Want a Free Book?

If you have an amazon wish list, then go and post a link to it on Nick’s blog.  He’s giving one away.  If you don’t have one, it doesn’t take more than a few minutes to make.  Good luck!

Update: If you are ever feeling generous and have no one better to give to, i’ve added my wishlist as a tab here.  So, if you’re feeling generous, or even bored, check it out.

Dobson on Obama: Deliberately Distorting the Bible

I thought that this was interesting.  Thoughts? 

Question of the Day

Right now I’m engrossed in my theology of culture class.  This Thursday my 1st paper is due.  My task is to write a paper that attempts to answer the question “what challenges does the emerging postmodern worldview pose to the church?”  I thought that it would be interesting to see what all of my faithful readers thought about this.

So, what challenges do you think postmodernism brings to the church today?  What say you! 

Rowan Williams on the Character of Theological Discourse

Recently i commented on my growing disdain for the heavily polemical nature of theological blogging.  After reading a bit of Rowan Williams and reflection, i want to give a bit more naunced view.

A few years ago i had the realization (which apparently i had forgotten) that honest theological reflection in community will necessarily be heated at times.  This is because if we actually let our theologies permeate the way we understand the Gospel, to attack my theology, in a sense, is to attack my faith, my God, my understanding of reality.  We shouldn’t pretend otherwise, and to do so is dehumanizing to people.

This realization was brought to the forefront of my mind today while i was reading a bit of Rowan Williams.  In his collection of sermons and addresses, A Ray of Darkness, his address entitled Different Christs? speaks to this point.  Williams points out that when people dismissively regard your beliefs about God as heretical, unthoughtful, or irrelevant it ”strikes at the ground of your faith.”  All of our little visions of the Gospel carry ”a little of our own blood in it,” Williams says, bringing with it the often painful struggle to understand oneself ”in the light of God and the Gospel.”

For Williams the solution isn’t mere tolerance, b/c like it or not, we all must interpret what Jesus’ life means for us today.  If we merely choose to ignore other’s view of the Gospel, then according to the Archbishop we can fall prey to hating other’s views so much that we forget our own understanding of the Good News; the Gospel for us simply becomes what we do NOT believe. 

So, we must keep talking, without trying to ”take the edge off the reality of the conflict.”  While we must always be seeking to boil down to the essentials, focus on living out our understandings of the Gospel, rather than merely to interrogate others, perhaps Williams’ final suggestion for debating theology in a Christlike way is the best corrective to becoming overly aggressive:

Christ is not just there as an object of our investigation, but is a challenging and unsettling fact for all of us, interrogating us without mercy, interrogating our understanding of God and ourselves.  Are you stripping yourself in prayer before the terrible and searching Word of God?  Are you being refined in that fire? And am I?  Is my vision doing that to me, breaking and remaking my thoughts and words, my heart and mind? 

If we can conduct our theological discourse within the context of letting ourselves continually being refashioned by the One who has the right to question us, then maybe we can continue to debate, saying things that may be hurtful, while still having the others best interests at heart.  It seems appropriate to finish with this quote from Williams

I have no right to destroy your vision, nor you mine.  I have no business to devalue your understanding or make light of your struggles, nor you mine.  But we have the right-and perhaps the duty-to put the questions to each other and hear them from each other.When all the formulae, all the slogans, all the impassioned, sincere, and no doubt inevitable theological disputation is over, then we have to get back on our knees and ask about our own fidelity to God’s questioning, our own readiness to go into the desert where the security of pictures and ideas fades away, where all theologies finally give way to God.

 

 

  

I’m Back

I just finished our week of VMS at my church.  I’m pretty run down, but happy with how it went.  The kids had fun, were safe (praise God!), and were encouraged to go deeper with God.  Also, we had several students respond to God’s call to share in His life, which was awesome.  The task now is to follow up with them and help them in their journey of understanding who they are in the Triune God.  Should be fun.  I’m thankful to God for this week. 

Out of the Office

The blogging office, that is.  This week I have the opportunity to love and keep 120+ middle school students safe at our VMS, which runs concurrently with our church’s VBS.  I probably won’t post again until this weekend.

