tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19837379586566600252024-03-12T16:46:35.867-07:00Notes on Practical DivinityAndy Kinseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05675926106497722177noreply@blogger.comBlogger113125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983737958656660025.post-89722109475325745812012-07-21T18:27:00.001-07:002012-07-21T18:27:19.824-07:00Renewing United Methodism<img height="200" id="il_fi" src="http://i43.tower.com/images/mm101606082/on-leadership-john-w-gardner-paperback-cover-art.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="131" /><br />
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In his book <em>On Leadership, </em>John Gardner has prescient words about the need for renewal in large, complex organizations. I wish I would have read these words before attending General and Jurisdictional Conferences. They point to the need to take a realistic assessment of the present so that the future can be faced with hope. All attempts at change usually have unattended consequences.<br />
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Gardner writes: "I believe that all detailed attempts to design the society of the future are no more than smoke blown into the high winds of change. Obviously, we must have our minds amply stocked with contingent plans, estimates of better or worse paths to travel, visions of what could be or might be or ought to be. But blueprints of the future there can never be. To prepare for the swift transitions ahead, our surest assets are highly motivated men and women with a sense of what is important for the human future. The surest guarantors of our future are individuals and the ideas they have in their heads, including the values, intellectual, moral, and social, that they convey to young people coming along. Fortunately, that is an immensely significant resource" (p. 137).<br />
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Two points: First, I wonder if there were contingent plans to the Call to Action Report. It seems as a blueprint we as a church did not have a contingent plans in mind.<br />
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Second, Gardner's point speaks to the need to release of the energy and talents of young people, to find ways, as Wesley put it, of raising up and letting go leaders, of mentoring and resourcing those whose gifts show promise in ministry. Maybe the focus at GC on training young and talented lay and clergy leaders will pay long-term dividends. <br />
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Gardner's book raises all kinds of questions about the need for strong and courageous leadership.<br />Andy Kinseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05675926106497722177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983737958656660025.post-35412948068277152482012-07-21T18:26:00.001-07:002012-07-21T18:26:09.432-07:00Andy Kinseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05675926106497722177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983737958656660025.post-91545869630164754382012-07-16T17:09:00.002-07:002012-07-16T17:09:43.817-07:00John Wesley's Ecclesiology<img height="200" id="il_fi" src="http://cdn-parable.com/ProdImage/Large/47/9780810859647.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="129" /><br />
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Over my vacation I had the opportunity to peruse the book by Gwang Seok Oh on <em>John Wesley's Ecclesiology: A Study In Its Sources and Development. </em>It is a reworking of Oh's doctoral dissertation at Southern Methodist University under William Abraham. I appreciated the thoroughness of Oh's argument and the way in which he walked through Wesley's understanding of the church. Particulary interesting for me were Oh's chapters on the influence of German Pietism on Wesley and the importance of primitive Christianity on Wesley's view of ministry and mission.<br />
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If you want a serious in-depth study of Wesley's ecclesiology (a topic of growing importance today) this is the work!Andy Kinseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05675926106497722177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983737958656660025.post-35144507566275987012012-07-07T17:40:00.002-07:002012-07-07T17:40:35.437-07:00Juvenile Faith?<br />
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Here is a book that we are reading at Grace United Methodist Church: <em>The Juvenilation of American Christianity </em>by Thomas B. Bergler. It's an interesting exploration of how we in the church have stunted the growth of our young people - and adults. I think this work will become a standard text for those who are preparing for youth ministry, similar to Kenda Creasy Dean's <em>Almost Christian.</em><br />Andy Kinseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05675926106497722177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983737958656660025.post-57497828781800747212012-07-06T09:33:00.002-07:002012-07-06T09:36:03.398-07:00Missio Dei and Wesleyanism<img height="200" id="il_fi" src="http://img2.imagesbn.com/images/142040000/142044668.JPG" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="149" /><br />
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Our Nazarene friends have compiled a helpful festschrift of articles on understanding the <em>Missio Dei </em>in light of the Wesleyan theological tradition. With the missional church movement gaining influence on various parts of the church's life it is good to see this kind of reflection taking place within the wider Methodist church-family.Andy Kinseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05675926106497722177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983737958656660025.post-6214263107111951802012-06-27T14:00:00.001-07:002012-06-27T14:04:57.099-07:00Wesleyan Doctrine SeriesA year ago I read a manuscript by Steve Long of Marquette University on the United Methodist Confession of Faith and Articles of Religion. At that time I was intrigued, and I told Steve it would be good to make it available to a wider audience. After some tweaking, Steve sent the manuscript to Wipf & Stock Publishers. Now the material appears in the little book <em>Keeping Faith: An Ecumenical Commentary on the Articles of Religion and Confession of Faith in the Wesleyan Tradition</em>. It is the first in a series of books on the topic of doctrine. <br />
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<em>Keeping Faith</em> also offers resources to help Christians reclaim the importance of doctrine and thereby to know and love well God and God's creation, bringing to bear important questions and insights about the church's mission and life. <br />
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I am glad I have had some small measure of input in this project. Other volumes will be forthcoming.<br />
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Do we ever have enough time to read all we want to read?<br />
