What is the gospel? This question, some could say, has been the dominant question in the post-evangelical landscape these past ten years.. Brian McLaren has written extensively about it (think only about the Secret Message), Scot McKnight has written in various ways about it, it took up a whole year for the Christian Vision project of Christianity Today. Indeed it is EVERYWHERE! We are seeking the means to think biblically & theologically about the fullness of the gospel in Jesus Christ. Aside from various theological explorations, we need ways to expand our imaginations contextually. We need to understand all God has wrought in and thru the singular work of Jesus Christ for our various contexts.
Can I say this is what is so special about the work JR Woodward has done in bringing about the book Viral Hope: Good News from the Urbs to the Burbs. It’s a collection of short essays from
50 different authors (full disclosure – I am one of them) articulating the gospel in their own local context. It is an exercise in orthodox imagination for the work of contextualizing the gospel in our time.
The book is published by Ecclesia Press, which is the nonprofit publishing arm of the Ecclesia Network, a network I have become more and more involved in over the past couple years. Scot McKnight wrote the foreword, and Chris Backert (director of Ecclesia) wrote an excellent conclusion to the book.
You can order through Amazon, or order bulk copies through Ecclesia Press. You can also follow on Twitter: @EcclesiaPress and @ViralHopeBook.
There simply are not too many books out there like this. I think it is particularly appropos for a seminar or class in evangelism. For upon reading it, we are taken in a journey of contextualziation around the world. It demands an expanding vision of what God is doing in the world. It demands we think through what the gospel might be in particular ways for our own context.
All this to say, I gladly recommend this book. I’m not being a”Homer” here. It’s an opening salvo to the traditional enclosed church for all pastors/professors to use in calling people into the wide open world of God’s Mission.
For further info see what Sternke, Englewood Review, JR Briggs (are there enoiugh JR’s in the world?), Len Hjalmarson, and of course Scot McKnight himself have to say about it!!
______________________________
And Oh BTW, on another book’s release, I hear that Frank Viola and Leonard Sweet are releasing their newest book tomorrow Jesus Manifesto: Restoring the Supremacy and sovereignty of Jesus Christ. It will be on special discount from Amazon tomorrow, Tuesday, June 1st, the official release date. I think it’s half price? You can learn more by going to TheJesusManifesto site. Anyways, I read it. To me, it played into a theme that I am working on in political theory these days, that the church becomes “an empty politic” built around antagonisms when it its not built around the direct particpation in Christ and His life in the Triune God. Of course, Frank and Len are not doing political theory here ( I would never want to accuse anyone of such a thing!). I was nonetheless appreciative of their like mindedness in this book. So I blurbed it!! Hope the books does well.
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. _____________.
2. Seek to make your own voice heard.
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.
3. Share your story.
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.
In view of those suggestions for shaping conversation on our site and in an effort to curate a hospitable space of open conversation, Missio Alliance may delete comments and/or ban users who show no regard for constructive engagement, especially those whose comments are easily construed as trolling, threatening, or abusive.