 

Ray Anderson: An Emergent Theology for Emerging Churches

Anderson, Ray S.  An Emergent Theology for Emerging Churches (Downers Grove: IVP, 2006).  220 pgs.

One of the most common objections to the “emerging church” movement is that it lacks any substantial theological outlook.  Emergent church leaders often fall prey to the cirticism that “eventually have to move past deconstruction.”  This work by Ray Anderson attempts to meet this need.  Anderson knows that his work won’t be definitive for the emerging church, since it is still in the process of coming into being, but hopes that his work can be a part of the “ongoing conversation.”

Anderson’s approach is to look to the scriptures to for a theology that is emergent, which he defines, following Dan Kimball, as a theology that has changed from its predecessor.  Anderson is seeking to discern what the scriptures say about a new movement in the church, and what we can take from that today.  However, Anderson’s approach isn’t to merely look for abstract principles from scripture, but to view the scriptures narratively, seeking to discern what is going on as the church changes.

It is here that Anderson’s basic thesis comes into view:

“The Christian community that emerged out of Antioch constitutes the original form and theology of the emerging church as contrasted with the believing community (20).” 

The rest of the book seeks to read the book of Acts and Galatians, among others, to discern key differences between the two churches and what we can learn from them to apply to what we see happening today.  While Anderson’s approach is provocative, it occasionally falls short of its goal.  It does seem that other reviews have rightly criticized Anderson’s strained views of the two churches.  Jerusalem is often painted with too negative a brush, and i’m skeptical that all of the contrasts between Antioch and Jerusalem were that polarized.  Anderson freely admits that at points he has outran the evidence and “caricatured the Jerusalem church.”  Furthermore, in certain chapters it seems that Anderson abandons this method all together, hardly referencing either church.  Anderson tells the reader upfront that this is an exercise in “creative narrative theology,” so don’t come expecting a purely biblical theological approach.  How can such a method be successful?  In Anderson own words:

It may appear that i’m overgeneralizing at points and overstating certain assumptions to make my point.  However, i believe that a fair reading of the New Testament documents will support my basic thesis (25).

The occasional over-reaching aside, this book is packed with great insights that should be taken seriously by all, not just emeging church leaders.  What follows are several of his main theses.  Italics indicate the implications of what Anderson is saying.

1. The church at Antioch was based on a theology of revelation, given directly to Paul by Christ Himself, while Jerusalem was too rooted in the past, and developed a fortress mentality based on its location and it’s continuity with Judaism.  The emerging church is a move of God that doesn’t overly rely on heirarchical structures or continuity with tradition.  Christ is the “cornerstone of continuity” for the church (28-30). 
2. Following on chapter 1 above, Anderson argues, following Karl Barth that “all ecclesiology is grounded, critically limited, but also positively determined by Christology.”  Anderson writes that “the Christ of the emerging church at Antioch is, in Paul’s experience, a Christ who emerges in the present out of the future (57).”  The emerging church is rightfully concerned with the contemporary presence of the historical Christ in their midst.  We all must learn to take this insight seriously, or we will fall into the criticism Anderson has for the Jerusalem church in chapter 1.  Incidentally, in this chapter Anderson relates the Son to the Spirit quite a bit, and here is a post i did on his views. 
3. In chapter 3 Anderson writes on the relationship between spirituality and the Spirit.  Anderson’s basic point is that not all spirituality is of the Spirit, and that since the Spirit is the presence of the historical Christ here and now, all such spiritual exercises or experiences without “relation to Jesus Christ is liable to be only a human form of spirituality (70).”  Anderson’s point here is that we shouldn’t kill ourselves trying to be “spirit-filled” Christians, but to allow the Spirit who is inside us already to produce His fruit.  Spiritual growth occurs only when we surrender to the Spirit who causes the growth (see 75-76). 
4. Regarding church polity, Anderson argues that the acceptance of the emerging church in the long run will depend more on the type of polity it embraces, or the lack there of.  Anderson believes that ultimately it isn’t about the right polity but the right gospel.  Right polity will follow right gospel, not the other way around.  Keep the Gospel pure, and don’t make relevance god (85-86). 
5. The emerging church must focus on Kingdom living, not what Anderson calls “Kingdom building.”  The church shouldn’t exist for its own improvement.  Rather, the church “finds it’s being in its Kingdom mission, under the guidance and the power of the Spirit (99).”  The church is the divine reign’s “sign, foretaste, agent, and instrument (99).”  “The ministry of the church should always be undstood as being grounded in the mission of God in Christ to reconcile to Himself.  When mission leads, ministry follows (185). 
6. “It’s about the final century, not the first century.  When Christ returns to bring to consummation his apostolic work now taking place by the gift of the Holy Spirit, it will be the final century.  An emergent theology looks toward the ‘final century’ in which Christ can be expected to return, as normative and apostolic (211).”  Anderson advocates a Trinitarian, eschatologically focused theology.  Such a focus may move us into new and uncharted terrain, and can be frightening.  Like Anderson points out, we need to feel the pull of the future so that fascination with what has been does not become an altar at which we worship (202). 