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<br />Andy Kinseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05675926106497722177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983737958656660025.post-72819067570667481562012-06-21T06:11:00.002-07:002012-06-21T06:11:24.402-07:00Contributions to Wesleyan TheologyI have enjoyed reading the following two festshrifts in Wesleyan and Protestant theology by persons involved in the life of the church, especially at the seminary level. The first book by Theodore Runyon has some wonderful essays from his teaching years at Candler School of Theology. I was fortunate to work with Ted and gain an appreciation for the wider German influence in American Protestant and Wesleyan theologies, particularly in line with German Pietism. Ted was also instrumental in helping me to spend a year in Gottingen studying Barth and Bonhoeffer. Ted's book takes readers into the meaningful ways Wesleyan theology can interact with other aspects of German Protestant theologies, namely, with reference to theologians like Moltmann, Tillich, and Gogarten.<br />
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The second book of essays edited by Nathan Crawford of Indiana Wesleyan University in honor of Laurence Wood also helps to explore the continuing relevance of Wesleyan theology for the church. There is a distinct emphasis in the essays on the unique contribution the Wesleyan tradition has for theological reflection and scholarship.<br />
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<br />Both of these books are in print from Wipf and Stock Publishers.Andy Kinseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05675926106497722177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983737958656660025.post-80323629596814705392012-06-20T09:34:00.002-07:002012-06-21T05:54:37.812-07:00Evangelism in the Wesleyan TraditionThere are two short works out in print about evangelism in the Wesleyan tradition. Both are adapted from the Denman Lecture Series delivered at the Congress on Evangelism. They make for interesting reading, and are worth not only study but prayerful action. <br />
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They should become required reading.<br />
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<em>The Recovery of a Contagious Methodist Movement</em> by George G. Hunter III of Asbury Theological Seminary.<br />
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<em>Celtic Fire</em> by William J. Abraham of Perkins School of Theology.<br />
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Good summer reading!Andy Kinseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05675926106497722177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983737958656660025.post-54157839930827075882012-06-19T12:20:00.002-07:002012-06-19T12:26:16.939-07:00Connecting with the World as MethodistsReflecting on the mission of the church in light of our Wesleyan theological heritage I have been blessed with the insights of the following professors and practioners of the faith who are putting forth before the church what it means to live out the gospel. Here are three books of articles and papers that I have enjoyed and that I hope others will enjoy. They all pertain to evangelism and mission in the Wesleyan spirit and they all speak to the ways in which we can be engaged in mission and witness. <br />
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Paul Chilcote's collection of essays and articles in <em>Making Disciples in the Global Parish: Global Perspectives on Mission and Evangelism</em> reflects on what it means to make disciples in specific contexts around the world. A rich resource for future conversation...<br />
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W. Stephen Gunter and Elaine Robinson have assembled essays and papers on <em>Considering the Great Commission: Evangelism and Mission in the Wesleyan Spirit</em>. I appreciate the practical aspects of this work.<br />
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Darrell Whitman and Gerald H. Anderson have edited a unique volume on <em>World Mission in the Wesleyan Spirit</em>. This work also explores the challenges facing the Wesleyan movement around the world and asks difficult questions with respect to the fires of renewal.</div>
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These works are available, of course, through amazon, but they provide food-for-thought as we consider the global impact and nature of the Wesleyan movement, not to mention the United Methodist Church.<br />
<br />Andy Kinseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05675926106497722177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983737958656660025.post-8911850662400489032012-06-18T13:58:00.002-07:002012-06-18T13:58:53.061-07:00Organizing to Beat the Devil<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">At the Celebration of Ministry Service at Annual Conference
in Indianapolis in June I was struck again by how we in the Methodist tradition
continually strive to invoke the Holy Spirit upon the life of the church and
upon those who are to order and lead it:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>in the midst of conference and bishop, in the call to itinerant forms of
ministry and accountability, we confess how dependent we are upon the Spirit to
share in the mission of the whole church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I was struck by the way we are to order our lives not simply toward God
but toward one another, and by the way our guiding vision always takes a
particular shape during a particular time regardless of the challenges.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a grace-filled moment, to be sure, but
also a reminder of the true end to which Christ calls each of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In a letter to John Smith on June 25, 1746, John Wesley, in
reflecting on the Methodist movement, wrote, “What is the end of all
ecclesiastical order?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is it not to bring
souls from the power of Satan to God?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And to build them in his fear and love?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Order</i>, then, is so far
valuable as it answers these ends; and if it answers them not it is worth
nothing.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Wesley’s quote captures the deeply missional thrust of the
people called Methodists:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a church’s
pattern of organization and authority – or polity – must be oriented toward the
church’s mission of saving souls or making disciples.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How we <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">order</i>
our lives must somehow support that basic mission.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Wesley would say elsewhere: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>if we can’t find ways to organize the church
toward <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">these</i> ends, then we might as
well let the devil win!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As United Methodists we have spent a great deal of energy
over the years trying to align our organization more purposefully with our
mission.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As historian Russell Richey of Emory
University has stated, Methodists have always tried to develop appropriate
structures that would sustain and nourish their mission depending on the era.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What have remained constant over time are
those elements that have been distinctive to Methodists from early on:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>conference, episcopacy, itinerant ministry,
and forms of accountability.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While these
aspects do not provide a full account of Methodist polity, the loss of any of
