World Council of Churches Faith and Order Plenary Commission
Orthodox Academy of Crete
Monday, October 19, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Responding to 'Teachers and Witness of the Early Church'
I've been invited by a study group of the World Council of Churches Faith and Order Commission to write a response to a report produced last year ‘The Teachers and Witnesses of the Early Church: a common source of authority, variously received?’ (not currently a public document) and a collection of responses from Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Anglican, Quaker, and Methodist members of the commission.
As the meeting date approaches, I'm posting a summary of my thinking so far and would welcome your feedback, especially if you consider yourself part of the church growth movement or the emerging church conversation. The story behind why I connect those two ideas is the subject of several papers I am in the process of revising for publication, but the basic idea is: American-born churches develop powerful entrepreneurial ecclesiological narratives driven by cultural impulses favoring science, technology, and capitalism. These narratives are manifest most clearly in the church growth movement but are also present churches that do not formally associate themselves with it. I contend that the emerging church conversation (conducted variously in strategic, pastoral, and philosophical accents) is in part a reaction against certain products of that historical trajectory (the idea of a megachurch, for instance) that employs entrepreneurial narratives itself to develop its own communities of innovation and experimentation.
How to respond to this assignment with such churches in mind? How do church growth theorists and participants in the emerging church conversation make use of the (post-apostolic) teachers and witnesses of the early church?
I suspect the best short answer is something like: such churches tend to regard "the church fathers" as authoritative in a vague sense (i.e. they provide some more details on the Trinity if you ever needed to check), but generally do not make use of them in everyday ministry, though the emerging church conversation tends to be open to receiving witnesses from a broader period of history. My longer answer will draw on three points:
First, there is the issue of vocabulary. The ecumenical text, "Scripture, Tradition, and Traditions," produced by a meeting in Montreal in 1963, provides an important background distinction between Tradition (as the Gospel itself), tradition (as a verb or process), and traditions (as contextually specific expressions). I like this a lot as a way to get beyond a scripture vs. tradition polemics that don't accurately reflect the sixteenth century conflicts or acknowledge the complex formation of the 66-book canon. In practice, however, I find this distinction impossible to maintain because it is often hard to tell whether a colleague is using the capital 'T' or pluralizing 's' to indicate a precise meaning or is simply following grammatical conventions. Somewhat ironically, this is most challenging in relation to Roman Catholic and Orthodox responses--the very communions Protestants hoped to enhance dialogue with--the former because the English translation of Dei Verbum (a section of Vatican II) does not employ the Montreal formula and the latter because Tradition encompasses so much and in understood to be "a seamless garment."
Second, there the issue of distinguishing between Tradition and history that seem to be linked to positions on whether the church sins. Though the report acknowledges the ancient church is not known for its opposition to slavery and gender inequality, it does not probe this deeply enough. Entrepreneurial ecclesiological narratives, in their best sense, do not advocate change for change's sake but change as repentance for being something other than what God intends the church to be. This means confessing (to provide but three examples): The church has failed women. The church has failed Jews. The church has failed those millions kidnapped from Africa. If the church fathers are silent (or worse) on such issues, how can contemporaries distinguish between the areas where they are authoritative and those they are not? This discussion may be enhanced by drawing from Paul Ricoeur's language of memory and history. If we think of Tradition as memory, scripture is a memory-enhancing technology. If traditions get muddled with the failures of history it is possible to make corrections--to heal the church's memory through the process of confession--so that those things which are remembered through proclamation (in word and deed), manifestation (of gifts), and participation (in ritual, spiritual disciplines, etc.) are reinscribed into history as the church makes progress in the Holy Spirit.
Third, there is the connection of authority with holiness and the rise of so-called "new monasticism." Both in sixteenth century reform movements and subsequent ecclesial experiments (particularly during the nineteenth century in the United States), immorality among church leaders were a major concern and a key factor in why those whose desert practices served as protest against abuses of Constantinian Christianity are sometimes held up along with John Wycliff and Martin Luther in the narratives. The formation of monastic and monastic-like communities as means of organizing around a set spiritual practices draws from Catholic, Anglican, and Anabaptist streams, but offers new contextualization in twenty-first century urban centers. This is an important affirmation that the church passes on something other than a pristine set of manuscripts to future generations, but may not say anything about the authority of church fathers since they tend to draw from later coenobitic forms rather than ancient ones.
