Monday reflection for week 6 February 7, 2007

As I think about the emerging church more, I am able to appreciate so many aspects as full of truth and the essence of Jesus’ message. I am becoming more convinced, however, of my own desire to stay connected to the larger, historical church. I want to work to infuse elements such as social justice, a lack of hierarchy, shared leadership and artistic expression into the larger church body. It is a lot harder. It requires a lot more patience. And it seems like a daunting task.

I liked Boff’s picture of the base communities as leaven within the larger church. We need emerging churches to ask the questions they’re asking and to stand in stark contrast. But we also need them to dialogue with the rest of the church. Just as Presidant Mouw asserted this morning in chapel, we must come together in humility, listen, and learn from each other.

Book Review: Leonardo Boff, Ecclesiogenesis, 1997, Orbis Books February 5, 2007

Leonardo Boff is a Catholic liberation theologian from Brazil and author of many books concerning the theology of the poor and oppressed.

 

In Ecclesiogenesis, Boff examines the emerging ecclesiology of basic church communities (BCC) of Latin America. Originally arising due to a lack of priests, these communities are characterized by the replacement of traditional hierarchical structure with equality among members, direct relationships, and reciprocity (4). Laity perform traditional priestly duties such as the administration of the Lord’s Supper.

 

Boff addresses several key questions. First, are BCCs a valid and authentic form of church? Second, is the BCC model actually the utopia that the larger church should aim for? Third, he addresses the role of BCCs in working toward the liberation of the oppressed as well as addressing some key practical issues which have arisen such as the ordination of women and the administration of the Lord’s Supper by lay people.

 

Boff asserts that BCCs should be denominated church, as they are “founded on the common faith,” and maintain a direct oneness with the universal church, sharing their goals (12). And while he affirms the importance of the true “community” these churches embody, he maintains that a balance is needed between the structural catholic church and these small communities. He likens them to leaven, needed to arise within the context of the larger church as a call back to true community in the manner that Jesus modeled. He warns against the base community presenting itself as “the only way of being church today” (8) thus alienating itself.

 

Boff made me think about my own temptation to pull away from the larger church. In America it is more reactionary than out of practical necessity, however, many of the same principles apply. Because BCCs remain connected to the larger church, they can be change agents and actually transform the church. While this is logistically more frustrating and creates a tension between grassroots reality and organizational structure, I think it more closely matches Jesus’ desire for His people. Boff describes this as “oxygenat[ing] the theological atmosphere” of the larger church (60).

 As I look to partner with a local church in the inner city neighborhood where I teach, I need to be open to whatever form it may take. It most likely will not be the style or method of church I would have chosen. There are sure to be tensions between its organization and my grassroots passion for empowering the lives of children and families through the education system. I may very well be tempted to look elsewhere, perhaps bussing people in from outside the neighborhood from an isolated church. But part of my role as a bridge is not only to serve the children and families in my class, but also to serve the church by shining a light on its God-given role to transform the community in which it exists.

Wednesday Reflection for Week Five February 5, 2007

A lot of the information about emerging churches that we covered in class was familiar to me from last quarter (Transforming Contemporary Cultures).

As I read Boff, I applied a lot of his principles to emerging churches. While they are embodying a lot of wonderful aspects of the kingdom, should they seperate themselves so distinctly from the larger church? I know its easier to just leave and play by your own rules when you don’t agree with the way everyone else is playing. But in leaving, the conversation is cut off. The possibility to affect change and transform the church itself is eliminated.

On the other hand, by seperating themselves and standing so distinctly apart from mainstream churches, they have acted in a sense as a “city on a hill”, modeling a different way of doing church and living in community.

I hope the future brings a bridge between these two with more dialogue among all in the church.

Monday Reflection for Week 5 January 31, 2007

One aspect of Fuller I really appreciate is the diversity of faith traditions represented and valued. Before coming here, I read Brian McLaren’s Generous Orthodoxy, in which he highlights Kingdom elements across the Christian horizon, from varying denominations to politics to environmentalism. Because it is hard for me to see things in simply black and white terms, I loved the shades of gray in his book. I have often been frustrated by the narrowness in which Christians can choose to become enslaved, as they are unwilling to entertain the thought that perhaps another perspective or methodology or interpretation exists which may be just as valid, albeit different.