them would diminish something unique to the Methodist way of sharing in God’s mission.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">To be sure, it’s a tall order to keep these four elements
together, especially during a time of historic transition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would be easy, for example, to fall into
the trap of wanting to do away with one of these principles at the expense of
another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would also be tempting to
see the role of the Holy Spirit as only working in our individual lives or
congregations as against the structures of the wider church as an
institution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yet, as our history
indicates, our polity has persisted through time not just because we have the
right structures but because we are actively seeking to respond to what the
Spirit is doing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Such characteristics, of course, are not unique to United
Methodists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other Pan-Methodists and
Wesleyan Holiness churches have also struggled with matters of discipline and
order – African Methodist Episcopal and Free Methodists come to mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are reminders that questions of mission and
polity go hand-in-hand in the Wesleyan tradition.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Celebrating in worship at Annual Conference, and praying for
those who were being commissioned and ordained, I was moved at how Methodism
seeks to order its life as a mission-driven community of faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again and again, we invoked God’s Spirit as
we sent out those who will serve among us, sharing in ministries of mutual
accountability, and renewing our covenant to be faithful to the example of
Christ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a hope-filled moment, to
say the least.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">However, as we think about the future of the United
Methodist Church, we may also want to ask ourselves why these four elements in
our polity have persisted throughout our history and what they may mean in
light of our present challenges.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
General Conference in Tampa revealed we have much work to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />Andy Kinseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05675926106497722177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983737958656660025.post-66808732811354200492012-02-17T12:39:00.000-08:002012-02-17T12:47:53.793-08:00To Tithe or Not to Tithe<a href="http://images.parable.com/ProdImage/Large/35/9781598862935.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" id="il_fi" src="http://images.parable.com/ProdImage/Large/35/9781598862935.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="126" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Should the church teach tithing? Given our emphasis on tithing in the Indiana Conference, I am sure we would want to promote the practice of tithing. However, as the recent flood of books on tithing (or not tithing) suggest, there is more to the story! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Below is a sermon I shared on generosity. I touch on this debate and show how the practice of generosity knows no limits.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The apostle Paul
was eager to see the Corinthians practice generosity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The issue was simple:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>as a sign of unity Paul wanted the
predominately Gentile church in Corinth to share a gift – an offering – with
the predominately Jewish Church in Jerusalem.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">There was a need to build a bridge
between Gentile and Jewish Christians, and there was a need to give a gift that
would help those who were struggling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Paul takes several chapters to
instruct the Corinthians on the kinds of attitudes and principles they would
need to adopt to demonstrate the kind of generosity he believed they could
show.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Taking his cue from agriculture he
reminds them that “whoever sows sparingly will reap sparingly” and “whoever
sows generously will reap generously” (II Cor. 9:6).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">He continues:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“He [God] who supplies seed to the sower and
bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the
harvest of your righteousness” (II Cor. 9:10).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Every person should give not out of
compulsion or reluctance but out of a cheerful, or loving, or willing heart (II
Cor. 9:7)./1/<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">As it is God’s character to give so we
are to give – generously!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As it is God’s
character to love so we are to love – abundantly!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">This is who God is and how God
works:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>at all times, in all things, in
all places, to all who confess and obey the gospel (II Cor. 9:8, II Cor. 9:13).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">God provides the seed and makes
possible what we thought was impossible (II Cor. 9:10).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">What we see as the problem of scarcity God sees as an opportunity to supply
in abundance (II Cor. 9: 12).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">That’s the spiritual principle the
apostle Paul wants the Corinthians to understand:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God is not a miser:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>rather, God is the Lord of life whose grace
overflows – all the time, in all places – always giving.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">What’s the saying?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“God is good, all the time; all the time, God
is good.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;">T</span>here is in the very heart of God the
law of abundance whereby God always gives what we need!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">God’s grace is always sufficient (II
Cor. 12:9)!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">So goes one of the first stewardship
campaigns in the Christian church!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Vital Church!<o:p></o:p></span></u></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Now over the last few weeks we have
been sharing what a vital and caring congregation looks like, and we have been
noting how Christ invites us and challenges us to be a healthy and strong
church.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Last week Pastor Jenothy communicated
how as a church God can offer to us and through us healing and forgiveness,
making us whole and complete. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">As the heart goes, she said, so goes
the life of the Christian, indeed, so goes the life of the church!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">It’s a point Jesus makes in Matthew’s
Gospel that a good tree bears good fruit and a bad tree bears bad fruit (Mt.
