N.T. Wright’s new book, Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense, is Tom’s adventure into a new kind of apologetic — not by way of disproving but by way of expounding three dimensions of the Christian faith: the inner echoes of a voice in our heart of hearts, the basics of the Story of the Bible, and then a survey of the basics of Christian living. In the next three days I’ll look at each section. |inline Read more
We were blessed to be with the good folks at Montecito Covenant this weekend. Their generosity gave Kris and me the freedom to wander for most of two days in Santa Barbara and Montecito. I have two words for the church: elegant simplicity. |inline Read more
Perhaps the word “missional” is more appropriate to the emerging sense of evangelism, and I suggest the following are some of the major complaints against traditional evangelism. We can all give some bad examples of evangelism, and the best way to do the work of the kingdom is to get beyond criticizing traditional faith by appealing to bad examples. Still, there are some issues for many of us: |inline Read more
Tonight we were asked to challenge the Montecito Covenant Church to be a missional community of faith, and I’d like to share the outline of our talk. First, though, I’m impressed with this community of faith — its piety, its resilience, and its stability. The best preaching is not about saying something new but reminding us of something old in fresh ways. |inline Read more
Almighty Father who gave your only Son to die for our sins and to rise for our justification: Give me grace so to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness, that I may always serve you in pureness of living and truth; through Jesus Christ your Son my Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. †|inline Read more
Kris and I are in Santa Barbara where I’m speaking for a generous Montecito Covenant Church (up in the foothills and near Westmont). One of my striking impressions is that this place is filled with runners and walkers. We are near the beach front and there is a long walk with a regular stream of folks on the path. |inline Read more
The best advertisement I’ve seen in a long, long time is the Southwest Airlines commercial with a wife watching her husband via computer camera: he’s waddling around in his boxers and big gut hanging out and drinking from a big pitcher of milk. |inline Read more
A student of mine asked me to lunch the other day because he wanted to tell me his story and what is going on in his life because of studying about Jesus. I cannot tell his story in detail here so he will be protected. We drove to a place for a late lunch. His entire family is [other world faith], he and a sibling have attended NPU, and he will eventually to return to his Far East country to... Read more
Perhaps a nice place to re-address the question of what “evangelism” looks like and will look like in the emerging movement is to summarize the points made in Eddie Gibbs and Ryan Bolger, Emerging Churches, chp. 6: “Welcoming the Stranger.” |inline Read more
Jamie KA Smith has a new, readable, useful book on postmodernity called Who’s Afraid of Postmodernism?. I want to recommend as the best interface of evangelical concerns and traditional theology with postmodernism. It is not as saucy or philosophical as Caputo’s new book, but it is more theological and more aimed at evangelicals who are nervous about postmodernism. |inline Read more
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