Just when I think have some eccentric ideas about life, what with living in less than 1000 square feet with two other grown people (unacceptable to some people I know), I read about someone even more unusual than I am. In fact, quite a bit more unusual!
Is the emerging church a fad? What does it mean? As a pastor, what should I be doing about it? Is D.A. Carson right? What about Chuck Smith, Sr.? Is the emerging church a sign of the end? Is it a forerunner of last days apostacy? Has Slice sliced it correctly? Has Pyro burnt it appropriately? Is Mark Driscoll the poster child for the EC, or is Spencer Burke?
I am fully convinced that simple church movements must be actively outward looking and evangelistic or the natural tendency of any small group will default to becoming more inward. Yet, I see God working through extraordinary numbers of Christians across the United States, moving them from traditional settings into house church type settings, with no regard to my conviction that all of these groups should be outward looking!
Dear Friends and Readers of Next-Wave: Whether you are experiencing a heat wave where you live, or enjoying a mild summer, this month's issue of Next-Wave will have something to peak your interest. The cover story is a publication of Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola's widely distributed Jesus Manifesto. Definitely worth reading. But don't stop there, check out the rest of the issues' articles and as always, feel free to join in the conversation with your comments. Blessings, Charlie Wear Next-Wave Publisher
Dear Friends and Readers of Next-Wave: Don't miss the cover story of this month's issue of Next-Wave, Where are the Women? by Peggy Brown. Take the time to read and interact. Charlie Wear, Publisher
I stand whole-heartedly behind my endorsement. And yet even I have been surprised by the wide range of impassioned responses the book has received, ranging from people receiving it as a literally-true story straight from the mouth of God on the one hand, or a witch’s brew of New Age heresy on the other. The Internet is filled with armchair speculation on the literary and spiritual merits of The Shack - much of it rather un-inspiring.
So imagine my delight when I found out that Authentic Media was publishing Finding God in The Shack, an interrogative-yet-playful tome by theologian and author Randal Rauser. Rauser takes readers on a fascinating journey through the pages of the story that has ignited the church’s interest in theodicy ("the problem of evil") and the Trinity, a doctrine that has long been locked away in seminary classrooms. "As a theologian, it is wonderful-if a bit humbling-to witness the Trinity now emerging as a topic of lively conversations at the local coffee shop, and all because of a novel," Rauser says. "But while those conversations have not typically lacked for enthusiasm and conviction, many of them would benefit from some deeper background as to the theological issues at stake."
As Rauser explores the intricacies of the plot, he addresses many of the book’s complex and controversial issues. In the process, he takes a stab at why God the Father is revealed as an African-American woman, defends the book’s theology of the Trinity against charges of heresy, and considers its provocative denial of a Trinitarian hierarchy (with a nod toward the eastern Cappadocian Mothers & Fathers). At its heart The Shack is a response to evil, and Rauser offers an honest and illuminating discussion of the book’s explanation for why God allows evil, how the atoning work of Christ offers new hope to a suffering world, and ultimately how this hope extends to all of creation.
If you’ve been inspired, challenged, or even threatened by Young’s novel, you owe it to yourself to read Finding God in The Shack. You’ll find that it’s like inviting an insightful, even-handed conversation partner across your table. As Rauser puts it:
"It is true that The Shack asks some hard questions and occasionally takes positions with which we might well disagree. But surely the answer is not found in shielding people from the conversation, but rather in leading them through it,� Rauser states. “After all, it is through wrestling with new ideas that one learns to deal with the nuance and complexity that characterize an intellectually mature faith. The Shack will not answer all our questions, nor does it aspire to. But we can be thankful that it has started a great conversation."
New Ooze Podcast: Unleashing Creativity by Teel Montague
This month Brittian Bullock & I had the privilege of interviewing artist, musician, designer and inventor Teel Montague for the Oozecast! It's an insightful conversation on creativity, womanhood, midlife, love, loss and God. Oozeletter subscribers already received notification (get a free subscription now if you don't already get it) - but you can check out the intro right here.
This just in from my friends at Zondervan. A great survey about reading, aesthetics, and Coen Brothers films. There's a substantial gift at the end if you opt for the final elective part of the survey. Click below to begin.
'End-Times Remixed' - This Book Will Change Your World (& It's FREE)
What comes to mind when you think of "the end-times" or "the return of Jesus"? For some, this is a boring subject. For others, it literally defines their lives. For many, ideas about eschatology fuel their passion and faith in God; for still many others, those same teachings have caused untold pain.
From the 1970s – 1990s, books about "the end of the world as we know it" became best-sellers that fueled entire cottage industries. But as the first decade of the 21st century seems to mirror more and more a real-life apocalypse now, it seems like Christians are questioning their inherited assumptions. At the same time, people of goodwill from all faith backgrounds (or none at all) are questioning the public good of "Left Behind" spirituality. Environmental carelessness, turmoil in the Middle East, and a general attitude of war = end-times progress and peace = the antichrist have caused many journalists, theologians, ministers and ordinary believers to weigh the fruit of these popular ideas. They’ve been weighed and found wanting.
Thankfully there are other resources for faith and practice besides pop-culture interpretations of Revelation. Inquirers have been seeking out Scripture and church history with fresh urgency, to see what Jesus and his earliest followers might have been thinking about "the time of the end" and Jesus' return.
My friend Kevin Beck of Presence International has written a book exploring just these questions. No dogma remains unwalked; no sacred cow remains un-tipped in his exploration of a better way to tell this Story. Kevin and the folks at Presence have decided that this book is too important to sell – and I agree. Whether you see eye-to-eye with every jot-and-tittle is irrelevant; This Book Will Change Your World lives up to its promise, and deserves to be set free to as many readers as possible.
For this reason, Kevin has enthusiastically agreed to give away a digital edition of this book to everyone who will share it with their friends. You can share it with as few as 3 friends, or you can share it with your whole email address book, which I’m doing.
Kevin wants to share this book with everyone – not to manufacture consent, or tell you what to believe. Rather, his heart is to re-frame a well-worn paradigm and open a conversation, a vital dialogue on what is (spiritually, geopolitically, ecologically - you name it) one of the most urgent matters of our time. To get your free copy of This Book Will Change Your World, go here and click the ‘free e-book’ option. It’ll take you from there. I’m trying to get the word out about this, and I hope you’ll help me. Feel free to post a link to thisbookwillchangeyourworld.com (or my post here) to your blog, Facebook profile, email list, etc…
Have you seen the videos to Dave Zimmerman's hilarious and tranformative new book, Deliver Us from Me-Ville?
Check 'em out...
Part 1 - Self Proclaimed Expert
Part 2 - Marrying My Niece
Part 3 - A Delicate Balance
Here's what Mark Scandrette has to say: "With light-hearted wit, self-effacing humility, and utter seriousness, Dave Zimmerman takes on one of the great idols of our cultural-captivity. Deliver Us from Me-Ville is a warm invitation to leave behind our narcissism to more fully embrace The Way of Jesus."
I blog a bit more about Deliver Us from Me-Ville here.
