With the Independence Day holiday now behind is and quickly fading into our memories (well, who can forget the San Diego fireworks debacle?), I just want to bring your attention and focus back once again to the question of patriotism and love for God and country (in that order). I just finished reading Logan Mehl-Laituri’s uncommon personal memoir Reborn on the Fourth of July, and I think it’s one of the most important books to be published certainly this year... Read more
Did you know that Tony Campolo and Shane Claiborne have their own TV show … on TBN?!? That’s right. “Red Letter Christianity” airs Mondays at 9:00pm EST, Tuesdays at 2:30am EST, and Fridays at 12:30pm EST, although you can watch a lot of previous episodes online. I think Tony looks a little more comfortable on the flashy TBN set, in his Eastern University sweatshirt (does he have an endorsement deal from Eastern?), than Shane, who wears his own hand-made clothes... Read more
From Brian McLaren’s forthcoming book Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha and Mohammed Cross the Road? (bowing September 11, 2012, from Jericho Books): “Christian mission begins with friendship — not utilitarian friendship, the religious version of network marketing — but genuine friendship, friendship that translates love for neighbors in general into knowing, appreciating, liking and enjoying … This knowing-in-particular then motivates us to protect our neighbor when he or she is under threat, as a little Rwandan girl understood: just... Read more
There are a number of conferences out there called “Shift” (or that have “Shift” in their titles), but did you know there’s an annual retreat called Shift specifically for progressive Christian worship leaders, pastors, musicians, etc., organized by a new group called the Progressive Christian Artist Network (PCAN)? And it’s happening again July 25-28 at the Pilgrim Center in Green Lake, Wisconsin. Is PCAN and Shift specifically “missional”? No, not necessarily, but they are talking about shifting things within the... Read more
The Sentralized conference, coming up September 27-29 in Kansas City, has announced their slate of 14 main sessions and 33 workshops for this year’s event. Some of the stand-out main sessions include Alan Hirsch on “The Shaping of Things Today,” Scot McKnight on “The King Jesus Gospel,” Michael Frost on “Jesus The Exile,” David Fitch on “Mutual Submission: Leading As A Team,” Jo Saxton on “Making Missional Disciples,” and more. On the workshop side, David Fitch will be doing one... Read more
Tim King writing over at the progressive Sojourners organization blog, wonders “Is Michelle Obama a ‘Missional’ Christian?” “Last week, the First Lady spoke to the quadrennial General Conference of the African American Methodist Episcopal Church. While the speech was a get-out-the-vote plug, it also shed an interesting light on both her personal faith and the theological tradition of the nation’s oldest independent, predominantly African-American congregations. “In reading the First Lady’s speech, I was intrigued to see a strong emphasis on... Read more
Scot McKnight (an entirely different person than Steve Knight, the author of this blog) has given us his definition of missional, in the context of an excellent review of Don Everts’ new book Go and Do: Becoming A Missional Christian: “Missional is not a new, fancy, PC, shorn of its weaknesses version of the word ‘evangelism.’ Neither is it equivalent to social justice, and neither is it what many missionaries do. And it’s not counter-cultural, anti-church churches or house churches... Read more
Fellow Progressive Christian blogger Carl Gregg finally decided to post his notes from the Funding the Missional Church conference, which was good, because it reminded me to post these slides from Brad Cecil — which are perhaps the most valuable take-away from the entire event: Why churches are hurting View more PowerPoint from Brad Cecil & Associates, Inc Your people want to give View more PowerPoint from Brad Cecil & Associates, Inc I wish the Funding conference had focused more... Read more
Churches are not the only institution caught in the midst of incredible change and reformation. Seminaries and colleges are also experiencing the upheaval of cultural and technological shift. Many leaders in higher education are wrestling with how to reform and restructure, in order to prepare for the future they know is coming (and, in many ways, is already here). I’d encourage them to read my friend Tony Jones’ recent series on “What Seminary Education Ought to Be.” While students are... Read more
St. Lydia’s is a progressive ELCA/Episcopal church that worships around a meal every Sunday night in Brooklyn, New York. Pastoral minister Emily Scott explains the concept of “dinner church”: “Our central act at St. Lydia’s is to gather together around a meal and around a table. The idea is that when we’re at this table together, there’s a way in which we’re practicing for how we’d like to be when we’re out in the world. So, it’s a table where... Read more
Missional Shift
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