Jacob, where he was so, he will come to us if we watch for him.
Reverence can be learned by the very young. It can take many forms and is often learned by observing nature. (I think that was my experience as a child.) “The first criteria for reverence- is to remind ourselves that we are not gods.” (24) When we pay attention we will discover many altars that provoke reverence.
We do well to learn to accept our (physical) bodies as an important part of our spiritual well being. God became flesh. He lived in a body. The “practice of wearing skin” will become an important part of healthy spiritual well-being.
Simple activities such as walking can become meaningful spiritual exercises. There are lessons that can be learned from becoming lost, i.e. wilderness experiences.
Have a purpose for living. Know the discipline and the level of freedom that comes from knowing when it is appropriate to say no. There is great value in a work ethic. When we decide to engage pain and give it our full attention we can learn things about reality.
The chapter on prayer reads more like a search than a spiritual exercise or discipline. There is great value in “blessing prayers” (208) that are directed to even the insignificant things.
www.henrydirksen.blogspot.com
Monday, December 21, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
An Emergent Manifesto of Hope.
Book Review.
Pagitt, Doug. Jones, Tony. (editors) An Emergent Manifesto of Hope. Baker Books. 2007
Comment. Henry
This book is a collection of essays from twenty five contributors who are all part of an organization called ‘Emergent Village’. They explore A People of Hope, Communities of Hope, A Hopeful Faith, A Hopeful Way Forward, and Hopeful Activism. I have named each contributor and attempted to summarize each contribution in one sentence (a very general statement). The writers reflect a wide ‘pendulum’ of positions. This resource is helpful to learn more about emergence and those who consider themselves part of the movement.
People of Hope.
Mark Scandrette. There is reason for optimism as more and more churches take the road that leads toward justice, mercy and love.
Heather Kirk Davidoff. Evangelism needs to move from recruitment to genuine relationships that present Christ as one whom we love.
Manette Sawyer. It is our responsibility to live Christ-like rather than coming up with ways to determine who is or who is not a Christian.
Carla Bornhill. In emergent communities children are treated “like full and essential members of the community”. (56)
Troy Bronsink. Emergent is seeing the church as a “creative agent within creation”. (73)
Communities of Hope.
Sherry and Geoff Maddock. Salvation that is demonstrated in redemptive work is communal.
Thomas Malcolm Olson. (An addictions counsellor working with prisoners) Emergence in community takes on a unique dynamic in prisons.
Tim Condor. The interaction between traditional churches and emergent churches needs to transition from “collision to collaboration”. (103)
Brian Mitchell. An interesting essay on how American Catholicism is being impacted by emergence.
Adam Walker Cleaveland. A personal experience from a representative from a mainline church, PC (USA).
A Hopeful Faith.
Ryan Bolger. The emergent church is presented as a social movement and its impact on our culture.
Brian D McLaren. (A progenitor of emergence) The emergent conversation needs to transition from modernity cf Postmodernity to colonialism cf post colonialism.
Will Samson. The over-arching challenge for churches is to know God and become a part of his work.
Barry Taylor. “Religion is concerned with the right belief; faith is believing the right thing.” (169)
A Hopeful Way Forward.
Sally Moganthaler. More attention needs to be given to female leadership.
Samir Selmanovic. “If we seek first the kingdom of God, then maybe our beloved religion, saved from ourselves, will be added to us.” (199)
Dwight J Friesen. When Christ-followers embody an “orthoparadoxical ethic, theological method and theology” (205) there will be hope.
Dan Kimball. Theology should be living, i.e. open to development. Methodologies should flow out of theology.
Tim Keel. The world has changed. Increasingly leadership is coming from the margins of our cultural environment.
Chris Erdman. Lessons are drawn from Karl Barth that can be very helpful for those who are into emergence.
Hopeful Activism.
Rodolpho Carrasco. Practicing justice is part of being emergent.
Karen E. Sloan. Emergent churches need to be more authentic about “the joys and struggles of healthy sexuality”. (266)
Deborah and Ken Loyd. History will determine the impact of the emergent movement based on choices made regarding women’s rights, poverty and oppression.
Anthony Smith. The way to deal with racism is to practice Pentecost within the kingdom of God.
Randy Woodley. The plight of disenfranchised Native Americans is presented as a challenge for the emergent church.
