Glocal Christianity

Interviewing Anne Rice

Anne Rice speaks on the Vampire Chronicals, Christ the Lord, angels and Christian fiction.

Is paganChristianity unChristian?

You know, I think I finally nailed where I part ways with Frank Viola on "Pagan Christianity". It came out in conversation.

I was discussing the book with a friend on Sunday, who, like me, liked the book but had a few misgivings. And I said, "Apart from the euphamistic way he uses the word 'Pagan', which really grates with Pagans, what's most problematic for me is that he shows insufficient appreciation for just how unessential many first century Christian practices actually were."

What I mean is this, I think Viola is unquestionably correct in identifying many contemporary Christian practices as noncore, nonChristian even and thus nonessential. Where I think he errs is, in insisting there's a pristine Christianity waiting to be restored.

Consider, a huge chunk of the New Testament consists of Paul's letters to various Christian communities. And a huge chunk of that consists of Paul castigating Hebrew Christians for pushing nonessential Hebrew practices onto Gentile Christians. But does Paul ever castigate Hebrew Christians for practicing circumcision and kosher diets amongst themselves? No. Curiously, no.

What this suggests is, Paul was keen to differentiate between what was essential and what was not, but he regarded what was not as culturally "optional" rather than intrinsically "antiChristian". What this suggests in turn is, neither should we assume that everything which is "Pagan" is intrinsically "antiChristian". We need to look deeper before we decide that, before we write off Gentile (that is, Pagan) Christianity altogether.

Thus, though I agree buildings and podiums and pews and ordination ceremonies and Christmas celebrations have nonChristian origins, I disagree that Christian communities are less than authentic when they don't ditch everything, at least not automaticallty. Instead I would say, let's look at this through the lens of critical contextualization. It may be that we can use some of these things redemptively. Then again, maybe not. I may still land in the same place as Viola when its all said and done!  

But the difference is, I tend to stress "essentials first" rather than "essentials only". Though I can apreciate the value of microchurch, I am not so keen on saying there is a biblically mandated size restriction; and though I can see the pitfalls of ceremonialism, I am not so keen on poo pooing symbolic expression and embracing iconoclasm. I think, so long as it's helpful, everything is permissible.

Missional Books

I thought I’d do a survey of missional books of Amazon and, boy, the collection sure seems to have grown in recent years.

Here's just the first few pages, condensed down.

Missional House Churches by J.D. Payne

Breaking the Missional Code: Your Church Can Become a Missionary in Your Community by Ed Stetzer and David Putman

A Field Guide for the Missional Congregation: Embarking on a Journey of Transformation by Rick Rouse and Craig Van Gelder

Forgotten Ways, The: Reactivating the Missional Church by Alan Hirsch

Breaking the Discipleship Code: Becoming a Missional Follower of Jesus by David Putman and Ed Stetzer 
 
The Missional Leader: Equipping Your Church to Reach a Changing World by Alan Roxburgh, Fred Romanuk, and Eddie Gibbs

The Barnabas Factors by J.D. Payne

Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America by Darrell L. Guder and Lois Barrett

Ministry of the Missional Church, The: A Community Led by the Spirit by Craig Van Gelder

Church Unique: How Missional Leaders Cast Vision, Capture Culture, and Create Movement  by Will Mancini

Metamorpha: Jesus as a Way of Life by Kyle Strobel

Exiles: Living Missionally in a Post-Christian Culture by Michael Frost

Missional Renaissance: Changing the Scorecard for the Church by Reggie McNeal

Planting Missional Churches by Ed Stetzer

The Missional Leader: Equipping Your Church to Reach a Changing World by Alan Roxburgh and Fred Romanuk

Rejesus: A Wild Messiah for a Missional Church by Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch

The Missional Church in Context: Helping Congregations Develop Contextual Ministry by Craig Van Gelder

Flexible, Missional Constitution/Bylaws: In One Day, Not Two Years by Alan C. Klaas and Cheryl D. Klaas

A Field Guide for the Missional Congregation: Embarking on a Journey of Transformation by Rick Rouse and Craig Van Gelder

Borderland Churches: A Congregation's Introduction to Missional Living by Gary V. Nelson

Reverse Mentoring: How Young Leaders Can Transform the Church and Why We Should Let Them (J-B Leadership Network Series) by Earl Creps

Breaking the Discipleship Code: Becoming a Missional Follower of Jesus by David Putman and Ed Stetzer

