Faith and Culture

Brian Zahnd, at Word of Life Church in St Joseph MO, had a dream. He dreamed of bringing theologians together with pastors to engage one another — let the theologian present an idea and then let the pastors engage the theologian. I was privileged of being asked to be the theologian at the 2012 version of Faith and Culture conference. I begin with this: Brian Zahnd has as fertile and nimble of a mind as I’ve seen among pastors. He’s read deeply and widely; he thinks independently; and his thinking and reading and praying are shaped in one direction: at the local church, at the sermon, and at ministry in St Joseph. Brian’s got one cool study, and the shelves are lined with classics, and he has become a deep reader in the church fathers. Which means Brian’s been on a great theological journey, which includes a number of journeys to the Holy Land which led to this prayer chapel — with stone from Jerusalem. Deeply aesthetic place.

Pastors need to be with theologians to think anew; theologians need to be with pastors to keep them focused on ministry. Good theology is for the church; good pastors are theologians.

Both Brian and I spoke, Brian on Monday night and Wednesday night and I spoke on Tues morning, Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning. I was asked to speak about the King Jesus Gospel project. I am developing a new set of categories on the Bible’s Story, enhancing what I have in the final chapters in King Jesus Gospel, so I was able to present that in the first session and then in the 3d session — on gospel again — I worked again from Acts 10. In between I dipped into the universalism and hell and the parable from hell in Luke 16.

Great questions, including an interview with Brian and then another with Joe Beach. I not only hit it off with these two pastors but I found their questions stimulating — Joe pressed me on “more church, Scot, more church” and I took his point and tried to bring out themes I should have emphasized in my talks that I didn’t. Brian and I share a commitment to prayerbooks, in particular, The Book of Common Prayer, so it was good that we could both discuss that and that I could reinforce recent teachings of Brian’s at Word of Life.

Wonderful hospitality, including a lasagna dinner with Peri and Brian at their home, with Brad Jersak and Joe and Karen Beach. And thanks to Paul Tassler and Derek Vreeland for transport to the KC airport.

Brian and Peri — thanks for who you are and for inviting me to partake in Word of Life’s conference.