e~mergent kiwi

having each other

A research day. I was meant to be looking at Christ figures in film, most particularly, female Christ figures in film. What might we glean about Christology today from figures like Paikea in Whale Rider or in Vianne in Chocolat?

Got side tracked by Luke 10:1-12 and how the missionary becomes the guest, enjoying the hospitality of the tables of their culture. And the resultant evangelical angst over the danger of "selling out."

Then this: "True justice only operates in obedience to the economy of friendship that recognises the question in every encounter, "Who is the stranger?", and realises that answer is: "Neither of us - while we have each other." Graham Ward, Hospitality and Justice toward 'Strangers': A theological reflection.

I watched this happen last nite. A gathering with old-timers and new-timers. A study of the parables, in particular the great banquet in Luke 14. A great discussion of the grace that is inclusion and the practices of hospitality that follow. The realisation that as a result, labels of in and out, old and new, have no place in a Kingdom of invitation and radical hospitality.

A word used that made the parable then a challenge for now. And the re-realisation around the group, that as a result, labels of in and out, old and new, have no place in a Kingdom of invitation and radical hospitality

You can apply this to individuals, we need each other. You can apply this to discipleship, we need each other. You can apply this to church and culture, we need each other. (Which does link back to my starting point, female Christ figures in film). This is the scandal of the Incarnation, God revealed in human cultures says something fundamental about the possibility of human culture in inscribing redemption.

the place of conferences in contemporary church life

What is it with larger, newer churches and conferences?

In the mail has just appeared my invitation to participate in some new thing that God is doing in New Zealand. And the vessel is some newer, larger church, via their conference, loaded with overseas speakers, who will bless me.

It's my second this week. Which got me fascinated by the motive and the desired end point.

Is it because other churches have done it, so it's sort of like a badge of honour, a mark of arrival?
Is it a marketing tool, hoping to raise the profile of their church?
Is it a recruitment device, luring other Christians who might then stay because the music is better?
Is it because God is more present in larger numbers and so in some spiritual way such events are useful?

I don't want this post to become a bagging of larger churches. Instead, I am genuinely curious as to why a church would put advertising money and energy into this type of thing. Any ideas?

wedding dresses

Over this weekend we are celebrating the 50th wedding anniversary of my parents-in-law. Today I am leading them in a renewal of vows ceremony, followed by old time dancing, speeches and a barbeque at our place. (For me, it is a fascinating blurring of my life - I do renewal of vows services as a pastor but here I am on holiday and it is with my family.) Anyhow, last night the immediate family gathered. And the young cousins, 5 of whom are female, admired the wedding dress worn 50 years ago,

"Would they like to try it on?"

"Oh yes," the heads nodded as the young eyes sparkled.

And one by one they paraded out, female cousins fussing over trains and sleeves. One by one they absorbed the admiring cheers of proud parents, were photographed by the family photo snapper and played the digital pictures back on the lounge room TV.

And I wondered - how important might this be for their formation into adults? Are they not becoming aware - by participation, by exploration - of the importance of being married, the specialness of this day?

Now the church talks a lot about the importance of marriage. But educationalists tell us we remember much more by what we do than by what we say. So how important was this last night - actually feeling a fabric of value, actually sensing the importance of a bride on a wedding day - in communicating values?

And if it is important for their formation, should the church be involved in some way alongside a family? Should this be a youth group activity of some sort or shape?

What would happen if every five years the women in a church gathered around the younger women and together they laughed and dreamed and talked? And the men gathered with the younger men and they talked about how hard it is to be a husband, the rough edges that get smoothed, the life habits that get honed by years of commitment and loyalty?

What could be the impact of such events on the fabric (pun intended) of our society?

what forms you?

My wife wants to thank Bible College. I never did a class on parenting, nor a class on being a husband while I was at Bible College. But I am a better father and a better husband. Learning about the Bible has changed me.

Part of an impromptu speech (blogged with permission) made at our end of year dinner in honour of graduating students last night.

I thought of all those parenting courses we run, and all those sermons on themes like how to have a great marriage etc. And I wondered what it is that really forms and changes people? What has formed you?

digital ethnography and 19th century church

"… the basic idea is to create a 3 minute video highlighting the most important characteristics of students today - how they learn, what they need to learn, their goals, hopes, dreams, what their lives will be like, and what kinds of changes they will experience in their lifetime" (from here).

I watch this as an educator and as a preacher. I am struck by the use of digital technologies, by the busyness of students and their ability to multi-task, by their awareness of a changing and broken global world.

I see the rows of seats, a 19th century technology, and I wonder what this snapshot of how students learn today might mean for me this Sunday:
- put all the resources I used in preparation on-line with space for interactivity
- work on ways to encourage multi-tasking during our time together
- have capacity to take email questions as I talk
- invite people to summarise on-line what they heard

(I see Grow as being part of it, and I have already created a website)

What would work against this happening:
- the expectations that I, the preacher, feed people and that I feed them something new and different each week.
- a theology that sees the Bible as special, as above and beyond how people learn, and so uses words like "annointing" to legitimate 19th century practices
- the time that it would take for me to put resources on-line
- the related copyright issues
- the effort that is required from individuals to shift from passivity and inertia to participation
- momentum breeds momentum ie the more people that participated and interacted with me, the better this would go. But in reality, this could be one more thing to add to an already busy schedule for people.

future of denominational organs

I write (and am paid to write) a monthly film review of a denominational (Methodist) magazine (which I then have permission to reproduce on this blog 2 weeks after the magazine has gone to print). Personally, it is hard work, another demand in a busy life. But it's worth it because it forces me to keep recording and developing my thoughts about film. It's also pretty hard to go past free double pass tickets to the movies.