Treasure in Clay Jars: Patterns in Missional Faithfulness by Barrett Lois

Off-Road Disciplines: Spiritual Adventures of Missional Leaders by Earl Creps and Dan Kimball 
 
Cultivating Missional Communities by Inagrace T. Dietterich

Compelled by Love: The Most Excellent Way to Missional Living by Ed Stetzer and Philip Nation

The Convergent Church: Missional Worshipers in an Emerging Culture by Mark Liederbach and Alvin L. Reid

The Missional Church and Denominations: Helping Congregations Develop a Missional Identity by Craig Van Gelder

The Study of Evangelism: Exploring a Missional Practice of the Church by Paul Wesley Chilcote and Laceye C. Warner

And Now...next Door And Down The Freeway: Developing A Missional Strategy For Usa/canada by Neil B. Wiseman

Confessions of a Reformission Rev.: Hard Lessons from an Emerging Missional Church by Mark Driscoll 
 
Pursuing the Mission of God in Church Planting: The Missional Church in North America by John M. Bailey

Missions Moments 2: 52 Easy to Use Missional Messages & Activities for Today's Family by Mitzi Eaker  

We Are Here Now: A New Missional Era by Patrick Keifert

The Missional Life by Joe Waresak

Approaching a Missional Mindsest by Bo Prosser and Tony Cartledge

Finding the Missional Path by Barry, E. Winders

Practical Theology and the One Body of Christ: Toward a Missional-Ecumenical Model by Thomas John Hastings

Resonating the Gospel within a Post Christian Culture: Birthing Church within a Church Missional Communities by Todd Harrington

Culture Matters: A Call for Consensus on Christian Cultural Engagement by T. M. Moore and Richard John Neuhaus

I was wondering,

• Which missional books have you read?

• What were your favourites?

• Which would you like to read, but haven't yet?

Building a Healthy Multi-Ethnic Church - Mark DeYmaz

Mark DeYmaz on "Buiding a Healthy Multi-Ethnic Church"

I have been reading this book over the last week and thoroughly recommend it if you're interested in missional living in contexts of high cultural diversity.

Salvation on the Small Screen?

This week I have been reading Nadia Bolz-Weber’s new book, “Salvation on the Small Screen? 24 Hours of Christian Television”.

I have been finding it enlightening, frightening and funny in equal measure. Enlightening because our exposure to this sort of television is minimal in Australia (I get most of my exposure from YouTube) and so Salvation on the Small Screen is a window into another world. Frightening because … well … that world is just scary, damn scary. Funny because I am enjoying Nadia’s wit and can just imagine sitting with her friends in her lounge room making many of the same observations.

And the observation that stood out for me most was one Nadia came back to a couple of times: just what makes something “Christian”? In some ways I wish she had delved into this deeper as I think it goes to the heart of everything. But it is a difficult question to grapple with – as are the implications.

What I think I appreciated most was Nadia’s efforts to learn from her theological counterparts and sift some wheat from the chaff; to find some salvation on the small screen. I found that effort doubly interesting as Nadia is obviously more liberal and liturgical than I am, yet, evangelical as I am, I struggle no less with televangelism style Christianity. It’s very glocal to seek wisdom through engagement with traditions very different to your own. Televagelist tradition through, man that's a tough gig.

Christian Theology in Asia

I have come across an interesting book through a Malasian New Testament lecturer blogging from here. The book is called "Christian Theology in Asia.

Questions explored include: "What is distinctive about the historical development of Asian theologies?" and "How have Asian theologies contributed to contemporary theological discussions within world Christianity?"

An excerpt from the introduction is also available here.

Amos Yong: Hospitality & The Other

I found out from John Morehead that Amos Yong has a new book out called, "Hospitality & The Other".

For those not familiar with him, Amos is a Pentecostal theologian who's done a lot of work on developing a theology of other religions with particular reference to the workings of the Spirit beyond the church. He is not emergent but very much engages with some of the same issues, like post-modernity and pluralism and how we converse with people more contextually.

Like John, I have found Amos' previous works stimulating (even if a little hard going at times) and I look forward to seeing what he has to say here.

The summary from the back cover states:

"Building on careful biblical scholarship and insights into the practices of Jesus and the early church, launched on the day of Pentecost, Amos Yong shows that the religious 'other' is not a mere object for conversion but a neighbor to whom hospitality must be both extended and received. Contemporary practice, he shows, needs to catch up with the revolutionary biblical notion of extending hospitality beyond every boundary of faith, nation, and ethnicity."

