Theological Mash-up

Java Printing

Background:  Last weekend, I was at “Hocus Pocus: The Pledge, Turn, and Prestige of Faith” with Peter Rollins and others.  This was  only the most recent of my explorations of our changing ecclesiology, but prompted me to offer these reflections.

 It’s no secret that the nature of church is changing.   With it, the faces of Christianity and the Christian life are also changing.  In order to help prepare the way for what God might be doing in the world, I have been reading a lot about these changes and what it might mean for the church going forward.  In so doing, I have encountered the work of several young(-er,-ish) theologians that are wrestling with what it means to be a Christian and what it means to be church in this era (see list at foot of this article).

Many of these theologians are pretty radical (in both meanings of the word:  1. very edgy or far beyond the norm; and 2. pertaining to or directly proceeding from the root) — they are all thought provoking and stimulating.  Most of these voices originated in the evangelical community… many were Fuller grads (my alma mater).  They would appear to be moving to a more progressive stance, but still very rooted in scripture,the person of Jesus and the gospel (though they might describe the good news in ways that are different than the traditional ones).

While these authors have diverse viewpoints, I am discovering  some common themes that we might consider as we seek to be faithful into the future.  I have attempted to give expression to those themes below.

THEMES

  • Christ and Scripture are more important than tradition or any particular theology.
  • Doubt is not weakness but rather an act of deep faith that can break us open to a deeper encounter with God and expose our  idols  (any certain theology can become ideology, which can then become idolatry)
  • This generation often experiences the church as false,shallow and unreal: while we say that we love others, we exclude some; while we say that doubt is normal, our liturgy is normed around certainty (thus dodging the truly transforming nature of the crucifixion).  Voicing a common theme, Rob Bell notes that he had to go to a 12-step group to be in a “bull shit free zone”  [his words, not mine!] and to experience a faith that was more faithful/real/genuine.sincere/deep
  • Need to address and embrace angst honestly — we need to make friends with uncertainty, insecurity, etc.
  • There is a renewed appreciation for spirituality that is mystical (both kataphatic and apophatic) as opposed to intellectual.
  • There is a desire for theological dialogue that is not driven by any particular theological view.  I see this as more of a discernment model of pedagogy and formation rather than a cognitive or content based pedagogy.
  • Scripture is viewed as a poly-valent narrative.  Consequently, systematic theology is on the wane, in favor of narrative, heuristic and mystical theologies.
  • There is a strong focus on the here and now and how we live as disciples in this world (in contrast to focus on our eternal destiny).  Thus, social justice and social engagement are important aspects of the life of faith.
  • The church needs to hold its theologies and ideologies lightly and to develop a posture of conviction and deep humility.
  • These theologians are non-dualistic; there is no sacred/secular divide.  In fact the “secular” world (such as the arts) are often sources of revelation and contributors to our conversion/transformation.
  • Membership is replaced by discipleship.  Christians are first and foremost missionaries- moving out from the church to engage the world with the gospel. (Rather than trying to draw people into the church.)  

These themes are simultaneously exciting, threatening and puzzling for me, and perhaps for you.  Yet, I am convinced that God is up to something and that it is important for us to be attentive to God’s word to us in all of this.  Next week, I’ll post some of my thoughts about if/how these themes might intersect with my denomination (the PCUSA), but in the meantime, I’d be interested to hear your thoughts about these themes, so bring it on!

Bibliography:

Gabe Lyons – The Next Christians: Seven Ways You Can Live the Gospel and Restore the World

Nadia Bolz-Weber:  Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner & Saint

Rob Bell:  What We Talk About When We Talk About God

Peter Rollins:  How [Not] to Speak of God

Peter Rollins: The Idolatry of God: Breaking Our Addiction to Certainty and Satisfaction

Peter Rollins: Insurrection:  To Believe is Human; To Doubt,Divine

Richard Rohr: Things Hidden: Scripture as Spirituality

Derek Flood: Healing the Gospel: A Radical Vision for Grace, Justice, and the Cross

Elaine Heath:  The Mystic Way of Evangelism

Barbara Brown Taylor:  Leaving the Church

Peter Block:  Community

Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch:  Re-Jesus

Alan and Debra Hirsch:  Untamed: reactivating a missional form of discipleship

Alan Hirsch ad Lace Ford:  Right Here Right Now

Bob Ekblad:  Reading the Bible with the Damned; A New Christian Manifesto:  Pledging Allegiance to the Kingdom of God

Phylllis Tickle: The Great Emergence

Ryan Bell: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/yearwithoutgod/about/

 

On the edge…

Well friends, this Friday I will be attending an event in So. California that I’m simultaneously excited and nervous about.  It is an event presented by Peter Rollins, author of How (Not) to Speak of God, a book that completely blew my mind — in a good way.  Peter definitely dances on the edge, but he is also really on to something powerful.

