Will it be “kingdom” or will it be “soteriology”? This, in my estimation, is more central to the emerging movement than many think. Traditional evangelicalism is stuck in the Pauline theology of salvation (soteriology) and many of us in the emerging movement do not think that is the only language game in town. But what is the relationship of the “kingdom” to the “church” (the Body of the saved ones)? I’ve got a suggestion. What do you think of it?... Read more
I read R. Swinburne’s Responsibility and Atonement and he had lots of ideas about heaven and hell, so I thought I’d see where you are on this one. The options were not easy to spell out. Purgatory, for instance, is not really a “second chance” theology as I understand it, but for the Christian who needs to be purged of sins. Read more
From time to time I read a blog or hear someone call another person a “heretic.” Recently a blogfriend asked me how I would define “heretic” or “heresy.” I’ve been asked this about two people, and I won’t use names but it wouldn’t be hard to figure out about whom it was asked. How do you define “heretic”? |inline Read more
Anyone who takes the Story of the New Testament seriously will include the earliest chapters of Acts in any serious discussion of the missional life of the first Christians. What was a missional life like for them? Any thoughts? You need not be restricted to these chapters in Acts. |inline Read more
In N.T. Wright’s third section to his book Simply Christian, he deals with the following themes about the Christian life: worship, prayer, Bible, interpretation, believing/belonging, and new creation/starting now. It is a bit of a short manual on Christian living today. I wonder what you thought of this section in his book. |inline Read more
Another way at looking at emerging evangelism, or what we might better call a missional preoccupation in life, is to examine how Jesus related to others. So today we will simply sample Matthew 8–9, two chapters that record Jesus’ interactions with others. |inline Read more
Today at lunch two students pushed me for funds, one of whom needs funds for a trip and the other her advocate. One student is going to Africa this summer for a most worthy opportunity to help some missionaries. This student is seriously thinking of missions as a vocation, and (even as a freshman) is already shaping her courses with that vocation in mind. Here’s the deal she figured out: |inline Read more
The second section of Tom Wright’s new book, Simply Christian, is called Staring at the Sun — an evocative and insightful metaphor for what it is like to stare at God — blinded by the light, never quite able to take it in, that sort of thing. His concern here is a brief sketch in six chapters, of the central themes of the Bible. |inline Read more
A generous family at Montecito Covenant wanted Kris and me to have a room with a view of the beach, which we surely did. And we remain grateful for their kindness. The beachfront was constant activity, from walkers and joggers to artists. Saturday, bright and early, a host of folks showed up to row canoes into the ocean as if they were chasing down rumors of the discovery of gold. Here’s a pic: |inline Read more
The central term for what would be called in another generation “evangelism” is “missional” for the emerging movement. This week I will focus on the New EE, the sense of evangelism for the emerging movement, and to do so I will look at some themes in Jesus and then the early churches. |inline Read more
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