Anyhow, the magazine arrived today and the following letter to the editor caught my eye:

I wonder whether the Methodist Church needs a thorough reworking of a theology of communication and mission in the 21st century. I suspect the end of such a process might result in something that looks like this:
- investing in a contemporary, interactive website;
- paying Paul Titus [editor] to blog rather than write articles for print media, paying Steve Taylor [hey that was me] to blog about movies and contemporary culture, pay someone else to blog about spirituality etc, etc;
- using email to point to developments and points of interest on the website;
- if we must use trees perhaps a smaller, twice annual print broadsheet/flyer which would highlight where interesting debates are happening, some stories, more information on the web. ...

The people a missional church is endeavouring to connect with are certainly web and text savvy. Come on, it's time to move on, or fade away. The choice is yours. Rosemary Neave

Now, besides the fact that I would love to be paid to blog about culture and will gladly consider job offers, what do people think of the letter and the issues raised? What changes have people seen to denominational and church communication in the last few years? What changes to denominational and local church communication do we want to see?

large people and airplane seats

Update: While debate continues in the comments, I have invited a number of guest blogs around the theme of Faith in body image. Here is the first one: Why, if Christians are made in the image of God, is it so hard to look at ourselves n*ked in the mirror?

This might not be a very PC post, but I think airlines need to have a policy about large people and airplane seats. I pay good money for my seat. I expect to be able to use the whole seat that I pay for. Why should half of it be taken by another person? Why should I have to sit huddled into the window, unable to move?

When you board the airplane, the airline checks your carry on luggage is not to large. They provide a metal frame, and if your bag can't fit, you can't carry it on. It's time airlines provided a similar, metal seat at check in. If you hang over the edge, then you need to pay for two seats. Pure and simple.

Come on large people. Stick up for yourself. Stand on your own feet. Stop expecting skinny people to subsidise your travel.

be quiet, i'm listening to the pictures OR how do you read Harry Potter's Deathly Hallows

Every fortnight I do Viewpoint, a 4 minute radio slot. This morning I did a piece reflecting on the hype surrounding Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which caused me to ask the question; How do we read (whether Harry Potter or the Bible)? I'm quite pleased with it, so I thought I'd put it on the blog for my e-world listeners.

Good morning listeners. In case you missed it, Saturday was the biggest one-day sale of any book in history.

I'm talking of course, about the worldwide launch of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the 7th, and the final installation in the Harry Potter saga.

I was at my local shopping mall on Saturday trying to buy a birthday present for a friends birthday and got to see all the hype, all the Whitcoulls shop assistants dressed up and excited children grasping brand new copies and hurrying off home to start reading.

On Monday a local newspaper carried an interview with one young fan, who after nine hours of solid reading, had finished the 734 pages. The fan was feeling mixed emotions. "It was weird finishing it" she said, "and now there is nothing more to look forward to."

It brought to mind a story told to me by a colleague, retired Baptist pastor Ken McCormack.

His story of driving through Wellington with his family. Back seat are his children. 2 boys. 1 girl.

2 boys are simply being boys. Noisy. Playful. Radio is on and Ken’s daughter is getting more and more agitated.

Eventually she bursts out: "Be quiet." "Be quiet," she orders the noisy boys, "I'm listening to the pictures."

I'm listening to the words on the radio, and the words are forming pictures in my mind. And in order to listen to the pictures, I need quiet.

A reminder to us that reading is a skill. And that it takes time and effort in order to listen to the pictures.

Which takes me to the Bible. The prophet Ezekiel, who was given a very bizarre set of instructions. Told by God "to eat this book."

I find it hard to swallow the idea of God literally wanting prophet Ezekiel, or me,
to literally chew my way through the good old NIV Bible.

I can't imagine literally chomping my way through the pages of Ezekiel or Leviticus. But I do understand God telling Ezekiel to eat this book in terms of the skills of reading. The need to be quiet, to take the time, and space, to let the words form pictures in our minds.

I call this slow eating.

So Saturday's biggest one-day sale of any book in history has got me asking the question. How do we read? How do we read the Bible? As fast food? Rushing off to consume 734 pages in 9 hours?

Or are we going to practise slow eating? Taking time to be quiet, and listen to the pictures. That's my viewpoint.

Opawa Baptist Youth Group 2007 easter camp banner

the star from the east

If the wise men followed a star, what is the place of astrology in Christianity? This was a recent question that started discussion at the espresso congregation. A great topic for Epiphany (the season following Christmas).

And is this the type of star the wise men could have followed (Comet McNaught, visible over New Zealand duing Epiphany 07)?

Link

talking about money, money

The Bible text for Sunday was Matthew 6:19-21: Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. We humans do seem to struggle with stuff.

Sunday morning I offered the following equation: 3597 divided by (86 times 1321) = 3.2%

3597. This is our church's weekly church offerings over this year. (Which, by the way, is a 12% increase on last year, building on a 15% increase on the year before.)

86. Well, Opawa has 140 church members. Some members live alone, some members live in families. So our 140 members live in 86 households.

