a wonderful resource

Ken Myers is the executive producer at MARS HILL AUDIO, a nonprofit organization devoted to helping Christians think wisely about modern culture through a variety of audio resources...For eight years he was a producer and editor for National Public Radio, working for much of that time as arts and humanities editor for the two news programs, Morning Edition and All Things Considered. Mr. Myers is a graduate of the University of Maryland, where he studied film theory and criticism, and of Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. He is married and has two children, and lives in central Virginia.

from the site

I've subscribed on and off to this very helpful and intelligent resourse for years. I recently discovered that entire years - back to 2002 - are now available on MP3 CD for only $29 per year.

recommended

Scot McKnight: Seven Habits of Successful Emerging Church Discussions

great post

ht to jordon

jason clark answers the question "what is the emerging church?"

and comments on - among other things - the relationship between emergent village and the emerging church.

more discussion on the emergent village organization's meeting with synagogue 3000 and a couple of comments

I'm beginning to write a paper on Christian-Muslim Interfaith dialogue, and the idea that we engage in dialogue, or social projects for the "opportunity to introduce someone to Christ" just doesn't cut it for me. We engage in dialogue because we want to know more about the 'other' and, as Vincent Donovan says in his book The Church in the Midst of Creation, we do so always "open to conversion - conversion to a fuller truth. If we are not open to conversion, then the process we are invovled in is not one of evangelization but of proselytism. If we are not open to conversion, then we have no right to enter into true religious dialogue" (116).

So, dialogue, and actions like this move of Emergent to meet with S3K, are actions that ARE (in my estimate) about conversion: not trying to get Jews to becomes Christians - that is, I'm sure, not even on the radar of Jones or McLaren (I have no idea, because I haven't spoken with them - but I would HOPE that would not be on their radar). But rather to place ourselves in postures where we can engage with one another, be open to being 'converted' to a fuller truth, and be able to bring about God's Kingdom.

Adam Cleaveland

Be sure to see the comments for the full discussion.

I would comment

• that I believe there is a place for partnering with people of other faith communities or of no faith community for good and positive ends,
  
  
• that I think there can be a knee-jerk, legalistic motivation to be sure we deliver the jesus info in every human interaction,
  
  
• that there is a cultural imperialism that we must seek to avoid and that can be a hindrance to the gospel,
  
  
• that Christians can learn from other faith traditions, but
  
  
• that I can't see those four beliefs representing a barrier to my expressing my
  
  
• 1) love and faith in Jesus and
  
  
• 2) my love for the person in front of me
  
  by telling that someone in front of me about God's greatest gift to Mankind - if there's opportunity - at the right time and in the right way!

I wonder if the underlying presupposition that's being danced around (and implicitly debated) is the scandal of Christian particularlity?

All this being said, I wish to allow for the possibility that Adam was writing iconoclastically and against an arrogant religious imperialism.

I post this to extend the discussion.


mage from stock.xchng

the emergent village organization and Synagogue 3000

announce a mutual event in January 2006 which precipitates a whole bunch of emerging church comment.

a season of silence

couple of folks have emailed me asking what's up. i just find myself to be a season of silence. i don't expect it to last forever.