Quick Reflection on Class on 11/18/09

Today we talked about the New Monastic movement and began discussing Lutheranism. New Monasticism is a form of Christianity that I resonate with and have been considering for a while now. The emphasis on hospitality as a lifestyle is something that I find very attractive but I have not been personally exposed to very much in my life. I am also somewhat afraid of commitment. Consequently, I have been a bit hesitant to delve to deeply - outside of reading about and discussing it - into it in my own personal faith journey. I have a bit of the wanderlust, so making a commitment to a community is a bit frightening to me, but I also acknowledge the amazing things that are achieved only through long-term commitment to a single community. It's a tension I'm dealing with and working out.

Quick Reflection from Class on 11/16/09

Last class we finished up Catholicism and the opening of Japan after World War II and how missionaries focused on education there, but the culture does not find ultimate and spiritual truth there, so it was sort of botched. He also talked about blowing snot bubbles out of his nose.

Church and Mission: Book Review #4

God’s Missionary People by Charles Van Engen

Charles Van Engen was raised in Chiapas, Mexico, where his parents were missionaries, and later returned as a missionary there himself. He is currently Arthur F. Glasser Professor of Biblical Theology of Mission in the School of Intercultural Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary. As such, his writing focuses heavily on missiology and other titles by him include Mission on the Way, You Are My Witnesses, God So Loves the City (co-editor), and The Growth of the True Church.

Van Engen’s thesis is that, “as local congregations are built up to reach out in mission to the world, they will become in fact what they already are by faith: God’s missionary people (17).” He shapes his argument into three parts: an explanation of the church as being God’s missionary people, a new vision for the church as such, and a discussion of how local churches can go about becoming more mission-focused.

Van Engen begins by first sharing two somewhat paradoxical, yet upon reflection true, viewpoints of the local church, explaining first that it is through living out its missionary nature that the local church becomes the Church and that local congregations are in mission through being part of the universal Church (33), and then the idea that the church is already that which it is becoming and must continually change, reform, and improve (41). In order to supply a biblical foundation for his ideas, Van Engen turns to the book of Ephesians, in which Paul views the critical character of the church within the world as being one of unity continual growth and renewal in mission, which bolstered my own preexisting leanings towards ecumenism. Furthering this, he traces the missional quality of the church throughout its history as it expresses the four qualities attributed to it in the Nicene Creed (one, holy, catholic, apostolic) in action (a reminder to me personally that we as Christians are called to live these qualities and not just talk about them).He then concentrates on what the church, as a missional entity, should be concerned with addressing in its continually changing mode of expression: being for the world, identification with the oppressed, mission, proclamation witness, and yearning for numerical growth (74), which reminds me that all of these qualities, not just those on which I tend to focus, are necessary.

The practical and present side of the discussion is then visited beginning with a look at the purpose of the local church, which Van Engen describes as community through koinonia (loving each other), kerygma (proclaiming Jesus as Lord), diakonia (service to the needy), and marturia (witness to the Resurrection) - once again re-emphasizing action rather than discussion to me, which I struggle with to some extent. He then expands upon this, relating these to the larger perspective of the Church as the beginning of the coming of the Kingdom of God, and even further as the body of Christ in the world, enacting Christ’s roles of priest, king and prophet, which I thought fit handily with my new appreciation for the Orthodox ecclesiological idea of the Church as being an icon of the Trinity (enacting Christ’s three roles, the Spirit’s bringing the Kingdom, and the Father’s sending out of “little Christs,” the literal translation of “Christians”).

In the final section of Van Engen’s book, he expounds upon the, “process by which missionary congregations get a vision of their mission in their various contexts (133).” He explains that, ultimately, it is the laity that enacts ministry and mission and that the purpose of the clergy is actually to aid them in doing so, rather than being the ministers, an idea I have been toying with for a while. He then expands upon this view of leadership by describing the biblical idea of the servant leader, which was actually a refreshing section for me since I resonated with the idea of true servanthood that Van Engen puts forth for a term that has almost become a shibboleth in the Church world. He concludes with a discussion of the necessity of, “culturally-appropriate and contextually-equivalent (180)” administration in helping the church to become missional, explaining that evaluation is crucial in order to become truly mission-minded, which I saw as an admonishment to me to be far more thankful for those with the gift of administration (which I most certainly do not have), since they are absolutely vital in helping me to minister.

Overall, I found this to be a refreshing read that supplemented my previous readings nicely in that it discusses why the church changes, rather than how the church has changed or is changing. In that way, it would build a good foundation for those beginning ecclesiological studies.