1321 is the average income for a household in New Zealand. This is based on Statistics New Zealand figures for June 06.

So, if our church is anywhere close to average, then currently our giving (3597), equals just over 3% of an average New Zealand household income.

I stressed that this was a fact and not a value judgement. I simply wanted to place the fact alongside the words of Jesus as a way of asking the question: Are we, as a church, storing up for ourselves treasures in heaven?

It certainly produced some chat over coffee after the service. I suspect that our church is probably about normal. I suspect stuff is a problem for the entire Western church. What do you think? Do you think the number has any relevance?

(By the way, this was only part of the sermon. I also talked about fasting from TV; committing acts of economic repentance etc. The full text of the sermon is here).

the kingdom is at kids eye level

Tomorrow (Sunday) is a Take a Kid to Faith service at Opawa. We do these every 2 to 3 months. The kids staying in and we learn about faith together. They are wild and unpredictable and require lots of work.

One of the Lectionary readings for Opawa staff, interns and church this week included Matthew 19, verse 14, where Jesus says "Let the children come to me." And wait, there's more. "for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

Adults are tall and love to talk down to kids. But what if Jesus actually meant what he said? What if the Kingdom of heaven really does belong among kids?.

It should make every adult bend down. Start looking at life through the eyes of children. It might even be a Kingdom practice. That's why I'm glad to be part of Take a Kid to Faith services at Opawa.

It's too easy to send kids off to Sunday School. Turn church into a babysitting service. Miss out on looking at life through the eyes of a child. Miss seeing a glimpse of the Kingdom.

a reasonable faith?

I wish my lectures were as interesting as those of the Pope! Deliver a lecture one quiet Tuesday on a University Campus and suddenly the world is talking. A full (Vatican sanctioned) translated transcript is here.

Some thoughts:
- by quoting the work and words of Emperor Manuel II Paleologus, we realise that religious dialogue is not new.
- the Pope seems careful to note the trajectory in the Prophet Mohammed's thought; from a religion that does not utilise compulsion, to Holy War.
- the Pope seems quite naive in his highlighting of a quote regarding Muslim violence, yet makes no reference to historical Christian violence. Why not make some attempt to disentangle violence from Christian history, especially given it was the Catholic church who spent so much energy in the Middle Ages "compelling" people come in?

However, the focus of the lecture is not the place of violence in Islam. Rather the Pope poses the question: In what ways might the discussion of faith be conducted? The Pope suggests that it be done on the basis of reason, which he defines as logos, as creative and self-communicative thought.

In doing so he not only runs the risk of drawing protest from Muslim quarters. In the lecture he critiques (Do any of these groups feel like a protest?)
- indigenous theology and contextualisation (because it falls outside what the Pope applauds as the historical fusion of Christianity and Hellenisation)
- a Protestant trajectory of sola scriptura (because to read Scripture you need to interpret Scripture) and
- a modernity that relies on a fact/value split (because to reason without considering "values" is a limited form of reason).

The lecture is thus a careful attempt to claim a "reasonable" faith, that if successful, allows faith (not as blind, but as "reasonable") a place at the table of university dialogue.

a year for youth

This is a graph of young people's church involvement in Nelson, New Zealand, between 1985 and 2006 (from here). Lots of ups and downs, yet an overall downtrend. Note that this is in an Anglican Diocese that has experienced quite considerable church growth. But not among it's young people.

Now, imagine an denomination that dedicated an entire year to youth ministry; with a dedicated website here.

and with the production of youth worship resources where they get young people to write prayers for the church each Sunday. (So here is the prayer for Sunday September 3, written by St Marys Diocesan School for Girls.
Dear Lord our friend,
Help us to hear and obey your message to us.
Help us to be people with clean hearts,
who have integrity and confidence to always do what is right
whether or not others are watching us.
Through the love of God, Amen.)

Well, the Denomination is the Anglican church in New Zealand in 2006. Well done New Zealand Anglicans.

New Zealand youth Anglican blogs (Let me know if I have missed any ... ) include:
Michael; John; (Te Mara) Maori as indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand.

on earth as in heaven

Poem after a morning run

I lift my eyes up
Jet trails cross magic dawn
Jogging shot through with day glow

To worship God of hills and planes
No escape, no illusion
For to jog on this silent planet
Is rhythm
Is now
Is Grounded present

stan grenz and australasian theology

The latest Princeton Theological Review is dedicated to Stan Grenz. Of most interest to me was the article titled: Straddling the Tasman: The Relevance of Grenz’s Revisioned Evangelical Theology in the Australasian Context, by Brian Harris, Principal of the Baptist Theological College of Western Australia.

The article is an analysis of the impact of Grenz's integrating motif of "community." The article charts key moments in New Zealand, and then Australian, evangelical history. It discusses the influence of Stan Grenz to Australasia; under headings including;
- willingness to engage culture
- role of Spirit
- theological understandings of community as a missionary resource.
and a fascinating final reflection on the lack of ecology in Grenz's work, in contrast to it's importance, especially in New Zealand. It made me realise again what a loss Stan was and how much I miss him.

On a personal note, I was stunned

to see my work mentioned twice in the article; Footnote 10; Given its size, New Zealand is a remarkably active contributor to discussions on the emerging church. Some very impressive resources have resulted. For one example, see Steve Taylor, The Out of Bounds Church: Learning to Create a Community of Faith in a Culture of Change (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005).

