Two weeks after George Zimmerman is aquitted in the death of Trayvon Martin it seems the dominant culture has moved on to a royal baby (no, it’s not Jesus in the manger, and we are not linking to it!). Two week sor ten plus years, has Missional Movement really dealt with its issues of power and priviledge? D. Kyle Canty thinks that perhap “the movement that sought to deconstruct Christendom needs deconstructing.”
This is the first paragraph of his recent post offering “A Black Misisonal Critique of the Missional Movement.” Please jump over there and share your thoughts, and follow Kyle on Facebook and Twitter.
There’s a complex question that gnaws at my heart as I observe evangelical culture; “Does the broader evangelical church in America recognize that there is something that they can learn from the African American church?” I follow conferences and as of late, I’ve kept up with the missional movement. I love listening to those who have mined the themes associated with everything missional and topics around justice and mercy for the marginalized. I frequent blogs, YouTube videos and the major declarations put out by the evangelical machine. During the past couple of years I’ve recognized the homogeneity of these circles—most of the speakers are white. Interesting enough, many of the topics that are being written about and presented at these events are topics that I’ve heard about throughout my life. (e.g., justice, mercy, meeting felt needs, etc.) Well before these were popular topics within evangelicalism, these were important issues among black pastors, preachers and theologians. The black church finds its uniqueness in the soil where it is cultivated—usually within marginalized and oppressed communities. (Please read the rest of the post here.)
D. Kyle Canty is married to Pam, his wife of thirteen years, they have three children; Micah (10), Karis (8), and new born Shiloh Elyse. He has earned a B.S. in Bible and M.S. in Christian Counseling from Cairn University (Philadelphia Biblical University), and an M.Div. Biblical Theological Seminary. Kyle is currently pursuing a doctorate in Urban Missiology at Biblical Theological Seminary and is an assistant pastor at Great Commission Church, located in the West Oak Lane section of Philadelphia.
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