The Tony Jones Blog at Patheos
Last month, over 400 of us gathered in Memphis to celebrate the career (so far) of Phyllis Tickle, grande dame of American Protestantism. It was a great time.
Now Phyllis and her talks at that event have been commemorated in a booklet/artifact featuring the sketches of Paul Soupiset, photographs of Courtney Perry, and appreciative quotes about Phyllis from some of her closest friends.
For one week only, the book is $19.95 (plus shipping). After that, it’ll go up to $24.95. So get it today!
I’m in Memphis, coordinating an event called Emergence Christianity: A National Gathering with Phyllis Tickle and Friends. It’s gonna be awesome. In advance of it launching tomorrow, some of my friends have written posts reflecting on it.
Bruce Reyes-Chow: Aren’t We Done Emerging Yet? Sure.
I know — f or some people, the whole ”emergent” church thing is sooooo over and as a brand, sure. Not one to get too caught up in needed precise definitions *shocking* the core values of this population — the ones that have drawn me into relationship with these folks are still there: a genuine passion for the Christian faith, a curiosity about what may be happening and a willingness to try some things . . . and best of all – huge, empathetic and frustrating intentions about life and the world. From the conservative Baptist to the way-too-liberal Presbyterian and everyone in-between, I have been inspired by the many conversations – glancing and deep – that I have had over the years and so I look forward to yet one more gathering that will feed my soul and spark my synapses.
Adam Walker-Cleaveland: Hope for the Church: “I’m Not Dead”
The cast of Animate.Bible: Nadia Bolz-Weber, Will Willimon, José Morales, Jay Bakker, Rachel Held-Evans, Phyllis Tickle, and Eric Elnes.
A lot of what I get to do is spend time thinking and writing about the future of Christianity — my preferred future, at least. And getting together with people who are interested in the same trajectories of Christianity is a big part of my life, too. Honestly, it’s the whole reason that Doug and I started The JoPa Group and produce events like Emergence Christianity: A National Gathering with Phyllis Tickle and Friends.
What I do with my part-time job at sparkhouse is distinct, but related. This fall, sparkhouse released Animate.Faith, a video-based congregational resource that opens conversations about some of the most intriguing and essential ideas of Christianity:
God | Faith Is a Quest
Brian McLaren
Religion | Spirituality is not Enough
Lillian Daniel
Jesus | The Revolution of Love
Mark Scandrette
Salvation | Abundant Life Now
Shane Hipps
Cross | Where God Is
Nadia Bolz-Weber
Bible | A Book Like No Other
Lauren Winner
Church | An Imperfect Family
Bruce Reyes-Chow
This week, we met with the talented group who will be developing the next course for us, Animate.Bible:
The JoPa Group — that’s Jones and Pagitt — is putting on a whizbang event early next year, and I think that pretty much every reader of this blog should attend. It’s called Emergence Christianity: A National Gathering with Phyllis Tickle and Friends, and it’s going to be awesome.
The reason for the event is Phyllis’s new book, Emergence Christianity: What It Is, Where It Is Going, and Why It Matters
It’s taking place in the majestic and beautiful Episcopal Cathedral of St. Mary in Memphis. Phyllis will be the main presenter, and she’ll be surrounded and supported by friends like [Read more...]
Phyllis Tickle’s new book, Emergence Christianity: What It Is, Where It Is Going, and Why It Matters
Plus, don’t forget to RSVP for the National Gathering in Memphis where Phyllis and friends will be presenting on her new work and its implications.
“Any serious student of, or participant in, Emergence Christianity is going to rejoice in the work contained here. Jones’s hard-core research is scholarly to a fault; but it is also permeated with the experiential knowledge and realistic assessment of one who has been in the movement from its inception in this country. So far as I know, this is the first vetted, validated, and comprehensive overview of what is happening and also of what that happening means, complete with a sizeable section of summary full of practical advice and pointers. This is one piece of work that everybody in Emergence Christianity needs urgently to read now as a way of charting not only where Emergence is, but also where it has to go and is going. A brilliant academic tour de force with enormous applications for lay reading and praxis.”
Purchase The Church Is Flat on Amazon
It’s also available for the Nook at Barnes & Noble.
This week, I’m going to be posting on different aspects of the Wild Goose Festival, which was, from my perpective, an overwhelmingly successful gathering. Truly, I cannot imagine that it could have gone much better than it did, and I’m proud to have been a volunteer at the first Goose.
I’ve got lots to say, so I’ll address different aspects of the festival, like the music, the talks, sexuality, and even some of my friendly suggestions to make the festival better next year.
But to begin, I want to post my thanksgivings:
As I hinted last week, I’m tapering off on blogging for the next week or so, with a big change and significant increase in volume coming on June 1. Watch this space for more details.
In the meantime, I’ve been at the family cabin the north woods of Minnesota, reading and prepping for the class on Christian Spirituality that I’m teaching (along with Lauren Winner and Phyllis Tickle) next month at Fuller Seminary.
Here’s a post I wrote last year about the significance of opening the cabin:
Honestly, I even think there’s something sacred about the fact that the cabin is locked up and snowed in from mid-October till now. It’s inaccessible and uninhabitable, not unlike the pattern of fasting and feasting that’s so integral to all religious systems. Being without this place for half the year causes me to long for it and appreciate it in a way that I likely would not if it were available to me all the time.
From Fuller Seminary’s Burner Blog:
Join authors Tony Jones, Lauren Winner and Phyllis Tickle as they discuss “Emerging Spiritualities in the American Church” as a part of the Christian Spirituality cohort in the Fuller Doctor of Ministry Program. The event is free and open to the public. Sponsored by the Berry Center for Lifelong Learning and The Burner Blog.
Date: 06/08/11
Ends: 06/08/11
Time: 7:00pm
Location:
Travis Auditorium, Pasadena, Calif.
via Tony Jones, Lauren Winner and Phyllis Tickle at Fuller « The Burner.
As I’ve mentioned here before, I’m teaching a three-year Doctor of Ministry cohort at Fuller Theological Seminary, beginning this June (we’ll meet for two weeks in June 2011, 12, and 13). I’m really looking forward to this journey because, like many followers of Jesus, I need a kick in my spiritual pants.
I already tend toward the intellectual, to be sure. My recent posts about demons and angels hint at what my friends already know: that I’m predisposed to believe only those things that make rational sense. In all honesty, that makes an uneasy postmodernist, since my bias is toward a more empirical worldview.
But, as much as I love theological and doctrinal wrangling, I know that spirituality is actually at the heart of the Jesus Way.
As my dissertation has dragged on over several years, I’ve not really afforded myself the chance to reinvest in Christian spirituality, as I had in several of my books. Writing a dissertation is, of course, a thoroughly intellectual endeavor. Not that it doesn’t test one’s spirit — it does! — but the method of writing an acceptable dissertation is one of qualified truth claims backed by warrants and evidence. The intuition that is so valuable in spirituality is not needed for this type of academic work — in fact, it most likely gets in the way.
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