7:18):<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the good heart [person] brings
out good things and the evil heart [person] brings out evil things (Mt.
12:33-36). <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">It’s a point Paul makes to the Galatians when he talks about the Spirit
bringing about an inward change that produces fruit like generosity, joy,
goodness, love (Gal. 5:22-23).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The very character of Christ takes
shape in us when we allow the Spirit to come to abide in us and with us! <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">It’s why we cannot force generosity!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A church is generous not because it forces
giving but because it teaches and invites people to relate more fully to God,
allowing the Holy Spirit to convict./2/<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">A generous heart is really a heart
under conviction, responding to the need while trusting God to provide.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Without conviction, there is little
awareness of need, let alone God’s grace!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In fact, the two go hand-in-hand:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>once convicted to give we trust God to supply to meet the need.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">That’s the mark of health and
vitality:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>freely giving, always
trusting, without compulsion. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">And it’s why generosity is always a
matter of the heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no law
that can command a person to be generous (Gal. 5:23).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">When the Holy Spirit wakes us up out
of our sinful self-centeredness, out of our lack of trust, out of our fear of
the difference God can make, generosity can become a reality!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Tithing<o:p></o:p></span></u></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">As some of you know I try to do a
great deal of reading, and lately, I have been following a debate about giving
and tithing.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">In fact, some of the books I have read
over the last few weeks have the following titles:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Why
Christians Should Not Tithe</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tithes:
The Exhortation of the Body of Christ</i>, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Should the Church Teach Tithing?</i>/3/<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">It is really an interesting debate about the
relationship between the Old Testament teaching on tithing and the New
Testament </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">teachings on
generosity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What I would like to share
with you is what these authors are<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> not </i>saying:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>they are not saying we should not tithe or give
10% of our income to the Lord’s work’; rather, what they are saying is that as Christians
we, of all people, should not let the tithe <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">limit
our </i>giving to God!/4/ </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">In other words, generosity does not have a 10% cap!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Now, I am sure someone is saying,
“Yes, but if everyone tithed, we would have more than we needed.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No argument here! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would love to see it! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">But given that roughly 7% of Christians in this country practice tithing
I am going to assume that there is always more we all can give!/5/<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I am going to I assume, with the apostle Paul, that there is no limit
to what we can give, that we cannot out-give God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;">In</span> fact, I am going to assume that a
generous person, convicted by the Spirit, will always try to give all he or she
can – to whom he or she can, in all the places he or she can, in all the ways
he or she can, at all the times he or she can, as long as he or she ever can!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I am going to assume that a generous
heart is a grateful heart, and that it does not get caught up in calculating
outcomes or making excuses or putting limits on God, but instead gets <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">caught up in</i> giving what is needed when
it is needed; that it gets caught up in sowing generously, abundantly.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">To be sure, there is always confusion about
giving and tithing and about the motivations of giving, but the following clip,
I believe, can help us recognize how the law of God’s abundance gets twisted
beyond all recognition when giving and tithing get disconnected from the spirit
of generosity, when it loses sight of who God is and what God’s requires!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Funny, but true!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Watch!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The Skinny of Tithing<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Boom, tithe!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think I recognized a few of those
characters! <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The practice of giving generously is
not so much about giving a certain amount (though the tithe is a biblical
marker) as it is about giving according to </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">what we have been
given (II Cor. 9:8).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus said, “To
whom much is given much is required” (Lk. 12:48).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Therefore, the question we need to ask is, “Are we truly being generous
with all that God has given us?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In what
ways are we being a blessing to others?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Extravagant Generosity<o:p></o:p></span></u></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">In the past, we have spoken about being a church that demonstrates “extravagant
generosity.”/6/ <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have spoken about how
</span><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">g</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">iving extravagantly is the
way to attain a wonderful, richer life. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I know as a pastor I have never known a giver who was not somehow
blessed or better off for it in every way. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have you? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Now, as God as my witness, I will not stand here and tell you that
giving to God will automatically and instantly bring you health and wealth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s a different gospel </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">(Gal. 1:6). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">But I will stand here and tell you that God’s promises are true: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>that what we reap what we sow – and that those
who sow sparingly will reap sparingly (II Cor. 9:6). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">And I will stand here and tell you that our God is a giving God and
that what God supplies is far greater than what we can ever ask or imagine (Eph.