Pagitt, Doug. Jones, Tony. (editors) An Emergent Manifesto of Hope. Baker Books. 2007
Comment. Henry
This book is a collection of essays from twenty five contributors who are all part of an organization called ‘Emergent Village’. They explore A People of Hope, Communities of Hope, A Hopeful Faith, A Hopeful Way Forward, and Hopeful Activism. I have named each contributor and attempted to summarize each contribution in one sentence (a very general statement). The writers reflect a wide ‘pendulum’ of positions. This resource is helpful to learn more about emergence and those who consider themselves part of the movement.
People of Hope.
Mark Scandrette. There is reason for optimism as more and more churches take the road that leads toward justice, mercy and love.
Heather Kirk Davidoff. Evangelism needs to move from recruitment to genuine relationships that present Christ as one whom we love.
Manette Sawyer. It is our responsibility to live Christ-like rather than coming up with ways to determine who is or who is not a Christian.
Carla Bornhill. In emergent communities children are treated “like full and essential members of the community”. (56)
Troy Bronsink. Emergent is seeing the church as a “creative agent within creation”. (73)
Communities of Hope.
Sherry and Geoff Maddock. Salvation that is demonstrated in redemptive work is communal.
Thomas Malcolm Olson. (An addictions counsellor working with prisoners) Emergence in community takes on a unique dynamic in prisons.
Tim Condor. The interaction between traditional churches and emergent churches needs to transition from “collision to collaboration”. (103)
Brian Mitchell. An interesting essay on how American Catholicism is being impacted by emergence.
Adam Walker Cleaveland. A personal experience from a representative from a mainline church, PC (USA).
A Hopeful Faith.
Ryan Bolger. The emergent church is presented as a social movement and its impact on our culture.
Brian D McLaren. (A progenitor of emergence) The emergent conversation needs to transition from modernity cf Postmodernity to colonialism cf post colonialism.
Will Samson. The over-arching challenge for churches is to know God and become a part of his work.
Barry Taylor. “Religion is concerned with the right belief; faith is believing the right thing.” (169)
A Hopeful Way Forward.
Sally Moganthaler. More attention needs to be given to female leadership.
Samir Selmanovic. “If we seek first the kingdom of God, then maybe our beloved religion, saved from ourselves, will be added to us.” (199)
Dwight J Friesen. When Christ-followers embody an “orthoparadoxical ethic, theological method and theology” (205) there will be hope.
Dan Kimball. Theology should be living, i.e. open to development. Methodologies should flow out of theology.
Tim Keel. The world has changed. Increasingly leadership is coming from the margins of our cultural environment.
Chris Erdman. Lessons are drawn from Karl Barth that can be very helpful for those who are into emergence.
Hopeful Activism.
Rodolpho Carrasco. Practicing justice is part of being emergent.
Karen E. Sloan. Emergent churches need to be more authentic about “the joys and struggles of healthy sexuality”. (266)
Deborah and Ken Loyd. History will determine the impact of the emergent movement based on choices made regarding women’s rights, poverty and oppression.
Anthony Smith. The way to deal with racism is to practice Pentecost within the kingdom of God.
Randy Woodley. The plight of disenfranchised Native Americans is presented as a challenge for the emergent church.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Organic Church
Book Review.
Cole, Neil. Organic Church. Growing faith where life happens. Bjossey-Bass. 2005. A Leadership Publication.
N.C.- is a church starter and pastor, and founder and executive director of Church Multiplication Associates.
Comment. Henry.
We live in a world of change and the church is certainly not exempt from this change. Church leaders have come up with a variety of ways to make church more effective. There has been a focus on small groups, house churches, clusters, etc. This author presents the concept of an Organic Church. Now we have an environmentally friendly church. Pun intended. His ideas are biblical and his passion is commendable. Evangelism seems to be an over-arching principle of the Organic Church. There is a high level of deconstruction of the church happening in this resource. Ideas presented do raise unanswered questions (for me).
The church must move from the defensive to the offensive. Light is most effective when it enters the dark. The term “organic church” is applied to any regular gatherings of people for spiritual interaction in a specific place, e.g. a home, a park, a beach, a pub, etc. Such ‘churches’ have the capacity to multiply rapidly.
Six myths about the church are explored, e.g. church is a building, a centralized organization, etc. Church is defined as “the presence of Jesus among His people called out as a spiritual family to pursue His mission on the planet”. (53) This is a very broad definition.
