Peripatetics: The Art of Walking
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
From George Barna's "Revolution."
So, I started reading this short read from George Barna--the researcher (kind of a "Gallup" pollster dealing exclusively in church data)--regarding the state of the church now against what the trends are showing us for the future. A very interesting read that gives credence and hard data to what I'm already seeing in my teenagers and peers.
Here's a quote:
"(Some younger people) out of extreme frustration or disillusionment have developed alternative means of growing and serving that are distinct from local church efforts.
The Revolutionary (his term for the emerging church generations) mind-set is simple: Do whatever it takes to get closer to God and to help others do the same. Obliterate any obstacle that prevents you from honoring God with every breath you take. Be such an outstanding example of the Christian faith that no one will question your heart or lifestyle--except those who see institutional survival as equally or more important than the alleged influence of the institution they defend.
Or, put more succinctly, the Revolutionary is about recognizing that we are not called to go to church. We are called to be the Church."
So, what do you think this is saying about the nature of the church as it currently exists as well as where do you think the Church is headed?
Brent 4:07 AM
Comments:
Right on! We find ourselves totally disgusted at times with "church" (note previous conversations on the phone with the author). The relativism, the trickery to win a decision for Christ, the ME focus of many of our lessons ("Top 10 ways to feel happy", "6 surefire ways to success", "Anything Jabez" (increase my boundries...ugh!).
I am moving so toward what that guy is saying in his quote...it's gradual, because pulling at me is the idea of "what if our kids develop a habit of missing morning worship because we get nothing out of it except self help?"
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I am moving so toward what that guy is saying in his quote...it's gradual, because pulling at me is the idea of "what if our kids develop a habit of missing morning worship because we get nothing out of it except self help?"
Monday, November 28, 2005
So...
...what cool things did you talk about in class last night?
Brent 6:00 AM
Sunday, November 27, 2005
Getting Ready for Class Tonight
You'll want to have your imaginations with you in class tonight as we'll be discussing designing the student ministry YOU would like to have. Steve will be leading the discussion on how we can improve our ministry to you and he's got a pretty cool idea you'll want to be there to discuss!
See you in class at 6:30PM, and don't be afraid to speak up!
Brent 7:45 AM
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Some Thoughts On Culture
A book I've been reading is called "Practitioners." It's a series of essays by some fresh voices (read: young & creative & innovative & rabble-rousers) of current leadership in the Church and how they personally walk with Christ right here right now. It's very practical and encouraging and thoughtful.
At any rate, here's a section from an essay by Craig Detweiler entitled "Movies and Missiology." The overarching chapter is on how Christians should engage with the culture as well as what to do once you're engaged. I know it's long, but stay with it and think through it, faithful readers. I'd enjoy hearing your insights!
"Neibuhr went through all of Christian history and basically said, 'You know what? There are at least five biblical strands of faith. All of them have their basis in the Bible, their own heritage and their different takes on how we should respond to God.' Each of the five strands of faith can be categorized by how it interacts with the culture around us:
1. "Christ versus Culture" is just basic avoidance of culture. This is rooted in the distinct and passionate Anabaptist tradition. If you believe this is the best option, you certainly won't go see The Matrix. Why? Because it's a movie.
2. "Christ and Culture in Paradox" says essentially that you've got to be in the world but not of the world, so you gotta be cautious. What would this tradition arising from Lutheran roots do with a movie like The Matrix? That's where the R-rating comes up. What kind of content does it have? you ask yourself. It may be okay to watch, but I need to do some research first.
3. "Christ Transforms Culture" says that you want to be in dialogue with the culture. Why would you go see The Matrix? In order to evangelize, to join the cultural converstaion. You watch movies because other people are watching movies, and you want to be able to talk to other people about those movies in order to talk about your faith. This approach treats art simply as a means of communication.
These three options comprise most of the Protestant, evangelical response to the world and pop culture thus far. For teh most part, our churches rotate among these three poles, moving from avoidance to skepticism to engagement (but only for the sake of evangelism). But Neibuhr observes two more options for Christians.
4. "Christ Of Culture" is more like the Episcopal Church tradition that says, 'Well, we'll just roll with whatever is going on in pop culture. We will appropriate whatever's going on in the culture and make it our own.' I'm not sure this is the best option, even though I'm currently Episcopalian.
5. The Catholic sacramental tradition is "Christ Above Culture," which says that God created the earth and all its little details, so I'm not going to worry about those. God is in charge of everything. I think this approach has an opportunity to say, 'I go to the movies because God might be there, because God can genuinely be a part of the creative process."
I don't go to the movie theatre because somebody else needs me to tell him or her what a particular film meant. I go to the movies because I need to go to the movies because God might be there, because God is a creative God. I think that difference in theology is what allows Catholics to make strong visual movies and Protestants to make talky, obvious movies, because we Protestants too often use movies as a means to an end."
I gotta say I think there's something to that last paragraph...what do you think?
Brent 5:03 AM
Monday, November 21, 2005
iPod & Other Mp3 users
You can now download the sermons from Pastor Tim Stevenson onto your iPod or other Mpe players! Simply go to Crossroads Bible Sermons Online, choose the sermon series you'd like to listen to, click on the Mp3 icon of the sermon you'd like to hear...
...and then follow whatever steps you use to import to your Mp3 software. I use iTunes and just download the file to "my music" to import to the program!
Hurray!
Brent 8:52 AM
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
From: Time For A New Revolution, by John Fischer
In the Nov./Dec. 2005 edition of Relevant Magazine:
"For too long, good Christian students have politely reflected the worldview and politics of their parents and rarely asked questions of their teachers. (I've also noticed these same kids push the parochial behavioral code to its limit--trying to get away with as much 'worldliness' as they can without sacrificing their 'Christian' status. I see this as a major disconnect to truly following Jesus--proof they are more cultural than Christian) These student seem content to fill their notebooks with what they came to college for--answers that would lead to a high grade and result in a secure position in society or the Church.