3:20).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">And I will stand here and tell you that God <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">does</i> love “cheerful givers” – “cheerful congregations” – those who
give freely and willingly to Christ’s work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I will stand on those promises!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">And I will share with a grateful heart what I know:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>that our God is able to make all grace abound
in our lives and that because of this grace we can give in ways that we didn’t
think possible!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">O Church of Christ:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks be to
God for this indescribable gift of grace (II Cor. 9:16).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Notes</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">See James D. Quiggle, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Why Christians Should Not Tithe: A History of Tithing and Biblical
Paradigm for Christian Giving</i> (Eugene, Oregon:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wipf & Stock Publishing, 2009), p. 87.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Ibid., p. 147.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">See James D. Quiggle, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Why Christians Should Not Tithe</i> (Eugene, Oregon: Wipf & Stock
Publishing, 2009), B. Ann Nichols, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tithes:
The Exhortion of the Body of Christ</i> (Mustang, OK: Tate Publishing &
Enterprises, 2006), and Russell Earl Kelly, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Should
the Church Teach Tithing: A Theologian’s Conclusions about a Taboo Doctrine </i>(Writers
Club Press:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>New York: 2007). <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">See James D. Quiggle, p. vii.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">See the Barna Report: “New Study Shows Trends in
Tithing and Giving” (April 13, 2008).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Go
to </span><a href="http://www.barna.org/"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: blue;">www.barna.org</span></span></a><span style="font-size: 14pt;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Robert Schnase, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Five
Practices of Fruitful Congregations</i> (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2005).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>Andy Kinseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05675926106497722177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983737958656660025.post-76813070292312772972012-01-19T07:32:00.000-08:002012-01-19T07:35:36.712-08:00Augustine and AuthorityOne of the best books I have read over the last year is Charles Matthewes <em>The Republic of Grace: Augustinian Thoughts for Dark Times. </em>I have been captivated by the work he has done interpreting the implications of Augustine's thought for our day. Here is a brief sentence about authority, reflecting how Augustine speaks to those who occupy a political (and pastoral?) office:<br />
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"...whatever authority one has in office comes from God...one can prudently use one's authority only when one knows one's own sinfulness and one's temptations toward pride, and knows that one will, in the end, be judged...we borrow authority ultimately from God...the true and rightful judge" (p. 164).<br />
<br /><img height="200" id="il_fi" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Ndr%2BuUhZL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="200" />Andy Kinseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05675926106497722177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983737958656660025.post-78746768067659623072012-01-19T07:09:00.000-08:002012-01-19T07:13:40.412-08:00Gospel ContextualizationC. Rene Padilla is General Secretary of the Latin American Theological Fraternity and pastor of a Baptist church in Buenos Aires. Here is an insightful paragraph from his book <em>Mission Between the Times: Essays on The Kingdom </em>about the contextualization of the gospel in culture. <br />
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"The contextualization of the gospel will not consist in an adaptation of an existing theology to a given culture. It will not merely be the result of an intellectual process. It will not be aided by a benevolent missionary paternalism intended to help the young church to select those cultural elements that can be regarded as positive. The contextualization of the gospel can only be a gift of grace granted by God to a church that is seeking to place the totality of life under the Lordship of Christ in its historical situation. More than a wonder of nature, the incarnation is a wonder of grace" (p. 109).<br />
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<img height="200" id="il_fi" sb_id="ms__id7153" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51744ya04dL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="200" />Andy Kinseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05675926106497722177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983737958656660025.post-29521071753668906562012-01-11T11:18:00.000-08:002012-01-11T11:19:42.176-08:00Anne LamotA quote from Anne Lamot: "You can safely assume that you have created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates the same people you do."<br />
<img height="257" id="il_fi" src="http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/71075_21562974279_6837321_n.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="200" />Andy Kinseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05675926106497722177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983737958656660025.post-33053349343689179382012-01-11T09:25:00.000-08:002012-01-11T09:36:42.331-08:00New Books for Preachers<a href="http://www.eerdmans.com/Content/Site146/ProductImages/9780802866066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" id="il_fi" src="http://www.eerdmans.com/Content/Site146/ProductImages/9780802866066.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="133" /></a> <img height="200" id="il_fi" src="http://www.eerdmans.com/Content/Site146/ProductImages/9780802865144.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="133" /><br />
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Here are two books pastors will want to read in 2012 from persons who know the art and craft of preaching. I know I look forward to reading them. Tom Long and Fleming Rutledge are two preaches I value in terms of substance and style.<br />
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<br />Andy Kinseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05675926106497722177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983737958656660025.post-72458605683353319622012-01-11T07:03:00.000-08:002012-01-11T07:03:07.127-08:00The Jesus Creed<img height="200" id="il_fi" src="http://img2.imagesbn.com/images/55270000/55271995.JPG" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="134" /><br />
