Marginal Christianity

“Advent creates people, new people.” ( Dietrich Bonhoeffer, God Is in the Manger: Reflections on Advent and Christmas ) Zephaniah 3:14-20/Isaiah 12:2-6/Philippians 4:4-7/Luke 3:7-18 Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Advent The “waiting which hastens” is a key scriptural text for Advent we have discovered. Bonhoeffer helps us better understand this when he says, “ Waiting is an art that our impatient age has forgotten. It wants to break open the ripe fruit when it has hardly finished planting the shoot. But all too often the greedy eyes are only deceived; the fruit that seemed so precious is still green on the inside, and disrespected hands ungratefully toss aside what has so disappointed them ( God Is in the Manger: Reflections on Advent and Christmas ). Waiting (for the fruit of Advent to ripen) hastens the coming of the day of the Lord (because it matures us) to practice Christmas as we should. And how is that? Bonhoeffer again: “Who among us will celebrate Christmas correc...

Herma and Herman Neutics Again! The Bible must be read like every other book. Every kind of analysis we can apply to other ancient texts we should apply to the Bible. The Bible must be read like no other book. Only in this book do we have a "love letter" from God. (Don't gag out on the last phrase, friends. No less than Dietrich Bonhoeffer uses it and Herman will share more about that next time.) 

Rod Dreher's The Benedict Option is all the rage these days. And rightly so. Rod articulates an important perspective as the North American Church continues to try to find its bearings as the reality of the death of Christendom sinks very more deeply into our ecclesial psyche. I have a proposal to throw in the ring too. I call it the "Submerging Church." The following very brief statement will give you an idea of the direction in which I'm thinking. Submerging Church LEE WYATT Though we live (or have lived) in the age of the Emerging/Emergent Church, I have a different proposal for a new vision of church. I call it the  Submerging  Church! Am I serious, you ask? Read on and see what you think. The Submerging Church, as I see it, is  radically  subversive,  relentlessly incarnational, and ruthlessly hospitable.  It dives deeply into everyday life, sharing it with others, while at the same time questioning and critiquing ...