Are there things I've missed? Have church fathers impacted your community in significant ways?
As the meeting date approaches, I'm posting a summary of my thinking so far and would welcome your feedback, especially if you consider yourself part of the church growth movement or the emerging church conversation. The story behind why I connect those two ideas is the subject of several papers I am in the process of revising for publication, but the basic idea is: American-born churches develop powerful entrepreneurial ecclesiological narratives driven by cultural impulses favoring science, technology, and capitalism. These narratives are manifest most clearly in the church growth movement but are also present churches that do not formally associate themselves with it. I contend that the emerging church conversation (conducted variously in strategic, pastoral, and philosophical accents) is in part a reaction against certain products of that historical trajectory (the idea of a megachurch, for instance) that employs entrepreneurial narratives itself to develop its own communities of innovation and experimentation.
How to respond to this assignment with such churches in mind? How do church growth theorists and participants in the emerging church conversation make use of the (post-apostolic) teachers and witnesses of the early church?
I suspect the best short answer is something like: such churches tend to regard "the church fathers" as authoritative in a vague sense (i.e. they provide some more details on the Trinity if you ever needed to check), but generally do not make use of them in everyday ministry, though the emerging church conversation tends to be open to receiving witnesses from a broader period of history. My longer answer will draw on three points:
First, there is the issue of vocabulary. The ecumenical text, "Scripture, Tradition, and Traditions," produced by a meeting in Montreal in 1963, provides an important background distinction between Tradition (as the Gospel itself), tradition (as a verb or process), and traditions (as contextually specific expressions). I like this a lot as a way to get beyond a scripture vs. tradition polemics that don't accurately reflect the sixteenth century conflicts or acknowledge the complex formation of the 66-book canon. In practice, however, I find this distinction impossible to maintain because it is often hard to tell whether a colleague is using the capital 'T' or pluralizing 's' to indicate a precise meaning or is simply following grammatical conventions. Somewhat ironically, this is most challenging in relation to Roman Catholic and Orthodox responses--the very communions Protestants hoped to enhance dialogue with--the former because the English translation of Dei Verbum (a section of Vatican II) does not employ the Montreal formula and the latter because Tradition encompasses so much and in understood to be "a seamless garment."
Second, there the issue of distinguishing between Tradition and history that seem to be linked to positions on whether the church sins. Though the report acknowledges the ancient church is not known for its opposition to slavery and gender inequality, it does not probe this deeply enough. Entrepreneurial ecclesiological narratives, in their best sense, do not advocate change for change's sake but change as repentance for being something other than what God intends the church to be. This means confessing (to provide but three examples): The church has failed women. The church has failed Jews. The church has failed those millions kidnapped from Africa. If the church fathers are silent (or worse) on such issues, how can contemporaries distinguish between the areas where they are authoritative and those they are not? This discussion may be enhanced by drawing from Paul Ricoeur's language of memory and history. If we think of Tradition as memory, scripture is a memory-enhancing technology. If traditions get muddled with the failures of history it is possible to make corrections--to heal the church's memory through the process of confession--so that those things which are remembered through proclamation (in word and deed), manifestation (of gifts), and participation (in ritual, spiritual disciplines, etc.) are reinscribed into history as the church makes progress in the Holy Spirit.
Third, there is the connection of authority with holiness and the rise of so-called "new monasticism." Both in sixteenth century reform movements and subsequent ecclesial experiments (particularly during the nineteenth century in the United States), immorality among church leaders were a major concern and a key factor in why those whose desert practices served as protest against abuses of Constantinian Christianity are sometimes held up along with John Wycliff and Martin Luther in the narratives. The formation of monastic and monastic-like communities as means of organizing around a set spiritual practices draws from Catholic, Anglican, and Anabaptist streams, but offers new contextualization in twenty-first century urban centers. This is an important affirmation that the church passes on something other than a pristine set of manuscripts to future generations, but may not say anything about the authority of church fathers since they tend to draw from later coenobitic forms rather than ancient ones.
Are there things I've missed? Have church fathers impacted your community in significant ways?