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We will be offering the Jesus Creed as part of our Wednesday Night ministry. Looking forward to seeing what this book has to offer.Andy Kinseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05675926106497722177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983737958656660025.post-13324489749747151032012-01-04T07:01:00.000-08:002012-01-04T07:01:05.995-08:00A New Kind of Methodist<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Amidst the ruins of
World War II, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the anti-Nazi theologian, wrote about the
need to practice “a new kind of monasticism” in the church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a need, he wrote, to find creative
ways of practicing “life together” as disciples of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Two professors of
evangelism in the United Methodist Church, Elaine Heath (Perkins) and Scott
Kisker (Wesley), also write about the need to practice a new kind of
monasticism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In their book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Longing for Spring</i>, they share how the
United Methodist Church needs to explore new avenues of living out the call to
discipleship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Heath and Kisker want to
engage United Methodists in how a new monastic movement among laity and clergy
may contribute to renewal. There is a desire, they insist, to address the
longings of those who want to practice the “rule of life” taught by the founder
of Methodism, John Wesley.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their work
grows out of the conviction that the Wesleyan revival was a form of monasticism
that brought people from all walks of life into a deeper relationship with
Christ. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">To persons who may have
thought that monasticism was for those who secluded themselves from the world,
it may be good to remember that within Protestantism there have always been
intentional communities that practiced what we might call a monastic rule of
life:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Brethren, Puritan, and German
Pietist groups come to mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course,
the early Methodists were very intentional about practicing the General Rules
in highly disciplined bands, classes, and societies. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Rule of “doing no harm, doing all the good
you can, and practicing the ordinances of God” only makes sense in a visible
community of accountability. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Holiness in
Wesleyan terms is always social holiness. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">What might a new
monasticism mean for United Methodists today?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>According to the 2004 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Book of
Discipline</i> (Para.161.b), we discover support for forms of monasticism, such
as Koinonia Farms and “other religious orders and corporate church life.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>United Methodists are encouraged to find “ways
of understanding the needs and concerns of such groups and find ways of
ministering to them and through them.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Interestingly, this paragraph was removed from the 2008 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Book of Discipline</i>. However, as an
example of a monastic community, Koinonia Farms is an example of the kind of
disciplined church life supported by United Methodists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We may also recall how Koinonia Farms was the
birthplace of Habitat for Humanity and other ministries of racial reconciliation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">What about a monastic
movement in the church?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Might the
General Conference in Tampa encourage and engage such a movement?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What might it mean for a bishop to appoint a
person to a monastic community created by United Methodists?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How might students and faculties on college campuses
practice the Wesleyan “rule of life”?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
addition, how might local churches act as “anchor churches” to support those
who want to minister in a Methodist Order along the lines of say Mother
Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Sound improbable?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The late Albert Outler suggested years ago
that Methodism <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">at its best</i> was an
“evangelical order” within the wider church, providing the means whereby
persons could grow in holiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having participated
in the Walk to Emmaus, the Academy of Spiritual Formation, or Covenant
Discipleship Groups persons may have some notion of what a new monasticism
might look like, as these opportunities provide occasions to learn the way of
discipleship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Such avenues also offer
the kind of support that can order the Christian life toward mission and
service. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Those who want to learn
more about the new monasticism will want to attend one or more of the following
sessions in 2012:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shane Claiborne will
be at St. Luke’s UMC in Indy on February 16<sup>th</sup>/17<sup>th</sup>, and Elaine
Heath will be coming to St. Andrew UMC in West Lafayette on March 18<sup>th</sup>;
Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove of Rutba House in Durham, NC will be at UIndy on
March 22<sup>nd</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of these
persons are involved in practicing the kind of wisdom Methodists have cultivated
from the beginning. More importantly, they all address the deep longings of the
heart that make discipleship the journey it is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>Andy Kinseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05675926106497722177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983737958656660025.post-68979214349798194172011-10-24T13:45:00.000-07:002011-10-24T13:45:52.954-07:00Theological Forum on Preaching ChristT<span style="font-family: Calibri;">he Third Annual Wesleyan Theological Forum in the Indiana Conference is set to take place on <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tuesday, November 15<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>, at 9:00 a.m. at Grace United Methodist Church in Franklin, Indiana.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Professor Mike Pasquarello of Asbury Seminary and Dr. Derek Weber of Aldersgate UMC will be coming to lead the Forum focusing on the theme “Preaching Christ in the Wesleyan Tradition.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This continuing education event is open to clergy and laity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cost is $40.00, which includes lunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Dr. Pasquarello is the Granger E. and Anna A. Fisher Professor of Preaching and Biblical Interpretation at Asbury Theological Seminary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He received his B.A. from The Master’s College and his M.Div. from the Duke Divinity School.