Posts Tagged ‘The Evolving Church conference’

I have decided that Stanley Hauerwas is the “Shaquille O’Neal of Theology” [don’t try to steal that! I coined it!]. We love to put a microphone in front of his face because we can’t wait to hear what he’ll say. He’s a great sound bite! I will put some quotes (aren’t direct quotes) that I tweeted (26% of you won’t know what that means, and another 26% won’t know what I was referring to here) during epiphenia’s The Evolving Church: Amidst the Powers conference. I tweeted during his workshop and the plenary session.  

Here are my tweets (read from bottom-up for chronological order):

# Hauerwas: I wish I could get evangelicals to be more eucharistic, then God would have a better shot at killing them #ep09 …hahaha2:55 PM Mar 21st from TwitterFon

# RT @tg24: (Hauerwas) We were not created to kill one another, we were created to commune with each other. #ep092:47 PM Mar 21st from TwitterFon

# Hauerwas: by the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, war was abolished.2:45 PM Mar 21st from TwitterFon

# Hauerwas: The Christian alternative to war is worship. #ep092:39 PM Mar 21st from TwitterFon

# RT @tg24: Grossman noted that some soldiers have more intimacy with each other after killing than they do with their wives #ep092:30 PM Mar 21st from TwitterFon

# Hauerwas: Killing is a more intimate act than sex #ep092:28 PM Mar 21st from TwitterFon

# Hauerwas: Eisenhower at West Point grad: “I now belong to the flag.” If u want to know what giving into the powers looks like, that’s it.2:25 PM Mar 21st from TwitterFon

# Hauerwas: We (Texans) are natural born killers. Southerners want to kill so much that we killed in WWI for the Yankees (Northeners). #ep092:21 PM Mar 21st from TwitterFon

# RT @tg24: What would the pacifists do if they got a world in which they wanted? #ep09 …great question!2:17 PM Mar 21st from TwitterFon

# Hauerwas: War is the alternative Church. #ep092:13 PM Mar 21st from TwitterFon

# RT @tg24: Hauerwas Everyone professes that war is horrible but we continue to have war #ep092:12 PM Mar 21st from TwitterFon

# Hauerwas: when was the last time you went to see a movie about peace? War’s gripped our imagination. #ep092:08 PM Mar 21st from TwitterFon

# Hauerwas: (on “just war”) if war is not “just,” what is it? We might as well call it slaughter. #ep092:07 PM Mar 21st from TwitterFon

 Plenary Session (above) and Workshop (below)

# Hauerwas: want to know the ethics of ministry? Don’t lie. And if you must know, not lying is a difficult enterprise to take on. #ep0911:44 AM Mar 21st from TwitterFon

# Hauerwas: (disagree w sermons?) I say How could u? It was the Word of God. Where did u get the idea that u get to make up ur own mind? #ep0911:30 AM Mar 21st from TwitterFon

# Hauerwas: God is killing the Church in industrialized nations, and we [darn] well deserve it. #ep0911:26 AM Mar 21st from TwitterFon

# …that’s moral transformation! #ep0911:24 AM Mar 21st from TwitterFon

# Hauerwas: when a med student says, Well, I don’t care about such and such procedure, they say tough [crap]. Do it or get out…11:23 AM Mar 21st from TwitterFon

# Hauerwas: we see a poorly trained priest/pastor as not as threatening to the soul as a poorly trained doctor to a patient #ep0911:17 AM Mar 21st from TwitterFon

# Hauerwas: when children come to divinity school, which u know u aren’t children but just some1 who failed at another line of work. ha! #ep0911:13 AM Mar 21st from TwitterFon

# Hauerwas: by being part of the Church, you get a new being #ep0911:04 AM Mar 21st from TwitterFon

# Hauerwas: the Church is an alternative to war, the culture of death #ep0911:03 AM Mar 21st from TwitterFon

# Hauerwas: the first task of the Church is not to make the world just but make the world, the world #ep0911:02 AM Mar 21st from TwitterFon

