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Len Sweet has got my doctoral cohort reading Karaoke Capitalism by Jonas Ridderstale and Kjell Nordstrom. I’ve already read their book Funky Business.They are must reads for anyone trying to comprehend how much the world is changing in post-modernity. There are some realities that we must incarnate ourselves to, that these books show us. However the culture junkies who want to be totally postmodern are revealed to be so shallow and consumeristic in these books.
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My kids are part of the broadband generation. When we were using dial up on holiday last year, they asked if the computer was broken and what the funny noise was :-)
I don’t usually list gratuitous tech stuff, but I am amazed at my new broadband. I moved from cable to ADSL, and apart from bad customer service, and no phone for a few days, and am enjoying 4MB ADSL with Bulldog, for £19.99 per month with unlimited use.
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Easter has become my favourite time in our church calender. Last night we hired the local anglican church, and using art work from church members, our creative/media arts team led us in our good friday service. We finished by hammering nails into a cross, which I was very moved by. My two eldest chidlren came, and we had a such a great conversation in the car afterwards about Jesus, and why he died, and I struggled to explain the cross to a 11 and 9 year old!But Easter, in the UK has become this monster 4 day weekend, of chocolate, and holidays, and exodus…everyone leaving for time away. Time away is great, don’t get me wrong, people need their breaks. But Easter was a time to reflect on the death and resurrection of Christ, and has become something else.
I seriously wonder if we should move Easter to another time, away from the TV schedules, shopping sales, chocolates and holidays?
Having said that I intend to enjoy and introduce my children to Dr Who, which returns to the TV after 16 years on BBC1 tonight…time to hide behind the sofa again :-)
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The trinity has come in for a hard time from academics as dry doctrine, and from post moderns reducing it to a relative metaphor from the 3rd Century, that we can abandon. I’m increasingly convinced of the need and vitality of the trinity for navigating the landscape of our emerging culture and context.
Eugene Peterson in his new book, ‘Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places’ puts this beautifully when he describes the trinity as a ‘map’ to help us comprehend the country of creation, history, and community. ‘Left ourselves we often get lost in blind alleys, get tangled up in thickets, and don’t have a clue to where we are. The map locates us: it provides the vocabulary and indentifies the experience by which we can explore God when there are no signs pointing to Him…’ page 8.
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Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places, by Eugene Peterson
Eugene Peterson talks about lies and illusions that destroy the church, in an interview here. The interview is amazing, and this looks like a must buy, and read.
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You can view clips from Stan Grenz memorial service online, and tributes to him at the Mars Hill Graduate School site.
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We have a new web site, nearly ready to launch, and could do with your help. Would you mind following the link below, and trying out the site, and comment here on any issues with your browser, and thoughts on content and navigation.Thanks in advance, Jason.
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Preview chapter from Brian’s new book is available here.
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Brian McLaren’s next book is out late April in the UK. You can download a publicity and infomation flyer from hereAlso an in depth review of the book is here.
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April 18th-21st 2005, Asbury Theological Seminary.If you have time it would be great if you could help me with the following:
1. Comment on what you think about preaching and it’s future.
2. Any books, articles, papers, web sites on preaching you have found helpful?
3. Any experiences on preaching and it’s future you can share?I’m speaking on the topic of whether preahcing has a future at this conference, and writing a module for my doctorate on preaching, it would be great to get your input.
Jason
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Tony Blair Faithworks Lecture 22 March
Tony, he say yes to Faithworks Lecture number 3, following on from Charles and Michael. I quote the press release below:
In the run up to the General Election, the Prime Minister Tony Blair will give a major address to the Church via live webcast, speaking about the vital role that he believes churches and other faith groups should play in building healthy, active and trusting communities.
On March 22nd at 12.00noon in London, Blair will unpack his vision for the role of faith in the UK today through the third in a series of Faithworks Lectures, given by the three leaders of the major political parties. He will address a selected audience of church leaders, representatives of other faiths and community activists from across the UK.
The address will be simultaneously webcast live from www.faithworks.info, with local churches being encouraged to gather together to watch the lecture live or later in the evening.
Following the lecture, the Prime Minister will answer questions from the audience as well as taking questions that have been emailed or texted in by webcast viewers.
Rev. Steve Chalke MBE, the founder of the Faithworks Movement, who will host the event and who invited the Prime Minister to address this issue in response to his recently published book ‘Trust – A Radical Manifesto’ said:
“The fact that Charles Kennedy, Michael Howard and now Tony Blair have all accepted Faithworks invitation to address the Church as the election campaign gathers pace, sends some very clear messages about the role of faith-based groups – Christian and otherwise – and the task ahead in our communities. Churches are already delivering huge levels of voluntary community support across the UK because of our faith, not in spite of it, and it is time that this reality was publicly acknowledged. But more than that, our society will never enjoy the social regeneration we crave without spiritual renewal.â€
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I have two supervisors on my doctoral programme. Len Sweet leads a two year cohort discussion, where he gives us books to read, and we have to work on them together. It provides a stimulus to the main research we are doing and our thesis, for which I have another supervisor, MaryKate Morse.Len Sweet has many web sites, but a new one to me is EpicCenter . At this site you get to log in with an avatar, and as the site puts it;
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‘The EPIC Center allows a “place” for me to enter into conversations on the books and other forms of media that have shaped me. It allows you to join those conversations, share the sources of inspiration that are shaping you, and engage others in discussion on any wholesome topic of interest. ‘