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Graymoor Ecumenical and Interreligious Institute Lecture
I joined the Friars of the Atonement for the third lecture (full version to be posted soon) celebrating the centennial of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Msgr. John Radano presented an engaging summary of bilateral dialogues since Vatican II and identified trends in 21st century dialogues.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Mobilization to End Poverty
This week, hundreds joined Sojourners in Washington, DC to give voice to their conviction that the gospel impels Christians to direct their energies not just towards spiritual but also material care for those with whom Jesus most closely identified himself.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Religion in the Civil Rights Movement
a graphical meditation on some of the iconic images
of Septima Clark, Ella J. Baker, and Fannie Lou Hamer
of Septima Clark, Ella J. Baker, and Fannie Lou Hamer
For the past three days, some of the great scholars of the Civil Rights Movement have reflected on the issues of memory and memorializing, representation and imagination, and the relation of praxis, rituals, and values. The various approaches to revisiting the movement (many in light of the Obama presidency) have enhanced my appreciation for the many contributions of African-American churches to the ecumenical movement. Among the many stories of tragedy, hope, and courage, the sense of the conference was powerfully expressed for me when those present were invited to join with Hollis Watkins in singing Calypso Freedom.
Princeton University
April 2-4
link to program
Friday, March 27, 2009
Visiting Villanova
One of the great benefits of participation in the search for Christian unity is the chance to think theologically with those from different traditions. It was a delight and a privilege to be invited by my colleague, Fr. Joseph Loya, OSA, to reflect on how understandings of God as loving, what God requires of humans, and what it means to worship have intersected at different points in church history for his introductory class. He continues to remind me of the importance of Slavic communities for understanding the differences between Eastern and Western expressions of Christian faith. Such hospitality makes it easier to celebrate the Wildcats' victory over the alma mater of other great ecumenists and wish them well this weekend.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Research Flow Chart
A number of my students have had issues with finding and utilizing sources in extended arguments. This flow chart is designed to assist them in making good use of a variety tools including library catalogs, Google, Amazon, and Wikipedia as an entry point to more complex scholarly discussions.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Wesleyan Theological Society Meeting
At this year's meeting of the Wesleyan Theological Society, Somerset's own Richard Riss presented a review of the literature on John Wesley's Christology. John Drury presented in the same session on the resurrection in Karl Barth's Christology.
Other interesting presentations included Nathan Crawford's discussion of race and hospitality, Timothy Gaines on aesthetics, Dave Mowers on pacifism in the Assemblies of God, and Jeff Stark on postliberal theology, Thomas Bridges on the incarnation and secularism, and a panel discussion of Nathan Kerr's new book: Christ, History, and Apocalyptic. And, of course, John Caputo brought provocations and amusement in numerous addressess to the Society of Wesleyan Philosophers—most pointedly the connections he draws between Christian and transhumanist attempts to overcome flesh.
My own contribution, Narratives of Testimony, Witness, and Reconciliation, is included below:
Other interesting presentations included Nathan Crawford's discussion of race and hospitality, Timothy Gaines on aesthetics, Dave Mowers on pacifism in the Assemblies of God, and Jeff Stark on postliberal theology, Thomas Bridges on the incarnation and secularism, and a panel discussion of Nathan Kerr's new book: Christ, History, and Apocalyptic. And, of course, John Caputo brought provocations and amusement in numerous addressess to the Society of Wesleyan Philosophers—most pointedly the connections he draws between Christian and transhumanist attempts to overcome flesh.
My own contribution, Narratives of Testimony, Witness, and Reconciliation, is included below:
Monday, February 16, 2009
Create Moodle Courses Easily with EditGrid + XSL
As I'm making more use of online teaching tools, I've noticed how cumbersome and time consuming it is to create courses on Moodle. There is no easy way to repeat an assignment multiple times or edit them without a lot of waiting for page-loads. To make my life easier, I've devised a way to create courses outside of the Moodle interface and import them using the "Restore" option.
- Create the course using my EditGrid template (you need to create an account and then File > Save As before you can make changes).
- In your browser's navigation bar, append .moodle.xml to the template page's URL
www.editgrid.com/user/yourname/course -->
www.editgrid.com/user/yourname/course.moodle.xml
Alternatively, you can use the EditGrid menu: Data > My Data Format > moodle.xml Either approach will apply an XSL stylesheet to the spreadsheet that you can also download here. - Use your browser to save the resulting page as moodle.xml
- Compress moodle.xml as a .zip file (once zipped it can be renamed something sensible like M101.zip so that you can tell your zipped courses apart).
