The problem with adapting church to our felt needs is that our felt needs, our desires, can sometimes be precisely what stands in the way of our own transformation. We need to critically examine our felt needs in the light of scripture rather than presuming their sovereignty. Failure to do so often leaves us withContinue reading “Felt Needs vs Real Needs”
Tag Archives: contextualisation
Are we dancing to the tune of Jesus?
We are called to be united in Christ. We are not called to be united in culture. On the contrary, the book of Revelation looks forward to the best that each and every culture has to offer being brought under the lordship of Christ. There should be no such thing as Christian music styles andContinue reading “Are we dancing to the tune of Jesus?”
Contextualising worship for Indian Christians
The following exerts are from Indiginized Christian Worship in India: Some Considerations. Westernised Posture “Another significant aspect that the Indian church lost in worship was the posture of worship. In most Indian religions worshipers sit on a thick mattress spread on the floor. People sit on the floor, with their legs crossed, as an expressionContinue reading “Contextualising worship for Indian Christians”
Why it is important to recognise there are diverse sources of diversity.
When it comes to contextualising Christianity and everything that entails I find it is important to recognise that there are diverse sources of diversity within contemporary society. Too often Christian missional literature focuses on culture purely in terms of nationality or ethnicity. But I find it is often just important to recognise the ways gender,Continue reading “Why it is important to recognise there are diverse sources of diversity.”
An ancient commentary on Christian unity and cultural diversity
Have you ever read The Epistle of Mathetes to Diognetus? If you haven’t you should, as it includes ancient commentary on Christian unity and cultural diversity that is just as relevant for today as it was when it was written in the second century. Mathetes (which means disciple in ancient Greek) has this to say:Continue reading “An ancient commentary on Christian unity and cultural diversity”
Does a geographic focus hinder churches in reaching demographic based cultures?
I recently attended a Forge workshop where Allan Hirsch spoke on cultural distance as a barrier to the sharing the good news of Jesus with the world and the inconvenient truth that 80% of the energy of most churches went into reaching the 20% of their culture that was culturally closest. And then we wonderContinue reading “Does a geographic focus hinder churches in reaching demographic based cultures?”
What is distinctive about Australian art?
As an Australian who is interested in exploring more contextual expressions of Christianity I feel an obvious question I must ask is, is there anything distinctive about Australian art, and if so, what? I can’t say I have a definitive answer but I have noted a number of sources drawing attention to an early shiftContinue reading “What is distinctive about Australian art?”
What are some traditions that need breaking?
Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, ‘Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!’ Jesus replied, ‘And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? (Matthew 15:1-3) In his book, Pagan Christianity,Continue reading “What are some traditions that need breaking?”
John Keenan on The Emptiness of Christ
Some reflections by John P. Keenan on The Emptiness of Christ : The scriptural words of and about Jesus likewise describe him as empty of essence. [The] function of doctrine in Mahayana theology is not to communicate a body of information about God, but to engender a sense of the presence of God beyond all words. It is impossibleContinue reading “John Keenan on The Emptiness of Christ”
Christ centred, Esoteric flavoured
So what does C4 contextualisation look like for me, given that the Western esoteric community is my “indigenous” context? For me C4 contextualisation means a kind of Christianity that is esoteric flavoured yet still fundamentally Christ centred. It is not a haphazard syncretism; it is not merely a Christian veneer over a Pagan substrate. IfContinue reading “Christ centred, Esoteric flavoured”
Curious Christian 