The term organic is also applied to the Kingdom of God. It has to do with sowing and reaping, good seed and good soil. We need to sow in good soil. There is great potential for rapid growth when we use ‘good seed’. (There seems to be bad seed.) Growth through multiplication is a sound type of church growth. Like other forms of life the church has its unique DNA. The growth of the church should be “chaordic- characterized by the fundamental organizing principles of nature”. (123) such growth is identified as “epidemic growth”. (123)
Effective caring for people requires genuine compassion. Such compassion seems to be more prevalent in new converts than those who have been believers for a longer period of time. God is very creative when it comes to putting people in our lives that he wants us to impact with his love and compassion. We must be available and responsive. Five principles of church planting are drawn from Matthew 10 and Mark 10.
The “Organic Church” is a call to “put aside the old life and join the epidemic of God’s Kingdom”. (193)
Cole, Neil. Organic Church. Growing faith where life happens. Bjossey-Bass. 2005. A Leadership Publication.
N.C.- is a church starter and pastor, and founder and executive director of Church Multiplication Associates.
Comment. Henry.
We live in a world of change and the church is certainly not exempt from this change. Church leaders have come up with a variety of ways to make church more effective. There has been a focus on small groups, house churches, clusters, etc. This author presents the concept of an Organic Church. Now we have an environmentally friendly church. Pun intended. His ideas are biblical and his passion is commendable. Evangelism seems to be an over-arching principle of the Organic Church. There is a high level of deconstruction of the church happening in this resource. Ideas presented do raise unanswered questions (for me).
The church must move from the defensive to the offensive. Light is most effective when it enters the dark. The term “organic church” is applied to any regular gatherings of people for spiritual interaction in a specific place, e.g. a home, a park, a beach, a pub, etc. Such ‘churches’ have the capacity to multiply rapidly.
Six myths about the church are explored, e.g. church is a building, a centralized organization, etc. Church is defined as “the presence of Jesus among His people called out as a spiritual family to pursue His mission on the planet”. (53) This is a very broad definition.
The term organic is also applied to the Kingdom of God. It has to do with sowing and reaping, good seed and good soil. We need to sow in good soil. There is great potential for rapid growth when we use ‘good seed’. (There seems to be bad seed.) Growth through multiplication is a sound type of church growth. Like other forms of life the church has its unique DNA. The growth of the church should be “chaordic- characterized by the fundamental organizing principles of nature”. (123) such growth is identified as “epidemic growth”. (123)
Effective caring for people requires genuine compassion. Such compassion seems to be more prevalent in new converts than those who have been believers for a longer period of time. God is very creative when it comes to putting people in our lives that he wants us to impact with his love and compassion. We must be available and responsive. Five principles of church planting are drawn from Matthew 10 and Mark 10.
The “Organic Church” is a call to “put aside the old life and join the epidemic of God’s Kingdom”. (193)
Sunday, December 6, 2009
UNChristian
Book Review.
Kinnaman, David. Lyons, Gabe. UNChristian. What a new generation really thinks about Christianity... and why it matters. Baker Books 2007.
Comment. Henry.
This book is the result of a Barna research project that took place over a period of three years. Research is a way of discovering information through surveys made up of specific questions about specific topics. The results of these surveys become statistics that are then interpreted to come to some conclusions. It seems to me that the challenge with this kind of method of information gathering is how you use statistics, i.e. for support or for illumination.
There is much information here to help us with being relevant to young adults of our culture. Negativeness seems to be typical of this kind of information gathering and we need to try hard to not respond defensively.
The ‘new generation’ that is targeted in this research are between sixteen and twenty-nine years of age. They represent Mosaics and Busters and are referred to as ‘outsiders’.
Christians (Christianity) are often considered ‘unchristian’ by outsiders for the following reasons; they are “hypocritical, too focused on getting converts, anti-homosexual, sheltered, too political and judgmental”. (30-31) Unpacking these criticisms takes up the major part of this book. Some suggestions are made about how best to respond these Un-Christian attitudes.
Hypocrisy, saying one thing but doing something else, is accepted as a part of life by outsiders but it gives them a distorted view of Christianity. “We must stop presenting ourselves as the message and begin presenting Jesus as the message.” Jim White.
Some myths of evangelism are explored. Evangelism that does not go beyond conversions to spiritual transformation is not acceptable evangelism.
