Marginal Christianity

Since today is Earth Day and since I reflected yesterday on some of the  ecological themes in in the NOAH movie , I thought it fitting to share an idea that I have recently been introduced to that might help us what church communities might look like that are attentive to their places and creatures, land and ecology of their places. Ched Myers, whom some of you may know from his important commentary on the book of Mark,  Binding the Strong Man , or on his work on  Sabbath Economics , has recently been exploring the idea of Watershed Discipleship. (via  WatershedDiscipleship.org  ) “Watershed discipleship” is an intentional triple  entendre . The ecological endgame that stalks our history puts humanity in a  watershed moment  that demands serious, sustained engagement from Christians; we must choose between denial and  discipleship .  Both our love for the Creator and the interlocking crises of global warming, peak “everything,” ...

This cursory list of “Who we are” and “Who we have become” makes an essential point for evangelism in the 21 st century.   Who We Are Who We Have Become Beloved children Sinners Royal Priests Rebellious Creatures Human Sub-Human Made for Community Isolated Billiard Balls Slaves of God Slaves to Self Part of Creation Estranged from Creation Caretakers of Creation (Ab)users of Creation Traditional evangelism has for the most part addressed the latter category and offered of gospel of the forgiveness of God and our acceptance in Christ through his sacrifice on the cross.   It focuses on our reclamation from what we have become. However, the gospel, while addressing our need for such reclamation, goes further and calls us to receive the gift of who we are in creation, forfeited by us, ane...

BY  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? Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe both. 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 the conditions of that life we share. Since this community lives from its center, the risen Jesus Christ, its boundaries are porous and permeable with arms outstretched to everyone who encounters it. Here are  some characteristics  of the Submerging Church: §   first, it is  hard to find  because it is small and spread throughout the community; §   second, it is  difficult to join ...

http://www.jerswigart.com/gays-the-american-church-and-2-severed-relationships/ APRIL 20, 2014   BY   JER 1 COMMENT While copious amounts of time and money have been invested by churches and denominations across the country on who’s right and wrong on “the gay issue,”  the little band of Jesus-Followers  that I’m a part of has been quietly walking the Way of love within arguably one of the most influential gay communities in the country.  We don’t have any statements or stances on sexual orientation, nor do we spend time crafting them.  Instead, we simply follow Jesus’ lead by spending our lives on the repair of severed relationships.  Really incredible things have happened as a result ( like this moment ). Simultaneously, I  train everyday peacemakers   to see  the humanity, dignity, and image of the Creator in as well as the plight of others and  to immerse  into the radical center of conflict  seeking  ...

http://percaritatem.com/2014/04/20/jazz-as-an-example-of-macintyres-notion-of-practice/?fb_action_ids=10202466926689079&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582#sthash.yH2kMSDW.dpbs By Cynthia R. Nielsen 20‑Apr‑2014 No comments In his work,  After Virtue ,  MacIntyre  provides a multifaceted definition of practice as well as a helpful discussion of a practice’s internal and external  goods. As he explains, a practice is any coherent and complex form of socially established cooperative  human activity  through which goods internal to that form of activity are realized in the course of trying to achieve those standards of excellence which are appropriate to, and partially definitive of, that form of activity.[1] Clearly, jazz qualifies as a complex, socially created, communal human activity. The excellent jazz improviser, for example, must achieve a  high level  of technic...

http://timgombis.com/2014/04/18/the-tyranny-of-convenience/ By   timgombis In a recent class, we discussed how the modern value of convenience works against the cultivation of rich  community life  in churches. We are rushed and hurried, and the frantic and harried pace of life shapes us in such ways that we see occasions where we can linger with one another as “wasted time.”  We’re not accomplishing anything! We can do this more conveniently! I was struck by the following passage in Michael Moss’s book,  Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us , a fascinating look at the processed  food industry . It reveals just one way in which convenience as  an obvious value of  modern life  was reinforced by advertising over the last half-century. Every year in  New York City , the top executives of companies that sold a wide range of goods gathered together under the auspices of the Conference Board, an august association best ...