There are numerous other thoughts in this book, but this review is getting lengthy.  In sum, this book Anderson advocates a theological vision rooted in the past and present redemptive actions of the Triune God with an eye toward the eschatological fulfillment of God’s promises.  His ecclesiology is Christologically-grounded and Kingdom-centered.  This is Anderson’s view of the theology that the emerging church should embrace.  It is a breath-taking vision, one that makes one wonder if new movements of God would be needed if never lost this focus. 

For those looking for another great (and more concise!) review, click here.    

 

 

 

New Tab

A quick note for anyone who frequents this blog.  Near the top of the blog, i have added a “Book and Article Reviews” tab to consolidate all the work i do (and will do) in that area.  It’s pretty small at this point i admit, but some books just need the review written, and after this summer i will have quite a few more done.  Happy reading!

Eliot on Theology and Social Justice

It is not enough simply to see the evil and injustice and suffering of this world, and precipitate oneself into action.  We must know, what only theology can teach us, why these things are wrong.  Otherwise, we may right some wrongs at the cost of creating new ones. 

Pg 75

 

The Place of Critique in Blogging

So i’ve been doing a bit of reflecting on the blogging enterprise lately, and am finding myself increasingly disenchanted with all the critiquing that goes on, at least in the theoblogosphere.  I’m not against being critical of other’s views, but it seems like many forget that, as Dallas Willard puts it, it is better to Christ-like than right.  Often our critiques show a lack of charity.  It seems that we have little interest in finding common ground; instead, we just look for ways to point out how deficient other’s thoughts are.  Many reflections on the recent evangelical manifesto come to mind.  It seems that the best fuel for theological thinking is often someone else’s inadequacy.

There are two ironies here.  First, most of this uncharitable critiquing happens against conservative evangelicals, who are often (rightly) accused of being narrow minded and unwilling to listen.  Second, this post in many ways falls prey to the very criticism it offers.  So maybe the very nature of criticizing theological viewpoints requires the risk that we come off more judgmental than we mean to be.  I guess it would be refreshing to see more posts that, while maintaining a place for being critical, focus more on the commonalities between the two perspectives. 

WFPS Draws Closer

The conference i am helping plan for this year is drawing closer (i have called for papers here).  I am almost ready to work with the college’s print department to get registration materials sent off.  I have learned a lot already from planning an academic conference.  Most of my insights revolve around a heightened appreciation for those with the spiritual gift of administration. 

I would encourage everyone to click on the link above, and see if you can attend.  if so, please comment and i can get your address and send you registration materials. 

Humor in the Blogosphere

Here are a few links to some recent funny posts:

• Eric on David Bentley Hart’s vocabulary.
• Ben on Hell’s most wanted list.
• Chris tests your awareness.
• Ben alerts us to a cutting edge translation of the bible.
• Mrs Thinky points out one heck of a bargain.

Have a good weekend!

Unread Books

Right now i’m knee deep in reading theological writings dealing with culture, and i’m enjoying it.  That being said, i tend to get bored or distracted easily, so often when i’m working on a project i find myself often reaching for books on my shelf that i still hope to read one day. 

So, my question tonight is: what is one book you would love to read, but never have time to? 

Here is mine as of right now.