Church and Mission: Quick Reflection from 11/11/09

We attended Fuller's annual Missiology Lecture instead of class in order to hear Bishop Graham Cray speak on the Fresh Expressions movement that has been rejuvenating the Anglican church. It was very interesting and I ended up staying for most of the panel that was held afterward. I agree with the idea that churches should not be restricted to certain geographic areas. We live in a network society and it only makes sense that people will learn of Christ through someone in one of their networks rather than through the church down the street, which they most likely will have no connection to or desire to connect with. I also agree, however, with the criticism expressed at the panel that we cannot simply get rid of a geographic focus. Both need to be present. Simply having a focus on particular networks creates insular pockets of homogeneity that separate people rather than bringing them together. Geographic foci bring differing people together who would otherwise have no reason to mix. In my opinion, the health of a church can be determined to a large extent in its diversity: in age, in gender, in race, in culture, and in likes and dislikes. This diversity is provided by bringing differing networks together, which can be accomplished through a complementary continuation of the geographic model (that is, a local church in the area facilitating). However, the geographic model cannot be allowed to become so rigid that people of one geographic area must go to a particular parish, as has been the case in the past.

Quick Reflection from Class on 11/9/09

We took a time out today to talk about our upcoming speaker (Bishop Graham Cray from the Church of England) and what has been going on in the Church of England over the past decade or so. It was really interesting to me because I have a good friend in Britain who is Anglican and I plan to discuss this in depth with him and hear what his experiences have been. We both are passionate about the connections between science and Christianity and how Christians do not have to choose between the two. It seems to me that much of the root of post-Christendom comes from the perception that science, especially evolution, is diametrically oppposed to religion. So I really want to hear Jason's opinions on this.

church and Mission: Quick Reflection from Class on 11/4/09

Last class we started discussing the Roman Catholic Church. I went to a Catholic high school, so I'm rather excited to discuss this more. We talked a bit about how monsticism was a societal critique, but we really didn't talk much about it and I would really like to get more in depth about monastic traditions like the Jesuits, Fransicans, Dominicans and Benedictine's, their emphases on things like serving the poor or education and how we can learn from them and implement their ideas in new ways in our context.

Church and Mission: Quick Reflection from Class on 11/2/09

This past class we continued our discussion of Eastern Orthodoxy, mostly watching a film about its history. We also discussed other types of Orthodoxy such as the Patriarchates in Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem as well as the Ethiopian church. It was all very interesting to me since I had no idea that there were other types of Orthodoxy besides Greek and Russian. I had known about the Coptic, Indian and Ethiopian churches, however the rest were new to me and I intend to research them more as I have time.

Church and Mission Book Review #3

Global Pentecostalism: The New Face of Christian Social Engagement by Donald E. Miller and Tetsunao Yamamori

Donald E. Miller is Professor of Religion and Executive Director of the Center for Religion and Civic Culture at the University of Southern California. His major area of interest is sociology of religion and has written on subjects as varied as the Armenian genocide, homeless families, and the spiritual struggles of the post-boomer generation. Tetsunao Yamamori is president emeritus of Food for the Hungry International, a non-governmental organization committed to ending poverty, and has written extensively on serving the poor and the transformation of mission in the past few decades.

Global Pentecostalism is the joint product of four years of travel and extensive research by both Miller and Yamamori and focuses on fast-growing, self-supported, indigenous movements in the developing world that have “active social programs addressing needs in their community (6).” Their thesis is that many of the most inventive and ground-breaking of these social programs are being conceived of and implemented by expanding Pentecostal congregations (6). It begins by discussing the decline of mainline Western denominations, the replacement of established religious traditions, practices and worship with charismatic forms, and analyzes why the Pentecostal movement has grown so rapidly in such a short period of time. Five different types of Pentecostalism are identified (classical Pentecostalism, non-Western indigenous Pentecostal churches, independent Neo-Pentecostal churches, the charismatic renewal movement, and proto-charismatic Christians) as well as four different emphases found throughout these different expressions (a non-sectarian progressive element, the Prosperity Gospel, routinized Pentecostalism, and a “holistic” gospel that the authors term “Progressive Pentecostalism”) (30). It is on this last emphasis that the study focuses.

Yamamori and Miller begin their examination by discussing the motivations and beliefs of progressive Pentecostals, which can be summed as transformation through holistic ministry (that is, ministering to both physical and spiritual needs) before diving into narrative descriptions of actual on-the-ground ministries. In this, they first address Pentecostal ministries to children and youths and then ministries aimed towards transforming society at large. This is followed by a discussion of how Pentecostal worship influences their ministry, followed by the link between Pentecostal and upward social mobility. The organic organizational style of many Progressive Pentecostal churches, drawing from the Apostle Paul’s idea of one body with many members, and the ways in which it influences the enactment of mission and ministry is also analyzed before concluding with a section on the possible future of the movement.

Yamamori and Miller give an excellent overview of the differing movements within Pentecostalism today which is an essential read for anyone studying the state and growth of the global Church today. Their combination of narrative and analysis creates an engaging, yet scholarly study that will be an enjoyable read for both curious laymen and ecclesiological theologians. The book will, no doubt, change the perceptions of non-Pentecostal Christians towards the Pentecostal movement in the same ways that it changed those of the authors, shaping them towards a more ecumenical spirit and a greater appreciation of the vibrant and growing faith of millions of both Western and non-Western Christians.