Several years ago I had the opportunity to attend a meeting of the American Society of Missiology (a gathering of smart folks who try to study and name the mission that God is up to in the world.) The Society had asked me to bring a report about the new monastic movement that I and others are part of. While I was there, I also got to hear several other good reports on the Emergent church conversation and the “missional... Read more
I wrote last month about the value of ‘negative space’ in worship settings, but the same principle has similar effects in the life of the larger organization. Of course most reasonable people would look at flat churches, offer an exasperated sigh, and say, “Organization? What organization? I don’t see any!” And while it is true that there is a lack of top-down structure, even grassroots emergence churches will often naturally employ the use of negative space to get certain jobs... Read more
Last month I had the privilege of interviewing Chris Smith of Englewood Christian Church on the Near Eastside of Indianapolis. Chris joined me for the monthly Twitter #missionalchat in February, and then we sat down to record this half-hour conversation about his new e-book The Virtue of Dialogue (Patheos Press) and his forthcoming book Slow Church, co-authored with John Pattison. Watch: This month I’m looking forward to chatting with Bruce Reyes-Chow about his latest bold initiative — developing a new... Read more
Here is a condensed version of a workshop I offer on the concept of “Church 2.0.” I talk in it about the popularity of things like the “Why I Hate Religion But Love Jesus” video and Mark Driscoll’s Acts 29 Network of churches. But while we can learn something from what these kinds of voices are saying and doing, we can also do this while still offering the world a more liberating theology and a radically inclusive community. At the... Read more
(Note: I am interrupting my own series on Strange Religion: American Dualism because of the urgency of this situation. Life interrupts perceived reality. A recent ABC News – Washington Post poll (http://www.voanews.com/english/news/Americans-Believe-Afghan-War-Not-Worth-Costs-New-Poll-Finds–142296305.html) shows that 60 percent of U.S. citizens believe the war in Afghanistan is not worth its costs. These cost are both monetary and counted in the loss of human life. Although the slaying of Afghan innocents are not wholesale actions, and some good is being done in Afghanistan,... Read more
I wrote this poem in an attempt to explore the life of Bathsheba. I wondered what it might feel like to experience challenging events in her life. When my friend Kathy Smith read the poem at a gathering last week at my church, Solomon’s Porch, she pointed out that when stories from the Bible are told from the perspective of women, the narrative sounds quite different. Bathsheba I. Bathing night air scented lavender and rose massage my neck rub my... Read more
You know we’re living in an odd world when atheists encourage people to read scripture. 50,000 people a day sample science blogger PZ Myers‘ Pharyngula posts. “There’s no surer way to make an atheist than to get someone to actually read the Bible,” says Myers. Here is why: Genesis 6 and 7, for example, tell of God planning and executing the slaughter of billions of innocent animals and millions of children in Noah’s flood. In the words of one distraught... Read more
By Jana Riess In the news last week I read a story about a mother whose college-age daughter had died, but the mother kept her Facebook profile alive and active so that friends and family could continue to post their memories. Months passed, and then someone took it upon himself or herself to alert Facebook that this young woman was, in fact, dead — a clear violation of Facebook’s stated policies. Citing privacy concerns, Facebook “memorialized” the page, and the... Read more
I try not to simply re-post thoughts from my blog here, but I wanted to share today’s thoughts with this community as well… If you’ve been on Facebook or Twitter over the last 24 hours, you have probably seen people talking about the efforts to stop Joseph Kony from the organization called Invisible Children. Here’s my response after watching the 30-minute film. Let me start as a filmmaker. It’s an amazing piece of art. Propaganda maybe…but the best kind of propaganda there can... Read more
As people defend Mars Hill’s policy on church discipline and consider those similar policies of other churches, there is a big assumption being made. The common refrain is often that Mars Hill and churches like them are simply being “biblical” in their approach. This seems to be the home base that they and their supporters tag every time there is a challenge to their methodology. The assumption that I propose, is that the very existence of not only Mars Hill... Read more
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