This event incorporates several things that intrigue me, including theology, magic and beer.  Here is some of the info from the promotional materials:

Join incendiary Northern Irish philosopher and theologian, Peter Rollins, and a cadre of hand-selected presenters, artists and musicians for a day of discussion and reflection on the role of the church for those pursuing a life of faith.

The daytime portion of the event will involve a mix of talks, workshops, reflections, music, magic and plenty of time for networking and learning from your peers. We’ll be exploring innovative and subversive ways of rethinking the role of church life—ways that question old orthodoxies and the age-old distinctions between theism and atheism, faith and faithlessness, spirituality and materiality and that open up new paths that embrace doubt, complexity and ambiguity.

In the evening, we’ll descend upon the Monkish Brewing Company where the networking will continue, accompanied by a Homebrewed Christianity event, live music, close-up magic and the exclusive launch of a specialty Lenten beer, lovingly crafted by New Testament scholar turned Brew Master Henry Nguyen (the first one’s on us).

…Walk away from the day with some new ideas for ripping away the curtain that protects your community from a more authentic presence…and develop a few new friendships along the way.

Why am I nervous?  It’s not because of challenging theology… I know I can sift through many perspectives and still hold my own.  But, I am nervous because of two things:  I’m an introvert and I’m kind of old for this event.

My introvert is anxious because it is a small event (50 only) and will include a lot of face-to-face interaction, all of which can leave me exhausted.  It also takes me a while to find my feet in a group, and this is a 12 hour event, so there will be less time to acclimate.  My age is a bit of a concern, because the promo literature says that “This event is aimed towards those interested in the theory and practice of Future Church (Pastors, youth leaders, and students).”  While I am very interested in the theory and practice of the Future Church, I am not really as young as they are thinking (I’m not sure I’ll make it to the final minutes of the event, as I’m usually in bed by 10 pm).  I hope that I will be accepted despite my age and limitations, because even though I am no longer at the front end of my ministry, I do think that it is part of my calling to help make way for what God is doing in the ‘always being reformed’ church.

I will try to tweet (Lord Have Mercy!) during the event to let you follow along if you are interested (and if I can remember how to tweet).  My Twitter handle is @RMBlackwell.

I would appreciate your prayers for safe travel, stamina and good insights.

You can find out more about this event on their Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/events/458528940916034/?ref=ts&fref=ts 

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Holy Horticulture

prunedRecently, the landscaping service swept over the grounds at our living community and in their wake I discovered that all of the rose bushes had been seriously pruned back.  They are now much reduced in size, denuded of leaves, limbs and all but a pitifully few thorny branches.

How often I feel like these bushes.  Stripped, bare, de-frocked of all that was once so glorious.  Frankly, it often feels like this in our church life as well.   Over the past few years, it does feel like we have been through a season of severe pruning.   It is hard, ripping and painful, but we must recall that the horticulturists prune roses in order to prepare for the coming of spring, so that the plant can be the best that it can be in the coming season.

John 15:1-12

Jesus the True Vine

‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine-grower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunesto make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.

By comparing our past two years to a pruning, I mean to say nothing mean about those who have been “cutoff.”  (I am sure that God has grafted them into His life elsewhere.) But I am saying something about US… maybe God has trimmed from us all that distracts us from being the plant that God wants us to be… helping us to shed false attachments to things like power, prestige, large numbers and money.

This experience invites us to a Lenten exercise of active resting in our “dormancy” and growing deeper.  We are being given the opportunity to now sink our roots ever deeper in the soil of God so that when spring comes, we will be ready to flower and produce the fruit that our Master Gardener desires.

May we do the work of dormancy well so that we can make God smile when spring and summer come.

2013 in review

Thanks to all who share this journey with me by checking my blog!  More to come in 2014!

~  Rebecca

 

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 3,300 times in 2013. If it were a cable car, it would take about 55 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.