In class, we were able to see some of these kingdom elements within different traditions as well as honestly look at ways in which they do not embody the kingdom. I find this honesty refreshing, taking a step back from personal preferences or experiences alone in order to see the big picture: an imperfect tapestry that reflects our need for an omnipotent, transcendant God.

Wednesday Reflection for Week Four January 29, 2007

I really enjoyed class! I loved the balance of lecture, focused questions based on the lecture, indiviual time of application to our case study, and small group time to share and discuss.

 Applying justice to the public school classroom and public education as a whole really got me thinking and made me really excited about all the possibilites. If we really believe in justice for all, what extents are we willing to go to? I instantly thought of the unique challenges of teaching in an urban, inner city context. Children and famlies that do not speak English, are impoverished and lack emotional and physical resources are just a few examples. How willing are we really to ensure that everything, down to the details of school supplies is just?

Book Review: Sider et al, Churches That Make a Difference. 2002. Baker Books January 29, 2007

Ronald Sider is the founder and president of Evangelicals for Social Action and professor of theology and culture at Eastern Baptist Seminary. Philip Olson is the director of the resource and network ministry Network 9:35, as well as the vice president for church relations at Evangelicals for Social Action. Heidi Unruh, a researcher and writer on the topic of FBO’s, is the associate director of the Congregations, Communities, and Leadership Development Project at Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

 

The authors of Churches That Make a Difference present a holistic approach to the church’s mission that encompasses evangelism, discipleship, and social action equally and work together to transform communities both spiritually and socially. They respond to Christians who emphasize either a social gospel or evangelism at the expense of the other with biblical and practical balance, using Jesus as a model. An important contribution to the ongoing debate, I think this book is a good bridge between the two sides of the fence, asserting that the exclusion of either leaves a church incomplete.

 

After laying a foundation supporting the centrality of holistic ministry in the church, the authors describe practical strategies of embodiment. The church must be healthy, relational, and worshiping, and must be united in vision and leadership. Its ministry should be organized and intentional. Case studies woven throughout provide examples of the diversity among congregations as they live this holistic approach out in varying contexts.

 

Finding a balance between evangelism and social action is especially relevant in my case study of the public school classroom. What is my role as a teacher in this “secular” sphere? Because of the nature of the context and its limitations, I find myself focusing heavily on ministering to students and families socially, and easily forget about ministering to them spiritually. Also, what is the role of the church in public education? The concepts in this book shed light on these questions. 

 

First, I need a strong foundation on which to build my ministry to children, families, and staff. Prayer, worship, study, authentic community, and discipleship must be at the core of my personal life. While these may seem like obvious needs of any Christian, in my experience they have been some of the first things to go when the demands of working to transform the lives of students and families becomes all consuming. I am tempted to take on a “savior” complex, as these authors warn against, acting like I can work hard enough to meet their physical, emotional, social, and educational needs on my own. If the spiritual life of those I come in contact with is not on the forefront of my mind, I will miss out on both implicit and explicit ways to share Jesus with them.

 

In addition, I feel I have unique role as a bridge between the public education system and the church. According to these authors, one of the challenges for a church is to accurately assess the needs and culture of a community, build relationships, and figure out exactly how the church can best serve. I am beginning to imagine what it would look like for me to live, work, and attend church in the same neighborhood and intentionally connect those spheres. I would have my finger on the pulse of the school community and individuals within it. Depending on the specific needs within the context, our church could start a tutoring program, before- and after- school programs, partner with the PTA, and volunteer in a myriad of ways to serve the school and families.  Because the public school is such an open door to touching the lives of so many families in a community, the opportunities would be many and the potential impact immense.  

 

Monday Reflection for Week 4 January 24, 2007

As we approach the middle of week four, I have to say I have mixed feelings about this class. I started the quarter off with a lot of anticipation, having just finished Transforming Contemporary Culture with Bolger in the Fall. That class was rich with depth, different perspectives, and interpretations of Jesus’ ministry and its application to our lives today. We had a lot of lecture full of “meat”. In fact, I found myself frantically typing on my computer almost every class so I wouldn’t miss anything. Ironically, my biggest suggestion at the end of the quarter was to allow more small group time so we could discuss some of these ideas that were presented in class.

Now, in Church and Mission, I feel that the tables have completely turned. My laptop lays silent as we spent the vast majority of the time in discussion in our small groups.