Wow. My book as a "very impressive" resource. From a seminary principal. How cool is that!

And footnote 13; Anzac day, when the sacrifices made by both Australian and New Zealand soldiers are remembered, opens a range of potential missional images. An excellent study of some of the possibilities is to be found in Steve Taylor, "Scars on the Australasian Heart: Anzac Day as a Contextual Atonement Image," New Zealand Journal of Baptist Research 6 (2001): 48-74.

For the entire article go here. For all the journal articles go here. (Thanks Steve Garner for web sleuthing to find it).

smells like the kingdom

Jim's story: Jim (name changed) knocked on the church door at 1 pm, asking to use the phone. New flat, phone not working, big bond, paid by cheque and it's waiting for the bank to clear. Jim works the phone, rearranging appointments because cash is tight and the gas tank is in the red.

Then he's asking if social service agencies in general do petrol? Not as a policy, I say. It's too easy to swap petrol vouchers to feed addictions.

As Jim makes to leave, he says he's free in the afternoons and if we want any volunteer help, to let him know. My gut says he's genuine.

So I asked Jim if he wanted to work for his petrol. Work for 2 hours and we'd give him petrol vouchers for half a tank of gas. There's dignity for him and benefit for us. I pair him up with our caretaker and so there's relational mission. It sort of smells like the Kingdom.

Rob's story: 9 hours later, Rob (name unknown), knocks on the church door. It's 10 pm. Espresso church is just winding up in the foyer and the Sunday music group are practising in the auditorium.

Rob announces he loves Baptists and loves the faces of happy people. He asks what is happening. Rob's breath indicates high levels of alcohol consumption. My gut says Rob wants an audience and I'm not sure we are in the entertainment business. I'm about to leave to relieve the babysitter and I don't want Rob walking into the church, drunk, potentially pretending I let him in. In my friendlist voice I tell Rob we are finishing. Rob heads into the night.

One stranger gets work. Another stranger gets the friendlist farewell I can manage. What does the hospitality of Jesus mean? I'm not sure which, or both, smell more like the Kingdom.

I found 9000 dollars today

This week has been budget preparation week at the church. Among other things we've taken on an extra staff person to work (among other things) among youth in the community and all week I've worked with others trying to balance budgets.

All week this voice has gone; "You're a pastor. You have more important things to do. You're busy. You should be writing a sermon." All week I've kept saying, no.

"No. I refuse to accept the sacred/secular divide. I refuse to believe that there are "spiritual" things that are more important than "earthly" things." Besides, this is about growing and developing people and resourcing for mission. Besides, I'm good at this. I can be sharp."

Today the wrestle bore fruit. I spotted the fact that the spreadsheet was using a hidden formula that based this year's offerings on last year's projected budget, rather last year's real budget. Last year we projected a 10% rise in offerings. We actually got a 14% rise. The difference is $9000, a budget that could balance, a mission that could happen. A nice end to a week of deeply embodied spirituality.

spirituality and aotearoa new zealand

Just been phone interviewed by the NZ Herald on the general topic of spirituality in New Zealand;
are we more or less spiritual as a society? is going to a Crusaders rugby game a "spiritual moment"? is modern spirituality just pampering? what does this mean for churches
The article is due out New Years Eve, so it might be worth keeping an eye out for.

Why the missional church leaves me cold

In 1 sentence, it urges "too many oughts." Click on the indicators of what a missional church will look like and there are so many things one ought to be doing. There are ideals and lofty hopes and plenty of "not yet rhetoric." All of them I love and none of them I disagree with. It's simply that there are so many "oughts."

In contrast, let me quote from Euguene Peterson;
God's great love and purposes for us are all worked out in messes in our kitchens and backyards, in storms and sins, blue skies, the daily work and dreams of our common loves. God works with us as we are and not as we should be or think we should be. God deals with us where we are and not where we would like to be. (Christ plays in ten thousand places, 75);

That's not "oughts" but reality. This surely is the meaning of Christmas, that God is found in shit and straw, under oppressive tax regime and mis-spent dreams.

Abstractions and ideals leave my cold. Lofty dreams paralyze me. I'm not sure the gospel is a set of ideals. Rather it is the reality of people, honest in their inadequacies, not trying to be something or someone, but searching, seeking for the unique whisper of what God is doing within their unique set of circumstances. It is concrete practices expressed among real people.

Oh, what are the missional "oughts"? For the complete set, go here, but in summary ...

1. The missional church proclaims the Gospel.
What it looks like: The story of God's salvation is faithfully repeated in a multitude of different ways.

2. The missional church is a community where all members are involved in learning to become disciples of Jesus.
What it looks like: The disciple identity is held by all; growth in discipleship is expected of all.

3. The Bible is normative in this church's life.
What it looks like: The church is reading the Bible together to learn what it can learn no where else - God's good and gracious intent for all creation, the salvation mystery, and the identity and purpose of life together.

4. The church understands itself as different from the world because of its participation in the life, death, and resurrection of its Lord.
What it looks like: In its corporate life and public witness, the church is consciously seeking to conform to its Lord instead of the multitude of cultures in which it finds itself.

5. The church seeks to discern God's specific missional vocation for the entire community and for all of its members.
What it looks like: The church has made its 'mission' its priority, and in overt and communal ways is seeking to be and do 'what God is calling us to know, be, and do.'