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His Ph. D. is from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dr. Pasquarello has published many books on preaching and pastoral ministry, including a forthcoming book entitled <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">John Wesley: Homiletic Theologian</i> (Abingdon).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He and he wife, Patti, have two children.</span></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Derek Weber received his undergraduate degree in Speech and Theatre from the University of Indianapolis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His Ph. D. is in Practical Theology with a concentration on Homiletics and Media/Communication from the University of Edinburgh (Scotland).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Derek has taught preaching in the Course of Study in Indiana, and for fourteen years served the Dean of the Academy of Preaching in the former North Conference.</span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Following lunch Mike and Derek will be sharing in a preaching practicum to engage participants in the tasks of preaching Christ in the Wesleyan tradition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For more information, please contact Andy Kinsey via email </span><a href="mailto:andy.kinsey@inumc.org"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">andy.kinsey@inumc.org</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">, or </span><a href="mailto:pastorandy@franklingrace.org"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">pastorandy@franklingrace.org</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">.</span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Persons can register by going to the Conference Website </span><a href="http://www.inumc.org/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">www.inumc.org</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">; click “Resources” on left hand side and go to Wesleyan Connexion Project.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Register online.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Note the map and directions to Grace UMC. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>Hope to see folks there!<br />
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</div>Andy Kinseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05675926106497722177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983737958656660025.post-79199866907491010382011-10-05T12:26:00.000-07:002011-10-05T12:26:51.607-07:00Choosing to LiveHave you ever read something that captures what you have been thinking? <br />
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In his opening chapter in <em>The Republice of Grace: Augustinian Thoughts in Dark Times</em>, Charles Matthews writes the following about choosing to live our faith in a world of ambivalence and violence. Beginning with a quote from Reinhold Neibuhr, Matthews states: "'It is no easy task to do justice to the obligations to do justice to the disctinctions of good and evil in history; and also to subordinate all these relative judgments and achievements to the final truth about life and history which is proclaimed in the Gospel.'" He continues: "More deeply than discrete positions, I want to introduce Christians to a way of living their faith more thoughtfully than they may currently be living it. I want to wake people up to the challenges they face to their faith, their prayer life, their ability to love, their ability to be grateful, their ability to be joyful, their ability to care. Christians need to believe again - to have faith in God, but also belief in our capacity to challenge ourselves and change the way we have chosen to live. We need to turn from cynicism and scorn, from selfishness and avarice, from lassitude and despair, and to affirm that this is our world, and that its suffering and peril are not cause for retreat but urgent reason to recommit to serving God's purposes in it, that its vulnerability is not inducement to shield ourselves behind brittle walls but reason to care all the more. Behold, today we have set before us, as perhaps never before in human history, life, and death, and as never before, me must choose to live" (p. 7).Andy Kinseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05675926106497722177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983737958656660025.post-53060148420802034502011-10-05T12:09:00.000-07:002011-10-05T12:09:48.968-07:00Reflection on the CallI came across a helpful reflection about the call to the ministry from the Lutheran theologian Joseph Sittler. Noting what it means to be ordained, Sittler writes in his book <em>Gravity and Grace: Reflections and Provocations</em>, "I am not ordained to fulfill my precious self." Continuing to share about a student who felt called into the ministry, Sittler continues: "One student had a list of things her first call had to have: it had to be in an urban setting; it had to be with certain kinds of Chicanos, blacks, and poor whites; it had to be in a cultural setting where she could enjoy theater and other activities." Keeping in mind I Samuel 3, Sittler goes on to responde to the student by sharing: "You know, it's as if the Bible says, 'Listen, Lord, thy servant speaketh,' instead of 'Speak, Lord, thy servant is listening.' The church is going to dump you someplace that may have little to do with your agenda. And it will offer the kind of challenge, humiliation, embarrassment, and opportunity that you didn't foresee" (p. 58).<br />
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This is a tough 'call'! I can appreciate the student's response: to what kind of ministry is Christ calling me to serve, with all my gifts, graces, weaknesses, etc.? Then again, can I fail to listen to God's voice calling me to places I may not have considered?<br />
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Helping one another understand the call is part and parcel of discerning the Spirit. It is part and parcel of reflecting on God's gracious claim on our lives.Andy Kinseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05675926106497722177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983737958656660025.post-22272948236304101782011-09-23T15:03:00.000-07:002011-09-24T11:44:35.127-07:00Life Is Never NormalWhat is normal? In a statement about the contigencies of human life in his lecture "Learning in a Time of War," C. S. Lewis noted how World War II did not change everything. Rather, the war "simply aggravated the permanent human situation so that it could no longer be ignored." "Human life," Lewis wrote, "is always lived on the edge of the precipice. Human culture has always had to exist under the shadow of something infinitely more important than itself...we are mistaken when we compare war with 'normal life.' Life has never been normal."<br />
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I found this quote in the book <em>The Republic of Grace: Augustinian Thoughts for Dark Times </em>by Charles Matthews of the University of Virginia.<em> </em>The book is a meditation on Augustine's thought in light of current political and cultural trends. The quote is a reminder about how we can easily get sucked into thinking how much things "change" (a word in constant usage since 9/11) when, in fact, many things have not changed: as Lewis states, we live our lives, whether we want to admit it or not, on the edge of the precipice all the time. We simply don't want to recognize it. War and terror only bring this point into acute awareness.<br />