Personally, as a teacher, I definitely see the value in interactive learning and in the application and synthesis of ideas. Actually, the highest level of thinking critically is synthesizing different information, as we are doing in our small groups when we take information from Lohfink, Fuellenbach,              and infuse it into our case study and our personal spheres.

I also believe, however, that we need more than just the information from the readings as a shared knowledge base on which to build effective small group discussions. If I wanted to read books and discuss them in small groups, I feel like I could do that as an independant study. I am at Fuller, in great part, because of the amazing professors and the depth of knowledge and experience they bring to the classroom. My expectations were far surpassed last quarter and I would love to hear more insight and “meat” this quarter as well!

Book Review: Veli-Matti Karkkainen, An Introduction to Ecclesiology, 2002 Intervarsity January 22, 2007

Veli-Matti Karkkainen is an author and associate professor of systematic theology at Fuller Theological Seminary. He has written such books as Pneumatology: An Introduction. In this book, An Introduction to Ecclesiology: Ecumenical, Historical and Global Perspectives, Karkkainen gives a thorough and clearly articulated overview of the theology of the church: it’s historical traditions, its leading ecclesiologists, and it’s application in contexts around the world. In a couple hundred pages, he was able to summarize the high points of ecclesiology in a manner I found both helpful and succinct.

 

Ecclesiological Overview

This book sought to weave the ecclesiology of different traditions, theologians, and contexts together, fairly comparing their similarities and differences. It was very interesting for me to see how my own Pentecostal roots fit into the bigger historical and contemporary pictures. Karkkainen’s overview was extremely diverse, even including ecclesiology through the lens of the global church, feminism, and post-modernism. 

An Ecumenical View

I appreciated Karkkainen’s emphasis on ecumenicalism. He was able to honestly highlight differences among traditions while weaving each together with threads of commonalities. The Greek word koinonia, “fellowship of the spirit” (231) or “communion ecclesiology” (160) seemed to be a recurring theme throughout many of the perspectives he presented. Varying theologians and traditions seem also to agree that the “church first is the church before it does the work of the church” (161). I think the church today would do well to heed this. We are often so busy “doing” ministries and programs and filling up our schedules, that we completely miss out on “being” koinonia together. Only out of this true, relational, authentic community can we embody the true missio dei.

Coming Together is Essential

An Introduction to Ecclesiology reminded me of Brian McLaren’s Generous Orthodoxy, in which McLaren walks through the many traditions of faith as well and uses the intricacies of each to paint a beautiful Christ-centered orthodoxy of faith. If the Christian church is to truly embody the Kingdom, as authors such as Gerhard Lohfink and John Fuellenbach describe, I believe we must learn to come together. This is especially critical globally, as the center of gravity of Christianity moves to the South. Philip Jenkins, in The Next Christendom, addresses the marked differences between Christianity in the North and the South and predicts a great clash over these differences.

 

The Western church has enjoyed a history of privilege including Christendom. After so many years of domination, the Western church needs a good dose of humility. If we approached our differences in true koinonia, “being” the church before we attempt to “do” the church, I think the Church itself would look very different. In the face of post-modernity and global shifting, this is even more important today.

Wednesday Reflection for Week Three January 21, 2007

After class, I wanted to call up all my friends at Fuller and invite them over for dinner! I always get so inspired when I hear examples of how communities are embodying true Kingdom relationships, as did Bolger’s examples of the churches in Seattle and Washington.

This theme seems to keep popping up in my life. Last quarter after I read Shane Claiborne’s Irresistable Revolution, I was ready to start an intentional community and drag  my new Fuller friends along with me. Then, I had the opportunity to hear him speak at a seminar at Urbana, a conference I recently attended, and as I listened to his re-imagining of the church as authentically relational and heard his description of this in his own life, I felt those desires resurge. Why don’t we truly live life together? What walls are erected that keep us from  reaching out to one another in the big and small details and what role does our individualistic culture play?  

At the end of the day, though, I came back home to my amazing community (named Koinonia, coincidentally) and my amazing friends and it turns out I’m the one that got invited over for dinner.  I feel so blessed and held and humbled. May God give me the courage to overcome my own obstacles and reach out to those in my life.

Link to New Urbana blog January 21, 2007

Hello Urbana folks! I didn’t want to get all my blogging confused this quarter, so I created a separate blog just for Urbana. Here is the link:

miriamurbana.wordpress.com