6. A missional community is indicated by how Christians behave toward one another.
What it looks like: Acts of self-sacrifice on behalf of one another both in the church and in the locale characterize the generosity of the community.

7. It is a community that practices reconciliation.
What it looks like: The church community is moving beyond homogeneity, toward a more heterogeneous community in its racial, ethnic, age, gender and socio-economic make-up.

8. People within the community hold themselves accountable to one another in love.
What it looks like: Substantial time is spent with one another for the purpose of watching over one another in love.

9. The church practices hospitality.
What it looks like: Welcoming the stranger into the midst of the community plays a central role.

10. Worship is the central act by which the community celebrates with joy and thanksgiving both God's presence and God's promised future.
What it looks like: There is significant and meaningful engagement in communal worship of God, reflecting appropriately and addressing the culture of those who worship together.

11. This community has a vital public witness.
What it looks like: The church makes an observable impact that contributes to the transformation of life, society, and human relationships.

12. There is a recognition that the church itself is an incomplete expression of the reign of God.
What it looks like: There is a widely held perception that this church is going somewhere-and that somewhere is more faithfully lived life in the reign of God.

the church year down under

Sometimes the Church Year feels like a Northern Hemisphere colonisation of downunder Christianity. Just like so much other baggage, the missionaries arrived in New Zealand carrying a Spring Easter celebration of new life. But it's autumn here in Aotearoa New Zealand. Eggs are absent and bulbs are dormant.

And how to celebrate Christmas light into darkness when summer days are long and all you want is a cold drink rather than a warm candle. Yet imperialistically the coloniser swept on. I mean, what would happen on a UK Anglican synod floor if it was suggested that given Downunder has lived according to Northern Hemisphere church year rules for 200 years, that Easter will now be in August until 2205.

Last week here at Opawa we celebrated the end of the church year. In a matter of weeks the Southern Hemisphere is heading into holidays and it actually makes a lot of sense, come late November to look back over a year. We turned the entire church into a walk through journey featuring all the church ministries and activities. We pulled out the bouncy castle and turned some sausages.

What's more, at Opawa we have our Annual General Meeting in February. And it actually makes a lot of sense to think and dream, for the Southern Hemispere is heading into a new year, refreshed and ready to go.

In between we have Advent, Christmas and Epiphany. Which has felt this week like a great, big theological pause between church year ending and annual church year beginning. And in this ceasing from activity, there is a reminder that the energy of our church is found and formed in Christ. It is Incarnation and theology and God that will generate momentum and movement, life and resource.

So maybe this Northern Hemisphere liturgical colonisation enforced on the South, might, in the subversive grace of God, be enriching a down-under theology.

Note: some parts of this post are hyperbolic in intent.

Youth facility manager wanted

The Youth Facility has got
• Three Offices
• Four meeting rooms
• Large Foyer
• Chill out area
• Music Room and recording studio
• Craft Room
• Climbing Wall
• Hall Area
• Video Editing Room

It's a $1.1 Million Project with all the bells and whistles. This ground breaking innovation located in Papanui Christchurch will be built early next year (2006). We have been searching for over six months to find the person called to the task of managing this amazing facility, but haven’t found our person yet!!! We (The Papanui Youth Development Trust) are based at Papanui Baptist Church and are a blatantly Christian trust who will run the facility as a community youth centre. It is in a great part of Christchurch (Ranfurly Shield Country and all that!!!) and everyone is hanging out for it to be built and up and running.

The person we are looking for is no ordinary person, they will be someone who is a history maker, who isn’t happy with the world as it is and wants to make a change for the better. They will love God and have a heart for kids, a crazy sense of humour and a personality to match, will put a face on the Youth Facility.
For the person we are after we will pay well, make you part of a great team, look after you (Laptop, Car and training budget etc) and help you be all God wants you to be.

INTERESTED????? Then contact rossb at papbap dot org dot nz

Dreamers only need apply!!!!!

further on spiritual formation

A number of people, including myself, have noted here that sermons-as-imparting-knowledge- do not play a major role in "forming us spiritually." Randall has just made the following (great) blog comment:
are you an aural learner Steve?Or a visual one? Do these things influence us? Is there a correlation between what flicks your switch in the learning arena and your spiritual formation...

Which opens up the whole area of individuality and learning preference in spiritual formation.

Link here and for the initial post on spiritual formation here.

today we vote

The man pulled the crumpled note out of his pocket. Sir Edmund stared back.

"Sorry," smiled the ballot officer, and pointed to the ballot box.

The man searched his pockets and grabbed a US dollar coin.

"In God we trust" he tried. "For God we fight," the bearded bystander, destroyer of twin towers, growled back.

"Give what belongs to God to God, and to Ceaser to Ceaser" he replied tossing his coin, glancing again at the ballot officer.

She smiled again. "That's dictatorship. This is democracy. Two ticks please." And pointed at the ballot box.

(A contemporary re:write of Matthew 17:27. It first appeared on my old blog, 3 years ago, at the last election. I still like it.)

the collision of faith and secularity in politics

Yesterday saw a collision of faith and secularity in New Zealand politics. Yesterday it was revealed that a group of business people who belong to the Exclusive Brethren sect had funded mailbox pamphlets attacking Labour and the Greens.

