by Jeremy Daggett
Borders and Belonging: The Book of Ruth - A story for our Times by Pádraig Ó Tuama and Glenn Jordan
Josh Graves on what it's like to preach:
Basically, you have to be (somewhat) crazy to earn your living talking about, speaking of, creating, and imagining a God nobody can prove. And by nobody I mean that no one can prove the existence and presence of God. Evidence can point you to something but it does not prove it. To believe, the scriptures teach, you have to take a long walk off the short plank and fall into faith.
Jeremy and I are launching a website.
You’ll find links to articles we’ve found interesting and thoughtful, or that we completely disagree with. This type of “linked list” got its start in tech writing. Some of our favorite websites point out relevant articles across the web by pulling quotes and interjecting their own thoughts.
We’ll do the same for a different “industry”. We’re searching for what’s being said in the context of postmodern Christianity. Using a postmodern worldview as a lens, we try to understand what it means to be a Christian.
We’ll also talk about things we like that are less overtly spiritual — coffee, design, pizza and Italy to name a few.
Welcome to Post Modern.
Marco Tabini writes about growing up in Italy around a coffee shop as the son of a barista. Making a good espresso is an art form, and Tabini details the process from bean to machine. It's more than just a drink. It's a symbol of culture, adulthood, and joy:
The common link was espresso. The shop sold pastries and savories, and drinks of both the soft and hard kind; there was enough variety to please just about any taste. But everyone who walked in the door — save a handful of tea drinkers — ended up with coffee in some form. And when Italians say “coffee,” especially in a café, they mean “espresso.” There is no other kind.
So far, one of my favorite articles in The Magazine.
Audio of the keynote lectures and workshops from the New England Church Growth Conference just became available. Brady Easter is a friend of mine, and his workshop on tech, social media, and evangelism are listed alongside big names like Don McLaughlin, Harold Shank, and Dan Rodriguez. I wish I could have been there, but I look forward to listening in on some of what I missed.
If it hurts you to look at the website as much as it hurts me, you can jump straight to the downloadable audio files here.
Peter Rollins for the Huffington Post:
For when someone rejects the notion of God because of the wars that have been fought over that name, as well as the abuse, the fundamentalism and the ecological destruction that is bound to so much religion, they are demonstrating a profound concern for both people and the planet.
Rollins says that the concern that drives their atheism is a sacred one.
While most Jesus-followers won't ever be asked if we are Christians on such a big stage, I need to have my own answer ready. I can't possibly know what everyone else is thinking when the question is asked, so it's important that I know what I'm thinking. Then I can ask what my “interviewer” believes about Jesus or Christianity and create a space for conversation.
Shane Claiborne asks people who they believe God is before he answers whether or not he “believes in God.” Very often we may find that we don't believe in the God about whom the other person is asking.
Hard to believe the KJV is still second in sales and third in overall unit sales 401 years after its inception.
Rick Oster (one of my professors) deconstructs the “Jesus didn’t hang out in the church” argument. His disclaimer should be enough to get you to read the whole article:
First, I don’t think TobyMac is the Antichrist, a member of the Illuminati, or guilty of any other nefarious associations or behavior, and I think it is clearly helpful to the Christian movement worldwide that he won the Best Contemporary Christian Album at this year’s Grammy Awards. I also find many of his lyrics to be on target spiritually.
Kevin DeYoung's definition of revival and why it's always on his weekly prayer list.
While inter-religious dialogue in church buildings is proving difficult, planting trees in a religiously diverse community has sparked conversation.
Reading the Bible from an individualistic mindset breeds checklist Christianity (did I do [insert good thing] today, check!). This emphasizes aspects of faith such as self-righteousness and individual works.
Justin Hiebert:
But if we read passages like this through a community oriented lens it changes that. There is still an individual response needed, but it changes the outcome. Instead, it becomes: Can we as a church stand united to offer our one body to sacrifice and service to Jesus? Have we uplifted each other, prayed for each other, encouraged each other and blessed each other in such a way that we can stand blameless before God?
Reading from a community lens is not only a more accurate way to read the Bible, it draws attention to values that were upheld in Greco-Roman society – such as unity and honor.
This underscores the merit in reading the Bible with people from different cultural backgrounds. While we (North Americans) prioritize freedom, equality, and love (all individualistic values), many non-Western cultures prioritize honor, loyalty, and hospitality (all community-oriented values). We all share the same values, we just differ in order of importance.
Hiebert suggests reading "you (plural)" instead of "you (singular)." You'll be right more often than not, and you may even learn something from the change in perspective.
You've probably seen this photo circling the world wide web since the announcement of the new pope. It allegedly juxtaposes papal elections in 2005 and 2013. Turns out the 2005 photo was actually from an occasion of mourning (hence, the complete absence of devices held in the air).
A lot has changed in the last 8 years, in no small part due to the advent of the iPhone in 2007. That said, the contrast is not quite as stark as it was made to appear. The evolution of communication, especially as it pertains to personal electronics, is fascinating. Proper analysis of such evolution, however, requires a bit more data than just one photo.
When it comes to Pope Francis I, The Washington Post seems optimistic, quoting then Cardinal Bergoglio:
We live, apparently, in the most unequal part of the world, which has grown the most yet reduced misery the least. The unjust distribution of goods persists, creating a situation of social sin that cries out to Heaven and limits the possibilities of a fuller life for so many of our brothers.
The Economist sounds skeptical. But they too agree that he's different enough (Argentine, Jesuit) to instigate change, albeit in a "window of opportunity" that "will not last very long."
Time will tell. Until then, Habemus Papam Franciscum (We Have Pope Francis).
The Washington Post with a step-by-step on electing a new pope.
Too often these manifestoes start and end with "I am ashamed." Rachel Held Evans doesn't stop there. In fact, she has more to say about what she is unashamed.
The latest edition of Missio Dei Journal is getting ready to hit the digital press and a few of the articles are already available. If you're unfamiliar with Missio Dei, the journal's contributors include both scholars and regular Christians. They write about mission concepts and ideals but also dig into the nitty gritty of practice.
This issue is all about Vulnerable Mission. Chris Flanders (of Abilene Christian University) opens the conversation by challenging the disconnect between the language we use to describe (idealize?) our mission work and reality.
A non-Western church leader recently remarked, “When I hear the word partnership, I run the other way!” Why? Because despite their rhetoric and intent, Western missionaries often end up creating the very thing they seek to avoid, viz., dependent churches.
“Criticize is when you say bad things about others and praise is when you say good things.”
