Theological Containers
The idea of participatory theological is an immense challenge for the church, especially the ones in leadership positions. This proposes that not all ministry has be done under the roof of the church but rather that theology is being done outside the church. For many leaders and pastors, this is something to be feared of. But I believe that if the church is able to practically and effectively take the church outside the church walls in ministering to neighbors and other communities, we will better fulfill the great commission of making disciples of all nation. This will also stretch all believers in the church to take into their own hands and create their own ministry. Christians are use to be fed, guided, and directed all within the church but isn't pushed outside the walls to participate and be creators of kingdom ministry. This will take a lot of faith and trust in God and people, but nonetheless i think the church would be more effective in their mission.
Making Signs
In this chapter, the church is challenged to reiterate the message of Jesus Christ in a postmodern world. Many of my experiences in churches have been that there is one central message that is repeated and stayed consistent. To reiterated and create multiple encodings for the Gospel messages seems like a difficult task and possibly dangerous. But I do believe that the message of the gospel can be expressed and told in various ways to various people groups, cultures, and societies. The church needs to be creative in sharing the Gospel message in ways in which it connects with the people, rather than sticking with messages they've given decades ago. The question the church needs to ask is how do we share Christ in todays culture and age? I believe the answer will be threatening to the church, but how should the church respond?
Final Thoughts
I believe this book did an amazing job in capturing today's attitude towards religion and spirituality. If the church is able to take even ideas and suggestions from this book, I think it will be in a spiritually healthier state. Of course, all ideas and suggestions need to be prayed over and discussed with leadership. But to ignore, what the author suggest would be ignorant and irresponsible. Decentralizing authority will be the biggest challenges for churches, especially Korean American, which is my background. The Korean American church is the epitome of centralize authority where the pastor literally and spiritually sits on a 'throne'. I am curious to see if the Korean American church can and will adjust their ministries in respect to the postmodern world. I pray that it does.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
March 9, 2009: Lecture Reflections (Wess)
Today's lecture was interesting. We talked about the Fantasy and the Kingdom of God (Recovering Imagination for Christian Mission. Does the church do a good job in capturing or appealing to people's desires? We talked how most churches tend to speak against or neglect these very real desires that all humans have of wanting to be known, participate in spectacle, to be creative, etc. Once again there is another challenge for the church to recapture and redirect these desires rather than to suppress and ignore them.
March 4, 2009: Lecture Reflections
We talked about postmodernity today. Some aspects of post modernity poses a definite challenge to the church, especially the acceptance of plurality and ambivalence. How does the church preach, teach, and guide people in a pluralistic society, when what we believe in is one God? Are there other venues within the church that can follow along with a postmodern society without compromising belief or faith. There is a definite need to have discussions about this.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Entertainment Theology
Surface as Depth: Faith as Fetishization
There are many churches still resisting the reality of the influence and effectiveness of media and technology in the postmodern era. This may the reason why churches are ineffectiveness in their attempts to reach more people. As people become more fluent and accustomed in the language of technology, the church, too, needs to become fluent in communicating to a technologically advanced society. Many churches have already caught on to this cultural shift, and made adjustments. A first step towards communicating to this culture can be to create a website that allows active participation and providing information.
Shopping for God
The church is facing new and difficult challenges in a highly consumer-based society where individual have the ability to choose and purchase whatever they want, including their religion or faith. Churches of course in a ‘shopping around’ culture, cannot hope to reach everyone that is shopping around. Rather, I believe that the church should focus on a demographic. I believe that Mars Hill (Ballard) has captured this idea. In a city that is very liberal, technologically savvy, sexually active, and pluralistic, Mars Hill has successful focused their resources, creativity, and ministry to reach to this specific group. It is one of the fasting growing church, with over half of the being new converts. I believe the church needs to take time to know who they are trying to reach in order to be able to reach out and share the gospel effectively.