Yesterday Helen Clark dismissed this as the workings of a right-wing group. Helen obviously didn't listen to the public press conference held by those funding the pamphlet campaign. If she did listen, she failed to notice the Bible on the table. Helen, this has nothing to do with right-wing and left-wing. This is a matter of faith. It's a group of people who care enough about their interpretation of the Bible to spend large sums of money.

Labour can be glad on one thing at the moment. Fundamentalists tend to splinter. They are better at collision than cohesion. But stop for a moment and contemplate the impact of the financial resources of half a million dollars combined with the people resources of a Destiny Political Party. Both the Exclusive Brethren business leaders and Destiny are saying Enough is enough. Both are putting their faith on the line. Both are evidence of a new religious muscle in our public domain.

I might not agree with them. Nor might Helen. But to dismiss it as political is an insult to practices of religious freedom.

geoff bullock mark 2

Over at signposts there is some fascinating insight into how people change over time. Faced with crisis and tragedy in his life, Geoff Bullock has re-explored his theology and re-written the lyrics to some of his songs. The new lyrics (alongside the old) are being published at the signposts blog; Just let me say; the heavens shall declare; the power of your love; have faith in God.

It is a poignant reminder to any Christian songwriter and any Christian worship leader; that words are deeply, deeply powerful. Songs need to be chosen with care. Lyrics matter.

exclusive brethren

Update: For a political comment on the Election Pamphlet funding by Exclusive Brethren business leaders, go here.

Following the TV3 programme onThursday evening regarding the Exclusive Brethren, I've had a number of internet visitors to this post. I was stunned recently to discover that the Exclusive Brethren have a website. I was amazing at the irony of a group that professed to ignore technology seeming to have produced an information website about themselves.

Other web resources on the Exclusive Brethren include the following; an evaluation (and warning) of their cult status here (scroll down to "E"). There's an overview of the group on the BBC website. There's a Listener review of the just released; Behind Closed Doors: A startling story of Exclusive Brethren life by Ngaire Thomas. And New Zealand sociologist, Alan Jamieson provides another review of the same book here.

As we talk, let's remember that this is not only about religion, it's also about people. I talked to someone this morning, who recounted the pain of her being excluded from the Brethren, barred from her mother's funeral, and the damage it did to her faith and that of her husband. He tangata, he tangata, he tangata -- it is people, it is people, it is people.

i kid you not

The exclusive brethren have their own website. It looks like a serious attempt to correct public misconceptions. They tell us that ...

Virtually all marriages among the Brethren endure for a lifetime.
Over 95% of all Brethren Families own their own homes.
There is practically no unemployment among the Brethren.

I was using them in my being Kiwi, being Christian class as an example of extreme cultural withdrawal. But then to discover they have a website!

Wonder who built it? Wonder if they use technorati to keep track of referrals? Wonder if they'll drop by to say hi?

Update: For a political comment on the Election Pamphlet funding by Exclusive Brethren business leaders, go here.

Biblical leadership

Further to my post on APEPT, let me quote Clarke...

"church life in each of these communities [eg, Corinth, Romans, Phillipi, Thessalonians, Galatians, Philemon] varied considerably. As social groups, these churches did not fit neatly into a uniform, theological schema of Paul. It is also clear that each of these social groups was also part of the broader society in which the early Christians lived. They were, accordingly, influenced by the patterns of leadership which prevailed around them." Clarke, Serving the community of God, p. 207.

"Although the early Christians had a range of models of leadership or community organization available for them either to adopt or adapt, it becomes plain that Paul associates himself with none of these. Instead, his perception of the nature of leadership within the Christian church derives from his understanding of the unique nature of the Christian church, and the basis on which that community is founded." Clarke, Serving the community of God, p. 209.

My point is simply this ; APEPT is one of many New Testament ways of leading. And so I ponder; Why are we taking Ephesians on leadership and not say Thessalonians on leadership … lead a quiet life … work with your hands or Phillipians on leadership … live as citizens? Perhaps we are reading the Biblical text rather than letting the Biblical text fully read our leadering?

mission and church DNA

An invitation to a conversation about mission and church…

Part 1 - Wed July 13th 6-9pm for church leaders and pastors
Part 2 - Thurs July 14th 9-11am for pastors

Venue: Opawa Baptist Church, Christchurch. RSVP in comments below. For more detail download file

evangelism by encouragement

I've been appreciating Barnabas as a interesting model of mission over the last week; he's known as an encourager; he's also a ministry resourcer (linking a young leader, Paul with a changing church) and around Barnabbas's ministry comes a clearer identity ("called Christians").

And through this "many turned to the Lord." Now, to be honest, evangelists I meet leave me feeling condemned and beaten up, guilty within their black and white words and worlds. Yet here is Barnabas, a fascinating model of evangelism by encouragement and ministry resourcing and clarifying identity.

So we took time as a staff team over coffee this week to name what was encouraging us about the church in general, and about each other specifically. And having, like Barnabbas, been encouraging, we relaxed to let God take care of the growth of the church.

the wanton pleasure of idle wondering

I fly to Auckland for the day tomorrow (Saturday), catching a 6:30 am flight, returning at 8:30 pm. I am part of the Virtual Theology Colloquium 2005;

Purpose: to gather a group of Trans-Tasman scholars to explore and discuss themes related to doing theology in the context of an electronic world: the implications for these disciplines of the cultural and epistemological changes being brought by electronic media (hypertext, digital technologies, electronic publishing, mobile telephony and the internet) and their cultural formations and applications.

