For those interested, here’s a few things going on with me in the next few months. If you’re nearby any of these events and can make them, please let me know so I can look you up.
Nazarene Theological Seminary: I will be leading 4 sessions Oct 22-23 on the subject “Missional Communities in a Changing Culture.” This is all part of another book I am in process of writing (which explains the reason why neither of them are getting done). I’m looking forward to being with the Nazarenes.
National Outreach Convention 2009: I normally don’t get invited to these kind of things, but here I’ll be in San Diego November 4-6. I’ll be leading a session on post Christendom evangelism, how the category of witness changes how we see “outreach.”
Breakforth 2010 in Edmonton Alberta: Again, I normally don’t get invited to these kind of things, but I’m really looking forward to Edmonton. I’ll be leading several sessions Jan 30-31 on “the practices of Missional Church.”
I’ll also be at this conference on consumerism (I highly recommend it) Nov 13th.
The Book – Many have asked me about the book I am working on. I’ve been working on it FOREVVERRRR. It’s title is The End of Evangelicalism? Discerning a New Faithfulness for Mission. It in essence is a proposal for a Missional Evangelical Political Theology. It tracks down how evangelical belief and practice (particulary the way we believe and practice Scripture, Church in Society and Salvation) has worked to shape us evangelicals as an arrogant, exclusionary, dispassionate duplicitous people (talk about harsh eh?) in the world – hardly a recipe for incarnational witness. I use Zizekian political theory in a way that I hope is accessible to show just how we got here – a politic empty at its core built on antagonism. In the main concluding chapter I show how we can reclaim the Incarnate Christ as the core of our politic in the world thereby reshaping our belief and practice of Scripture, church in the world and salvation for participating in God’s Mission. I’m really into this and it’s taking me much longer than I ever imagined. I posted a little rant on Zizek over at churchandpomo blog yesterday which reveals a little of what I’m up to. Don’t get too scared by the academic jargon over there. I really am aiming at making this more broadly accessible.
Of course all of this is made possible by my family, the church I am a part of and the church plants we ‘re seeding, and the ministry at Northern Seminary in training pastors/missioanl leaders. This is where I remain committed and from which all the other stuff comes from. I’m committed to not being away from any of the above more than once a month.(The other appointments you see on my schedule are essentially day trips).
Anyway, school starts up in a month (we’re on the quarter system). I hope to see some of you friends along the way.
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