Keep an eye out for it.

Inspiration and Incarnation

I heard via Kay Paris that Peter Enns has been dumped by Westminster over his book "Inspiration and Incarnation: Evangelicals and the Problem of the Old Testament".

Humph. I haven't read the whole book yet but what I've read so far seemed well written and thought provoking. I guess I have to take that as further evidence that many evangelicals are having a hard time digesting more incarnational approaches to Christian scripture and ministry.

At the risk of pointing the bone, here are some other books grounded in more incarnational approaches that I have found quite helpful and would recommend:

"Encountering New Religious Movements: A Holistic Evangelical Approach" by Irving Hexham, Stephen Rost, and John W. Morehead II

"The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21 Century Church" by Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch

"Streams of Living Water: Celebrating the Great Traditions of Christian Faith" by Richard J. Foster

"The Liberating Image: The Imago Dei in Genesis 1" by J. Richard Middleton

"Jesus Ascended: The Meaning of Christ's Continuing Incarnation" by Gerrit Scott Dawson

And here are a few more that I would like to read and sus out:

"Incarnational Ministry: Planting Churches in Band, Tribal, Peasant, and Urban Societies" by Paul G. Hiebert and Eloise Hiebert Meneses

"The Word Made Flesh: Towards an Incarnational Missiology" by Ross Langmead

"The Word Became Flesh: A Contemporary Incarnational Christology" by Millard J. Erickson

"Revitalizing Theological Epistemology: Holistic Evangelical Approaches to the Knowledge of God" by Steven B. Sherman

"The New Global Mission: The Gospel from Everywhere to Everyone (Christian Doctrine in Global Perspective)" by Samuel Escobar

"Ministering Cross-Culturally,: An Incarnational Model for Personal Relationships" by Sherwood G. Lingenfelter and Marvin K. Mayers

"The Incarnation and the Church's Witness (Christian Mission and Modern Culture)" by Darrell L. Guder "Constants in Context: A Theology of Mission for Today (American Society of Missiology Series)" by Stephen B. Bevans and Roger P. Schroeder

"The Incarnation: An Interdisciplinary Symposium on the Incarnation of the Son of God" by Stephen Davis, S.J., Daniel Kendall, and S.J., Gerald O'Collins

"Beyond Cheap Grace: A Call to Radical Discipleship, Incarnation, and Justice" by Eldin Villafane

"Christology from Within: Spirituality and the Incarnation in Hans Urs Von Balthasar (Studies in Spirituality and Theology)" by Mark A. McIntosh

"The Eucharist in the Reformation: Incarnation and Liturgy" by Lee Palmer.

"Towards Liturgies that Reconcile (Liturgy, Worship and Society)" by Scott Haldeman

"Liturgy and Justice: To Worship God in Spirit and Truth" by Pastoral Liturgy Conference 2001 (University of Notre Dame) and Anne Y. Koester

Punters will note that few of these are explicitly "emergent" books. The truth is, while I appreciate where emergents have explored incarnational perspectives and practices, I draw my inspiration from well beyond the emergent fold and I think it should concern all of us that voices like Peter Enns are being silenced.

Interview with the Vampire Writer - Anne Rice

Jamie Arpin-Ricci  interviews Anne Rice on faith, writing and Christian art. Awesome interview.

Emerging Downunder by Ray Simpson and Brent Lyons Lee

Mike Lowe has alerted me to a book launch coming up next week that may interest a few of you, particularly if you're in Melbourne.

The book is called 'Emerging Downunder'

The blurb goes: "Emerging Downunder: Creating Celtic New Monastic Villages of God taps into the current hunger for spirituality, the death pains of obsolete church forms, and the rising tide of hope felt by many Christians. It suggests ways the fragmented church may reconnect both with its roots and the contemporary environment, providing practical examples of church that bring praying, eating, learning and hospitality together in one place."

"This book was first published as Church of the Isles by Ray Simpson for a British audience. In collaboration with Brent Lyons Lee, it has tapped in to worldwide conversations about ‘emerging church’ and ‘new monasticism’ and applied it to a ‘downunder’ context."

Tim Costello will be launching the book in Melbourne at 6:30pm on Thursday April 3 at Credo Café, (The end of Baptist Place Laneway off Little Collins St between Swanston & Russell St.)

If any of you can make the launch I would be interested in hearing your take on it.