It's time to end all this polite nonsense and start another revolution. It's time to question what's going on: How do we really do church? What does a Christian worldview look like? How much of the current experession of Christianity is cultural and political? Do we have a Christian subculture today, and what good is it? Is a Christian subculture what Jesus had in mind for the Church in the world anyway? What does it mean to truly believe? Bottom line: it's time to look at what it means to follow Jesus, to get out our Bibles and look for some answers."
Normally, I might comment in greater detail, but frankly, I'm in agreement with the author.
So, for your input on this...
...choose any question the author asked and simply reply.
I think those questions address major issues the church in America needs to face.
Brent 4:11 AM
Comments:
hi brent. i recently read/discussed an article on the Youth Theological Initiative, part of a project going on at Candler Theological School at Emory U. One of their premises for "re-thinking" Youth Ministry is that too often we just entertain and protect youth enough so that they can make it to their middle class lives and careers in the future. But like you and the author here suggest...that's not what God had in mind.
I agree. But I also think this isn't new as it was happening 20-25 years ago when I was in high school/college. I do think that we ALL should understand what a Christian worldview is in LIGHT of our culture/times. As Christians we should know why we believe and be able to express why we believe to someone who asks. I think the key is training our children to be critical thinkers and to question everything - even what Mom and Dad believe. I don't want my kids believing my theology - I want them to grapple with their own beliefs and come to their own conclusions. But I'm afraid many Christian parents I know run and hide from popular culture saying, "I don't want to know about it, my kids aren't interested." Yea right.
Agree. Agree. Agree. We are battling with potentially leaving the "social church" thing (big new worship center, building campaign, numerical goals for baptism, self help sermons (Top 10 ways to really be happy), and praying for whether the Acts 2 method of community would be the best thing long term for our children and family. Frankly do we have the guts to depart from societal church and plug into a real Christian community and take on all the baggage that goes with it?
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Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Not Evaluating Any More
I think I've figured out how to use this blog more effectively...as of now, the plan will be to simply make comments on the books/magazines I'm reading and give you a chance to respond.
I also don't plan on doing this every day, but rather as thoughts "happen."
What do you think of that plan?
Brent 1:42 PM
Sunday, November 13, 2005
Getting Ready For Class Tonight
We're getting towards the end of our study on the fruit of the Spirit and this week, we'll be covering three: Kindness, Goodness & Faithfulness.
And, in order to get prepared, I have some other passages that you'll want to look over:
For kindness, check out Colossians 3: 10--13, and make not of what kindness is based on.
For goodness, check out Romans 15: 14--15, and look for three things that relate to goodness.
And finally, for faithfulness, check out Matthew 23: 13--30, and see the 7 ways Jesus was admonishing the listeners for being unfaithful.
We'll see you in class tonight at 6:30!
Brent 8:18 AM
Sunday, November 06, 2005
Getting Ready For Class Tonight
We'll be having a very BUSY Bible tonight as we continue our series on fruit of the Spirit. This week we'll be looking at patience.
So, we'll start by looking at 1 Corinthians 13: 4 to see how important patience is.
Then we'll go to Luke 13: 1--5 for a really disturbing story, but it shows us the basis of patience.
Then we'll hit Romans 2: 1--5 to get the explanation behind the basis of patience.
We'll look at Colossians 1: 9--12 to see how we get patience.
Then we'll check out 1 Timothy 3: 10--11 to see the challenge of Paul and why he wants us to follow his leading.
Then, finally, we'll see the results of patience in 2 Timothy 4: 2.
So, as you can tell, we'll be turning to a lot of different verses, but they're all real short...maybe you can even mark your Bible to save time, and we'll see you in class at 6:30PM!
Brent 4:39 AM
Friday, November 04, 2005
Still Evaluating
Hey, just because I'm evaluating doesn't mean I can't throw a thought provoking quote out there for you...so here's one from Mike Yaconelli:
"Freedom in Christ. What a nice concept. Sadly, most Christians are frightened of freedom. Ever since Jesus announced, 'You will know the truth and the truth will set you free,' many in the church have tried to explain away his remark: 'What Jesus means is that we are free not to sin.' Which is true. We are free not to sin. And we are free to sin.
The radical truth of freedom in Christ is that I am free to choose good or bad, right or wrong, this way or that way. I can choose to run to Christ or run away from Christ. Freedom in Christ means I am free from everyone else's definition of freedom because I am free in Christ, when it comes to my relationship with him, he is the only one I answer to."
Why do you think Christians would be frightened of this?
Brent 7:16 AM
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Still Evaluating
I'm still trying to figure out how to use this blog more effectively (and still waiting on insights from you to kinda help me out with that...), here's a quote to get your mind engaged today:
"The danger in labeling things 'Christian' is that it can lead to our blindly consuming things we have been told are safe and acceptable. When we turn off this discernment radar, dangerous things can happen. We have to test everything. I thank God for the many Christians who create and write and film and sing. Anybody anywhere who is doing all they can to point people to the deeper realities of God is doing a beautiful thing. But those writers and artists and thinkers and singers would all tell you to think long and hard about what they are saying and doing and creating. Test it. Probe it."
--Rob Bell, in "Velvet Elvis: Repainting The Christian Faith."
Brent 7:29 AM
Comments:
reminds me of a blog i posted a while back about not needing christian artists but artists who are christians. one of my professors made the statement once that all truth is God's truth. i like it. it's dangerous. it forces us to look beyond the security of the "Christian" label and really test and probe. and measure the true substance of it with scripture. what do you think about that statement?
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