# Hauerwas: medicine desires to help people get out of life (death) alive11:01 AM Mar 21st from TwitterFon

# Hauerwas: world’s story - u have no story except the story u chose when u had no story. X-ians - we have a story that we enter into #ep0910:59 AM Mar 21st from TwitterFon

# Hauerwas: when you raise children to make up their own minds, they go crazy (he’s full of great soundbites) #ep0910:56 AM Mar 21st from TwitterFon

# Hauerwas: (when you die) you don’t want to be a burden bc you don’t trust your children…ha! #ep0910:50 AM Mar 21st from TwitterFon

# Hauerwas starts: how would you like to die? #ep0910:49 AM Mar 21st from TwitterFon

[Two weekends ago, Tim and I went to epiphaneia's The Evolving Church: Amidst the Powers conference with plenary speakers Walter Wink, Stanley Hauerwas, and Marva Dawn. Below is my reflection on Walter Wink's lecture. Please also see Tim's reflection for more.]

Part of understanding “the powers” that surround us is to understand that the powers have a physical and spiritual dimension. Walter Wink believed that angels for each church in the beginning of Revelation represent the ethos of each congregation. Thus, from here and other places, he concluded that everything has a spiritual dimension to it.

Though I’m not sure where I stand with Wink on his interpretation of Revelation, I have to say that I agree that everything is, indeed, spiritual. As Paul reminds us, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Eph. 6:12 TNIV; emphasis mine).” So, when we wrestle with the powers we must remember that we wrestle against an ethos, a spiritual dimension, which is not seen at face value.

The main crux of Wink’s lecture surrounded three major points, which are as follows:

1. The powers are good
2. The powers are fallen
3. The powers can (and must) be redeemed

This travels us down the road of the biblical narrative – creation, fall, redemption [and I would add “restoration,” but, for sake of the argument, I’ll move on without it].

The powers are Good: Walter explained that God created the powers and saw that they were good, as Romans explains, “The authorities that exist have been established by God” (13:1b), and, ultimately, the powers were created as part of God’s “good” creation.

The powers are Fallen: The world’s “fallen-ness” is seen in Genesis 3, where death is brought into the world. Thus, death inhibits God’s good creation. As Wink said, “We all are not what we are meant to be” [wonderful line!], and the powers are in the same boat.

The powers must be Redeemed: If we remember, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work” (1 Jn. 3:8b), then, the purpose of God and his people is to be part of the “redemption project.” Thus, as Wink said, we must show the powers what they were meant to be, that is, they are to serve the welfare of all humanity.

Personally, I find Wink’s lecture to be incredibly helpful. Often, I disregard the powers (in the physical nature) so much I find myself believing that the powers are essentially evil. Thus, I can border sectarianism. However, God, in Christ, does not call us to sit back and “let the world run its course,” for, if we do so, we delve into Deism, and we deny our purpose of redeeming the powers to show them what they are meant to be in God’s creation. We do not promote a “Christian nation” or some type of theocracy. Instead, when we call the powers to be what they are meant to be, the Church works in bringing all things under the authority of Christ.

Highlights of the Week:

1. A definite highlight was Tim and my trip to Toronto for The Evolving Church: Amidst the Powers conference. Walter Wink, Stanley Hauerwas, and Marva Dawn were the plenary speakers. Hauerwas (pictured), specifically, has had great influence on my understanding of the interaction between the church and the powers. Through this weekend, I’ve become more convinced of the necessity for Christian nonviolence. Though it does not always seem to make sense, I believe it is vital (plus, just war theory doesn’t always make sense either). Be sure to check out Tim’s blog for more.
2. Amanda, Giselle, and I walked to and from work last week. It was wonderful to be outside and to spend some meaningful time together. We actually had a chance to talk, which is not always easy. Giselle pretty much yells at cars and people as they go by, sort of like a puppy does.