Christians are viewed by outsiders as being very much opposed to homosexuals and this is unacceptaWhen Christians talk about hating the sin but loving the sinner, outsiders find no proof of that actually happening. “Nothing that we despise in the other man is entirely absent from ourselves.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
It is perceived irrelevance and intolerance that gives rise to the accusation that Christians are living sheltered, out of touch lives. What is needed is incarnational and missional living.
Outsiders have great difficulty with the confrontational politics of Christians. Research is quite conclusive supporting the accusation that Christians are indeed judgmental.
Very simply put, we must become more Christ-like as Christians in order to shed the accusation of being UNChristian.
Kinnaman, David. Lyons, Gabe. UNChristian. What a new generation really thinks about Christianity... and why it matters. Baker Books 2007.
Comment. Henry.
This book is the result of a Barna research project that took place over a period of three years. Research is a way of discovering information through surveys made up of specific questions about specific topics. The results of these surveys become statistics that are then interpreted to come to some conclusions. It seems to me that the challenge with this kind of method of information gathering is how you use statistics, i.e. for support or for illumination.
There is much information here to help us with being relevant to young adults of our culture. Negativeness seems to be typical of this kind of information gathering and we need to try hard to not respond defensively.
The ‘new generation’ that is targeted in this research are between sixteen and twenty-nine years of age. They represent Mosaics and Busters and are referred to as ‘outsiders’.
Christians (Christianity) are often considered ‘unchristian’ by outsiders for the following reasons; they are “hypocritical, too focused on getting converts, anti-homosexual, sheltered, too political and judgmental”. (30-31) Unpacking these criticisms takes up the major part of this book. Some suggestions are made about how best to respond these Un-Christian attitudes.
Hypocrisy, saying one thing but doing something else, is accepted as a part of life by outsiders but it gives them a distorted view of Christianity. “We must stop presenting ourselves as the message and begin presenting Jesus as the message.” Jim White.
Some myths of evangelism are explored. Evangelism that does not go beyond conversions to spiritual transformation is not acceptable evangelism.
Christians are viewed by outsiders as being very much opposed to homosexuals and this is unacceptaWhen Christians talk about hating the sin but loving the sinner, outsiders find no proof of that actually happening. “Nothing that we despise in the other man is entirely absent from ourselves.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
It is perceived irrelevance and intolerance that gives rise to the accusation that Christians are living sheltered, out of touch lives. What is needed is incarnational and missional living.
Outsiders have great difficulty with the confrontational politics of Christians. Research is quite conclusive supporting the accusation that Christians are indeed judgmental.
Very simply put, we must become more Christ-like as Christians in order to shed the accusation of being UNChristian.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Exiles.
Book Review.
Frost, Michael. Exiles. Living missionally in post-Christian culture. Hendrikson Publishers. 2006
M.F.- Professor of Evangelism and Missions at Morling College in Sydney, Australia.
Comment. Henry.
Scripture is quite clear in explaining that as Christ-ones this earth is not our permanent home. As a matter of fact we are like exiles, away from our home. This concept is basic to Michael’s explanation of ‘missional living’ which is the challenge for us in our post-Christian culture. He speaks strongly to the underlying tendency for us to seem very ‘at home’ and comfortable in our ‘exile’. This book “captures the intensity, anger, wonder, heartache, clear-sightedness, and hope so many of us share in this moment of in-betweenness”. (Brian McLaren).
Christendom is over and we need to get used to it. “We have been building churches for an era that has slipped out from under us.” (7) Living in post-Christendom is rally a form of exile. As exiles we are driven by “dangerous memories, dangerous promises, a dangerous critique, and dangerous songs”. (10)
Jesus was the ultimate exile and we need to follow his model portrayed in the gospels. “Jesus thrives in his host empire while always maintaining an appropriately godly distance from it.” (38) His exile was climaxed by his death and resurrection.
Living missionally means living incarnationally. This happens primarily in “third places- the bedrock of community life”. (57) Practice the presence of God, i.e. Brother Lawrence. When we do this “the proclamation of Jesus will naturally flow from the living of an incarnational lifestyle”. (74) This a paradigm shift in evangelism.
Authentic exiles have given dangerous promises. There is the promise of authenticity which separates them from a “world of hyper-reality”. (81) This is a real challenge in an unreal world. Being perceived as not being real negates our witness. We are introduced to the concepts of “community cf communitas” (111) Communitas is experienced in a “luminal state” Victor Turner. E.g. the comradery of soldiers in battle, Four Mother’s Movement in Israel, etc. Communitas grows out of mission.
