Every Sunday, we’ll be posting articles and links that are saying something important about church, culture, and mission. Here’s what resonated with us this week on the web:
Church & Theology
Greg Boyd is at ReKnew answering the question of charismatic gifts:
In the church today, Christians can be roughly divided into three groups on this topic. First, cessationists believe that the charismatic gifts ceased as soon as the NT was completed. The continuationists believe that the charismatic gifts are for today and thus should be pursued and practiced. In between are those who are not theologically opposed to the exercise of charismatic gifts, but they are cautious.
The following is a brief introduction that supports the continuationist view.
The V3 Movement introduces David Fitch as a speaker at the upcoming Praxis Gathering:
There are a lot of events for Church Planters these days. The Praxis Gathering stands out by creating space to interact with fellow practitioners. Each presenter is currently at work in grounded missional practice in different contexts throughout North America.
David Fitch is one of the 27 practitioner presenters you’ll get to spend quality time with at The Praxis Gathering.
In a video at Fresh Expressions US, Jenni Bartling talks about the power of fresh expressions:
Jenni Bartling of Titus Church Planting discusses the unique power of Fresh Expressions: releasing lay men and women to follow God’s calling into their neighborhood.
News & Views
The Protest Station writes about Tullian Tchvidjian and the unknowable pastor:
That wasn’t happening at Coral Ridge, and we decided we needed to be there. Our kids love it too. But there was one big issue: would we know the pastor? Sure, we could know many of the elders, but what about Tullian?
Scot McKnight quotes Mark Woods in response to the SCOTUS ruling on same-sex marriage:
The immediate consequence of this ruling, then, is an invitation to do some theology. One of the painful things for observers of the evangelical scene on both sides of the Atlantic has been the reluctance of ‘pro-marriage’ (= anti-gay marriage) campaigners to distinguish their idea of the Church from their idea of the state, as though the two were coterminous.
Relevant Magazine reports on President Obama's eulogy for Clementa Pinckney that ended in "Amazing Grace":
President Obama gave a stirring eulogy at the funeral for the Rev. Clamenta Pinckney, the pastor of Emanuel AME Church in Charleston who was one of the nine people killed by a racist shooter last week at one of the church’s prayer meetings. “We are here today to remember a man of God who lived by faith,” Obama said. “A man of service who persevered knowing full well he would not receive all those things he was promised, because he believed his efforts would provide a better life for those who followed.”
Favorite Podcasts
David Fitch and Geoff Holsclaw talk about bivocational ministry on Theology On Mission.
Michael Hidalgo is interviewed by Shane Blackshear on Seminary Dropout.
Brian McLaren is interviewed by Luke Norsworthy about Phyllis Tickle's legacy on Newsworthy With Norsworthy.
On The Missio Blog
Good Words Or Good Works? A Look At Michael J. Gorman’s Becoming The Gospel, by Nijay Gupta.
J.R. Briggs Reflects On The Ecclesia Network And Truly Human Gatherings, by J.R. Briggs.
On Violence And Living In A “Racialized” Society: Silence Sends A Clear Message When We Have An Opportunity To Act, by Natasha S. Robinson.
Husbands, Submit To Your Wives, by Tara Beth Leach.
Unsanctified Mercy: Integrating Compassion And Conviction For Human Flourishing, by Dr. Charlie Self.
Missio Alliance Comment Policy
The Missio Alliance Writing Collectives exist as a ministry of writing to resource theological practitioners for mission. From our Leading Voices to our regular Writing Team and those invited to publish with us as Community Voices, we are creating a space for thoughtful engagement of critical issues and questions facing the North American Church in God’s mission. This sort of thoughtful engagement is something that we seek to engender not only in our publishing, but in conversations that unfold as a result in the comment section of our articles.
Unfortunately, because of the relational distance introduced by online communication, “thoughtful engagement” and “comment sections” seldom go hand in hand. At the same time, censorship of comments by those who disagree with points made by authors, whose anger or limited perspective taints their words, or who simply feel the need to express their own opinion on a topic without any meaningful engagement with the article or comment in question can mask an important window into the true state of Christian discourse. As such, Missio Alliance sets forth the following suggestions for those who wish to engage in conversation around our writing:
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If you disagree with something the an author said, consider framing your response as, “I hear you as saying _________. Am I understanding you correctly? If so, here’s why I disagree. _____________.
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