- Upload your zipped file to your Moodle filespace or email it to an administrator.
- In a Moodle course, click the restore option, select your uploaded file, and use it to create a new course. If you can't find the menu, ask an administrator to do it for you.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Essay Contest - National Workshop on Christian Unity
National Workshop on Christian Unity (NWCU)
April 27-30, 2009 in Phoenix, Arizona
Theme: "Desert Pilgrimage", complemented by the 2009 Week of Prayer theme "That they may be one in your hand", drawn from Ezekial 37:15-28.
The National Workshop on Christian Unity is pleased to announce a coordinated essay contest to encourage students to engage contemporary ecumenical issues. The contest is open to students working toward a graduate degree in theological studies at a seminary or accredited school of theology.
download details
April 27-30, 2009 in Phoenix, Arizona
Theme: "Desert Pilgrimage", complemented by the 2009 Week of Prayer theme "That they may be one in your hand", drawn from Ezekial 37:15-28.
The National Workshop on Christian Unity is pleased to announce a coordinated essay contest to encourage students to engage contemporary ecumenical issues. The contest is open to students working toward a graduate degree in theological studies at a seminary or accredited school of theology.
download details
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Thinking About Religion, Belief, and Politics
The Inaugural Danforth Lecture SeriesPrinceton University
In a dense and stimulating talk, anthropologist Talal Asad engaged the work of Charles Hirschkind and Charles Taylor. Here are a few ideas that stayed with me:
- changing models of 'religion' over time, particularly in relation to understandings of ritual
- connections between the optimism of liberal secular politics and Christian articulations of personal salvation
- how the market and formal communication both exert forms of control that alter internal desire
- an 'ethnography of the body' that would help distinguish between discipline (as intentional cultivation of specific practices) and unintended shifts in the sensorium (the place data from our senses in received and interpreted)
- the contrast between state dominance of space and acoustic sensibility of sermons in Egypt
- the provocative question: how does democratic sensibility accord with democracy as a state?
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Emergent Mid-Atlantic Conference
- subjective violence vs. objective violence
- retroactive need
- refusal to do pastoral care
- theology as the architecture we build in the aftermath of God
- we always get God wrong when we speak, but we are impelled to keep on talking
- interdependent particularity
- If we tend to be attentive to subjective violence (the crime-fighting of Batman) while objective violence (the poverty-creation of Wayne Industries) is sublimated, might rejection of success (or criteria for success) enact a Girardian unveiling for churches or other bodies?
- Might a focus on embodied existence in general (and Gen 1:26 and Matt 25:40 in particular) provide a path beyond a framework in which finitude and fallenness form an impenetrable barrier to Truth?
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Citizens for Global Solutions is holding its 4th Annual Multimedia contest
Citizens for Global Solutions is holding its 4th Annual Multimedia contest for artists, designers, poets, activists and just about anyone interested in thinking about global issues and making some cool art. The top contenders will be published on our website.
They're looking for short multimedia pieces (flash animation, spoken word, digital video) that can inspire, amuse and activate people out there who believe that a better world is possible. You are welcome to work alone, in a team, or as part of a classroom project (but the cash prizes remain the same).
In 2003 the world awakened to the terrible tragedy unfolding in Darfur, Sudan. Five years into the armed conflict, the situation remains dire for civilians. The conflict has claimed over a million lives, and the people there are still living in abject poverty. This year Citizens for Global Solutions would like to re-focus attention upon this crisis to remind the world that we still have a duty to help the Sudanese people. The Sudanese government continues to disregard its international humanitarian law obligations and flout UN Security Council resolutions, including the ban on offensive military over-flights, the disarming of the Janjaweed militia, and cooperation with the International Criminal Court at the Hague.
This contest is all about communicating your thoughts and ideas on the conflict:
* Feel free to focus on one specific aspect of the Darfurian case that interests you, since this will give you the most creative space to work in.
* You can also choose to expand the theme to include the larger issues of war and genocide. Remember, this theme is there mainly as a guidance tool; you have complete leeway in deciding which direction you will take when planning for this contest.