Personal Soul Space
Advanced computer technologies, for example, are facilitating a participatory religious construct in which the self is the key determinant of how the religious is manifested in particular lives. If the church can take technologies and incorporated in the fabric of their church culture, I think it can moved individuals to corporately participate with one another outside of the institution of religion. An example of this can be a creating a blog site where people can contribute thoughts and ideas of how the church can be more involved in the community or testimonies of what God has been doing in their lives through sermons, ministries or relationships.
Playing the Future
“In order to survive (church) must change and find a “new way of being in an evolving world.” This is an immense challenge for church with a long history of tradition, culture, and practices. Although I believe that the church should continue to think forward, looking into the future, it is difficult for churches to make transitions and changes when its been grounded in tradition. I suggest that the church allows conversation for innovative church planting committee. Mostly likely, this will be committee will be formed with younger members of the body. It would be wise to have couple elders in this committee to help guide and direct the theological and practical conversation of church planting. This committee should be given resources and tools to prepare for the church plant.
After Christianity
I think it is difficult to have a conversation about theology in a church because this will stir up controversy. Not only would there be a need a competent facilitator to guide the discussion, but also the desire to have a conversation of it. More than talking about theology as a conversation about God, I think there is a need for the church to ask itself how it practices those theologies. For example, how is the church practicing its missiological values and beliefs? These conversations would have to come from the leadership level, in hopes to lead their congregation closer to becoming the ‘church’.
There are many churches still resisting the reality of the influence and effectiveness of media and technology in the postmodern era. This may the reason why churches are ineffectiveness in their attempts to reach more people. As people become more fluent and accustomed in the language of technology, the church, too, needs to become fluent in communicating to a technologically advanced society. Many churches have already caught on to this cultural shift, and made adjustments. A first step towards communicating to this culture can be to create a website that allows active participation and providing information.
Shopping for God
The church is facing new and difficult challenges in a highly consumer-based society where individual have the ability to choose and purchase whatever they want, including their religion or faith. Churches of course in a ‘shopping around’ culture, cannot hope to reach everyone that is shopping around. Rather, I believe that the church should focus on a demographic. I believe that Mars Hill (Ballard) has captured this idea. In a city that is very liberal, technologically savvy, sexually active, and pluralistic, Mars Hill has successful focused their resources, creativity, and ministry to reach to this specific group. It is one of the fasting growing church, with over half of the being new converts. I believe the church needs to take time to know who they are trying to reach in order to be able to reach out and share the gospel effectively.
Personal Soul Space
Advanced computer technologies, for example, are facilitating a participatory religious construct in which the self is the key determinant of how the religious is manifested in particular lives. If the church can take technologies and incorporated in the fabric of their church culture, I think it can moved individuals to corporately participate with one another outside of the institution of religion. An example of this can be a creating a blog site where people can contribute thoughts and ideas of how the church can be more involved in the community or testimonies of what God has been doing in their lives through sermons, ministries or relationships.
Playing the Future
“In order to survive (church) must change and find a “new way of being in an evolving world.” This is an immense challenge for church with a long history of tradition, culture, and practices. Although I believe that the church should continue to think forward, looking into the future, it is difficult for churches to make transitions and changes when its been grounded in tradition. I suggest that the church allows conversation for innovative church planting committee. Mostly likely, this will be committee will be formed with younger members of the body. It would be wise to have couple elders in this committee to help guide and direct the theological and practical conversation of church planting. This committee should be given resources and tools to prepare for the church plant.
After Christianity
I think it is difficult to have a conversation about theology in a church because this will stir up controversy. Not only would there be a need a competent facilitator to guide the discussion, but also the desire to have a conversation of it. More than talking about theology as a conversation about God, I think there is a need for the church to ask itself how it practices those theologies. For example, how is the church practicing its missiological values and beliefs? These conversations would have to come from the leadership level, in hopes to lead their congregation closer to becoming the ‘church’.
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