A group of believers will be a church or begin to church (verb) when they are “Trinitarian in theology, covenantal in expression, catholic in orientation, and missional in intent”. (146) Through shared meals and hospitality a strong impact can be made on those of our ‘foreign empire’. Our (secular) work has a great potential for impacting our ‘empire’.
We have an obligation “to censure the empire for its complicity in injustice, oppression, and environmental destruction”. (203) Corporations and globalization are examples of such ‘targets’. “There is at present no one expression of Christian environmentalism.” (235) History demonstrates that societies that ignore and/or abuse the environment do not survive, e.g. Khmer Empire of Cambodia.
We have an obligation to speak out against those who inflict injustice against the marginalized, through abuse and killings. The Voice of Martyrs, etc. are examples of those who speak out. To remain silent about martyrdom is criminal.
We need to have a strong stand on what the chief end of man is and how that is reflected in our lifestyle. “For the follower of God, duty is a delight.” (284) Our worship should reflect our love for God without drawing undue attention to ourselves. There can be no place in our worship for a ‘romanticized love for God’.
As exiles “our home is that place of reconciliation with God made possible by Jesus’ work on the cross and his resurrection”. (327)
Frost, Michael. Exiles. Living missionally in post-Christian culture. Hendrikson Publishers. 2006
M.F.- Professor of Evangelism and Missions at Morling College in Sydney, Australia.
Comment. Henry.
Scripture is quite clear in explaining that as Christ-ones this earth is not our permanent home. As a matter of fact we are like exiles, away from our home. This concept is basic to Michael’s explanation of ‘missional living’ which is the challenge for us in our post-Christian culture. He speaks strongly to the underlying tendency for us to seem very ‘at home’ and comfortable in our ‘exile’. This book “captures the intensity, anger, wonder, heartache, clear-sightedness, and hope so many of us share in this moment of in-betweenness”. (Brian McLaren).
Christendom is over and we need to get used to it. “We have been building churches for an era that has slipped out from under us.” (7) Living in post-Christendom is rally a form of exile. As exiles we are driven by “dangerous memories, dangerous promises, a dangerous critique, and dangerous songs”. (10)
Jesus was the ultimate exile and we need to follow his model portrayed in the gospels. “Jesus thrives in his host empire while always maintaining an appropriately godly distance from it.” (38) His exile was climaxed by his death and resurrection.
Living missionally means living incarnationally. This happens primarily in “third places- the bedrock of community life”. (57) Practice the presence of God, i.e. Brother Lawrence. When we do this “the proclamation of Jesus will naturally flow from the living of an incarnational lifestyle”. (74) This a paradigm shift in evangelism.
Authentic exiles have given dangerous promises. There is the promise of authenticity which separates them from a “world of hyper-reality”. (81) This is a real challenge in an unreal world. Being perceived as not being real negates our witness. We are introduced to the concepts of “community cf communitas” (111) Communitas is experienced in a “luminal state” Victor Turner. E.g. the comradery of soldiers in battle, Four Mother’s Movement in Israel, etc. Communitas grows out of mission.
A group of believers will be a church or begin to church (verb) when they are “Trinitarian in theology, covenantal in expression, catholic in orientation, and missional in intent”. (146) Through shared meals and hospitality a strong impact can be made on those of our ‘foreign empire’. Our (secular) work has a great potential for impacting our ‘empire’.
We have an obligation “to censure the empire for its complicity in injustice, oppression, and environmental destruction”. (203) Corporations and globalization are examples of such ‘targets’. “There is at present no one expression of Christian environmentalism.” (235) History demonstrates that societies that ignore and/or abuse the environment do not survive, e.g. Khmer Empire of Cambodia.
We have an obligation to speak out against those who inflict injustice against the marginalized, through abuse and killings. The Voice of Martyrs, etc. are examples of those who speak out. To remain silent about martyrdom is criminal.
We need to have a strong stand on what the chief end of man is and how that is reflected in our lifestyle. “For the follower of God, duty is a delight.” (284) Our worship should reflect our love for God without drawing undue attention to ourselves. There can be no place in our worship for a ‘romanticized love for God’.
As exiles “our home is that place of reconciliation with God made possible by Jesus’ work on the cross and his resurrection”. (327)
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