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The gospel, on the other hand, as Matthews and Lewis go on to state, reveals our true condition and provides the courage for facing our "willed blindness," giving us hope for the living of these days. Fear does not have to dominate our response to the challenges that will inevitably come our way. Hope can have the last word.Andy Kinseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05675926106497722177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983737958656660025.post-14390210670705618042011-09-14T17:44:00.000-07:002011-09-14T17:44:51.273-07:00A Quote I Have Pondered<span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Praying-Naked-Spirituality-Anthony-Mello/dp/0385513143?ie=UTF8&tag=notesonp-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img alt="Praying Naked: The Spirituality of Anthony de Mello" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0385513143&tag=notesonp-20" /></a></span><br />
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<span>The following quote by Anthony De Mello has been a favorite for some time: "A neurotic is someone who worries about things in the past that never happened. Not like us normal people who only worry about things in the future that won't happen." </span><br />
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<span>Enjoy and ponder!</span><br />
<span><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=notesonp-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0385513143" style="border: currentColor !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></span>Andy Kinseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05675926106497722177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983737958656660025.post-56461183937033735752011-09-04T12:32:00.000-07:002011-09-04T12:35:57.239-07:00The Difference Passion Makes<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Soccer-Philosophy-Beautiful-Thoughts-Popular/dp/081269676X?ie=UTF8&tag=notesonp-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img alt="Soccer and Philosophy: Beautiful Thoughts on the Beautiful Game (Popular Culture and Philosophy)" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=081269676X&tag=notesonp-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=notesonp-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=081269676X" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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Here is a book I have enjoyed reading as the girls have taken to the pitch this fall: <em>Soccer and Philosophy: Beautiful Thoughts on the Beautiful Game. </em>It is a book with all kinds of insights on the game of soccer and its relation to philosophy. One chapter in particular speaks to the importance that passion makes when it comes to playing this game. The author, A. Minh Nguyen of Eastern Kentucky University, contends that what makes a team great is not luck or talent <em>per se</em>, or chemistry or discipline <em>per se</em><strong>, </strong>or team chemistry or coaching <em>per se</em>. Rather, what makes a team great is passion: that special power of the heart that enables teams to stand the heat and show the world what truly matters (p. 265). It is passion that animates the will and arouses the feeling of intensity to succeed. As Nguyen goes on to suggest, it is passion that made the difference in helping the FC Barcelona Team of 2009 take such great trides and become one of the great club teams in European history.<br />
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I can't help but notice some parallels here with ministry and mission. We speak of "passionate worship," of course, and the importance of passion for discipleship. Passion is what can make the difference between good and great, and it can provide the kind of heart it takes for making the difference Christ calls us to make. Without a sense of passion we can too easily lose sight of what truly matters, of what truly is important. The question is, How can we demonstrate passion and become the kind of servants Christ calls us to be? How can we go from good to great with passion?<br />
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Andy Kinseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05675926106497722177noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1983737958656660025.post-76886390302844164662011-08-29T18:00:00.000-07:002011-08-30T06:34:05.450-07:00Primary Speech<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Primary-Speech-Psychology-Ann-Ulanov/dp/0804211345?ie=UTF8&tag=notesonp-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img alt="Primary Speech: A Psychology of Prayer" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0804211345&tag=notesonp-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=notesonp-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0804211345" style="border: currentColor; margin: 0px; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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Ann and Barry Ulanov have written a great deal on the life of prayer. In <i>Primary Speech: A Psychology of Prayer</i>, they explore the depths of prayer and the various aspects of prayer as means for drawing near to God. Utilizing the insights of psychology, they help us to understand how prayer enables speech to occur and how it extends us beyond our known self into the unknown God (p. 9); there is, as they write, "an otherness to prayer": that is, "in the process of confessing who we are we find ourselves addressed by the otherness within ourselves and the otherness within our world. We find ourselves met by others who do not see things the way we do, but insist on other points of view. For example, in prayer we cannot escape the memory of anyone's criticism of us. We must look at it from all sides and angles and cannot hide in a defensive reaction by turning it back on our accuser, and say it is his or her problem, not ours" (p. 9). <br />
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"In prayer we cannot avoid a dream or a fantasy image that insists on our attention. We must inspect it and hear what it says about us. In prayer we discover odd coincidences and new insights that we know did not originate in ourselves. We cannot create or produce them at will. Being itself speaks to us in these events, and we listen. If we go on listening, we feel God pulling us, drawing us into a life of abundance...we become swept into the flowing of this other life through the small space of our self....the speech of prayer tells us of the new life for psyche and soul that comes when we open the door to the one who stands there knocking" (p. 9).<br />
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I look forward to reading two other books by the Ulanovs: <i>The Healing Imagination</i> and <i>Religion and the Unconscious. </i>There is great wisdom in what they write about prayer.<br />
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Andy Kinseyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05675926106497722177noreply@blogger.com0