{"id":4316,"date":"2015-07-01T06:11:52","date_gmt":"2015-07-01T12:11:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/paperbacktheology\/?p=4316"},"modified":"2015-07-01T06:11:52","modified_gmt":"2015-07-01T12:11:52","slug":"2015-missio-alliance-north-american-gathering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/paperbacktheology\/2015\/07\/2015-missio-alliance-north-american-gathering.html","title":{"rendered":"2015 Missio Alliance North American Gathering"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"MA.001\"<\/a>Missio Alliance just posted the audio files from their North American gathering held in Alexandria, VA last May. You can find them in the Resources section of their website: www.missioalliance.org. I cannot recommend this resource highly enough, & I thought I\u2019d take this opportunity to post a few thoughts about what I experienced at this gathering.<\/p>\n

It has been years since I have gone\u00a0to a seminar or conference\u2014really any wider gathering of Christians\u2014without experience that\u00a0square-peg feeling. I realize this says more about me than about the groups that sponsored the gatherings. Still, it has seemed like my love affair with Post-liberal and Missional theologies had put me at odds with many evangelicals, while my persistent evangelicalism has made me feel out of step with many progressives.<\/p>\n

Too conservative for the liberals, and too liberal for the conservatives\u2026 I was starting to think that I would be a permanent outsider. So, I flew to D.C. for the 2015 Missio Alliance North American Gathering with at least a bit of nervousness. I\u2019m happy to say that, from the first moment to the last, I felt completely at home.<\/p>\n

Cherith Fee Nordling and Brian Zahnd both spoke during the opening plenary session, and both were stellar. At some point during this opening session I realized that I had been listening to speakers at a Christian gathering for well over a half an hour and hadn\u2019t so much as rolled my eyes or cringed a single time. I had, however, been moved to tears more than once, and had been squarely called into question\u00a0in several ways. It was beautiful. I was beginning to let my theological hair down.<\/p>\n

One of the most important aspects of the gathering was the cultural, racial, socio-economic, and theological diversity I experienced. One\u00a0could not help but recognize a very intentional engagement with voices from the margins of society, but the thing is it was very natural, as in genuine, uncontrived. Women and minorities were not simply represented. Their voices came from center stage, and their personalities had obviously shaped the gathering from top to bottom. White educated men did not dominate the stage.<\/p>\n

Lisa Sharon Harper from SoJourners<\/em>, knocked my socks off in the very first workshop I attended. Nikki Toyama-Szeto from IJM was on her game in that same session as well. You can purchase all of the workshops, including theirs, in two bundles online here: Bundle 01<\/a>, Bundle 02<\/a>. Efrem Smith had the headlining spot on the first night. It was my first time to hear Efram speak, and\u00a0I\u2019m so glad to have found this prophetic voice.\u00a0The first night\u00a0ended with a short concert by the Royal Priesthood, the young adult choir from the Alfred Street Baptist Church. It was a fitting way to end the day.<\/p>\n

Overall, I found the culture of Missio Alliance to be capacious, generous, and smart. The word that keeps coming to mind is\u00a0genuine<\/em>. They were serious but didn\u2019t take themselves too\u00a0seriously. The event held none of the bombastic deconstructionism or cynical elitism that I\u2019ve grown to expect from the leading edge. From conversations in between sessions and over meals, to coffees, and late night beers\u2026 the camaraderie I experienced was a gift. I haven\u2019t felt that sort of kinship for a really long time, no kidding, and I realized that\u00a0isolation of the past decade had become a source of real loneliness for me. It was good to find a place to belong.<\/p>\n

Here are a few of my favorite random (approximate) quotes from the first two sessions. You can purchase all of these talks bundled together with the other plenary speakers here<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Brian Zahnd:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Empire always finds a way to hide the bodies\u2026 usually draped by flags.<\/p>\n

Easter & Christianity have been commandeered to serve the interests of Empire\u2026 & empires love the word security\u2026 I\u2019ve been asked to take off my shoes in mosques & temples all over the world. The only place this happens in America is in security at the airport; where we stand in tiny sacred space & raise our hands.<\/p>\n

At the tomb the angels say what heaven is always saying\u2026 do not be afraid.<\/p>\n

At the tomb Jesus\u2019 first word is peace\u2026 peace is the first word of the new world\u2026 Shalom\u2026 Total human flourishing.<\/p>\n

A Christianity untethered from empire is free to imagine new ways to be the kingdom.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m fine with the National Day of Prayer as long as it doesn\u2019t become the Day of Prayer for Nationalism.<\/p>\n

Cherith Fee Nordling<\/strong><\/p>\n

In order to enact our true humanity, we must understand Jesus\u2019 true humanity.<\/p>\n

A crucified messiah was no good to anyone\u2026 A resurrected crucified messiah? Now that\u2019s a different deal.<\/p>\n

Jesus was executed because he pissed off every human power, just by his obedience to God.<\/p>\n

Participation in Jesus\u2019 suffering became the norm\u2026 the only way you get there is by dying over & over.<\/p>\n

There will be no disembodied followers if the incarnate son\u2026 the only one to ever pull off being fully human.<\/p>\n

Why do we lay down our life for a friend? \u2026because \u2018in this world we will be like him.\u2019<\/p>\n

This is but God the father as a man; this is God the son: a man\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Jesus has a penis & the best word I said right there is has<\/em>\u2026 so talk to him\u2026 he gets it.<\/p>\n

Participating in Jesus\u2019 kingdom will cost us our lives\u2026 but our death will not be the final word.<\/p>\n

Efrem Smith<\/strong><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t think the church is dead\u2026 it had a stroke, so part of the body is not functioning.<\/p>\n

We skip over the parts of the scripture where women are business leaders & prophets, but you find a prostitute? \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Where there is deep desperation in the world revival takes place. We\u2019re to satisfied for revival.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re also holding onto a mythology of a Christian past we\u2019re trying to get back to.<\/p>\n

Where there\u2019s deep desperation in the world revival takes place. We\u2019re not desperate enough\u2026<\/p>\n

I offer myself up to God daily so that God can love my wife, my kids, my enemies through me.<\/p>\n

Most evangelicals are more instructed in their political beliefs by cable news than by a pastor.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Missio Alliance just posted the audio files from their North American gathering held in Alexandria, VA last May. You can find them in the Resources section of their website: www.missioalliance.org. I cannot recommend this resource highly enough, & I thought I\u2019d take this opportunity to post a few thoughts about what I experienced at this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1118,"featured_media":4320,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n2015 Missio Alliance North American Gathering<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Missio Alliance just posted the audio files from their North American gathering held in Alexandria, VA last May. 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