In Part 1, I left off with this: We need more than just a re-articulation of the faith from the 16th century. We need break-through work in the theology, philosophy, and practice of mission in our day. There will be people working this angle at this gathering.
Now, here are three examples of this.
First, one of the speakers who will be presenting at this gathering was giving an address at a university last fall on the subject of humanity, life in the body, etc. In fact, they were discussing matters very similar to what they will be bringing to Truly Human. In the midst of their address, a leader of the LGBT advocacy group stood to their feet in protest. They had thought they heard overtones of anti-LGBT speech (I don’t believe there were anti-LGBT overtones, but the Missio speaker does hold an orthodox understanding of human sexuality, yet through a different lens than most have heard before). The protest continued the rest of the address.
What transpired afterwards was a 3 hour long conversation between this speaker, the leader, many in the LGBT community at the university, and several other interested persons. By the end, after mutual listening and learning, folks were hugging, taking pictures together and sharing mutual tears. Students also asked the speaker to pray for them and for the growth of a Truly Human life. I doubt that all this occurred because there was agreement in the room on these tough issues. Yet, there was breakthrough in new angles and through easily divisive beliefs. This speaker will be at our gathering talking about the same topic that led to this story – who knows what further work the Holy Spirit might do?!
Second, last fall I was at another event where one of our speakers (a white man) spoke honestly and passionately about the topic of racial reconciliation. It was a powerful moment as a white man addressed, in both humble and authoritative proclamation, the hard issues around these matters that so often white people are unaware of. The next morning, another one of our speakers (a black man) shared that they had never heard a white man talk about racial reconciliation like they heard the night before. In fact, it brought him to tears. It was a break-through kind of conversation, and one that both will be discussing at Missio’s gathering.
Third, one of the great observations that an attender made to me at the inaugural Missio event in 2013 was that they had never been to a conference where a more conservative, right-leaning advocacy group like Acton Institute and a more progressive, left-leaning advocacy group like Sojourners, were sponsoring the same event. This time, not only will they both be sponsoring this event, but key leaders from each organization will be leading a workshop together that is attempting to get “beyond ideology” and toward a break-through discussion on Resurrection Life & Economic Shalom.
I have no idea what new options may come through this important conversation and others like it! But I do know that it's an important step forward into the North American church's future.
Tomorrow, I'll explore that specifically: being a part of the future that is coming.
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.