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.
Western Buddha, Eastern Jesus
More and more I find language of "eastern religion" and "western religion" superficial and outmoded, if not down right ignorant and misleading. For starters, both Christianity and Buddhism are "world religions" that transcended their ancestral homes millennia ago. But more, their demographic centres of gravity are shifting, to the point where western Buddhism and eastern Christianity … Continue reading Western Buddha, Eastern Jesus
Thoughts on culture
In the past cultural diversity was a consequence of information scarcity. We could not assimilate what we had so little access to. We had no choice, cultural differentiation was inevitable. In the future cultural diversity will be a consequence of information glut. We can’t assimilate everything we have access to. We each make choices, cultural … Continue reading Thoughts on culture
Australian multiculturalism
Yesterday we heard that "the AMP-NATSEM Income and Wealth Report shows Australia is one of the most multicultural nations in the world, second only to Luxembourg and tying with Switzerland. One-quarter of our population was born overseas, almost twice the proportion of the United States and more than twice that of Britain."
The Theology of Multi-Ethnic Church
If you're interested in glocal Christianity, that is, exploring emerging expressions of Christianity in globalized locales, then I'd recommend reading the latest Out of Ur interview with Mark DeYmaz. It's entitled, The Theology of Multi-Ethnic Church, and explores the fact that diversity isn't just a social issues, it's a biblical one. If you're unfamiliar with Mark, … Continue reading The Theology of Multi-Ethnic Church
Emerging Mini Movements
I was just reading Mark Sayers latest reflection on the emerging missional church: The Emerging Missional Church Fractures into Mini Movements. Mark classifies the emerging mini movements as follows: Neo-Anabaptists: "Some have called this movement the new monastics ... This movement tends to be pacifist, favours incarnational living amongst the urban poor, and has a strong distrust … Continue reading Emerging Mini Movements