I have titled my paper - P2P theology: the potential of everyday practices, as enscribed in virtual internet communities

I am presenting some research analysing attempts at community on the internet, specifically open source theology, blogs and grid blogs, assessing their potential in enabling a P2P theology. In so doing I am arguing that theology today is best viewed not in terms of historical beliefs, but in everyday practices.

Part of this week has been in preparation, and it has reminded me again of how much I enjoy research. So much of my life has an essential praxis; a preparing to preach or teach or write or speak at a seminar. While invariably much of my research does end up as praxis, there is something profoundly re-creative - excessive, wanton even - about taking time to follow the research muse and chase down questions for the sheer sake of idle wondering.

John made jams and loved his family. The cell phone rang this morning at 6 am and I learnt that John had lost the 4th and final round of his battle with leukemia.

Sitting by a death bed this Christmas has added many layers to my Christmas reflection - Emmanuel, God with us, in both pain and party - God, taking the degenerative frailty of human flesh.

If you have time, please say a prayer for John's family.

place, spirituality and mission

Dis-place-ment and participation in the Other as Trinitarian mission: A contemporary Pakeha theological reflection on the foreshore and seabed issue

Just sent an article, 6,000 words, to a journal, hoping for publication. The title sounds a bit of a mouthful, but a part of my gift-mix is the ability to think. For me its part of loving God with all of my mind, as well as creativity and work-ethic.

I spoke on this issue - the foreshore as an indigenous theological response at Kingdom Builders in Auckland in September. I got such a good response, I shaped it up for a journal. It's been killing me for the last week. Big thanks to greenflame and beyond flatland, who chimed in with some excellent comments, and kelli, for an edit.

(And before you ask, no it isn't a web journal, so no it won't be up on the www. So go on. Start a revolution. Get luddite. Buy a paper journal!)

Christian moralising

I'm stuck and I need some help. Last night I spoke to about 30 young people aged 8-18, most non-Christians. It was a "God-spot" at the local youth drop-in. I had 5 minutes. It went well, but I came away feeling stuck within my own communication.

Since I was asked to do a God-spot, I used that as my jumping off point. I asked where the God-spot was. Well, apparently a God-spot was not the paint spot on the floor, but me talking about God.

I told them about the ancient Celts who used to create "God-spots" for their protection. I laid out a circle of white stones on the floor

and stepped into the "God-spot". (Now at least I felt safe in this alien environment). God-spots can keep us safe.

I told them of a verse in the Bible; those that overcome, will be given a white stone. We chanted this together a number of times. I then linked the white stones around my God-spot and the white stones in the verse. White stones stood for purity; so those that keep themselves pure will be protected. And the question is; what makes our stones dirty?

I produced a black marker and wrote what came back. And here is when I am stuck. All the responses were Christian moralizing; black = alcholol, dope, sex. And so Christianity is reduced to don'ts and to private individual morals.

The talk ended well. I wrapped up. Ideally I would have given each of them a stone one by one, with the group chanting the verse; those that overcome, will be given a white stone. It would have been a nice, tactile take-away. But historical behavioural patterns suggested a few white stones would have gone through windows on the way home.

But do you see where I got stuck? How do I advance a conversation about Christianity beyond morals? How do I talk about sin as shalom; as broken relationships with God, people and planet? The moral soundbites are easy - alcholol, dope, sex. Yet how do I "soundbite" more wholistic sin? Or do I just be glad I survived 5 minutes in a pretty energetic context.

trinity and mission

A while ago maggi posted on the Trinity and worship. All the recent talk about missional Church reminds me that the Trinity and worship risks remains self-indulgent without the Trinity and mission.

At the heart of the Trinity is three persons - Father, Son and Spirit - in the giving of love. Love is shared between persons, in an unlimited, ever-spiraling flow of love. The church fathers used to call this perichoresis - the divine dance of love. It is a beautiful metaphor; fluid, whole-bodied, dynamic.

What makes this missional is that this dynamic, fluid, flowing love is shared with the world, in creation, in Christ, and in the activity of the Spirit. This flow of love refuses to remain self-centred.

When God breathes breath into humanity, created in the image of God, we see the relational love of the Trinity shared. Love is never self-indulgent. In Christ, the relational love of the Trinity is shared. The sharing is so radical, so complete, so life-giving, that one person of the Trinity will die for the Other. The affirmation that the Spirit is in our world reminds us that love is always calling us, always inviting us out of our circles, out of our understandings of community, out of our walls and set practices. In this sense the Trinity is missional,

Further, the Trinity offers us unity and diversity, one love shared between three distinct persons. This also guides our mission. The missional church will be an expression of the shared love of God. Equally the missional church will be locally distinctive, a unique, grounded expression of the God-head.

Thus talk about church and mission needs to be grounded in our understandings of God as Trinity. A "missional church" is not new, but a recovering of very ancient understandings, in which we live, we create, we emerge, as an outflow of the shared love of God. We seek to express fluid, whole-boided, dynamic love. We honour the unity with other expressions of church, we applaud diversity, we celebrate uniquely grounded differences.

walking through a minefield

U2 have released the title for their new album; How to dismantle an atomic bomb.

