Archive for April, 2005
things that come in 3s
Good rhetorical / speaking/ presentation skills often talk about things in 3s. Not to push the numerology thing too far, or to point to the origin of all things in creation back to the Trinity, and how Jesus spoke in 3s, e.g. “the way, the truth, the life”. But here’s 3 things, in no particular order:
A recent Baltimore Sun article about Brian McLaren described the emergent church as a movement: the “emergent church” movement, which emphasizes environmentalism and racial and sexual tolerance, while distancing itself from the social conservatism of the religious right. Having been a (small) part of that emergent/ emerging conversation, I have not heard the strong emphasis on the items listed, tho’ they do show up in the mix. I’d think the emphasis is more on a new kind of theology and a new kind of church. But then again, for some, religion is just politics, and/or religion is just sociology.
This weekend, we, my wife and I, celebrate our 10th anniversary!!!!!!!!!! It’s been quite an adventure, much more than we’d bargained for, and the recent years have been much better than the earlier years. While I take much freedom to share about much of my life, inner and outer, I cannot (yet?) take the liberty to talk about my married life (contra The Happy Husband or Marriages Restored). What I can say, I think, is that we’ll be taking an excursion to an undisclosed location to celebrate.
Terry talked about business card strategies, and beyond branding, cards are also very useful as memory joggers for people you’ve met. So when I ordered these temporary cards while waiting for the official corporate cards, I selected a template that let me insert a picture of myself! How often have you met people at a conference or seminar, and forget to jot down a note about the conversation? And how often a face with a name can, perhaps, be a better reminder than a few keywords that loses its meaning and context after time?
[updated 5/5/5] Get a business card with your pix on it at VistaPrint.com – that’s where I got mine.
becoming a multiracial church, part 3
I cringed when I read Lee’s recent racist experience. Racist remarks and stereotypes and incidents not only happen on the rougher side of town, it happens on the genteel side too, and in office skyscrapers, in schools, even Christian colleges and churches. This is 2005. And it happens to me on occasion too. I’ll cringe again when it happens to my son. (And I’m cringing like right now b/c my attempted to post this entry has crashed my browser 3 times now.)
While Lee said that media portrayal has a significant impact on people’s perception of ethnic groups, I’d say that churches do all the more. While the churchgoing population in America is declining, and arguably not a majority of the overall population, churches themselves are less than 3% multiracial.
While churches for decades have been intentional about cross-cultural outreach overseas, they’ve neglected (still neglect) the opportunity right around the city to reach another racial grouping. I find it ironic that so much resources would go towards training and sending, yet the easiest (perhaps not so easy?) thing to do is develop cross-cultural skills right here in multicultural America. There’s no better place than the local church to develop the skills to really relate and empathize with someone different. And the truth is, we’re all different, individually and corporately.
Relationships can’t be mandated, and neither can heart change. But if we’re following God in the way of Jesus, it’s got to be seen in how we love our neighbor, those who are different from ourselves, just like the Samaritan did, in every day life. And intentionally include them in the dialogue about what is church — yes, it’d be a different kind of dialogue with a different ethnic mix.
[Also see previously posted: part 2, part 1, original post. Update 5/5/5 - racial threat turns out to be a hoax, according to article: Minority Student Charged with Hate Crime at Trinity University]
Talking about WALP
Will Samson and I sat on this couch to talk about the whole WALP experience in Kentucky. I wasn’t there, but he was.
7 marks of the ancient church emerging
Excerpt from The Emerging Church: The Old Church Made New, article by a Tim Dearborn ::
“Yet at the same time, there is a current moving away from the West?concerned about our individualized, consumer-oriented religion. There are several distinct marks of this church:
1. It is digging deep into traditional cultural forms, rejecting Western styles of church life and theology.
2. It is highly charismatic, relying on the Spirit rather than money
3. Anointed leaders guide its life, regardless of their academic training; generally with high authority and conservative morality.
4. Worship is a dramatic encounter with the power of God, rather than a passive and comforting moment of education and encouragement.
5. Its community is a gathering of people rather than a cluster of programs and activities.
6. Mission is a daily encounter with the demonic and evil, conducted through spiritual battle, suffering and a holistic engagement with the world; for all of life is deemed as the domain of God, with social, economic and even political ministry integral to church life.
- The church is not a human creation
- The church thrives in the context of opposition
- The crux of the church?s witness is her life and deeds
- The church flourishes by setting her mind on divine not human ways
- Denial and death are the beginning points of discipleship
- The church thrives when her sight is captivated by an alternate vision
- (intentionally left blank)
I believe that our American Christianity has been a faithful, culturally conditioned response to gospel. The emerging church is taking other forms. We now are junior partners in the global Christian movement and God forbid us from imposing any longer our forms and theologies on world Christianity.”