* As with all previous Flash and Multimedia contests, the yearly theme is considered elective. You can choose to tackle world hunger and poverty, environmental issues, nuclear weapons & the arms trade, or a different global issue of your choice. Simply choose a GLOBAL ISSUE that you care about, and give us your SOLUTION(s)!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Missional Christianity... Church Beyond Boundaries
A conference addressing theological and practical challenges
for the future of the missional church
Friday, October 10, 2008 |
Noon - Registration
1:00 - 1:50 p.m. - Plenary session
Scot McKnight - "The Bible and Missional Listening"
2:00 - 2:45 p.m. - Parallel sessions
Michael Noel – Coaching Established Churches for Missional Change
Todd Hiestand – Missional in Suburbia? Are you Kidding?
J.H. Kim – The Art of Worship: Practical ways to empower and engage the creative arts in your community
Eric Mason – Missional church planting in an urban setting
Steve Kriss & pastors – Missionality & Multiculturalism
2:45 - 3:15 p.m. - Snack break
3:15 - 4:00 p.m. - Parallel sessions
Repeat first session
4:10 - 5:00 p.m. - Plenary session
Tim Keel - "Leadership, the Local Church, and the Crisis of Imagination"
5:00 - 6:30 p.m. - Reception with refreshments
6:30 - 9:00 p.m. - Speakers & Formal Installation Ceremony
David Dunbar - Welcome
Darrell Guder - "The Promise and Threat of Missional Theology"
Brian McLaren - "An Epistemology of Love"
John Franke - Chair Acknowledgment
photo credit: untitled by inocuo 2007-08-30 flickr
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Echos Commission Meeting in Bangalore
Next week, a group of 25 young leaders from churches across the globe will meet in Bangalore to work on issues of mission and overcoming violence. I count it a privilege to be joining them.
You can find more information here.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
EcuMap beta launch!
There are a number of good archives for ecumenical documents, but for those who are just beginning to learn about church unity the sheer volume of texts can be overwhelming. The EcuMap project is my attempt to create a visual, interactive means to explore the complicated relationships that have developed between various communions over the last century as they pursue the unity for which Christ prayed. At long last, it's finally ready for some beta testing. If you find it helpful or have some suggestions to improve it, drop me an email.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Managing a Busy Schedule
As another semester begins, I am posting a few organizational tips that I find useful in keeping track of my own busy schedule. I am including strategies for both those who love computers and those who hate them. The basic idea is to develop a system that works for you to organize and simplify your life (for reflection on the spiritual dimensions of simplicity, see Richard Foster).
Lo-Tech
Hi-Tech
*my courses all have a link to a iCal formatted version of the syllabus that you can import into Google Calendar - professors who wish to use my EditGrid template can find it here.
Lo-Tech
- Go through your syllabi and write down every assignment and when it is due in one place.
- Write out a regular schedule for yourself that includes your other commitments and designates extra study time for completing major assignments.
- Make a to do list and look at it every day.
- Once a week, review the things you accomplished last week (congratulations!), remind yourself to finish things you left incomplete (oops!), and add new things you need to do during the next seven days (you can do it!).
- Evaluate whether your system is working and make changes that fit your schedule, personality, etc. (you can find additional ideas and tips at 43 Folders or Lifehack)
Hi-Tech
- CALENDAR: Sign up for a free Google account and set up a calendar that you enter all your deadlines (you can even tell it to send you email reminders a week, day, or minutes(!) before they are due).*
- TO DO LIST: Sign up for a free Remember The Milk account and use that to manage a system for "getting things done" that works for you. (43 Folders and Lifehack are very useful for this stage)
- INTEGRATION: Download Firefox and get the Remember the Milk addon for Google Calendar (and Gmail too, if you use that). This will enable you to add tasks to RTM from your Google Calendar.
- MAKE IT EASY: Create a bookmark in your browser's toolbar (or make it your "homepage") so you can get to your to do list/schedule easily and use it daily.
- CUSTOMIZE: Review your system to evaluate what is helpful and what is not. If you waste a lot of time maintaining your system, figure out ways to streamline the process.
*my courses all have a link to a iCal formatted version of the syllabus that you can import into Google Calendar - professors who wish to use my EditGrid template can find it here.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Signs of Emergence by Kester Brewin
A review published in Blackwell Reviews in Religion and Theology
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