2008 Christianity Today Book Awards

The 2008 Christianity Today Book Awards have been announced in the last week. Have a read and let me know what you think. Can't say I have read any of them but "Disciples of All Nations: Pillars of World Christianity" looks like an interesting one to me.

Enoch

I noticed the book of Enoch was uploaded to the Internet Sacred Texts Archieve a few days ago and is now available for free. Enoch is one of the more interesting apocraphal books in my opinion so if you want to read it click here.

Being a Christian I find Enoch chapter 46 particularly interesting ...

There I beheld the Ancient of Days, whose head was like white wool, and with him another, whose countenance resembled that of man. His countenance was full of grace, like that of one of the holy angels. Then I inquired of one of the angels, who went with me, and who showed me every secret thing, concerning this Son of Man; who he was; whence he was; and why he accompanied the Ancient of Days.

He answered and said to me, "This is the Son of Man, to whom righteousness belongs; with whom righteousness has dwelt; and who will reveal all the treasures of that which is concealed: for the Lord of spirits has chosen him; and his portion has surpassed all before the Lord of spirits in everlasting uprightness."

... particularly given its close parallel to the Revelation chapter 1

I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone "like a son of man," dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

See the parallels? Now what does that suggest to you?

Jesus! Just look at these books!

In a fit of post-Christmas browsing I thought I'd have a look and see what the most expensive "Jesus" books on Amazon are ... I nearly choked. These are just going to blow you away. Here are the links to some so you can check them out for yourself.

Fancy a copy of "Jesus Never Fails" or the "NIV Pastor's Bible? Be my guest! Should put me well on the way to making this blog self sustaining. Nah. Better to buy a well for someone in Africa.

Pagan Christianity by Frank Viola and George Barna

I received an email from Frank Viola's people yesterday offering an advanced copy of the new and heavily revised edition of "Pagan Christianity" for review.

The new edition, which they're saying is a complete rewrite, has been co-authored with George Barna,  popular speaker and research guru. I'll wait till I receive it before making any personal comments (and that could be a few weeks given international shipping times) but here is the publicity blurb for your consumption:

Book Description
Have you ever wondered why we Christians do what we do for church every Sunday morning? Why do we "dress up" for church? Why does the pastor preach a sermon each week? Why do we have pews, steeples, choirs, and seminaries? This volume reveals the startling truth: most of what Christians do in present-day churches is not rooted in the New Testament, but in pagan culture and rituals developed long after the death of the apostles. Coauthors Frank Viola and George Barna support their thesis with compelling historical evidence in the first-ever book to document the full story of modern Christian church practices.

Sorting Out Truth From Tradition
Many Christians take for granted that their church’s practices are rooted in Scripture. Yet those practices look very different from those of the first-century church. The New Testament is not silent on how the early church freely expressed the reality of Christ’s indwelling in ways that rocked the first-century world.

Times have changed. Pagan Christianity leads us on a fascinating tour through church history, revealing this startling and unsettling truth: Many cherished church traditions embraced today originated not out of the New Testament, but out of pagan practices. One of the most troubling outcomes has been the effect on average believers: turning them from living expressions of Christ’s glory and power to passive observers. If you want to see that trend reversed, turn to Pagan Christianity . . . a book that examines and challenges every aspect of our contemporary church experience.

Are We Really Doing Church “By the Book?”
Why does the pastor preach a sermon at every service?
Why do our church services seem so similar week after week?
Why does the congregation sit passively in pews?

Not sure? Pagan Christianity makes an unsettling proposal: Most of what present-day Christians do in church each Sunday is rooted not in the New Testament, but in pagan culture and rituals developed long after the death of the apostles. Authors Frank Viola and George Barna support their thesis with compelling historical evidence and extensive footnotes that document the origins of our modern Christian church practices.

In the process, the authors uncover the problems that emerge when the church functions like a business organization rather than the living organism it was created to be. As you reconsider Christ’s revolutionary plan for His church—to be the head of a fully functioning body in which all believers play an active role—you’ll be challenged to decide whether you can ever do church the same way again.

Stay posted for the review.

You'll find the official site at www.paganchristianity.org

Richard Leigh, the author who sued over Da Vinci Code, dies

I was reading this evening that Richard Leigh has died. Richard Leigh, who co-authored The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, one of the most controversial books of the 1980s, with Michael Baigent, was possibly even more famous for being the guy who sued Dan Brown for plagiarism over The Da Vinci Code. How he died was a mystery.

The Priory of Sion, mmm yes, it must have been the Priory of Sion.