On the other hand, Christian weaver of metaphor, Len Sweet, is speaking of time bomb scriptures: God has some time-bomb scriptures that go off at certain times. Romans and Pauline literature, for example, exploded during the Reformation and its effect was felt for hundreds of years. From here

Don't we have enough violence in our world today, without co-opting the said words of wisdom and words of Jesus? If the words of the prophet expect us to dismantle swords, does that mean we should dismantle and defuse Scriptural incendiary devices? Does not the raw terror of our times require us to seek different images?

I'm in the U2 corner on this one.

pondering terror

if there was no media, would there be events like Beslan?

does terrorism not rely on the spreading of a message of terror. if there was no media, no CNN, then is terror not decreased as an instrument of effectiveness?

to do something, go here.

stories, stories and their educative value

I love stories. But 3 times in the last week I have wondered; do they help or hinder?

I am in class and someone asks me for an example. I am writing a book and I am told to provide more stories to demonstrate some ideas. So, I start to talk, to write, about a story from my experience.

And I pause…
does the use of story make me into an expert?
does the use of story make me seem more together than I am?
does the use of a story reduce people’s own ability to be creative?

I want to open up horizons, free people to be who God wants them to be. What is the place of personal story in teaching?

a burger at my theological table

I am teaching a course this semester called Gospel in a post-christian society. I really enjoy it, sitting with a group of people, looking at contemporary Western culture as a mission field.

I have taught this course 3 times now, and in 3 different ways.

1 - History of ideas: a look over time, a survey with nods to Descartes, Humes, Pascal, Wittengstein, etc.

2 - Philosophy: a look at key thinkers, usually postmodern thinkers, Derrida, Nancy, etc.

3 - Socio-cultural: a look at McDonalds and e-culture and movies.

So yesterday I brought a hamburger into class and we began to explore our culture. In a world in which processes of efficiency, calculability, predictability and control are driving forces, what does this mean for the way we are human and the way we do church? All of a sudden, the nature of gospel becomes a whole bigger. All of a sudden, mission is more than saving souls, but becomes a deep analysis of what it might mean to be counter-cultural.

As I said, I love the course and the stimulation.

cooking spirituality

A holiday highlight for me was cooking with my 7 year old. Last year I brought her a kids cookbook. A favourite day off activity for me is cooking with her;
: She chooses something from the cookbook;
: We go shopping together;
: We cook together;

So on holidays we made 4 evenings worth of meals - nachos, macaroni and asian salad. I love cooking as a re~creative pursuit, so this combines relaxation and spending time with my kids.

It also reminds me again that food is intrinsic to spirituality. It is one of the things I miss in the move from Graceway to Opawa Baptist. At Graceway we worshipped around food, and so much of our life was spent in cafes.

book crossing

Book crossing is a new form of book club. If you find a book in a phone box or park bench, it could well have been left there on purpose. Open it and your instructions await you.

I like the sheer randomness of this.

I'd like to add this to my thinking on spiritual growth trails. I'd like to add in a random growth trail - where you sign up and get random CD's, poems, books placed across your path - and together we would search, with a smile, for the God-patterns in this sheer randomness.

doing postmodernity

Getting men to read fiction is the holy grail of publishing. Can men be weaned off newspapers and books about the exploits of elite military forces? This was the headline in a local newspaper on Saturday. Men read less than women. Men read way less fiction than women. For years, publishers have tried to get more men reading.

Penguin’s Good Booking campaign, launched in Britian this month, offered a 1000 pound to any man caught reading a Penguin title.

Time and again, I have been asked to explain postmodernity. I reach for a book I have read, only to be greeted with “Oh, I don’t read.” Many websites on postmodern mission include a list of books.

So how to engage missionally with a non-reading male?
- get them to browse a mall
- watch The Matrix
- learn DJing
- move 7 tonne of sand into and out of a church
- offer them a 1000 pounds
Any other ideas?

PS - I have expanded my thoughts into a piece called blokes and books here.

passion(ate) letter to mel

My article on Mel Gibson and the passion, they one that caused so much trouble (see here and here) has been published and is now also published on the web.

Headings include;
My movie of disbelief
The framing
The framing of violence
Gender relationships
Over-hyped
Evangelism by art

Please, if you are a Kiwi and you read it, why not also go and buy a copy of the magazine, as they have kindly put this online a monthly earlier than normal, due to the circumstances surrounding it.

easter thinking

great post over at barky's blog on presence and absence.

It’s interesting to note that the resurrection story begins with the words ‘he is not here’. A turning point in the Christian narrative is founded on an absence of Christ and the absence of God.

At the start of this Easter week I’ve been thinking about this – how absence shapes the experience and spirituality of the disciples.

it formed part of my easter sermonic reflection. mark applies it to the church. i applied it to our spirituality in general. for some easter resurrection is celebration of presence. for others easter resurrection is hope of life because God feels absent. this is much tougher, but potentially much more fruitful.

Bible survives trip down flooded river

A whole new take on casting bread upon the waters here.

smiling

From here :: Critical reading of the draft of a friend's book: inspiring - and no small privelege to be asked. (I'll blog on it when it's published.)

food for thought

I ran out first "creative conversation" here in Christchurch last nite. In Auckland we called these missional dinners.

Recipe
some random friends
an interesting guest (in this case Olive Drane)
food
wine
a facilitated conversation; I ask a question and away we got.

Last nite we dined out very richly on this;
Safe spaces :: “One of the things I have come to appreciate is that people today are searching for safe spaces in which to deal with the experiences that make up their own story of life.” What could these safe spaces look like?