Books I’m Reading:

Still doing my book face-off between (a) The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier by Tony Jones and (b) Why We’re Not Emergent: by Two Guys Who Should Be by Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck.. But I’ve put these on hold for now. I was getting tired of the topic, and book “c” seems more relevant for the season of Lent.

(c) I finished The Circle of Seasons: Meeting God in the Church Year by Kimberlee Conway Ireton. As stated before, it has been extremely helpful in understanding the importance of working our lives around the church calendar. I recommend it to anyone who takes the story of the Church even somewhat seriously.

Disappointed by: The NFL’s constant and continual over-protection of the (seemingly) only position that matters—that is, quarterback. Poor defensive players.   

Job update: I have four irons in the fire right now, and I’m just waiting to hear from any of them. I suppose if all four offer me jobs that would be a good “problem” to have. Starbucks is interested in hiring me, but I’m waiting to hear from them what the next step is. But I should be started there soon.

Seminary update: We started a new class called “Prophecy and Contemporary Ministry,” which is a course on the prophetic books of the Old Testament. The professor is Dave Lamb, and the book we are reading is called Exploring the Old Testament: Guide to the Prophets by J. Gordon McConville. The prophets are incredibly interesting. If you are like me, you’ve always been taught these from a “dispensational” standpoint (Daniel is talking about the rapture, Isaiah is talking about the millennial kingdom). It’s finally nice to break away from some of that.

Looking forward to:

1. Giselle is to be dedicated on April 5^th, and her first birthday is coming up on April 21^st. 

This week I waited until Thursday

Highlights of the Week:

1.    Taking Giselle to the aquarium was definitely a highlight. She loved it! She loves my father-in-law’s fish tank so we figured we take her to a fish tank on a larger scale…the NJ State Aquarium in Camden. I’ve never seen her so excited. Amanda and I love thinking back to it and laughing about how she was cracking up and waving her hands in the air in front of some of the exhibits. I took her to the “Touch a Shark” area. She reached down to put her hands in the water, but, when the shark came up, she quickly pulled back and made a fearful murmur. She instead proceeded to put her hand (that had just been in the shark water) in her mouth. Amanda wasn’t happy.
2.    New class with Peter Enns. I’m really enjoying it.
3.    I had another job interview this week. It was at a temp agency. I fear that wherever they put me I will be known as “the temp” like Ryan in The Office, but, if I get promoted to an executive position, I won’t get cocky.

Books I’m Reading:
I finished Goldsworthy’s Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture, which I thought was OK, but it seemed somewhat “old school” and a little naïve in some areas. I’m now reading Christopher Wright’s Knowing Jesus through the Old Testament. I like it so far.

Put It on Repeat (what I’ve been listening to):
1.    Coldplay’s success at the Grammy’s has spurred me to listen to Viva la Vida again.
2.    Recently purchased, Lykke Li’s Youth Novels
3.    Podcasts: Mars Hill Bible Church – I’m a few weeks behind. APM’s Speaking of Faith “Obama’s Theologian” about Reinhold Neibuhr’s influene on Obama.

Job update: like I said, I had an interview with a temp agency. I had to go into the city for the interview, which is pretty legit. They are talking about sending me to Chester, which isn’t very legit, but I need a job so…whatever. I would only be a few months. Also, I talked to the pastor of the youth pastor job I’ve been interviewing for. It seems like they are getting closer to doing second interviews, etc.

Seminary update: Just began a class with Peter Enns, and I’m loving it.

Had a good laugh at:
In seminary class:
•    Peter Enns: What was wrong with the Sadducees?
•    Jay: They were sad-you-see…
•    Class: [laughter]
•    Jay: That was the answer you were looking for, wasn’t it?
•    Peter Enns: No, I was looking for an adult answer.
•    Class: [even more laughter]

Looking forward to:
1.    Going to Toronto for The Evolving Church Conference in March with Tim. Stanley Hauerwas is going to be there, which is awesome! Derek Webb’s doing music there, too.
2.    Getting some type of full time position somewhere.