Our Cohort topic for May is going to be "worship" and while there will certainly be a practical dimension to our conversation we sould also come prepared to reflect on the theological motivations that inspire our practice.
So, I offer a few questions for reflection before next Thursday:
What is worship?
What is your theology of worship?
How has that shaped your praxis of worship for the emerging context?
As always, feel free to add other questions through comments.
I'm looking forward to the conversation.
Peace,
Dixon
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
favor, please and thank you
hello friends...as many of you know, i'm a one of several in our cohort who work for The United Methodist Publishing House. at UMPH, i'm part of a team that is working on some new projects aimed at young adults. we've set up a quick online survey to help with product development, and it would be great if as many of you as possible would click over there and take it. it doesn't take long, and your answers could have a major impact on some of these new ideas. will you please do me this favor? thanks.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
MeChurch
You all have to check this stuff out. My bishop used it recently at a conference. Be prepared:
:: Me Church ::
:: Me Church ::
Saturday, March 04, 2006
Random Tidbits
Hey everyone. It was nice to meet you all the other day, and I'm really glad I've joined up. For those that were there (or those that are interested) here is the link to The Gathering. We start tomorrow morning, so please keep us in prayer. Anyone who would like to come check it out and give feedback is always welcome. I also have my own personal blog called The Truth As Best I Know It. Blessings to everyone during the Lenten season.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Think About It
Some thoughts to guide us:
- With the first Christian community practicing their faith as a minority religion, can Christians today do the same as a majority?
- How has the notion of empire and colonialism shaped evangelism?
- How does one go about a theology of money and/or capitalism?
- What is the church’s relationship to the state and vice versa?
- What role should one’s faith play when campaigning for political office?
- How has our understanding of democracy shaped church polity?
- What if the American Revolution, with its believed divine inspiration, had failed?
- How does one navigate the often blurry line between church and state when it comes to social programming?
- Is America a “Christian nation”?
- How does one live missionally and prophetically in today’s America?
God and Country (Again)
The following is Matt's letter on "God and Country". The link in the post below is going dead later today so disregard it.
Peace,
Dixon
-------
"God & Country"
This coming Sunday (February 5th) our church will recognize scout Sunday. This is a tradition that we have taken up in the past few years as a way of recognizing the role scouting has played and continues to play in the formation of many of our young people. Among the many virtues scouting promotes is the importance of faith in God. And so it is appropriate that we set aside a Sunday to acknowledge the relationship this family of faith has long had with the various scouting traditions: Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Brownies and others.
I confess this has presented something of a challenge for me. The challenge comes not from what scouts represent, their program, or values. It is quite clear that scouting has had a tremendous and positive impact on the young men and women who participate in it as well as the adults who lead them. No, the challenge comes when our national flag is processed in the context of Sunday worship and the pledge to that flag is recited.
I consider myself a fairly patriotic individual. I value the democratic freedoms on which the United States is founded; particularly the first amendment freedom of expression and the establishment clause that allows us to practice our religious beliefs free of government intrusion or interference. At sporting events I regularly choke up at the singing of the national anthem. I understand the value of the pledge of allegiance as a means of teaching the importance of citizenship.
All that said, Sunday worship is a time that we gather first and foremost as citizens of the Kingdom of God to raise our voices in praise to the one to whom we owe our ultimate allegiance. That Kingdom is one not bounded by national borders, but includes the people of every tribe and nation. What makes me uncomfortable is pledging our allegiance to anything other than God during that time we have set aside specifically to worship God. It may be a poor analogy but I would liken it to making a date with someone, showing up and then talking about someone else. Often when God speaks through the prophets about his relationship with the people it is as a “jealous God”.
As much as I value our flag and the nation that it represents, the primary symbols for Sunday morning are the font -where the waters of baptism remind us of our identity as those who belong to God through Jesus Christ- and the table- where we are invited from east and west, north and south to be fed as one people. I believe this is who we are truly called to be, before nation or party or any other factional identity.
That is the reason why I initially asked that the pledge not said when the scouts processed at church, because I am cautious about confusing or diluting our worship.
As your pastor I am in essence the theologian in residence, and felt I needed to share my thoughts on this with you on why I had suggested that we refrain from saying the pledge on Sunday. I have been asked to reconsider my position in deference to those for whom the procession and pledge are meaningful. In the spirit of practicing what I preached this past Sunday (January 29th) I feel I ought to yield to the love and respect I hold for our scouts, their families and those who value this tradition. Perhaps together we can continue to discern the ways our faith leads us to serve Christ as well as our country.
Peace,
Dixon
-------
"God & Country"
This coming Sunday (February 5th) our church will recognize scout Sunday. This is a tradition that we have taken up in the past few years as a way of recognizing the role scouting has played and continues to play in the formation of many of our young people. Among the many virtues scouting promotes is the importance of faith in God. And so it is appropriate that we set aside a Sunday to acknowledge the relationship this family of faith has long had with the various scouting traditions: Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Brownies and others.
I confess this has presented something of a challenge for me. The challenge comes not from what scouts represent, their program, or values. It is quite clear that scouting has had a tremendous and positive impact on the young men and women who participate in it as well as the adults who lead them. No, the challenge comes when our national flag is processed in the context of Sunday worship and the pledge to that flag is recited.
I consider myself a fairly patriotic individual. I value the democratic freedoms on which the United States is founded; particularly the first amendment freedom of expression and the establishment clause that allows us to practice our religious beliefs free of government intrusion or interference. At sporting events I regularly choke up at the singing of the national anthem. I understand the value of the pledge of allegiance as a means of teaching the importance of citizenship.
All that said, Sunday worship is a time that we gather first and foremost as citizens of the Kingdom of God to raise our voices in praise to the one to whom we owe our ultimate allegiance. That Kingdom is one not bounded by national borders, but includes the people of every tribe and nation. What makes me uncomfortable is pledging our allegiance to anything other than God during that time we have set aside specifically to worship God. It may be a poor analogy but I would liken it to making a date with someone, showing up and then talking about someone else. Often when God speaks through the prophets about his relationship with the people it is as a “jealous God”.
As much as I value our flag and the nation that it represents, the primary symbols for Sunday morning are the font -where the waters of baptism remind us of our identity as those who belong to God through Jesus Christ- and the table- where we are invited from east and west, north and south to be fed as one people. I believe this is who we are truly called to be, before nation or party or any other factional identity.
That is the reason why I initially asked that the pledge not said when the scouts processed at church, because I am cautious about confusing or diluting our worship.
As your pastor I am in essence the theologian in residence, and felt I needed to share my thoughts on this with you on why I had suggested that we refrain from saying the pledge on Sunday. I have been asked to reconsider my position in deference to those for whom the procession and pledge are meaningful. In the spirit of practicing what I preached this past Sunday (January 29th) I feel I ought to yield to the love and respect I hold for our scouts, their families and those who value this tradition. Perhaps together we can continue to discern the ways our faith leads us to serve Christ as well as our country.
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