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
Scot McKnight asks a question alongside Aaron Chalmers: What is a prophet?
One must, I would add, also ask if the Bible’s sense of prophet can be transferred to criticism of The Man and The Man’s Systemic Forces. One must at least ask if a prophet is not a calling of God to speak a word from God to the people of God? That is, that prophecy is about a calling that leads to “friendly fire” — critique of the church and its leaders from within.
Greg Boyd writes at ReKnew about the Cruciform Trinity:
This means that, when the Son emptied himself to identify fully with our limited humanity, our sin, and our God-forsakeness, he was not doing something that was alien to God’s eternal nature. Rather, as Bauckham puts it, “[i]n this act of self-giving God is most truly himself and defines himself for the world.” The perfect, humble, other-oriented love that is displayed in the self-emptying of the Incarnation and Crucifixion, considered as one revelatory act, reveals God precisely because it reflects what God is like within himself and throughout eternity. Torrance argues that, “the atoning act perfected in the cross of Jesus Christ is grounded in the very being of the eternal God, that is, in the eternal being of the Holy Trinity.”
The V3 Movement blog introduces us to Praxis presenter Gideon Tsang:
In 2013, The New York Times published an article about Gideon, Vox Veniae, and Space 12. The article, “Breaking the Evangelical Mold at a Church With Ethnic Roots,” touches on the arc of Gideon’s jouney as pastor of an Austin Chinese Church church plant intended to reach university students in the heart of the city. It goes on to reveal how this missional community organically grew to becoming a diverse, neighborhood church with a heart for the plight of the less fortunate living on the city’s historically overlooked east side.
News & Views
Sarah Bessey writes at Christianity Today about being a charismatic Christian:
After a season when I walked far away from our traditions, gathering the greater story of our church, I eventually found myself corkscrewing back over and over again to the teachings of my childhood, the songs, the practices, the theology, even the emphasis on empowerment of the Spirit for living. I’m learning to reclaim my tradition’s great gifts to me.
Jonathan Merritt interviews Southern Baptist leader Russell Moore at Religion News Service:
Q: Why do you think the Christian cake baker should be able to refuse service on religious grounds to an LGBT couple, but should not be able to refuse service on religious grounds to an interracial couple or Muslim couple?
A: I don’t think the issue is refusing service, but participating in a wedding that is a moral violation of their conscience. The belief about human sexuality is one held by every major religion. This is not some novel idea.
Brian Zahnd makes a Transfiguration comparison on the anniversary of Hiroshima:
The face shining brighter than the sun that saves the world is not “Little Boy” over Hiroshima or “Fat Man” over Nagasaki, but the Son of Man shining over Tabor. When Jesus was transfigured, God spoke from heaven and said, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased; listen to him!” Jesus is what God has to say.
Favorite Podcasts
Don Coleman on the Fresh Expressions US podcast.
Brad Jersak on the Newsworthy With Norsworthy podcast.
John Mark McMillan on the Seminary Dropout podcast.
On The Missio Blog
Am I Really Non-Violent? by Matt Tebbe.
The Patrick Option, by John Hawthorne.
Theology On Mission Podcast #7: Not Sharing THAT Gospel, by Missio Alliance.
Race, Gender, Justice: How Should The Church Respond When People Reach The Boiling Point? by Kris Beckert.
10 Reasons Our Existing Church Planting Conferences Aren’t Enough, by Missio Alliance.
The Spirituality Of Jesus: Stop And Go? by Karina Kreminski.
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:
1. Seek to understand the author’s intent.
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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We deeply desire and value the voice and perspective of our readers. However you may react to an article we publish or a fellow commenter, we encourage you to set forth that reaction is the most constructive way possible. Use your voice and perspective to move conversation forward rather than shut it down.
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One of our favorite tenants is that “an enemy is someone whose story we haven’t heard.” Very often disagreements and rants are the result of people talking past rather than to one another. Everyone’s perspective is intimately bound up with their own stories – their contexts and experiences. We encourage you to couch your comments in whatever aspect of your own story might help others understand where you are coming from.
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